The LDTC is gearing up for its summer season. As our summer company is starting to arrive, we are thrilled to have been able to catch up with Emily Dennis, the sole actress in the LDTC’s first show of the 2019 Summer Season Tell Me on a Sunday. Here are a few things Emily is looking forward to, what has challenged her, and a little about her character.
What was your first production at the Lake Dillon Theatre Company?
My first production with the Lake Dillon Theatre Company was Kander and Ebbs classic musical Cabaret back in 2016.
What is your favorite part of working on a musical?
There are many aspects I enjoy – everything from learning the music, to trying on my costume for the first time, to the anticipation of opening night – I love it all! As a performer, I have acted in many films and TV shows, which is something that I absolutely love doing, but there is nothing quite like getting live feedback from an audience. The synergy that happens between the actor and the audience as they experience the moments of the show together, and the awareness that these moments will never happen again exactly the same way twice, is pure magic.
Emily Dennis In “Rock of Ages” 2018
How is doing a one-woman musical different than working with a cast?
When you work with other actors in musicals or plays, you are constantly assessing the information that is being given to you by your counterpart and depending on the way they choose to deliver a particular line will inform how you respond. In a one-woman musical, it is much more cerebral. It is important to create clear images in your head of the characters that will not appear on stage for the audience to witness. For example, visualizing how the characters dress, their age and their status are a few of the things that will definitely inform how they make you move, think, and feel about them. The background you create for the imagined people you “interact” within the show is equally as important as the work you do learning the character you are portraying yourself. The hope in doing this work is that the audience can see the characters you created as easily as if they were there in the room.
Joshua Blanchard is the director of Tell Me on a Sunday. What excites you about working with him?
I had the great pleasure of sharing the stage with Josh in Cabaret, and I was in the audience to witness his incredible work in the play Constellations. I also got to work under his direction for the LDTC’s 25th Anniversary Show. Needless to say, I am ridiculously excited to work with him again in this capacity! Josh is a brilliant actor himself, and he brings that expertise to the shows he directs. I wholeheartedly trust Josh and feel super safe to play around with different acting choices and that is so important in a director/actor relationship. He has a lot of creative and innovative ideas for Tell Me on a Sunday, and I am pumped to bring his vision to life! I feel so honored to have this opportunity, and I’m gonna savor every second!
Emily Dennis (Back Left) in “Cabaret” 2016
What is your favorite song by Andrew Lloyd Webber?
I am a huge Andrew Lloyd Webber fan so it is hard to pick just one favorite, but I have a special place in my heart for his musical Jesus Christ Superstar as it was the first Webber musical I performed in when I was 6 years old, and it was also a favorite soundtrack that accompanied many family road trips when I was growing up. “I Don’t Know How To Love Him” and “Heaven On Their Minds” are some of my favorites from that show.
What is the most challenging thing about working on a one-woman musical?
The preparation and the sheer volume of material increases greatly when working on a one-woman musical. Since this is my first experience performing in a one-woman musical, I can’t fully predict what the most challenging thing will be, but I anticipate my rest and recovery period between shows will be taken much more seriously. Even though this show will require extra groundwork, I am excited to take this challenge on!
What is the most exciting?
I am definitely excited for the new experience and creative challenge that a one-person show offers. This show is particularly enticing to me due to the wide variety of musical styles that are showcased throughout the show. I am also excited to portray a character that has such a universal story which includes: falling in love, telling Mom about said love, heartbreak, loss, more love, telling Mom about new love, and more heartbreak. It is also always exciting to be back at my second home at the Lake Dillon Theater Company too :).
Emily Dennis (right) in Summer Sunday Cabaret 2016
Can you tell us a little about your character?
My character is an English woman from Muswell Hill who has newly arrived in New York City brimming with optimism. In this interpretation of Tell Me on a Sunday, she is a singer-songwriter who sets out to seek success, companionship, and of course, love. Throughout the course of the show, you watch as she tackles similar patterns of behavior and how her anxieties, frustrations, and heartaches seem to be repeating themselves. Ultimately, she learns that you create your own happiness and that your own self-worth is not determined by another person.
How do you relate to your character?
In all honesty, I am VERY similar to this character in both her strengths and her vulnerabilities. It’s been quite cathartic to learn this music and relate it back to my own life. I would say the number one similarity between her and I is our ability to move on and bounce back after a painful life challenge. The character feels her life experiences deeply and has a wide emotional spectrum which is something I relate to very much. I admire the resilience of this character and her ability to stay strong and open in the face of adversity.
How are you different?
I’m not British…but I wish I was!
We are so excited to have you back at the LDTC. Why do you enjoy working with the LDTC?
