SPEAKER_00 0:02

Good morning. This is the Blaine's World Podcast, where conversations are worth hearing and seeing. You can watch us each week on Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn. You can also listen in on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. And for more information about this show and past episodes, you can check my website, which is behind me, Blainesworld.net. I'm your host, Blaine Greenfield, coming to you from my Zoom studio in lovely downtown Fairview, North Carolina. Each week we share positive news and uplifting stories about people and organizations in Western North Carolina and across the country. And toward that end, it's my pleasure to introduce Reed Atherton, who's the director of an upcoming play we're going to be talking about at Parkway Playhouse. Also kind of a longtime friend. And uh Reed, you can wave to all your fans and friends who are watching on YouTube.

SPEAKER_01 0:50

Yes. Hi, it's so nice to be back, Blaine.

SPEAKER_00 0:53

Okay, likewise. I think this is what, the 17th time you've been on the show or 18th?

SPEAKER_01 0:58

Like well, I do. I think two, actually.

SPEAKER_00 1:01

Okay, I have to ask you though, and I think I asked the last time you were on the show, but I'm admiring the um the playbills in the back. I assume are you at home now?

SPEAKER_01 1:11

I am. I'm in I'm in my like childhood bedroom, and this is like how I decorated my room when I was a 12-year-old kid because I was obsessed with musical theater. And so it's just kind of stayed like this forever. Um, but I kind of love it. It's like an homage to all the things that I love.

SPEAKER_00 1:30

I love them. Now, are these shows you've all seen?

SPEAKER_01 1:33

I see it, it's it's a combination of things that I've seen and been in. Like I I was in Mary Poppins, I was in Susical, I've seen like Le Miz and Waitress and Color Purple. So it's a combination of things.

SPEAKER_00 1:48

So at college, do you have this at college or at when you're at school?

SPEAKER_01 1:52

I don't have like an equivalent. I do have my friend Mac painted me these like little canvases that also have like posters of shows on them. And so I usually put those up, but that's kind of the extent of the the theater wall in in college.

SPEAKER_00 2:09

I have to recollect the first time I think we met, Reed, I knew I knew parents, but always remember the first time we met, we were on a walk for a uh a uh a fundraiser, and we were walking at the park name escaping me, but so much fun talking to with you because all you were talking about was musical theater, you know. I'm saying you were like this little midget, you know. You were like, I don't know, you must have been eight, I don't know how old you were, but I couldn't believe even at that age, you had this knowledge of musical theater.

unknown 2:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:41

Yeah, it's it's one of it's one of my special skills. I can kind of go on uh on about it for forever. Like it's one of my true loves, I think.

SPEAKER_00 2:50

And that's why you said that because I just asked, um was asked on an application or one thing I was doing for a super skill. So your super skill is your secret skill super super talent is knowing musical theater, right?

SPEAKER_01 3:05

Yeah, kind of. Like I I've I I've actually had a teacher once who was like, I think what sets you apart more than most actors and directors is just the wealth of like you know everything about every musical theater show and every piece of theater out there. And I don't know if that's true. I don't think that's true, but I I I I feel honored to have that title.

SPEAKER_00 3:30

Do you remember the first show you ever saw?

SPEAKER_01 3:33

I think I I believe it was a production of Beauty and the Beast, like a Beauty and the Beast Junior production at ACT.

SPEAKER_00 3:44

Okay, and then Impact on You. You remember it?

SPEAKER_01 3:47

Yeah, and I think it was it was that and the first show that I was in, I was in Cinderella Jr. also at ACT. And I just remember like just falling in love with the idea of like telling stories always, and I like got so swept into it, and I always still get so swept into like just the story of it all, you know.

SPEAKER_00 4:11

And so the first that was the first show you were in, um, Cinderella Jr. Um, and all the shows you've been in. Now let me ask you this. I don't know if I have, so I've seen you in a couple of musical things, I've seen you involved in them. Uh, have you done other have you done drama? Have you done other stuff other than musicals?

