Episode Six - The Season Finale is Coming Jan. 10th

What happens in the finale? Who is the murderer? Is Rock guilty or is it someone else? Will Dick and Peggy finally get together...or will Dick and Rock? Or Roger and Dick? Or Doris and Dick? Or Roger and Peggy? Or Doris and Quentin? Catch up on the goings on at The Playhouse here before the season finale debuts next week!

The Playhouse Ranks Number 4 and Dick & Peggy are Number 3

The Playhouse came in 4th Place in We Love Soaps Indie Soap of the Week Poll. First place went to Venice, Number Two was The Bay with The Cavanuaghs coming in 3rd.
Our own Dick and Peggy places third as couple of the week behind Gina & Ani (Venice) and Lee & Sara (The Bay)
Congrats to Erin and Tom and thank you to all of you who voted.
Go team!

We Love Soaps: Soap Opera Past, Present & Future: VOTE: Indie Soap & Couple of the Week Poll (Decemb...

Vote for The Playhouse for Indie Soap of the Week and while you're there cast a vote for Dick and Peggy for Indie Soap Couple of the Week. Or Dick and Doris...Or Dick and Roger...or Dick and Rock. Wow. That Dick sure gets around!


We Love Soaps: Soap Opera Past, Present & Future: VOTE: Indie Soap & Couple of the Week Poll (Decemb...: Which web series was your favorite last week? Support your favorite continuing drama or comedy and vote in the weekly WE LOVE SOAPS TV poll...

Episode Five (The Penultimate Episode!) is Finally here!

Well we have been struggling for the last three days to get this episode uploaded and we ran into a few snags along the way. It seemed as if some nefarious evildoer might be plotting against us. But we persevered and now here it is....Episode Five of The Playhouse!

Catch The Playhouse's Own Kate Danley Live in Burbank!

The Playhouse's own Kate Danley (a.k.a. Doris DelMonaco, the diva you love to hate) will be taking a turn towards the warm and fuzzy in the GTC Production of A Christmas Carol.

With a cast of three, the original text as written by Charles Dickens is brought to life. Spooky life. It is a ghost story, after all...

Come catch the holiday fun!

A Christmas Carol
adapted from Charles Dickens
by Kevin Cochran

featuring:
Kate Danley
David Allen Jones &
Frank Simons

December 8-18, 2011
Thu, Fri, Sat 8 pm; Sun 7 pm

GTC Burbank
1111-b West Olive Ave.
Burbank, CA 91506

Indie Soap of the Week Poll

Head on over to www.welovesoaps.net and vote for us for Indie Soap of the Week. I have provided a handy dandy link below. Simply click to go to their page, scroll down and look for The Playhouse in the list of shows. Check the empty circle next to The Playhouse and then click on the Vote button. It's as simple as that! Thank you once again for all your support.

http://www.welovesoaps.net/2011/11/isotwnov13.html

Episode Four....

Featuring the Fabulous Diana Costa as Constance Ford.
Remember, if you like what you see, please share with your friends, like us, leave comments, friend us on facebook. Thank you for your support.

Internet Charity

When our actors and actress aren't busy filming with us, they're off being awesome in a multitude of other awesome things. Check out our very own Richard Van Slyke (a.k.a. Roger Marlowe) in this HYSTERICAL bit...

Aaaand the results are in...We're Number Three!

Thank you to everyone who voted for us over at We Love Soaps. We came in third place in their weekly poll for Indie Soap of The Week. Yay! Go team!
Thank you again of all your support and remember to tune in November 15 for Episode Four of The Playhouse!

http://www.welovesoaps.net/2011/11/isotwoct29.html

Vote for The Playhouse as Indie Soap of the Week

Episode Three of The Playhouse as in this week's poll for Indie Soap of the Week at We Love Soaps. Use the link below to go their website and cast your vote for us. Episode Two came in second place three weekas ago. Let's see if you can make us Number One this week! Thank you for your support.
We Love Soaps: Soap Opera Past, Present & Future: VOTE: Indie Soap of the Week Poll (October 23-29, ...