The community that Chris, Josh, and the rest of the incredible staff have fostered at the Lake Dillon Theater Company is something so beautiful and rare in the professional theater world. I have made numerous lifelong friends from performing in shows here – both in the cast and in the audience – and that is something I absolutely don’t take for granted. The audiences here are whip-smart, and I love hearing their various observations from the show when talking with the audiences afterward. Lastly, we all know Summit County is one of the most picturesque places on earth so that’s an extraordinary bonus!
Performing arts and conservation are two topics that in theory don’t necessarily fit together, that didn’t stop Sonya Meyer from creating a cabaret that did just that. On May 4 & 5 LDTC patrons can experience Ms. Meyer’s new cabaret “A Day of Sky: A Cabaret of Climate Change” in the intimate Henry Studio Theatre.
When Meyer left the Big Apple for a 6-month stay in Breckenridge she didn’t expect to stay. Now four years later, Meyer has fully embraced the year-round outdoor lifestyle while still finding opportunities to perform, direct and teach at theatres in the area.
Meyer was most recently seen on the LDTC stage at the 2017 New York New Year’s Eve Celebration and was first seen as Melody in Bad Jews during the LDTC’s 2016 season. Meyer now uses the stage as a catalyst for preservation and answers the questions of how to get involved locally as a parting gift for the audience.
Meyer’s passions of performing and conservation were a part of her motivation to create a cabaret based on the timely subject of Climate Change. “For me, even as someone who cares about climate change and wants to help and support these organizations, it’s hard to know what is actually being done and what I can actually do to get involved.”
You can experience this unique and intimate event May 4 at 7:30 PM and 5th at 6:30 PM.
At the LDTC the cast has a 2 week rehearsal period. In that time they will learn their lines, staging, and in the case of The Cake learn to work with buttercream. Here are a few delicious photos of cast members working hard in rehearsal.
Victoria Bundonis says one of the great things about being an actor is having to learn, very quickly, skills that are not necessarily in your wheelhouse. Here she is learning very quickly how to work with buttercream frosting.
Even scenes that seem simple need quality time in rehearsal. Here Claire Kennedy, Nina Waters, and Melissa Livingston (director) work to create a beautiful moment between Macy and Jen.
Learn more about The Cake and Purchase Tickets here! Don’t miss this hilarious new comedy by Bekah Brunstetter!
The Cake opens March 15, 2019, at the Lake Dillon Theatre Company. We sat down with the cast to learn more about why they are excited about the show! Today we feature Kenneth Wayne Bradley. The Cake is Kenneth’s LDTC debut!
What excites you about your first show in Summit County and with the LDTC?
Have you seen this place? Wow! The breathtaking mountains, the lake, the incredible Theatre! Every picture I take is a postcard straight from the chamber of commerce! And getting to work with Melissa Livingston again is a dream come true! I couldn’t pass this up!
What can audiences expect when they come to The Cake?
I think they will see a version of themselves in at least one of the characters, and pieces of themselves in ALL the characters! I think sometimes in our new hyper-social media world we sometimes get duped into the falsehood that things are either black or white. These people are very real, multi-dimensional, warm and rounded…and they all have a heart. The writer has captured each character’s inherent human warmth along with their flaws. She has taken a complete 360-degree view of EACH character which I as an actor, love, but so will the audience.
How do you relate with your character?
Tim lives life as he sees it. He doesn’t intentionally judge, he just doesn’t know any better. I think we’re all a bit guilty of that. Recognizing it is key. Change doesn’t come with the snap of a finger. It takes encouragement, and love and civil conversation for your eyes to start to open…and it takes time. And a bit of mashed potatoes!
What is most exciting about being in The Cake?
The “family” created when staging a live production is dear to my heart. The bonds we create with each other and that live connection to the audience is something that I have always deeply treasured. It is very real and organic and there’s nothing else like it on earth! That’s what makes the theatre experience, and the audiences who come to witness it, the best in the world! And THIS story is sure to connect on all levels; humor, tragedy, philosophy… it’s timeliness, and it has it all. And I think it will open up real face to face conversation, patience and an understanding of how the other person lives, without judgment… which we desperately need right now.
What is the most Challenging?
Well, dodging the snow avalanches!! I’m more the guy who grabs an inner-tube and floats down the river in 113 degree weather!!! I am learning a fast lesson about another side to Mother Nature! But I love it up here!
Don’t miss out on the instant mashed potato hilarity!
The Cakeopens March 15, 2019, at the Lake Dillon Theatre Company. We sat down with the cast members to learn more about why they are excited about the show! Today we hear from Nina Waters, a summit county local and LDTC full-time staff member who will play the role of Macy.
What most excites you about coming back to Summit County and the LDTC?
Well seeing as I live here all the time, it’s nice to be able to be on stage again in a play. I’ve spent most of the past 2 years working full time in a staff capacity and only onstage in cabarets, and prior to that, I was on stage by myself in Pretty Fire. So it’s nice to be in a play with other people again!
