The Little Theatre of Alexandria

What do you find appealing about Grey Gardens? The characters.  It's a mix of complex characters.  Edith and Little Edie are seen at two distinct moments in their lives thirty years a part and we ask the question, "How did we become like this?" What single word would you use to describe yourself as director of Grey Gardens? Determined. What have you learned about yourself while working on this show? It's easy to reflect on who I am and who I was years ago, when doing a show like Grey Gardens.  And also, how nutty part of me is. What do you hope the audience takes away from Grey Gardens? I hope they embrace the love of the two Ediths. How does this show differ from other shows you have worked on? The cast is small and the production is technically complex.  Three actors play two parts across thirty years -- that's really different to do. How long have you been directing and choreographing?  How did you get involved with LTA? Directing and choreogr...

Meet Marshall Cesena who is playing Jerry and Joe Kennedy Jr. in LTA's Grey Gardens. What do you find appealing/interesting about your role in Grey Gardens? I love the parallels between Joe in Act I and Jerry in Act II.  Whether they mean to or not, they both seem to exist (in the context of the show, at least) to stir the pot between Big Edie and Little Edie, providing a catalyst for the larger conflicts in each act.  This show has layer after layer; I probably discover something new each time I read through the script and every time I perform a scene.  It's incredibly well written. What have you learned about yourself in playing the role of Joe and Jerry? I've been on a small hiatus from theatre and this show has set the bar very high as my first production back.  It's really rekindled my love of performing, especially with this amazing cast and production team.  The role itself has taught me about real character work.  Both these guys come from w...

Meet Penelope Gallager who is playing Lee Bouvier in LTA's Grey Gardens. What do you find appealing about Lee in Grey Gardens? My character is a real life princess! What have you learned about yourself in playing this role? Her older sister becomes the first lady of the United States.  That's pretty cool!  It's fun to have an older sister, even if it's just for a show because I don't have any sisters. What single word would you use to describe Lee? Tomboy. What do you want the audience to take away from this show? The love between mothers and daughters is powerful. How does this show differ from other shows you have worked on? It has a really small cast. How long have you been acting and how did you get involved with LTA? I've been acting for six years starting with drama camps.  The LTA summer camps are great! What advice would you give others who want to get involved with theatre? Never give up!  You'll have a lof of no's at auditi...

What do you find appealing or interesting about your character and this show ?   As a grandfather myself, it’s natural to try to help set my grandchildren on a path to a pleasant and meaningful future, like Bouvier. For Norman Vincent Peale, the chance to be something of a televangelist is great fun! At services, my Rabbi sometimes gets me feeling like NVP and I want to shout out “Hallelujah!,” but I’ve never had the guts to do so. I brought some of that feeling to this show. What have you learned about yourself in playing the role of Bouvier & NVP?   As an actor who has done dozens of roles in scores of productions I have been wonderfully surprised to learn so much stagecraft that I had not known. Chris Dykton is an amazing director. I sincerely hope to do other shows with him – providing there are roles for old farts like me! It’s so nice to have three surrogate grandchildren in the cast – and I feel like they ARE my grandchildren. That aspect of Blackjack Bouvi...

Meet Nicky McDonnell who is playing Big Edie in Act 1 and Little Edie in Act 2 of LTA's Grey Gardens. What do you find appealing/interesting about your character and this show? I prefer musicals that feel more like plays - when they touch on deeper themes and characters.  Grey Gardens explores the terrain of humanity that is typically left behind.  Big and Little Edie defined a social circle and due to their circumstances, they fell from grace.  No one was there to truly catch them when they fell despite their pedigree, but they had each other and held on to one another to survive.  Exploring which character needs the other one more and when and why it is fascinating to me - that shifts throughout the show and the documentary.  It touches on many of the great Greek themes of loss and despair, betrayal, courage and survival - hopefully all that pathos will draw the audience more deeply into the story. What have you learned about yourself in playing these rol...

Tell us about your role in A Christmas Carol. I play Belle Fezziwig, Scrooge's past love.  She is the daughter of Mr. Fezziwig who was Scrooge's employer.  When Scrooge visits the past, he sees his relationship with Belle unravel before his eyes.  Eventually, Scrooge's greed overpowers his love for Belle and they part ways.  Scrooge then sees Belle's family that she has after their relationship ended and sees what his future could have been. What were some challenges you faced while working on this show? The three scenes Belle is in are consecutive but each have very different emotional levels to each of them.  During the scene in which Belle and Scrooge break-up, I struggled with reaching the raw emotion needed for this scene.  I had to work hard to emotionally connect to the feelings that Belle was experiencing during this scene. What do you hope the audience takes away from A Christmas Carol? That friends and family are the most valuable things a ...

Tell us about your character in A Christmas Carol. I play Scrooge in his younger self. He is in the early stages of his life finding love and where he discovers his joy. There is a transition from the charming, pleasant fellow he used to be to the hateful, selfish miser he becomes by making money his single pursuit.  I also play Topper, a good friend and party guest of Fred's. He strives to get close to Lillian, his lady friend. His happy place is a drink in one hand and a mistletoe in the other. What were some of the challenges working in this show? I work mainly with Clare Baker (Belle) and Olivia Hays (Lillian) for my characters, who are much younger than me. Once we got to know each other and hang out around Old Town, the chemistry became natural. That's important for any ensemble. They are family. What do you hope audiences will take from A Christmas Carol? That audiences would reflect on what the most important thing is in...

Tell us about your character in LTA's A Christmas Carol. Martha Cratchit, the oldest of the Cratchit children, is a kindhearted teenager who always has her family's best interest in mind.  She tries to provide for herself and her family by working at a young age.  Because Mrs. Cratchit has to spend the majority of her attention on Tiny Tim, Martha tries to step in as a motherly figure for some of the children. What were some challenges you faced in working on this show? As the Cratchit family began working on individual scenes together, I noticed the age gap more and more between myself and the other kids.  I felt that I was at an awkward age because I was the oldest of the children.  As we rehearsed more, I learned how to use my age as an advantage.  Now being older plays into the scene well because I have taken on a caregiver role and the age is a benefit instead of a challenge. What do you hope the audience takes away from this performance? I would lov...