Episode Three is Here!

In the last episode of The Playhouse...
Peggy ran out of the readthrough of Crybaby Bridge when Doris asked her to read the stage directions. Dick ran after Peggy to tell her he was behind her for the lead role. As they drew close they were interrupted by Roger who told Dick Doris wanted him in the theater. Doris attacked Dick wearing a sexy negligee. Meanwhile, Rock and drama critic Quentin Armitage were spying in the wings and hatched a blackmail plan. In the lobby, Peggy told Roger she thought Dick had less than honorable intentions with her. And apparently so does Roger...

We're #2! We're #2!

Thank you, everyone, SO MUCH for going over and voting on WeLoveSoaps.net for The Playhouse. The results have been tallied and we debuted on the charts at #2!

http://www.welovesoaps.net/2011/10/isotwoct8.html

WeLoveSoaps.net is one of the biggie soap blogs out there, so this is really, really cool. Thank you!

Vote for The Playhouse for Indie Soap of the Week

Hey everyone. Head over to We Love Soaps (www.welovesoaps.net) and vote for us as the Indie Soap of the Week. That's right! The indie soaps are now followed by the same people that cover the daytime soap industry and this is one of the best sites covering soaps today. They have some great content there for all you old daytime drama fans and fabulous interviews with current soap stars.

I have provided a convenient link for you below that takes you directly to the poll on their website. Remember to watch our latest episode and then take a trip to welovesoaps and vote for us!

http://www.welovesoaps.net/2011/10/isotwoct2.html

Episode Two Has Arrived!

Here it is...the next chapter in the story of The Playhouse. Last time, The Mishawaka Playhouse received a grant to produce young playwright Dick Cumming's new play The Legend Of Crybaby Bridge. The artistic directors Doris Del Monaco and her fifth husband Roger Marlowe took a personal interest in Dick. Peggy Sawyer arrived early for her audition and it was love at first sight for Dick. But Doris had other plans. Doris demanded that Dick cast her as the teen mother over Peggy if Dick wanted his play produced. Dick turned to Roger for help and Roger took advantage of the situation.

And now Episode Two...

One more week...

Hey Kittens! Kate here. Just wanted to give you a heads up that due to some super cool stuff going on behind the scenes here at The Playhouse Clubhouse, the release of Episode 2 is going to be delayed a week. While I'm sure all of you have synced your Timex watches and are breathlessly waiting to find out what happens next, think of this as allowing the tension to deliciously build. Come back next Tuesday, October 4th!

I can tell you're upset.

Here.

How about a special "Behind the Scenes" moment to help soothe your wounds? Would that make it better? I thought so, too!

Did you wonder what Peggy was saying during her Glass Menagerie monologue? As you drama nerds probably know... there is no monologue in The Glass Menagerie... Richard and I knew it would be MOS (that means "without sound"), so our script just read "And Peggy does a monologue from The Glass Menagerie". We told our actress to wing it. Erin Holt, being the pro that she is, though, sat there on her iPhone the day of the shoot and constructed this beauty. Sam French, eat your heart out.

One Week Until Episode Two

Episode Two debuts one week from today and Episode One has been online for one week. We're thrilled at the response to the first episode. And I want to take this time to say thank you to all of you for supporting us.
What do you think of the show? Leave us your comments and let us know. We really want to hear from you. If you haven't watched it yet, click on the link to the left or on the previous post below. And remember Episode Two debuts one week from today, Tuesday September 27, 2011.

Ladies and Gentlemen... Episode One

Introducing Eli Chance

Eli Chance (Quentin Armitage) is an Anaheim native and studied at Point Loma Nazarene University. He is a member of the Acme Sketch Company at the Acme Comedy Theater. He is a founding member of Vaudevillians Comedy sketch group. He can be seen in Appleseed, PTA Meeting, That Was Easy, and is a series regular on Real World - Elevator.

