"9 to 5" cast profile: Mike McShane

Mike McShane steps in front of the lights as one of the actors playing Mr. Tinsworthy, chairman of the board, in "9 to 5"!

GCP Girl: Tell me a bit about your character.
MM: I am the understudy for Mr. Tinsworthy as well as the Lighting Designer. Mr. Tinsworthy is the head of Consolidated. He is Franklin Hart, Jr.’s boss. He is the only person who can set Hart straight and allow the trio to rise through the ranks and be recognized. Mr. Tinsworthy has heard about Violet Newstead’s contributions over the years and feels that she is ready to run this particular division of Consolidated.

GCP Girl: Tell me about some of your previous shows.
MM: I recently directed/designed/acted in “Death of a Salesman” (Hap Loman/Howard Wagner) and “Christmas Belles” (Raynerd Chisum) at the High Springs Community Theater. Designs: "Chicago: A Musical Vaudeville" (University of Florida), "The Fantasticks" (Expressions Studio Theater), "Noises Off!" (UF), "The Mousetrap" (UF), "The Threepenny Opera" (Acrosstown Repertory Theatre), "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (ART). Roles: Boolie Werthan, “Driving Miss Daisy” (Actors' Warehouse), Sidney Bruhl, “Deathtrap” (High Springs Community Theater), Bellomy/Mortimer, “The Fantasticks” (Expressions Studio Theater), Bobby, “American Buffalo” (Everyday Theater).

GCP Girl: Why did you audition for "9 to 5"?
MM: I was only on as the Lighting Designer. I met with director Rhonda Wilson while still in my old age makeup as Boolie Werthan from The Actors’ Warehouse production of “Driving Miss Daisy” to ask if I could design the lights for the show. Then the opportunity availed itself to where I would alternate with Mr. Ed Hunter on the role of Mr. Tinsworthy.

GCP Girl: What is your favorite musical number in the show?
MM: Roz’s “Heart to Hart.” It is a great character song that has enough overt sexuality to balance out Hart’s “Here For You.”

GCP Girl: Tell me about your least favorite job.
MM: Working at Chik-Fil-A shortly before I got a job working at Smathers Library.

GCP Girl: What are you looking forward to the most about performing in "9 to 5"?
MM: Playing an old Southern gentleman again.

GCP Girl: Why should people see this show?
MM: It is an empowering musical. Dolly Parton does a fine job of taking on the great American Musical Comedy.

GCP Girl: Tell me something you'd like everyone to know!
MM: I am going to design lights and projections and understudy the role of Ian in “Rooms: A Rock Romance” in the Hippodrome Cinema. This will be a grand south east regional premier of the rock opera on May 13 and 14th.

Thanks, Mike! You can see Mike as Mr. Tinsworthy tonight in the third week opener!

xo xo GCP Girl

"Moonlight & Magnolias" cast announcement!

Congrats to the new cast of "Moonlight & Magnolias"!

David O. Selznick - Henry Wihnyk
Ben Hecht - Adam Lishawa
Victor Fleming - Doug Diekow
Miss Poppenghul - Jennie Stringfellow

"9 to 5" cast profile: Paula Turpening

Paula Turpening makes her musical theatre debut in the ensemble of "9 to 5"!

GCP Girl: Tell me a bit about your character. 

PT: I am in the ensemble, and I  also am playing the doctor.

GCP Girl: Tell me about some of your previous shows. 

PT: This is my first show, except for a very small part in "Once in a Lifetime," my high school, play a LONG time ago.

GCP Girl: Why did you audition for "9 to 5"? 

PT: My daughter (Olivia) has been in many shows at the GCP and has enjoyed the experiences, and I have a friend (Bev) who auditioned two years ago (and has been in a few shows since), and that got me thinking that I might want to give it a try.

GCP Girl: What is your favorite musical number in the show? 

PT: I love all the music in the show so it is hard to pick a favorite! I really enjoy Judy's fantasy "Dance of Death."

GCP Girl: What are you looking forward to the most about performing in "9 to 5"? 

PT: This whole experience is amazing! I am looking forward to being more confident on stage/speaking in front of people as well as entertaining people who come to see the show.

