While David's away, the cats will play...

So while David is off traveling the world and seeing amazing and interesting things (ok, so it is hot and he is working and not having a lot of fun) we are working hard here and slaving for the theatre~

Here is the press release feature article: (oh, and I'm not posting the pics because I had no warning and looked so ick!)


PRESS RELEASE
Contact; Keith Cockrell at 409-984-6338.


Summer musical puts the ‘community’ in community theater

When it comes time to cast the summer musical in Port Arthur, Keith Cockrell might easily borrow a line from "Casablanca" and "round up the usual suspects."
Each year, director Cockrell attracts a stellar group of actors from all over Southeast Texas, many of who show up year after year. This year’s musical, "The Music Man," is no exception.
Keith Huckabay and Amber Lanning, this year’s lead actors, are both veterans of the summer shows, presented by Lamar State College-Port Arthur and Port Arthur Little Theatre.
Beaumont’s Huckabay, who plays Harold Hill, said that he recently moved back to the area after a six-year absence and knew he could step right back in to a comfortable environment.
"I knew that I would be able to join the cast and see many of the same faces, as well as meet some new ones," he said. "It is like I have never left."
This is Huckabay’s ninth show with Cockrell, including "Hello Dolly" and "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." He said that the sense of community draws people back each year.
"Everyone becomes such good friends throughout the summer," he said. "Each summer you do a show, it is like a big family reunion, only this time you like the people attending.
"Just like a real family, the summer musical family changes: new people are added, the same ones are still around, some have left, and some can’t return for the ‘reunion.’ I also think people have come to expect a great show each year. To be part of such a talented production would want to make anyone come back for more."
Lanning, who plays Marion Paroo, is also a summer musical veteran, beginning with "The King and I." She has a master’s degree in theater and when she returned after a few years in New York, she knew she wanted to get right back into a show. For her, it really is a family affair.
"Last summer I decided to audition and ended up playing Tiger Lily in ‘Peter Pan,’" she said. "It was important to me because we had just adopted a little girl, Angelina. It gave us a great opportunity to bond. She was only five at the time, but I felt strongly that we needed this time together to grow as mother and daughter.
"My then four year old, Madelyn, loved coming to see the show and begged to do it this year. So, now it is the three Lanning girls doing the show. Madelyn and Angelina are having so much fun and learning discipline and work ethics at the same time. I really feel that theater teaches children so much when they participate. It is lovely to watch my girls grow and blossom and attempt things they have never done before. Every night it is something new."
Cockrell said, with tongue firmly planted in his cheek, that it his "sparkling personality" that keeps the actors coming back year after year.
"The truth is people want to feel like their efforts are important," he said. "I may not always be ‘nice,’ but no one has ever doubted how much I care about the shows I do. Actors may occasionally resent some brusqueness, but they never mind being told they’re important."
Huckabay, a Web and graphic designer, said that doing a musical is a commitment, but one he feels is worth the time.
"Seeing a show start from nothing more than a script, dozens of people, scraps of wood, gallons of paint, hundred of screws and nails and become something that an audience sees and leaves saying, ‘that is amazing’ is what makes me do it," he said. "That and the respect I have for Keith as a director."
Cockrell consistently attracts a large cast and makes it a point not to turn anyone away. "The Music Man" boasts a cast of 78, many of them children.
Lanning said that being involved with a large, diverse group is good for the children.
"As I watch my daughters interact with the other children, I realize that their bond with me isn’t the only one that is strengthened throughout this process," she said. "They have made so many new friends — some of them significantly older — and have a social circle that accepts them. It is like they have added to their family.
"I think this is the most significant factor in people returning to do the summer musical — it gives them a goal to attain as a family. And when it is accomplished, it is a wonderful feeling."
The sense of community means that the cast works for each other, they said. Everyone wants to be part of making something special, both for themselves and for the audience.
"People have come to expect a great show each year," Huckabay said. "To be part of such a talented production would want to make anyone come back for more."
It is not just the cast that returns every year. Audience members return to see familiar faces and new in a quality show.
Cockrell said that the audience is an important part of each show.
"The more an audience enjoys a show the better the actors get," he said. "In live theater, the audience is truly part of the production."
Huckabay extends the sense of family to the show itself.
"In a time when it is difficult to find something an entire family can do together, ‘The Music Man’ is a show for all ages," he said. "The amount of local talent all gathered together on one stage is another reason. We truly have some of the most amazing people with which I have had the pleasure of sharing the stage.
"Everyone should come see it. I guarantee you will leave humming the tunes and wanting more."
Lanning agrees.
"There is comedy, drama, great music, dancing and it touches all generations," she said. "Young and old alike will enjoy the show. It is a heart-warming story and so many people have put in hard work to make it as good as possible.
"Besides, Keith Huckabay jumps off of furniture...that is always fun to watch."
Performances of "The Music Man" are July 24, 25, 26, 27, 31 and Aug. 1, 2, 3 at the Lamar Theater on the LSC-PA campus. Thursday-Saturday performances are at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday matinees are at 2:30 p.m.
Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for students and seniors and $5 with Lamar ID. Reservations may be made by calling 984-6111.