Introducing Kate Danley

Kate Danley (Doris Del Monaco) is a Maryland Distinguished Scholar in the Arts and twenty year veteran of stage and screen with a B.S. in theatre from Towson University. She's acted bi-coastally, everywhere from the basements of abandoned churches to the British Embassy and Kennedy Center. She played Dr. Livingstone in Agnes of God, which won three ACT Awards, including Best Play. Los Angeles audiences may recognize her as the White Trash Fairy Godmother in the Ovation winning Blake… da Musical! Her debut novel, The Woodcutter, was honored with the Garcia Award for the Best Fiction Book of the Year. Her screenplay Fairy Blood won 1st Place in the Breckenridge Festival of Film Screenwriting Competition and her screenplay American Privateer was a 2nd Round Choice in the Carl Sautter Memorial Screenwriting Competition. Her short films Dog Days, Sock Zombie, SuperPout, and Sports Scents can be seen in festivals and on the internet. She is a founding member of Angry Marshmallow Productions. She performed sketch and improv at the Acme Comedy Theater, iO West, and Second City. She trained in on-camera puppetry with Mr. Snuffleupagus and recently played the head of a 20-foot dinosaur on an NBC pilot. She has appeared on Homicide, America's Most Wanted, Head2Toe, and The Great Books. She lost on Hollywood Squares.

www.katedanley.com
Repped by Madcatch Entertainment

Introducing Diana Costa

Diana Costa (Constance Ford) is thrilled to be part of The Playhouse. She is a sketch writer and performer on ACME Saturday Night, a live and on-line weekly sketch show. TV Credtis include: Pushing Daisies, The Young and The Restless, Pretend Time with Nick Swarsdon and Jimmy Kimmel Live! She will soon be seen in the horror movie, Visible Scars and is currently working on Walking Distance, a new film by Abel Gonzalez.

Introducing Tom Walz

Tom Walz (Dick Cummings) has appeared on the L.A. stage in American Midget (MET Theatre), I’d Rather Be Right (Hudson Maintstage) and Red, Hot and Blue and Tip-Toes (both at the Whitefire Theatre), as well as several short films. Other favorite stage credits include Disney's Beauty and the Beast (Beast), Medea (Jason), Tape (Vince), Singin’ in the Rain (Don), Rashomon, The Tempest, The School for Wives, and Return to the Forbidden Planet. Born in Ohio, Tom grew up in Minnesota, and earned a B.A. from Concordia College (Moorhead, MN) in music and computer science.

The Playhouse Soap Opera Trailer

Ladies and Gentlemen...



Share it if you like it!

And mark your calendars - Episode One September 13, 2011!

Introducing Richard Van Slyke

Richard Van Slyke (Roger Marlow)'s parents met working on a production of Teahouse of the August Moon at Albany Civic Theatre so you might say theater is in his blood.  He spent over 13 years in New York City where he earned his stripes doing community theater, dinner theatre, summer stock, outdoor dramas and touring the Eastern Seaboard as Scrooge in a children's theater musical version of A Christmas Carol. These experiences plus his life-long love of all things television, gave him the idea for The Playhouse. LA stage credits include The Full Monty (Mercury Productions), Twelfth Night (Knightsbridge Theatre), Betty’s Summer Vacation and Laughter on the 23rd Floor (Long Beach Playhouse), Red Hot and Blue at The Whitefire Theatre, Pirates of Penzance at NoHo Arts Center, Side Man and Cabaret (Repertory East), Murder Me Once and Ernest in Love (Fremont Centre Theatre). He has performed sketch for the last four years at Acme Comedy Theatre. TV: Passions, North Mission Road and I Didn't Know I was Pregnant. Films: Repeat Offenders, Project Purgatory, Q for Death and Office of the Dead.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2411947/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWFPMDCV4Hs

It's All Over But The Post

Yesterday we finished shooting of  The Playhouse. It was a good day (as have all the days of our shoot).
For those of you who don't know how film/TV works, the easy part is over. Now comes the hard part. The editing (putting the episodes together), adding sound and music, color correction of the picture, posting the series online, promotion, sending out clips and press releases to various web sites and blogs that host web series and cover soap opera and comedy series news.