GCP Girl: Why should people see this show? 

PT: This show is so fun and full of energy and as I said before, the music is great.

GCP Girl: Tell me something you'd like everyone to know! 

PT: The production team on this show is great and I really appreciate them giving me the opportunity to experience my first GCP Production! Even though it is a lot of work, it is a lot of fun as well!

Thanks, Paula! Break a leg tonight!

xo xo GCP Girl

"9 to 5" cast profile: Leannis Maxwell

Leannis Maxwell plays Judy Bernly, a housewife-turned-secretary with a lot to learn on the job in "9 to 5"!

GCP Girl: Tell me a bit about your character.
LM: I play Judy Bernly, who is recently separated from her husband of many years, who recently left her for a 19-year-old named Mindi! This is her first job - she's terrified, nervous, inexperienced, naive, out of her element and out of place (and her fashion sense is slightly out of date as well).

GCP Girl: Tell me about some of your previous shows, either at GCP or another theater.
LM: I played Dr. Martha Livingston in "Agnes of God" last year. Before that, I was in "Anything Goes" as Reno Sweeny. I've been involved in shows at GCP since I was 10 years old.

GCP Girl: Why did you audition for "9 to 5"?
LM: Judy has some really great songs, especially in the 2nd act. Her song "Get Out and Stay Out" is a great number! Plus, she's so awkward in the beginning and then gets some gumption...I love that about her. She makes two great friends (Violet and DoraLee) and she hasn't really had much in her life besides her husband. It's great to see how much she grows in the musical.

GCP Girl: What is your favorite musical number in the show?
LM: I really like the songs that the three ladies sing together. "I Just Might" and "Shine Like the Sun." I think we sound really good together, and the ensemble back-up is really pretty. There's some really great harmonies that Dolly Parton wrote for the show (she wrote all the songs).

GCP Girl: Tell me about your least favorite job.
LM: Ha ha! I was a server in NYC at this lunch/dinner joint called Simply Pasta. I really only liked one of the managers, my fellow servers were all pretty "seasoned," and the owners were a married couple that had that whole entitled complex. The best thing about the job were the bread knots!

GCP Girl: What are you looking forward to the most about performing in "9 to 5"?
LM: Tying up Matt (Mr. Hart) to his desk chair and wheeling him around the stage. Seriously though, I'm looking forward to being all together as a cast and performing with some super talented people and singing our little hearts out! 

GCP Girl: Why should people see this show?
LM: It has really great songs! If you liked the movie, I think you'll be guaranteed to liking the musical! There's so many talented people in this show! And come on, we're bringing back '80s fashion! What's not to love about that!

GCP Girl: Tell me something you'd like everyone to know!
LM: I'm ENGAGED to Moss Crutchfield and I'm over the moon about it! :)

Thanks, Leannis, and congrats on the news! Break a leg tonight!

xo xo GCP Girl

"9 to 5" cast profile: Dixie Lee

Dixie Lee moves from backstage to center stage in her GCP debut in "9 to 5"!

GCP Girl: Tell me a bit about your character.
DL: I am in the ensemble playing an "unknown office drone" who I have decided is named Melody. She's a silly, yet hardworking gal who has been at the company for a long time. like her coworker Violet, she longs for something better at the top of the corporate ladder.

GCP Girl: Tell me about some of your previous shows.
DL: This is my first time on stage since high school. I have been involved in the tech side of GCP for a little over a year, doing sound board operating and learning sound design.

GCP Girl: Why did you audition for "9 to 5"?
DL: I love the music in this show, and I knew it was going to be a lot of fun to be a part of!

GCP Girl: What is your favorite musical number in the show?
DL: My favorite musical number to perform is "Change It" because its very uplifting. However, I love watching Leannis (Judy) sing "Get Out and Stay Out." She hits the transition from timid to fierce flawlessly.

GCP Girl: Tell me about your least favorite job. 
DL: My least favorite job was working as a "bag girl" for a grocery store. People were so mean and often ignored me, which is funny because they always talked to me when I was a cashier. Never again!