What can audiences expect when they come to The Cake?
To laugh, to cry, to maybe question your beliefs and to see a perspective from a point of view that you may not have expected.
How do you relate with your character?
Oh, IN. SO. MANY. WAYS. Macy is a lot of me and some more. She is always trying to stand up for the little guy, the underrepresented, and that’s maybe because she sees a little of that in herself. Much like me, I’m always playing the devil’s advocate. Trying to push the envelope, and sometimes forgetting when it’s best to just quiet up and listen.
What is most exciting about being in The Cake?
The cast is so fun! I’ve worked with almost all of them at some point, which is really nice to come into a rehearsal room with people you know and trust.
What is the most Challenging?
Other than the 11 day rehearsal period!?!!? I would say keeping it fun. Playing and activist type character like Macy, it’s hard to not always go for anger or disillusionment. There is joy and love, and so many more layers to this character so being able to play in those moments is sometimes easy to forget.
Don’t miss this hilarious new comedy by Bekah Brunstetter!
The Cake by Bekah Brunstetter opens March 15, 2019, at the Lake Dillon Theatre Company. We sat down with each of the cast members to learn more about their characters and what excites them about the Show. Today we caught up with past LDTC performer Claire Kennedy who will take the role of Jen in The Cake.
What most excites you about coming back to Summit County and the LDTC?
I love the people here. The artistic vision and integrity of the LDTC family and the kind community throughout Summit County…I’m excited to be back with such good people.
What can audiences expect when they come to The Cake?
Audiences can expect to laugh, hopefully, be inspired and moved. They can expect to see multiple sides of important issues, and maybe be opened to new perspectives.
How do you relate with your character?
My character Jen is full of life and energy and she loves her family. I relate to her sense of wanting to give and love all she can. I’m a people person and I always love to learn all I can about everyone I meet.
What is most exciting about being in The Cake?
It’s a wonderful cast and crew, which is always exciting. And I’m excited to share the hearts of these very different, but loving characters. I think they’re all striving to do their best, to stand up for themselves and what they believe, while also learning and changing along the way. This play showcases very real, and at times challenging, conversations that are happening all across this country. Sharing that and hopefully opening hearts and minds is why I love my job.
What is the most Challenging?
There are wonderful moments of fun and laughter and moments of strong feelings and thoughts throughout this play. So if I had to name a challenge, perhaps striving to maintain the balance of those two things, to create a joyous and thought provoking experience.
The Cake opens at the Lake Dillon Theatre Company on March 15, 2019. We are so excited to be producing this hilarious new comedy by Bekah Brunstetter we took some time to ask the cast what excites them. Today we feature Victoria Bundonis.
What most excites you about coming back to Summit County and the LDTC?
This is my fifth time working at LDTC but my first time working at the beautiful Flex. I’ve always felt that LDTC is the wonderful jewel of Summit County. The shows are challenging, the creative and production teams are passionate, and audiences are so involved and appreciative. It is a treat to be part of it. And the mountain scenery never gets old!
What can audiences expect when they come to The Cake?
A show that is equal parts hilarious and touching. No pun intended but there is much food for thought in the script and after what I hope will be an enjoyable night at the theatre, there should be many interesting discussions on the car ride home!
How do you relate with your character?
I empathize with Della. She is a good-hearted person who is just trying to reconcile the beliefs that she grew up with, with the way the world is so quickly changing around her ….and I like cake too!
What is most exciting about being in The Cake?
To me, this show is about love and listening and getting beyond labels. It reminds us that people are not always the villains or heroes we see at first glance. Its message is timely.
What is the most Challenging?
The non-traditional use of buttercream frosting!
The Cake is the first show of the 2019 Theatre Season and will run from March 15 – March 31.
As with all LDTC performances, the rehearsal process is quick. The cast meets, starts rehearsing and within two weeks a full production is ready for our patrons to enjoy. The 25th Anniversary Cabaret was no different.
Over the course of rehearsals for this cabaret, the show has gone from your run of the mill LDTC cabaret to a full blow production featuring dance numbers and more from the ensemble than you would typically expect. The evening will be filled with videos of past and present LDTC actors, designers, and crew members talking about their experiences here over the past 25 years.
Don’t miss your chance to walk down memory lane, or for first-timers become a part of our story. We’ll have a seat waiting for you!
The New Year is upon us, and the LDTC is gearing up for our 2019 season. The New Year is full of potential, and we are excited to deliver on some very exciting happenings from past favorites to new programs, 2019 will be a big year at the Lake Dillon Theatre Company.