I can't believe it's been just over a year since I first came up with the idea for this series and now it's a reality. In the coming weeks you will continue to see profiles of the actors involved added to the site and perhaps some exclusive behind the scenes footage. Once the first episode is complete, we will provide a link here and ask you to share with your friends.

We expect to have Episode One online in early September.

Richard

Mini Wrap Party

There was football cake and Super Bowl rings in honor of Tom's birthday.  And hummus.  And shrimps.

And thoughts of season two, which include twins, twists, bed hopping, and ballet dream sequences.

My contribution was the ballet dream sequence. 

It is not a soap opera trope.

But I can think of several cast members that I would pay cash money to see in a tutu.

Which I think is going to be the name of our Kickstarter campaign.

"See ____ in a tutu.  Fork it over."


One you will not be seeing in a tutu,
Kate

This Commercial Interruption Brought to You by the Talents of Diana Costa

You're going to know her and love her as our special guest star Constance Ford, but when Diana Costa isn't cracking down on shenanigans at The Playhouse, she is stirring some up over at The Acme Comedy Theater every Saturday night! Yes, you read that right. EVERY. SATURDAY. NIGHT.

Diana Costa and Amy Pathrath

She's part of the premiere sketch ensemble cast of Acme Saturday Night. Each week, they bring you a brand new show from the heart of Hollywood. You can go down to the theater to be part of the live studio audience -OR- watch from the privacy and comfort of your own home as it streams live on the internet at 7:00PM (PST). Wish they had reruns?  You are in luck, my friends!  Past shows can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/acmesaturdaynight.

This Commercial Interruption Brought To You By The Talents of Erin Holt

Erin Holt, our darling Peggy Sawyer, has been busy busy busy!  When she's not dodging the advances of The Playhouse's amorous artists, she pulls a Clark Kent (glasses and all!) to switch over to the Fast Track where she plays a struggling Hollywood writer.  Check out our talented gal in this great new webseries!  Episodes One and Two of Fast Track are up!  Episode Three and more to come!

Written & directed by Cary Tusan

Produced by Cary Tusan & Laura Butler of SpenTV

This Commercial Interruption Brought To You By The Talents of Richard Van Slyke

Our actors aren't just some hacks we picked up off the street!  They're working professionals here in the City of Angeles.  Check it.

Richard Van Slyke (a.k.a. Roger Marlowe)

in

Bayside High School Musical

Nominated for Best Original Comedy by the Valley Theatre League

Go back to Bayside with Zack, Kelly, Screech and the rest of the gang in Bayside High School Musical - a musical parody of the hit '90s sitcom Saved by the Bell.  Go to the Max, do the Sprain, save Beck the Duck, and study for the geometry midgerm all at once in this hilarious trip down memory lane that will leave you SO EXCITED... and SO SCARED!

Wednesdays 8pm and 10pm
August 24-October 26
The Victory Theater

3324 W Victory Blvd
Burbank, CA 91505

For tickets and information, go to http://www.baysidehighschoolmusical.com/

Edit Edit Edit - Richard's View

You know that moment when you're in rehearsal for a play and towards the end of the rehearsal period (maybe the week before tech), the director comes in and says "We have a show people!"? It's that moment when he/she sees that everything has come together and it's going to be work.

Last night was that moment for me in the "editing bay". We have a show people!  So many great things on film, from the acting, to the lighting, to the camera setups, to the rough edits.  It looks good and I think we have something here.

Then Kate and I are started brainstorming. what can we do for the opening credits, music, publicity? How do we get this out there and when are we going to upload Episode 1?

It's all out there folks, just waiting to come together. One last day of shooting this Saturday and then all that's left is the post.  And come September...look out world. Here comes The Playhouse.

So to answer Kate's subtle with a capital B hint in her post....stay tuned to find out of there will be a Season Two of The Playhouse.

Edit Edit Edit

Kate, here!  We're gearing up for our final day of shooting and Richard dropped by to talk out who was picking up the dry ice and whether the kimonos or tuxedos would be better for the opening credits.  I'm not telling which won.  But there will be velvet curtains.  Oh yes.  There will.