GCP Girl: What are you looking forward to the most about performing in "9 to 5"? 
DL: Seeing the smiles on the audience's faces every night.

GCP Girl: Why should people see this show?
DL: It's a feel good show about overcoming seemingly impossible obstacles to achieve your goals. Who doesn't relate to that in some way?

GCP Girl: Tell me something you'd like everyone to know! 
DL: The cast, crew, and musicians have truly all been working tirelessly to see that we put on a fantastic show. Don't miss out on seeing it!

Thanks, Dixie! Break a leg tonight!

xo xo GCP Girl

"9 to 5" cast profile: Katie Crozier-Theis

GCP veteran Katie Crozier-Theis plays Roz, the office snitch, in "9 to 5" -- so be careful what you say about the show in the restroom at intermission!

GCP Girl: Tell me a bit about your character.
KCT: I will be playing the role of Roz. Roz is Mr. Hart's number one fan (well his only fan, really!). She is also the office snitch and therefore despised by all of the other employees at Consolidated.

GCP Girl: Tell me about some of your previous shows.
KCT: I have been in several shows at GCP over the years. Some of my favorite roles include Bertha in "Pippin," Gloria and a tap-dancing Stenographer in "Thoroughly Modern Millie," and a Dancing Granny (and other fun ensemble roles) in "The Producers."

GCP Girl: Why did you audition for "9 to 5"?
KCT: I really wanted to be a part of a show with so many strong female roles. It's rare, especially for a musical.

GCP Girl: What is your favorite musical number in the show?
KCT: I have to admit that my favorite musical number in "9 to 5" is "Heart to Hart," which is Roz's song. It's a fun (and naughty!) number about Roz's secret desires for Mr. Hart.

GCP Girl: Tell me about your least favorite job.
KCT: My least favorite job ever is definitely the first one I had. When I was 16 I spent the summer working as a telemarketer selling subscriptions for my home town's newspaper. It was invasive and demoralizing work where I got to bother people at home and in exchange had phones slammed in my ear!

GCP Girl: What are you looking forward to the most about performing in "9 to 5"?
KCT: Roz is the biggest role I've had to date at the GCP so I am really excited to give her all I've got.

GCP Girl: Why should people see this show?
KCT: People should see this show because the music is fun, the cast is talented and the story is empowering for women everywhere.

GCP Girl: Tell me something you'd like everyone to know!
KCT: We are all volunteers and are here because we love the theatre. I sincerely hope that you will come and see our show!

Thanks, Katie! "9 to 5" starts its second week tonight at the Vam York!

xo xo GCP Girl

Matt Sherman plays Franklin Hart, Jr., the original Horrible Boss, in "9 to 5," opening tonight at the Vam York Theater!

GCP Girl: Tell me your name, your character, and a bit about your character.
MS: I am playing Franklin Hart, Jr. Mr. Hart is a chauvinist pig and the worst kind of social climber. He has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, which is a good thing, so the audience can accept the "beat down" the leading ladies dish to him throughout the show. It will be a bit of a physically demanding role, too, and the audience will appreciate the battering I will be taking on (and above!) the stage.

GCP Girl: Tell me about some of your previous shows.
MS: I last appeared on stage as tycoon and Yalie Eli Whitney in GCP's production of "Anything Goes." That came about after some Gainesville High School shows with my family, prompted by my daughter Alex Sherman's drama work at GHS. It was more fun than I remembered to be on stage again after the many years since I attended high school, so I stuck with it. It's great to be part of the extended GCP family now and to have fellow UF employees on stage with me, too.

GCP Girl: Why did you audition for "9 to 5"?
MS: I auditioned for "9 to 5" since my family wanted me out of the house more!

GCP Girl: What is your favorite musical number in the show?
MS: A favorite musical number from the show is "Change It," it's uplifting and I know the audience will appreciate the talented cast who sings it. Many people know that Dolly Parton has recorded or
written over 3,000 songs; she has created some strong harmothemes and leitmotifs for "9 to 5: The Musical." The music is very catchy and fun for the audience if challenging to sing with complicated harmonies and high ranges.