SPEAKER_01 4:29

Yeah, I've done like I I tend to stay more, or not that I like purposefully stay there, actually, but I tend to get cast in a lot of like musical theater and comedy. Um, and also like that's a lot of where my heart is at, just because I love pay making people laugh. I love making people smile and stuff like that. Um, so I I've been cast in a lot of comedy. And anytime that I get cast in like a straight play, it's usually a pretty funny or silly role.

SPEAKER_00 5:01

Have you ever been a heavy?

SPEAKER_01 5:03

Um, I think like I I guess like I I don't know if you saw Little Women at Parkway. I think I played Lori. That was like kind of heavy, but also is like fun and childish and whimsical.

SPEAKER_00 5:17

No, but that's right. You didn't weren't singing in that, but I love that. Um yeah, that was that was so well done. And so, yeah, that that was something. So, in terms of moving forward, do you have a play you we'll talk about the the acting part? Do you have a play you want to do down the road? What's your dream role?

SPEAKER_01 5:33

Oh, this is a wonderful question. I think I want to be. I've okay, for musical, I've always wanted to be in a production of falsettos. Okay. And like I would love to like play Wizard or like one of those roles eventually. Um for plays, I I was able to direct one of my favorite shows um called The Inheritance. Um, it's a beautiful Matthew Lopez play about like uh gay men in the 1980s, very, very um endearing and sweet. Um, and I think the lead role in that is also another like very juicy, like I just want to dig in and like get into that role, you know.

SPEAKER_00 6:19

Would that be something that you should do, or even if anybody's listening, I never thought of this before. But for an audition, would that make sense for somebody to do like their dream role?

SPEAKER_01 6:30

I mean, I well, so actually I was going, I loved the play. Like, I found the play my junior year of high school, my junior year of high school. Um, and I because it's uh adapted from an Ian Forrester novel, and I was just so in love with it. And I was like convinced that I was going to do it for my college audition. And then my teacher was like, I think this monologue would be good, but I think you could also do the other character because it was like an argument scene. She was like, I think the other character who like argues back has a better monologue. So I actually ended up doing the like counterpart of that character, which maybe, I mean, I don't know. I might be more of a Toby than I am an Eric. Um, but I I love I love Eric and I I would love to dig into that role eventually.

SPEAKER_00 7:18

That'd be an interesting audition for somebody. I don't know if it's ever been done, but somebody played both roles, you know, like Jekyll and Human. Yeah. Like this musical with both parts. You know, they go back. The Jekyll and Hyde, is that the one? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Can you imagine that you get up there and doing both?

SPEAKER_01 7:37

I um I mean, maybe it would be a long shot. So so maybe it would be it would be a good idea if it if I could master.

SPEAKER_00 7:44

Is that the music?

SPEAKER_01 7:45

Or maybe that's a one-man show idea.

SPEAKER_00 7:48

Is that the show Jekyll and Hyde? Is that the name of it? I think so, yeah. I think you're yeah, have you ever seen that?

SPEAKER_01 7:54

I'm not, but I I think I have like a t-shirt of it somewhere, even though I've never seen it.

SPEAKER_00 8:00

Well, what I find interesting about you um too, uh, is the fact read that I met you and I've seen you act, but then you've been telling me kind of you're also moving into directing mode, which we'll talk about now. And so you got into that at college, you started directing?

SPEAKER_01 8:15

Yeah, it was kind of my senior year of high school. Um, I went to North Carolina School of the Arts. And I mean, growing up here, like I I wasn't used to seeing a whole ton of people like go to school for theater. And so I just kind of was like, oh, I'm gonna be like a theater teacher, which I I still like am very into. And like I like love the idea of like maybe being able to be a teacher one day. I know we talked about that a little bit before. Um, but I I had only done like musical theater up until that point. And then kind of when we started, like everybody else started auditioning for school, I was like, oh well, I guess I'll do this too. And I like started looking into programs, and I realized that I didn't want to go to a school that was gonna kind of like box me into like one specific thing, um, but that I really was interested in programs where I could write and I could direct and I could act, and because like that's kind of just how I view theater, and like I'm I'm a very I don't know, I I I have such an love and appreciation for like the art form of it and like and and all aspects and all different sides of it. And so I was like, I think I want to go somewhere that's gonna allow me to direct. Um, and then I got into Emerson and their theater and performance program checks all three boxes and like allows me to take classes and all of those different skills, and so I was like, I'm gonna do this.

