The Mikado opens in less than 2 weeks! We know you don't want to miss the fabulous grand opening of the Hotel Titipu. To get you pumped, let's get to know a little bit more about Amanda Jones!

What's your role in The Mikado?
Pitti-Sing

What made you decide to get involved with Mikado?
I have been performing with VLOC for the past 5 years, but this will be my first Mikado. I have always wanted to perform in this classic Gilbert and Sullivan operetta!

What are you enjoying most about working on Mikado with VLOC?
The cast is truly amazing and I am having so much fun working with all of them! We have had a blast working through our dialog in different ways to pull out new ideas about our characters. My favorite number is the Madrigal, it is just the most beautiful music. 

What is your dream role/job?
The role I have always wanted to play is Mother in Ragtime. 

What is the first musical/opera/play you ever saw and what effect did it have on you?
The first musical I ever saw was My Fair Lady with my mother playing the lead role of Eliza. She and my father really inspired me to pursue my love of musicals and they are responsible for giving me the G&S bug!

When you're not performing in community theatre, what do you do? (job, hobby, family, etc.)
I work as a nurse practitioner at NIH doing research in rare pulmonary diseases. 

Thank you, Amanda! Do you have your tickets yet for the finest grand opening of the year? Snag them today! Call the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre box office at 240-314-8690 or go online HERE to get your tickets! The Mikado  runs June 9 - 18th. We'll see you there!

We have just over 2 weeks until The Mikado opens! We're all excited that the show is coming together so well, and we can't wait for you to see it! We're also excited for our next cast interview - please welcome Bob Gudauskas!

What is your role in The Mikado?
Pooh-Bah

What made you decide to get involved with Mikado?
I have to thank Maureen Roult for giving me the heads up about auditions. I couldn't be happier about taking on such a great and new experience.

What are you enjoying most about working on Mikado with VLOC?
It didn't take long to realize how quickly I felt welcomed. We joke around and have a good time, but take to our task diligently. It's always a pleasure to work with those who are giving you 100% during rehearsals, even when the urge to slack from the work day is great.

What is your dream role/job?
Max Bialystock - The Producers

What is the first musical/opera/play you ever saw and what effect did it have on you?
It must have been The Music Man.

When you're not performing in community theatre, what do you do? (job, hobby, family, etc.)
I currently work at the fantastic "The Children in the Shoe" child care centers as the IT guy. Hobbies? I'm a big hockey fan, though I'm still waiting for the Hartford Whalers to return.

Thanks Bob, we're happy to have you as a part of The Mikado cast! 

Be sure not to miss Bob and the rest of the cast of characters at the Hotel Titipu - get your tickets now! Purchase online HERE or call the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre box office at 240-314-8690. 

Welcome to our second installment of our Mikado cast interview series! We're happy to have Kayla Cummings as our featured cast member today. Welcome, Kayla!

What's your role in The Mikado?
Chorus

What made you decide to get involved with Mikado?
By being a part of this amazing production, it will complete my ultimate Gilbert and Sullivan experience with Pirates of Penzance in 2014, H.M.S. Pinafore in 2016, and now The Mikado!

What are you enjoying most about working on Mikado with VLOC?
As time goes by, each one of us develop our own character and it impacts how we are seen on stage along with the interactions with others. It is very fun to see what sort of antics some of us will get into.

What is your dream role/job?
Perform beside well known opera singers on the big stage like the MET or the Kennedy Center.

What is the first musical/opera/play you ever saw and what effect did it have on you?
My first musical I saw was Phantom of the Opera when I was 7 and my first opera was La Boheme at 13. Phantom of the Opera was what made me go into music education in the very beginning. I originally wanted to go into musical theatre but when I saw one of Luciano Pavarotti"s tapes in La Boheme, I instantly flipped to opera, due to the fact of the joy of learning new languages, and a bunch more.

When you're not performing in community theatre, what do you do? (job, hobby, family, etc.)
I am preparing for college in the fall!

Thanks Kayla, and best of luck in college after The Mikado! Do you have your tickets to see the show yet? It runs June 9th - 18th, so don't miss out! Get your tickets online HERE or by calling the F. Scott Fitzgerald box office at 240-314-8690.

Everyone at VLOC is excited - The Mikado opens in just one month! We're back with our cast interview series, and we have long-time VLOCer Gary Sullivan to kick it off!

What is your role in The Mikado?
Ko-Ko

What made you decide to get involved with Mikado?
I'm a long-time VLOC member, and this is one of my favorite roles in one of my favorite shows. Helen's idea to set the show in 1920's London intrigued me, and I loved the opportunity to help with adjusting the text to fit the setting.

What are you enjoying most about working on Mikado with VLOC?
Not only are we spending a lot of time on getting the music right, but we are spending a lot of time on the dialog scenes as well, which doesn't always happen. Who are these characters? Why do they behave this way? What's driving them? I love that we are taking the time to explore and really make the characters our own.

What is your dream role/job?
I did a lot of Shakespeare when I was younger, and I'd love to find my way back into some of that.

What is the first musical/opera/play you ever saw and what effect did it have on you?
Well, I remember the first one I was *in*. In kindergarten (!), we did an adaptation of the "belling the cat" story, and I was given the pivotal role of "Narrator." I had the most lines and I was thrilled! And I just kept auditioning for things, and I kept getting cast.

When you're not performing in community theatre, what do you do? (job, hobby, family, etc.)
For many years, I've been with Marriott International, working on projects related to Learning + Development. The nest is empty, so my wife and I have plenty to time to watch movies and do a little traveling (thanks, Marriott!).

Thank you, Gary! Tickets for The Mikado are on sale now, so get yourself some good seats! The show runs June 9th - 18th. Get your tickets online HERE or by calling the F. Scott Fitzgerald box office at 240-314-8690.