We sat down and watched some raw footage (goll, you know your cast is good when raw footage cracks you up...) and Richard gave me his expert eye on the rough cuts of episodes one & five.  It appears we have not been wasting everyone's time and might actually have a game plan.  Ha ha!  Fooled everyone!  Huzzah!

It's going to be super sad to have to wrap this cast.  These shoots over the course of the past two months have been a sheer joy.  Guess we're just going to have to write season two.  Right, Richard?  Right?  Richard?  Come back!

Introducing Carolyn Wilson

Carolyn is a founding member of the touring comedy improv team Authorized Personnel. She was a member of the Main Improv Company at Acme Comedy Theatre. Her television and film credits include: The Office, The Middle, Parks and Recreation, Gilmore Girls, Passions, The Practice, Orange County, Revenge of the Bimbot Zombie Killers and the pilots Cup O’ Joe and Postcards From Heaven. She is a recurring guest star on the web series Ylse and a series regular on the pod cast Virgin Falls.

Links
http://www.thatcarolynwilson.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/ThatCarolynW
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1112175/

Repped by Synergy Talent 818-995-6500

Behind the Scenes of The Playhouse Day Three

The Playhouse Shoot Day Three

Introducing Adam Bucci

Adam Bucci (Rock Del Monaco) is a NJ native and moved to LA to pursue his career in acting. He earned his BA in Theatre from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA. Adam is also a singer and dancer. Last year he took on the role of Skip in Roger Bean's "Life Could Be A Dream" at the Hudson Theatre and most recently was seen as Cliff in "Cabaret" at the Repertory East Playhouse.

Representation: Central Artists Agency 818-557-8284

LINKS:
imdb.me/adamjosephreich

Twitter: AdamJReich

Youtube: Areichus

Day Four

Day Three is a WRAP!

Kate, here! And it's been another steller day on the set of The Playhouse.

We *gulp* travelled NORTH ON THE 5 FREEWAY! Such madness! I promised all my friends on the West Side to send a telegraph or letter via pony express as soon as I arrived.

And made it we did! We shot at the Repertory East Playhouse, which is practically the second home for my partner in crime Dick Van Slyke. It is a GORGEOUS little theater in downtown Newhall Santa Clarita. It is a cowboy paradise up there and looks almost like a western town straight out of a talkie.

The cast was there bright eyed and bushy tailed, as well as a special angel named Russell Clark, who willingly shlepped lights and pushed buttons on cameras and watched out for things in the background all for the price of free bagels and coffee. He's an architect from Houston trying to break into the Production Management field at the studios and I TOTALLY vouch for him. Sharp and on top of his game! A joy to work with! Tremendous thanks to Russell!

But what did we actually DOOOOO???

Here are some sneak peek pictures for your edification and enjoyment!


Up at the crack of dawn!


A Blur of Action!


Behind the Camera


Erin, Ready for her Closeup! No. Literally. We were shooting her closeup.


All smiles! We'll see how Tom is doing by Day Five... MUWAH HA HA!


Russell Clark Guarding Craft Services from the Hobos


Deep... emotional scene...




Dreams of the Future - A Still Life


Power Couple

Back into the Field

Tomorrow is Day Three of our production schedule. It has been four weeks since we shot our first two days. We are at a new location starting tomorrow...The fabulous Repertory East in Newhall, CA. I've done two shows there in the last year and love it. It's a beautiful space and has fantastic facilities and one of the best artistic staffs around.
We will be using their lobby, hall and office spaces to sub for the fictional Mishawaka Playhouse.
Due to scheduling conflicts and such it took us four weeks to get everything together. So our challenge will be continuity.
Wardrobe and hair will have to match what it was 4 weeks ago! That is why we took photos of everyone in their costumes on our last shoot. As an example, I made sure I got my haircut the same length exactly two weeks before this shoot just as I did before the last shoot.
Tomorrow should be a relatively short day. Only four actors are required (Erin Holt, Tom Walz, Kate Danley and myself). Then in 3 weeks we return with full cast to complete the shoot.
Tonight is full of last minute preparation, costumes, props, shot lists, phone calls, emails, etc.
More to come after tomorrow's shoot!

