Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: Famous Alumni

Author

Message

dboris
Celebrity

Joined: 2/10/04
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 124

Topic: Famous Alumni
Posted: 10/15/08 at 1:08pm

Some one just posted about one of thier young actresses moving up to a professional company, so that brings us the question, do any of your theatre's have famous alumni.

My theatre's biggest claim to fame was Micheal Landon, who did a show with us back before he became famous, and before he changed his name to Micheal Landon. We also had Laurie Beechman in our production of The Fantasics back in the 70's.

IP Logged

TonyDi
Celebrity

Joined: 9/13/06
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 325

Posted: 10/15/08 at 2:03pm

Yeah, the company I worked with for about 18 - 20 years had one in particular who used to always come back just to "touch" where he did a lot of his early work. None other than JIM VARNEY - yep, Ernest P. Worrell. Jim used to come in, in the middle of rehearsals and was always polite enough to ask if he could watch and would occasionally "offer" a suggestion or two. There used to be a place backstage where he apparently scrawled his name and he always used to go back and literally TOUCH it, kind of like having to touch something to validate himself or whatever. But then they remodeled the theater completely inside and it got covered over with insulation (we were at the outside brick for years) and wall covering. He used to breeze in sometimes whenever he was in town - he actually went to Tates Creek High School in Lexington, KY and Univ. of KY and did a lot of his early work here. Then he moved on to bigger things.

He once came into town and dropped by. I was there and he was always VERY friendly and easy to talk to - of course those were the days when he was drinking pretty heavily and into the wacky ta'backy a lot. So he was always pretty mellow. Said he was in town to "buy a DeLorean" - that fancy high priced sports car with the gull-wing doors. Said he just got finished making Disney millions of dollars!! I told him I was sure he got his piece of that action too. He just smiled broadly! Pretty nice guy though. NOT a bad dramatic actor - he could have been but was so pigeon-holed with Ernest - though it made him rich and famous. Sad he died too young - right when he was beginning to be taken seriously. He was a benefactor to the theater for a tidy sum of money when we were fund raising to redo the place. Still laugh at his antics as Ernest though.

TonyDi

"Almost famous"

IP Logged

Spectrum
Celebrity

Joined: 4/16/04
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 176

Posted: 10/15/08 at 3:02pm

For being a rather small community in the heart of Iowa, Marshalltown has its fair share of actors making a name for themselves. Not all were involved with the community theatre, but Marhalltown is the starting place for Jean Seberg (Otto Preminger's Saint Joan, Lilith, The Mouse That Roared, Airport), Mary Beth Hurt (Interiors, The World According to Garp - Jean Seberg was her childhood babysitter!), and Toby Huss (he was Nitro, the whacked out electrician in Down Periscope, Still Breathing, Bedazzled, HBO's Carnivale, Rescue Dawn). Oh, and Jan Eddy (The Villain, Fire Down Below, Seinfeld), who I shared a stage with back in the early '70s.

Edited by Spectrum - 2/20/11 at 12:16am

Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional.

IP Logged

teridtiger
Star
Star

Joined: 10/24/05
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 69

Posted: 10/24/08 at 5:21pm

When I lived in Philadelphia, I worked at a theatre who boasted Grace Kelly as a famous alumni - The Old Academy Players. They even have a picture of her displayed proudly in the lobby.

IP Logged

tristanrobin
Celebrity

Joined: 4/25/05
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 704

Posted: 10/25/08 at 4:57pm

From our organization came Richard Gere, Matt Malloy and Callista Flockhart.

IP Logged

chelserin
Lead
Lead

Joined: 3/02/08
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 47

Posted: 10/26/08 at 1:26pm

He may not be a household name yet, but I went to school with Cheyenne Jackson who has been in several Broadway shows including playing Elvis in All Shook UP.

Also the local community theatre can boast of having Hillary Swank as an Alumni. Her name is even written on the bathroom wall. "Hillary was here".

IP Logged

JoeMc
Celebrity

Joined: 3/13/06
Location: Australia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 832

Posted: 10/27/08 at 12:10am

We don't have 'Alumni' here as such, mainly because a lot who have become house hold names, possibly would be unsure what it means?

I suppose you can count heath Ledger, when he was at Grammar School, up the road. But I can't remember him, he trod the boards fleetingly, as a young bloke. For that matter, I can't understand why all the fuss, to name a new performing arts Complex after him, here in Perth?

on the other hand I suppose there is Rolf Harris, who was taught to paint backdrops, at our Playhouse theatre, years before he became somewhat famous.

There has been heaps of others, who only will become famous, within their own lunch box - like me?

[western] Gondawandaland
"Hear the light & see the sound!
TOI TOI CHOOKAS
{may you always play to a full house!}

IP Logged

Nanette
Celebrity

Joined: 8/01/06
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 399

Posted: 10/27/08 at 7:23am

None from our theatre ... yet (we're only a couple of years old)! However, a number of folks with whom I attended a performing arts college have made it in their own avenues of the arts.

In a world of margarine, be butter!

IP Logged

jaytee060
Star
Star

Joined: 1/18/07
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 63

Posted: 10/27/08 at 6:19pm

Gavin Creel worked at our CT including directing and starring in a production of COMPANY.

"REMEMBER ME IN LIGHT"

IP Logged

Pamw
Player
Player

Joined: 7/23/08
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 20

Posted: 12/31/08 at 4:51pm

Joanne Woodward came frome Greenville Little Theatre in Greenville, SC where I learned my craft.