SPEAKER_00 9:51

Yeah. So you saw that was the first time you directed at Emerson?

SPEAKER_01 9:56

Yes. I well, I had done like I had done like little I had directed like scenes from things. Um, I had like done some devising, so I had like known kind of like what it's like to be an actor director. Um, and then my freshman year of college, I uh how Emerson works is it's like a pitch-based way of directing. So you kind of pick a show that you're like this would fit really well for this audience, and you like pitch it to a bunch of people. Um, and I pitched the show Almost Maine, um, which is just I I don't know if you know the play. It's like a beautiful, it's such a sweet show about like it's just like 10 different love stories, and it like goes throughout like all these 10 different love stories um throughout the night. And I was like, I want to reimagine this show as um kind of like asking the question, how do we learn to love as children? Uh, and where does that like come from? Uh, and I pitched it to a children's like theater group. Um, so it was kind of centered on like how like what are the what are our ideas of love when we're you know very young and very little? Um, and how do those differ from when they play out in the future?

SPEAKER_00 11:17

So did they choose you to do do the show directing?

SPEAKER_01 11:20

Yes, sorry. Yeah, they picked me, they ended up picking me up. So um I got to direct my freshman year, and then the year following is when I pitched um The Inheritance, uh, because it just felt very relevant and very timely at the time. Um, and then also summer after my freshman year, I was doing, while I was doing Little Women, I was also doing a directing internship through Parkway, where I was like assistant directing and like, you know, learning kind of that process. Um, and then this past December, they put out a search for a director for Sister Act, and I sent in my you know resume and cover letter, and I was like, this might be a long shot, but you never know. Um, and here we are.

SPEAKER_00 12:14

Well, that really is cool. So back to the first one, the almost main. Yes. So you directed that, and that's 10 different stories. How many people were in that that show?

SPEAKER_01 12:26

I think it was how many? We had a cast of 12 or 13.

SPEAKER_00 12:33

Okay. That's pretty ambitious to be the first one.

SPEAKER_01 12:36

Yeah, I I mean I love I I I if you this is this is gonna be a trend, but I love like people and I love like having a lot of people in the room um collaborating. So like the more people the better. Like for me personally, I would be very scared to direct a play with like one or two people because it's like I I love bouncing ideas off of people, I love energy uh and like creating energy in a room and all of that stuff. And so it can be a struggle sometimes when it's like a smaller, more intimate.

SPEAKER_00 13:13

Have you ever either been in or directed a play with just one or two people in it?

SPEAKER_01 13:18

I did. I so this past year through Emerson, um, I got to direct on the main stage um for the first time. They allow uh Emerson students to direct for one of the like mainstage shows that they do every year. It's like a series of short works, so short little plays. Um, and I directed this two-person show um called In Utero with Love. Uh and it it it was it was a lot of fun. I we we were able to get that like cast bonding of and that kind of like collaboration that I've always wanted uh and that I like seek for in my rooms. Um, but yeah, I do miss having like a lot of voices in the room.

SPEAKER_00 14:06

You know, I don't know if I told you my theory, but the reality is, um, I think I've told you I love watching you as a performer, you know. And you think I'm thinking the last thing I may have seen you was Charlie Brown, right? You were in Charlie at Parkway, I think I saw you in that.

SPEAKER_01 14:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:20

And you just really hit that. But the reality, you're not telling the truth, the complete truth, is that uh you're moving directing because then you don't have to memorize the lines, you know. You know, um the directors don't tell that, but almost all it's funny, a lot of actors become directors, and um, you know, push comes shelves, that's one advantage of directing. Yet have you ever um reminds me of of something I saw. Have you ever been directing yet also had to come in and take a role? Has that ever happened to you?