Introducing Erin Holt

Erin Holt (Peggy Sawyer) is originally from Key West, Florida but mostly grew up in Orange County, California. She has studied at The Claire Trevor School of The Arts at UC Irvine, Scott Sedita Studios, Lesly Kahn Institute, & Second City Hollywood with a focus on television comedy and musical theater. She has performed on various LA stages such as The Odyssey, Sacred Fools, Fremont Centre Theatre, La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, & Theatre West. Highlights include Marcia Brady in “A Very Brady Musical” produced by the Schwartz family and The Princess in “Forbidden Zone: Live in the 6th Dimension” produced with Richard Elfman. Film work includes independent features of the horror genre: “Within The Woods” & “Mutation” by Nightfall Pictures and the upcoming comedy/horror film “Bloodsucka Jones.” She can also be currently seen on the internet starring in the web series “Fast Track” by SpenTV. Erin is currently managed by Phil Brock of The Studio Talent Group.

Links:
www.erinholt.com
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1971777/

Watching the Footage

As Kate said in her blog, we watched what we've shot so far and I have to say...it looks amazing! The digital age fascinates me. It's hard to believe what you can do with virtually no money and all you're own equipment.
I really lucked out teaming up with Kate. She has experience writing and producing her own web series and she's become a one-woman production office. She owns the camera, sound, the lighting and the editing program.
She sorted through everything and put it in sequence order prior to my heading to her place to watch the footage. She has put so much time and energy in to this and I don't know how she does it considering she has so much else going on. She has inspired me. I don't think she has any idea how much she has inspired me.
The two of us find so much joy in the little things that can be done with the editing program like panning in on someone. Awesome!
Some of the shots look great. Just the framing and the pictures. Wait till you see.
And the cast, who is all doing this for the fun of doing it. I cannot say enough about them. They have all taken the material and run with it.
I can't tell you the sense of pride I have when I watch that one take where everyone in the scene is spot on and the shot looks really good. And I LOVE the outtakes. I like letting the actors play and there is some funny stuff. We will have a blooper reel included when this is all done.
I am excite to be moving on to our second location next Saturday and filming more. Then we have another three-week break and another day of shooting the remaining scenes and then we are done and ready to edit this puppy! Can't wait!

Tuesday at the Editing Bay

Kate here and it has been a busy week at The Playhouse Production office. Richard came over Tuesday night and we both sat down to look through the dailies (that's a fancy word for raw footage - usually you watch them each day to see what you got). You know you're in good shape when you're still busting a gut two hours in to the screening. This cast is HYSTERCIAL and there are moments of pure comic gold. Lordie, this gang sure is a group of good sports... Apologies for some of the crazy things that we made you do! Know that it was worth it!

I've been working in this acting business for two decades and have met some incredibly talented people. It breaks my heart that some of those folks have left this planet and there is little to no record of the work they have done. When I first moved to Los Angeles, a friend and I shot a short film on 16mm, the cheapest-medium-while-not-looking-like-crap available. We begged, borrowed, and stole, and yet, that simple two day shoot on a shoe-string budget was over $5000. Between film developing and transfer, editing bays and retransfer, it took over a year of people working their tails off to get that 15 minute film put together.

But in this digital age, Richard and I were able to write this script in the comfort of his living room and the local coffee shop. We're able to gather in my converted dining room and watch the footage at our leisure. I can edit sound and adjust color while listening to the kids playing in my courtyard.

The biggest thrill, though, is getting to preserve these performances - to be able to take the stock characters our friends do better than anyone else out there and know they will be captured forever.

We're gearing up for Day 3 of shooting next Saturday, as well as some B-roll on Sunday. Can hardly wait to play!

Meet Janet Grayson

Det. Janet Grayson, Mishawaka P.D.

