A Week in the Life

I was one of those fortunate to be part of the Late Bloomers and Glory Days show Doug mentioned in Opening Night. Pictured here is a shot from the final scene of the show. If you didn't make it last weekend, be sure to catch us at the Fringe Festival in July. We don’t know exactly where or when yet, but check back for those updates!

So, anyway, we closed and struck Late Bloomers Sunday, with those of us who didn’t need to rush off lingering at the Mexican restaurant upstairs from the school to share nachos, recap the show and chill. On Tuesday, I auditioned for another show up in Maryland - touching base with Nan on some business issues that might come into play if I got cast. I was lucky enough to get a part - narrowly edging out a fellow Conservatory alum. Later this week, I'm going back to the school to help prep for our annual cabaret coming up this Saturday night, where lots of alumni, students, faculty and friends gather for a show of skits, songs and other general silliness. It's always a great show and a fun party, and it’s open to the public - check out the Conservatory website for details and to reserve a slot. And be quick if you want to join in the fun, it fills up in a hurry.

So in the middle of all this, it occurred to me that this week is a good glimpse of what life is like after NCDA: Many of us eagerly look for chances to work with each other. And we seek out all kinds of other opportunities to work, knowing we have the support of the school, and each other. And we also make time to play together. All in all, it's a pretty great system, don't you think?

Opening Night

Last night was the opening night of Late Bloomers and Glory Days by Allyson Currin, produced by the Conservatory’s Alumni Committee. The opening was a tremendous success and is the culmination of three months of pre-production work undertaken by the committee from casting to marketing. I know I speak for everyone on the committee when I say how fulfilling if was when those stage lights went up.

And it just got better from there – the stellar work of the cast of Conservatory graduates Karl Bittner (‘07), Leigh Anna Fry (‘06), Lisa Margarita (‘08), Samantha Merrick (‘04), and Dane Petersen (‘07), as well as NCDA graduates Ric Blackwell (‘08) and Michael Harris (‘08).– under the direction of Jessica North Macie (ART ’05) as they transitioned between their thirty-two year old characters at a fifteen-year high school reunion seamlessly to their seventeen year old former selves for the flashback monologues that playwright Currin added to give the audience insight into their past were remarkable. A challenging acting experience to be sure, and this cast knocked it out of the park.

Late Bloomers and Glory Days will also be featured in this summer’s Capital Fringe Festival in July hopefully with this cast intact. We will be blogging about the Fringe experience as the festival draws near so be sure to check back in.

None of this could have been possible without the excellent efforts of the Conservatory staff and the alumni committee. The Conservatory provides free space for rehearsal and performance to its graduates as a part of its Actors Producing Project, a three month period in the spring where the school’s theatre is made available to alumni to produce work. And it is thanks to the Conservatory’s business class offered in fourth semester, as well as the professional theater training offered in the advanced program (ART), that we have the knowledge and experience to take a show from pre-production to a solid opening night.

Now we’re looking forward to a great weekend of shows. If you get the opportunity, come on out and see us this Saturday March 21st at 8:00 and this Sunday the 22nd at 3:00. Whether you were a Late Bloomer or you remember high school as the Glory Days, there is plenty to laugh about this weekend at the Conservatory.

Welcome!

Hey! Welcome to our blog!

The National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts is Washington DC’s only accredited, professional actor training studio. We train actors and then we provide the network and resources they need after graduation to make their career go. That, in a nutshell, is who we are.

We are also a hotbed of great theatre and performance. We have student showcases and alumni projects where you – the general theatre-loving public – can visit the conservatory to see shows either for free (all student showcases) or a suggested donation (self-financed events produced by alumni) and see our actors in action on stage – and some wildly terrific story telling.

In our blog, we’ll share thoughts on our process, what you can expect from the shows or student showcases and more. Learn more about what is going on here at the school, about our students, faculty and alumni and about the projects they are working on around town. And those are numerous – 95 percent of our grads get work within six months of their graduation.*

We’ll also share a variety of insights on acting, the business and industry and much more. But most important, this blog is a way for you to ask questions of our stellar faculty (all working actors, directors, casting directors, etc.) or suggest a topic you'd like us to talk about. And, the blog will always alert you to cool events coming up at the Conservatory so be sure to check back and see what’s going on.