SPEAKER_01 14:51

You know, it's uh not not yet. Knock on the wood, that does not happen. Um, but I I do joke, it's one of my jokes that I would never direct a show where I couldn't easily step in for at least half of the roles um if I needed to. Uh and um, you know, with with Sister Act, we've had some like cast members that like are coming in and out with like different schedule things and stuff like that. And as we're getting into runs, it's kind of like we're like, okay, we need to like run this number uh because we need to like see the backup dancers do the backup dancing. So I'll just like sit in the audience and I'm like singing along, and everyone's like, oh, he sings, and I'm like, yeah, I sing, but I'm like trying to like watch and take notes too.

SPEAKER_00 15:40

I want to send you the clip. I'll I'll be able to dig it up. One of my all-time favorite clips was something from young young Sheldon. I don't know if I ever told you about this, but young Sheldon is um in a play, it's gonna be Annie. And the director is did he ever I tell you about this? The director is Jason Alexander, and so he's directing, and at the last minute, young Sheldon backs out. He doesn't want to be Annie. So all of a sudden, Jason Alexander has to take over the role, you know. And you see him with the wig, you see him as as Annie, you know, as a good thing. So it's in line to this discussion of having to step in. So let's fast forward then. So now we're at Parkway Playhouse, and all of a sudden now the first directing debut here, I guess, at Parkway, also first a full-length show, full-length musical?

SPEAKER_01 16:30

First full-length musical. I've done like full-length plays, I guess a three-hour play. Um, but first, yeah, first full-length musical.

SPEAKER_00 16:38

And the story you mentioned, I give you a lot of credit, it's a fantastic story. So you saw the Parkway was, I guess, casting for the new season, and they were asking for actors and directors, and all of a sudden you had the brilliant idea to put in you wanted to be a director.

SPEAKER_01 16:53

Yeah, I mean, I was I was they were looking for a director, and I had worked there and like had a really good experience. And um, and so I sent my stuff in to Jenny Martin, um, who I was like really close with um at Parkway, and I like sent all my stuff in, and I was like, um, let's see if this happens. I don't know, I I I I really had no expectations. I was expecting it to be a no completely.

SPEAKER_00 17:22

Wait, was it specifically for um this show?

SPEAKER_01 17:26

Yeah, it was specifically for Sister Act.

SPEAKER_00 17:29

Okay, yeah. And you're giving good advice to anybody who's listening that you have nothing to lose by trying, you know, just by being.

SPEAKER_01 17:35

Exactly, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 17:36

What do you mean? And so you got chosen. And had you known the the show beforehand?

SPEAKER_01 17:42

I had yes, because I had a choir teacher, um her, and she like she used to on sub days, like when she was like out and she had a sub, she would show the original movie with Woodby Goldberg. So I knew I had seen the movie and I thought it was so funny, but I didn't like know anything about like the musical. Um, and immediately when I like applied, I kind of started listening so that I would know also like I wanted to make sure that it felt like a very good fit for me as a person and me as a director. Um, and I really love I I like one of my kind of defining characteristics as a director is that I really love directing stories about characters fighting for love. Um, and that doesn't to me mean just like rom-coms and love stories, but I love when I can tell that a character is looking for love of another person or love of a society or love and acceptance of, you know, a specific thing and a specific idea. Um, I just love when I can like tell that the characters are very juiced by their passion and their love for something. And I listened to the show and I just felt that immediately. And I was like, this feels like a really good match.

SPEAKER_00 19:09

So if I can ask you for the benefit of the folks who don't either know the movie or don't remember it, or especially the musical, and if I put you on the spot here, Reed, if you can do this in maybe like 25 minutes or less, so you can give the reader's digest version of the story. What's it about?

SPEAKER_01 19:24

Yeah, so it's about Dolores Van Cotier. Um, she corrects, uh she corrects, um, who is this uh disco, it's aspiring disco diva in the 1970s. Um and she's dating this uh mob boss, uh, and she kind of sees him get into a bit of trouble, and so then she ends up running away and going to the police, and the police hide her in through the witness protection program in a convent where she teaches all of the nuns how to sing in the choir, and they all sing like disco style.