1. It’s our 25th Anniversary!
Yes, it has been 25 years since the LDTC opened its doors as a small community theatre in Dillon. Since then we’ve expanded from a staff of one to a team of 10. We’ve produced hundreds of productions, including Kiss of the Spider Woman, Big River, Sister Act: The Musical, and so many more. Want to take a walk down memory lane? Or maybe just learn more about our history? Buy tickets to our 25th Anniversary Cabaret January 31 – February 3, 2019. Tickets are on sale now!
2. The Season to be Connected
After 25 years you are definitely connected to your community. This season we will celebrate that connection. You can expect musicals including Mamma Mia!and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tell Me on a Sunday. Comedies including The Cakeand Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park, and a few heartfelt stories including Every Brilliant Thingand Tiny Beautiful Things. Each show this season will connect us to the ones we love, our differences, our pasts, and our futures. Individual show tickets will be on sale soon, or purchase your season subscription today!
3. Specialty Nights
New this season are Specialty Nights an initiative designed to bring our patrons together as a community to enjoy some of Summit County’s finest food, drink and live music, all before taking in an exciting production at the Lake Dillon Theatre Company. Specialty Nights will begin 90 minutes before a show’s start time and will be held in the lobby of the Silverthorne Performing Arts Center. Check out all of the Specialty Nights the LDTC has to offer!
4. Cabarets, Cabarets, and more Cabarets
This year we begin our season with the 25th Anniversary Cabaret, but we are excited to announce this year’s line up includes 2 Signature Cabarets in May and November, 4 Summer Sunday Cabarets throughout July and the first Sunday of August, and of course our Signature Holiday Celebration, Holiday Follies. Tickets for all Cabarets will be on sale soon don’t forget to purchase your tickets for the 25th Anniversary Cabaret!
5. Theatre for Young Audiences
Another addition to our 25th Anniversary Season is our family friendly production Polkadots: the Cool Kids Musical. This fun and brightly colored musical will take place on select afternoons this summer. Tickets are $5.00 each or $20 for families of four or more! General Admission Tickets will be for sale at the box office on the day of the performance. Read more about Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical.
6. More Youth Theatre Offerings
This year we are excited to offer our most extensive variety of youth theatre classes, camps, and workshops. Starting this Spring, the LDTC Youth Theatre Program will provide 12 different Summer & Production Camps. Summer Camps are one-week camps that focus on one area of theatre, from singing, dance, and acting. With the new additions are the ever popular Youth Theatre Workshops, this year’s offerings include James and the Giant Peach Jr., Disney’s The Aristocats KIDS, and Guys & Dolls Jr. See all of our 2019 youth offerings or Enroll today!
7. Additional Adult Education
The LDTC is proud of our Adult Education Programs. This year you can still expect to pull back the curtain during Page to Stage, read and discuss a variety of plays in Play Club, discuss issues in arts today with experts and professionals in the field during Panel Discussions, and come early and stay late for our Prologues and Epilogues at every show. New this year adults can sign up for Introduction to Acting as well as Introduction to Playwriting.
8. Quality, Impact, Integrity, Intimacy, &, Diversity of Programming
Our values are important to us and will come with us to the new year. No matter what show you come to see, the educational program you or your children take part in we will always keep these values at the forefront.
9. Season Subscriptions
As always you can purchase tickets for every show and keep your wallet happy with a Season Subscription. This year we have a few new offerings, and if you purchase by January 31, you will get a complimentary beverage card.
10. Celebrations
There are so many reasons to celebrate this year. It’s our second full season in the Silverthorne Performing Arts Center. It’s our 25th Anniversary Season. Our season includes challenging, beautiful, and musical productions. We hope you will celebrate this year with us at a Specialty Night, a youth performance, cabaret, or theatre production. We’ll have a seat waiting for you.
The halls of the Silverthorne Performing Arts Center get a little more cheerful this time of year. The cast of Holiday Follies had their first rehearsal Dec. 13, 2018. As the cast sang Santa Claus is Coming to Town, you could tell they were getting into the spirit of the season and of course a visit from good old Saint Nick.
With Len Rhodes on the piano and a few of the LDTC’s favorite returning artists joyfully singing through rehearsal, you could already tell this Holiday Follies will truly be a night of yuletide joy.
The LDTC’s Artistic Director Chris Alleman is excited to share “good tidings of great joy” with the community. “This is our 6th year producing the sold-out Holiday Follies. What I love about this event is the cheer, sentiment, and joy that the audience, musicians, volunteers, crew and performers get to share for two hours. It is such a fun-filled evening and we just get to forget about any troubles or woes and spend the evening as a community and enjoying each other’s company.” Alleman said
And as cast member Chrissy Schmidt says “If you have any bit of Scrooge in you, it is sure to be gone by the time you leave the theater!”
Don’t miss this chance to revel in the Spirit of Giving December 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23. Purchase tickets here!