Det.Grayson is called in on a case at the Mishawaka Playhouse. And what a case it is! Grayson is no match for this mixed bag of nuts. Grayson is strictly a no nonsense gal and the playhouse nuts are no straight arrows. The Police Academy didn't prepare her for this. What exactly has she gotten herself into?

An over the top diva with questionable morals, her over the top ham actor husband who will sleep with anything that moves, a flaming queen who keeps taking digs at her expense, a big dumb lug that has no clue why she's there and a couple of wide-eyed innocents trapped in the lies and deceit of the others.

Will Grayson solve the case? Will she get her man? Can she get a man?
Tune in to the Playhouse and find out.

Meet Constance Ford

Constance Ford, Field Administrator for the NEA. She's here investigating an anonymous tip that The Mishawaka Playhouse has been misusing their grant money.

Constance is officious and uptight. So uptight that it appears that the bun on her head is a little too tight. Constance finds a great deal of satisfaction, even outright joy, in destroying The Playhouse fueled by her intense dislike of theater folk. Could Constance have a connection to The Playhouse?

If so, what is it? What secret in her past has brought her here? What does she want? What is her connection? And who is it with?

Tune in to The Playhouse and find out.

Meet Quentin Armitage

Quentin Armitage is the drama critic for The Mishawaka Gazette. No one really knows how Quentin got the job, especially Quentin himself. But then Quentin doesn't remember what he had for breakfast...or if he even had breakfast.

Rock has enlisted Quentin's help in getting back at his mother. And he has promised Quentin he'll be made City Editor if Quentin helps him with his plan. Let's just hope that Quentin can remember what to do long enough to do whatever it is that he is supposed to do.

With Quentin, the light may be on but he isn't always home. But what he lacks in smarts he makes up in raw sexual attraction. There's something about him the ladies like...big and dumb. Just ask Doris.

But don't discount Quentin. Sometimes he gets it right. Especially when you need him most.

Will Quentin remember what he has to do? Will he get a press hat?

Will he get a clue?
Tune in to The Playhouse and find out.

Meet Rock Del Monaco

Rock Del Monaco is Doris Del Monaco's son by her first husband...may he rest in peace.

Rock is a director, lighting designer, set designer, costume designer and choreographer extraordinaire. Unfortunately, all his mother and "stepfather" see is a gopher/stage manager. His dream is to run his own theater producing Sam Shepherd under the stars.

But he is stuck watching his mother and husband number 5 butcher every play they lay their hands on. Rock was raised in the Playhouse watching his mother perform. He deserves it more than anyone else and there is nothing he won't do to get his hands on it. He resents his mother and he despises his duplicitous "stepfather". He has to stop them. But how?
Rock enlists the aid of local drama Quentin Armitage. But sometimes Quentin acts as if the pilot light has gone out upstairs. Things seem dire.

But then in walks Dick Cummings, hot young playwright. For Rock, it is love at first sight even though Dick doesn't swing that way. Rock doesn't care.

Will Rock take down his mother and Number 5? Will he get the theater? More importantly, will Rock get Dick?

Tune in to the Playhouse and find out.

Meet Peggy Sawyer

Peegy Sawyer just arrived in Mishawaka from Sweet Apple, WI with stars in her eyes. Peggy has wanted to be an actress her entire life and one of her idols is the legendary star of the Mishawaka stage, Doris Del Monaco.
Peggy walks into the Mishawaka Playhouse in hopes of getting to work with Doris. Doris resents Peggy for she is everything Doris is not talented and young. Doris does everything she can thwart Peggy. And although Peggy is upset at first she takes it with the sort of pluck you would expect of a girl from Sweet Apple.

Peggy has also caught the attention of the men in the Playhouse, specifically the lustful Roger and the earnest Dick. But both appear to be playing their own game and Peggy doesn't know who to believe. She turns to Rock for advice but maybe Rock isn't all he seems to be.
This isn't what Peggy was looking for when she same in search of the bright lights. Who knew the theater was so full of lies and deceit. It's a hornet's nest.

How will Peggy survive? Who can she trust? And how does she keep her hair so nice and perky all the time?
Tune in to The Playhouse and find out.