SPEAKER_00 20:09

So it doesn't sound like it's a very heavy show.

SPEAKER_01 20:13

No, it's it's it's a lot of fun, it's a it's really silly, it's a comedy. Um, and there's also, I mean, it's not it's not a completely heavy show, but there is some um towards the end, some like weight and depth to it. It and um I think it's a it's a show that like kind of reminds you about like the communities that we can create. Um yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:40

By the way, from an age standpoint, who'd who do you say the show would be direct at? Who should see this?

SPEAKER_01 20:45

I would say like probably somewhere like 10 to 12 and up, um, just because there is a little bit of violence that happens on the stage um and some like minor adult language. So I would say like maybe not too young, maybe not six to eight, but maybe like ten to twelve, I would say enough can come see, should should come see the show.

SPEAKER_00 21:12

So talk about the process then, Reed. So you were telling me off the air that you got chosen for the show, but you weren't in the air, you were in Boston at the time putting it together. So how'd the how'd you do the auditions or how'd that work out where you chose your your cast?

SPEAKER_01 21:27

Yeah, it was an incredibly like elaborative process. Um, and it's uh it's honestly the thing that I get the most nervous about is like I want to make sure that like people want to do the show and that people are gonna show up and be there. Um, so I actually worked with Jenny Martin and Erica Erica Tiner and also my music director, Brett McClunski, who's actually new to Parkway, he's new to this Burnsville area. Um and He was, you know, doing one of the cleanup days in the fall. And he was like, I've directed a couple of choirs in the past. And they were like, oh boy, do we have a show for you? Let's put you on the show about a choir. And so then, yeah, so he was in the room, and also my choreographer Kelly was in the room. And they took copious, copious notes. I also had like video auditions from people submitting videos that I was like reviewing and going through. And then we all like hopped on a Zoom together. And I was like, okay, I think I have an idea of a cast list, but like tell me if all of these people make sense. And we all kind of like piece together the puzzle.

SPEAKER_00 22:49

As a director, is that one of the toughest things to do? To choose the people.

SPEAKER_01 22:54

It is, it is, because it's it's like oh, it's I think you're look you're looking for who's gonna be, I you're not necessarily looking for who's gonna be the best at any given part, but you're looking for who's gonna bring in sort of this like collaborative spirit, and that's also going to like just like gel well with the the show and the vibe of the show and the energy of the show. Um, and for this show specifically, I just I wanted there to be a lot of like love in the room. Um, and so I I really wanted to make sure that we were working to create a cast that exemplified that. Um, that was like people that were going to like find their joy and find their love in the show.

SPEAKER_00 23:40

And I imagine more so in Emerson, but even here, when somebody gets a part, it's very exciting. But the toughest part, I guess, for an actor, I imagine, also is when you don't get the part, you know. Or yeah. Let me ask you too, in terms of advising uh other people. So you chose people, people they're very happy. People don't get chosen. Do they get calls or do they get letters, or how do you do that?

SPEAKER_01 24:05

Um, I believe I don't know necessarily. I I'm I think there's some system that Parkway has um in terms of like emailing people um or like telling them when all of the cast list has been released. Um, I mean, I if anybody, people often will like email me and ask me for feedback, and I'm always like very free and very open to give feedback. And I also preface it by saying that like my opinion is just one opinion. And like I, you know, I see you on one day, on one audition day, and so there could be countless other things like that that make you up as an artist, um, that I don't get to see. And and so it's it's it and and I could be wrong. Like my opinion is always and often wrong. Um, and so I I hope that sort of doesn't discourage or that works to not discourage people, um, so that they know that you know I'd love to see them again. And I love I love getting to see people at auditions time and time again.

SPEAKER_00 25:18

Um let's talk about then the people who made the cut. So the show you tell me has about 20 different parts in it. We don't have to go into all 20, but talk about some of the cast in this show and and uh just highlight some of them, if you would.