Pam

IP Logged

Other Topics
Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board :Producing Theater :Other Topics

Author	Message
dboris Celebrity Joined: 2/10/04 Online Status: Offline Posts: 124	Topic: Famous Alumni Posted: 10/15/08 at 1:08pm
	Some one just posted about one of thier young actresses moving up to a professional company, so that brings us the question, do any of your theatre's have famous alumni. My theatre's biggest claim to fame was Micheal Landon, who did a show with us back before he became famous, and before he changed his name to Micheal Landon. We also had Laurie Beechman in our production of The Fantasics back in the 70's.

	IP Logged

TonyDi Celebrity Joined: 9/13/06 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 325	Posted: 10/15/08 at 2:03pm
	Yeah, the company I worked with for about 18 - 20 years had one in particular who used to always come back just to "touch" where he did a lot of his early work. None other than JIM VARNEY - yep, Ernest P. Worrell. Jim used to come in, in the middle of rehearsals and was always polite enough to ask if he could watch and would occasionally "offer" a suggestion or two. There used to be a place backstage where he apparently scrawled his name and he always used to go back and literally TOUCH it, kind of like having to touch something to validate himself or whatever. But then they remodeled the theater completely inside and it got covered over with insulation (we were at the outside brick for years) and wall covering. He used to breeze in sometimes whenever he was in town - he actually went to Tates Creek High School in Lexington, KY and Univ. of KY and did a lot of his early work here. Then he moved on to bigger things. He once came into town and dropped by. I was there and he was always VERY friendly and easy to talk to - of course those were the days when he was drinking pretty heavily and into the wacky ta'backy a lot. So he was always pretty mellow. Said he was in town to "buy a DeLorean" - that fancy high priced sports car with the gull-wing doors. Said he just got finished making Disney millions of dollars!! I told him I was sure he got his piece of that action too. He just smiled broadly! Pretty nice guy though. NOT a bad dramatic actor - he could have been but was so pigeon-holed with Ernest - though it made him rich and famous. Sad he died too young - right when he was beginning to be taken seriously. He was a benefactor to the theater for a tidy sum of money when we were fund raising to redo the place. Still laugh at his antics as Ernest though. TonyDi
	"Almost famous"
	IP Logged

Spectrum Celebrity Joined: 4/16/04 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 176	Posted: 10/15/08 at 3:02pm
	For being a rather small community in the heart of Iowa, Marshalltown has its fair share of actors making a name for themselves. Not all were involved with the community theatre, but Marhalltown is the starting place for Jean Seberg (Otto Preminger's Saint Joan, Lilith, The Mouse That Roared, Airport), Mary Beth Hurt (Interiors, The World According to Garp - Jean Seberg was her childhood babysitter!), and Toby Huss (he was Nitro, the whacked out electrician in Down Periscope, Still Breathing, Bedazzled, HBO's Carnivale, Rescue Dawn). Oh, and Jan Eddy (The Villain, Fire Down Below, Seinfeld), who I shared a stage with back in the early '70s. Edited by Spectrum - 2/20/11 at 12:16am
	Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional.
	IP Logged

teridtiger Star Joined: 10/24/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 69	Posted: 10/24/08 at 5:21pm
	When I lived in Philadelphia, I worked at a theatre who boasted Grace Kelly as a famous alumni - The Old Academy Players. They even have a picture of her displayed proudly in the lobby.
	IP Logged

tristanrobin Celebrity Joined: 4/25/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 704	Posted: 10/25/08 at 4:57pm
	From our organization came Richard Gere, Matt Malloy and Callista Flockhart.
	IP Logged

chelserin Lead Joined: 3/02/08 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 47	Posted: 10/26/08 at 1:26pm
	He may not be a household name yet, but I went to school with Cheyenne Jackson who has been in several Broadway shows including playing Elvis in All Shook UP. Also the local community theatre can boast of having Hillary Swank as an Alumni. Her name is even written on the bathroom wall. "Hillary was here".
	IP Logged

JoeMc Celebrity Joined: 3/13/06 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 832	Posted: 10/27/08 at 12:10am
	We don't have 'Alumni' here as such, mainly because a lot who have become house hold names, possibly would be unsure what it means? I suppose you can count heath Ledger, when he was at Grammar School, up the road. But I can't remember him, he trod the boards fleetingly, as a young bloke. For that matter, I can't understand why all the fuss, to name a new performing arts Complex after him, here in Perth? on the other hand I suppose there is Rolf Harris, who was taught to paint backdrops, at our Playhouse theatre, years before he became somewhat famous. There has been heaps of others, who only will become famous, within their own lunch box - like me?
	[western] Gondawandaland "Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!}
	IP Logged

Nanette Celebrity Joined: 8/01/06 Online Status: Offline Posts: 399	Posted: 10/27/08 at 7:23am
	None from our theatre ... yet (we're only a couple of years old)! However, a number of folks with whom I attended a performing arts college have made it in their own avenues of the arts.
	In a world of margarine, be butter!
	IP Logged

jaytee060 Star Joined: 1/18/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 63	Posted: 10/27/08 at 6:19pm
	Gavin Creel worked at our CT including directing and starring in a production of COMPANY.
	"REMEMBER ME IN LIGHT"
	IP Logged

Pamw Player Joined: 7/23/08 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 20	Posted: 12/31/08 at 4:51pm
	Joanne Woodward came frome Greenville Little Theatre in Greenville, SC where I learned my craft.
	Pam
	IP Logged

Topic: Famous Alumni( Topic Closed)
	Page of 2 Next >>