Meet Dick Cummings

Dick Cummings brilliant young playwright. Just two years out of college he received a commission to write a play based on the local legend of Crybaby Bridge. He's young, idealistic and full of great ideas. He could be the next Arthur Miller but instead he's stuck with The Mishawaka Playhouse which has received an NEA grant to produce his play. He has no choice to stand by and watch the talentless Doris and Roger override every decision he makes.

And then into this walks Peggy Sawyer. Peggy an angel, a ray of light in this dark abyss. The perfect girl for the lead in his play. Unfortunately, Doris will have none of it. Dick falls hard for Peggy but Doris wants Dick for herself and she's pulling every trick in the book to get Dick.

What can Dick do? Roger says he can help but Dick thinks Roger has ulterior motives. Rock wants Dick for himself but Dick doesn't swing that way. Dick is stuck between a Rock and a hard place.
What's a young playwright to do?

Tune in The Playhouse and find out.

Meet Doris Del Monaco

Doris Del Monaco is married to Roger Marlowe (Husband Number 5) with whom she is the Co-Artistic Director and Star of The Mishawaka Playhouse. Doris is proud that The Playhouse is Mishawaka's leading legitimate theater (even if it is Mishawaka's only legitimate theater).
Doris has trod the boards lo these many years (just how many no one really knows) playing every role from Peg o' My Heart to Little Mary Sunshine. Her talent is no match for her outsized ego. No lead role ever goes to anyone other than Doris...no matter the age. Doris rules the Playhouse roost with an iron fist. But one of these days it may get the best of her. She has made a lot of enemies over the years.
She has cuckolded her husband Roger many times as she has seduced or attempted to seduce every leading man she ever had. She also holds a secret over Roger that keeps him in line...for now. Will he continue to let her hold this secret over him?
Her son Rock, talented and gay, has been trying desperately to get out from under his mother's shadow, much like Lorna Luft. But she will have none of it. He is merely there to serve her. How much longer will he take it?
How long before one of her spurned lovers comes back seeking retribution? How much longer before the botox wears out and she is forced to play roles suitable to her true age?
Tune in to The Playhouse and find out.

Meet Roger Marlowe

Roger Marlowe is the Co-Artistic Director of The Mishawaka Playhouse in Mishawka, Indiana along with his wife Doris Del Monaco. He directs and she stars in everyone of The Playhouse's productions. He discovered her when she was down on her luck and transformed her into Mishawaka's brightest star. But all is not well in this marriage. The only thing bigger than Roger's ego is Doris' ego.

Roger has his eyes on every young starlet and chorine in town (and then some) and it's no secret he has had more than his share of dalliances. One of these days one of them may come back and bite him in the ass.

Roger has also got the goods on Doris' past, but so does she on him. What is his deep dark secret? Will it catch up with him or will he manage to keep it under wraps? As long as Doris keeps it secret, he's golden. But if she doesn't, then what?

Tune in to The Playhouse and find out.

The Playhouse

Principal photography has begun and days one and two flowed like hot cocoa down your throat on a snowy day.  You know.  When it is at that perfect temperature.  Not HOT hot cocoa.  Just... hot... cocoa.... where it tastes really good and is just what you want?  You know what I mean.

We arrived at the GTC Burbank at 7:00AM July 2nd and 3rd - a gorgeous little theater tucked into the back corner of a quiet little park in historic downtown Burbank. 

Spirits were high in the cast and crew alike.  We assembled a team of hardworking theater folk who understand the hurry-up-and-wait game.  Not a single diva fit was thrown and not one castmember locked themselves in their trailers... probably because we didn't have trailers and the public restrooms don't have locks.  But that's neither here nor there.  What I'm trying to say is that the set was infused with a spirt of esprit de corps.  Play and professionalism were at their perfect-est mix.  You folks who have worked on shows know what I'm talking about.  You just want to wander around set and hug everyone for being so awesome.

Here are some pictures from behind the scenes:



And what do you get with folks this wonderful? Shots like this...



This is gonna be a great series...