SPEAKER_01 25:31

Yeah. So um, first of all, we have Roberta Whiteside who's playing um, she's playing Dolores, and she was she was actually from the beginning, they were like that that was the one role in the show that was like set um from the very beginning, and they announced that with like with all the casting notices and stuff like that. Um, and I just cannot imagine somebody more perfect for that role. Um, she just brings in like this like truthfulness and this like comedy. Um, and like the like she lets comedy and truthfulness kind of like sit hand in hand. Um, she's also just like an incredible vocalist and is always like every single night I'm seeing the show, she's doing a new flip or a new run, and I'm like, oh, okay, yeah, yes, yes, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 26:24

I love her as an actor, but let me ask you this is that tough for you as a director to have to direct um people who are older than you, and I I could be wrong, but I assume Roberta's a couple years older than you, would you say?

SPEAKER_01 26:36

Yeah, I yeah, I mean, a lot of the cast is is older than me. I just turned, we actually, we all as a cast celebrated my 21st birthday um a week ago. But I I I mean it was my first time directing uh people other than college students, and it's actually taught me so, so, so, so much more than I think I would have gotten from directing college students again. Um, because college students, they they all know each other. And so there's like this um almost inherent clickiness. You kind of know what skills everybody has. Um, and so it can be a little challenging to build a community. And I'm not saying that college students are against building a community in any way. Um, but I just found that like this group of people is so is always been so game to just like jump in and like support one another and like build each other up as a community. Um, and anytime there's a worry or a concern, they're always um building each other up. There's uh there's a song in the show. The last thing I'll say about this like kind of community aspect is there's a song in the show called Bless Our Show. Um, and it's my favorite song in the show because they they're getting ready to sing. It's like a big, big night that they're getting ready to sing for. And uh they all are so nervous, and all the nuns are so nervous, and they run into uh Dolores' room and they sing this song about like blessing all of the specific things in the show. And I just love it so much because it gets to the heart of the show of like like the like we're blessing and celebrating and uplifting these things um that usually don't get celebrated and uplifted. And so I wanted to start kind of this trend as a director where every night we come in to the show um and we choose to bless something, we choose to uplift something. Um and that's something that we've done kind of for the first like three weeks of rehearsal. Um and it just kind of reminded us about like all of like at the end of the day, this is a very human art form, you know.

SPEAKER_00 28:55

So aside from a burger, we don't necessarily have time to go through the whole cast, but you can highlight some of the other people in the cast.

SPEAKER_01 29:01

Yeah, so I have um well, Mike Yao and Karen Yao are both in it. Um, and both of those people I had done, I think their first show in Asheville uh was Adam's Family, which I was also in uh about when I was like 10. So I guess about like 11 years ago.

SPEAKER_00 29:22

I didn't know you then, but I don't remember. Yeah, and the same. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:24

Uh and actually Hogan McLam, who's also in the show, he was also in that cast of Adam's Family. Uh and so, yeah, and so now like the the the script is totally flipped. Um now Mike and I'm directing Mike and Karen um as a full adult, and also directing Hogan, um, who like I grew up doing theater with. Um, so that's a lot of fun. Um, there's also just an incredible like ensemble of nuns. Uh, Christina, I'll just I'm gonna run through the list just because I have them. Um Christina McKenzie, Megan Weber, Natalie Arts, Jennifer E. Wing, um, Jamie Siegel, Kaisa Kay, Ainsley Katterson, um Addison Amos, and Callie Nash just make up the most incredible ensemble of nuns. Uh oh, and also Lily Bartelson as well, um, make up that kind of group. You have a one, we have a wonderful uh Mother Superior, uh Brandy uh uh Andrendi, I think. I I don't know if that's correct. Um and also a lovely group of little mob men, Douglas Cardova, Glenn Ellington, Stacey Barker, um, and Santos Mondra Gun, all wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful people.

SPEAKER_00 30:54

That's funny, you mentioned them. So I I've seen a lot of these folks, and they are really good. Yeah. Um, not to give a shout out to anyone, but I love Mike and Karen, obviously. But Lily is just great, I think. You know, she's she's just an amazing performance.

SPEAKER_01 31:09

Yeah. Talk about, I mean, talk about the vocal power. I mean, I I when I heard them sing like all together for the first time, I almost cried because it it's just like hearing that vocal power from all of them, it like, you know, took me away.

SPEAKER_00 31:27

Well, I can see it. And so to get the specific specifics of the show, so it opens when and then when does it run through and how to get people get tickets?

SPEAKER_01 31:35

Yeah, it opens May 29th, which is next Friday. Um, and you can get the tickets. Uh, you can just search up Parkway Playhouse, um, and it's you, you know, I think it's what what's their website? I'll go to it. Parkwayplayhouse.com. And uh you can get tickets there. We are also offering a special um what we call dressy rehearsal, uh, which is on the night of the 28th. That's the night before we open. Um, if you come to that show, you get to see kind of a sneak preview of uh what the show is gonna look like, as well as you get a behind-the-scenes look at the theater, um, a conversation about like how the show and how the process worked. Um, and yeah, you just gotta get an inside look at what rehearsal looks like.

SPEAKER_00 32:25

And so how long does the show run?

SPEAKER_01 32:27

The show runs uh right now, or we just started running. So right now we're running about two hours and 20 minutes, um, and we'll have a 15-minute intermission. I expect we might cut down a little bit of that time, but somewhere around 2 15.

SPEAKER_00 32:44

I mean that, I'm sorry. But also then how many weeks is it going to run?

SPEAKER_01 32:48

Oh, yes. Uh it runs two weeks. So next weekend and the weekend after.

SPEAKER_00 32:52

And what's a shame? So it's and just the Friday, Saturday, Sunday? Yes. Yeah. What's a shame just personally is that all shows used to have like three-week runs, you know, or uh just a shame because it's such a good show and a fun show. You only have two weeks to get into it, so people are gonna have to get tickets. Everybody always says that, but I I think this is gonna be a very popular show, you know.

SPEAKER_01 33:14

It's just well, and it's an excuse to get your tickets early. Get them now, get them while while they're here and while they're hot.

SPEAKER_00 33:21

And get the best seats. And the last question I can ask you, Reed, is so after this is over, then you retire for the summer, or you just take it easy the rest of the summer, or what else are you doing?

SPEAKER_01 33:32

No, not at all. Um, but so after the show is over, um, I'm going to be back on the stage um in Asheville Musical Theater's Spring Awakening. Um, it's been a long kind of time coming. Um, you know, with the hurricane and stuff like that, the production has like gotten delayed, and finally the entire cast is back. Um, and we start rehearsals for that immediately after Sister Act ends. Um, I've been waiting to dig into this role for three years.

SPEAKER_00 34:03

And that's going to be what in June?

SPEAKER_01 34:05

That's gonna be at the end of June.

SPEAKER_00 34:07

End of June, very exciting.

SPEAKER_01 34:08

And then I'm also choreographing two of the junior shows at ACT.

SPEAKER_00 34:14

Okay, very exciting. And then you go back to school.

SPEAKER_01 34:17

And then I go back to school, yes.

SPEAKER_00 34:19

And it's going to be what year? Yeah, is this year?

SPEAKER_01 34:21

I'm well, so actually I'm in between uh I'm I'm like one of those half seniors. So actually, last some next semester is my last semester. Um, and I'm finishing off in LA. We have a program out in LA, so I'm going to go.

SPEAKER_00 34:38

In the fall, you'll be in LA? Yes. Okay, very cool. And then hopefully after that, we'll see you on many shows and doing many different things.

SPEAKER_01 34:48

Uh hopefully, not gunwood.

SPEAKER_00 34:50

Okay, I look forward to it. Read I should ask one other thing. If people want to just follow you or track you down, what's the best way to find out what Reed Addon is doing?

SPEAKER_01 34:59

Yeah, well, I'm j I mean, it's just Reed Adverton on everything. So yeah. Okay, on Instagram, on Facebook, on all of that.

SPEAKER_00 35:07

Okay, great. Well, anyway, Reader, look forward to um seeing in this show seeing you direct the show and seeing you many things in the future. And as always, it's been a real pleasure, Reed. Thanks a lot, man. Thank you, Blaine. Okay, this is great.