GCP Girl: What are you looking forward to the most about performing in "9 to 5"?
MS: The rehearsal schedule got tough and that's fine -- we want to put on a great show for the audience nightly -- but I was starting to feel the effects of cleaning the stage with my back each day. For showtime, I'm looking forward to a couple of special effects including gunplay!

GCP Girl: Why should people see this show?
MS: GCP guests will appreciate how times have changed in the workplace since "9 to 5" 's 1979 setting. Come expecting to laugh and feel good but also to be genuinely moved by coworkers who care for each other, even if they always hate their boss.

GCP Girl: Tell me something you'd like everyone to know!
MS: I have been collecting memorabilia from the world of James Bond for more than 30 years. Our Gainesville home has appeared on TV internationally several times, and I'm taking a group of fans on a Bond-themed cruise this April!

Thanks, Matt! Break a leg tonight!

xo xo GCP Girl

"Moonlight & Magnolias" auditions are this weekend!

"Moonlight & Magnolias" director Carlos Asse dropped by to offer some practical advice for auditions, which are coming up this Sunday and Monday, March 24-25, at 7 p.m. at the GCP.

GCP Girl: Why did you want to direct "Moonlight & Magnolias"?
CA: "Moonlight & Magnolias" offers a rare treat in that it mixes some of the craziest farcical slapstick comedy while addressing some philosophical social issues. For example: How do we feel about art? What about racism? How might the impending Second World War affect us? You must, when directing the show, walk a fine line between these heavy topics and the lighthearted comedic approach to some of the other situations that arise. Doing that successfully is always tricky and very challenging!

GCP Girl: What is your vision for this show?
CA: The play takes place at the office of one of the top producers of Hollywood at the time, so the scenery must have some kind of high style. The year being 1939 also conjures images of art deco, etc. . . and the location, California, also conjures images of a specific type of architecture. Then a concrete image begins to form in which one must recreate and tell the story well.

GCP Girl: What are you looking for in those who audition?
CA: The talent auditioning must be agile and fit, because of the rigorous demands that the play requires. It also calls for those who can do comedy as well as handle more serious topics and make all these believable at once.

GCP Girl: Why should people audition for "Moonlight & Magnolias"?
CA: If you think you have those qualities I listed above, there are seldom plays that offer the opportunity to mix all these expressions at the same time. "Moonlight & Magnolias" provides actors with meaty roles that are challenging and creative to portray.

"Chasing Manet" cast profile: Sue Addis

GCP veteran Sue Addis tackles three different roles with flair in "Chasing Manet"!

GCP Girl: Tell me a bit about your character.
SA: I actually have three characters. The first is a resident of the nursing home. She is a nervous Nelly and has no lines. I envision her as being a paranoid schizophrenic (that's the psychologist in me talking). The second character is Angelica, wife of Marvin and daughter-in-law of Rennie. She is the typical Jewish housewife who is a little embarrassed by her mother-in-law. The third character is Marie-Claire, the French art teacher at the nursing home, who is the subject of an infatuation from Charles.

GCP Girl: Tell me about some of your previous shows.
SA: This is the first "straight" show that I have done at GCP. All the other shows have been musicals. I played the Rev. Mother in four "Nunsense" shows, which I love doing. I have played the Wicked Witch in "Wizard of Oz," Golde in "Fiddler on the Roof," and many more. If I calculate correctly, this is my 16th show with GCP.

GCP Girl: Why did you audition for "Chasing Manet"?
SA: I love that this is a cast of mostly over 55 folks. We need more shows that showcase our golden years. Plus, I wanted to work with Jan. She is a wonderful director who really knows her stuff.

GCP Girl: What is your favorite scene in the show, and why?
SA: The art scene. I get to play someone with a French accent, which I have never done before.

GCP Girl: What was your biggest challenge in preparing for this show?
SA: Getting the French accent down and being able to make sure that I am understood.

GCP Girl: What does "Chasing Manet" say to you? Why should people see it?
SA: It is a great commentary on our older generation and how things have changed in our culture. It will make you laugh and will make you cry, all at the same time.

GCP Girl: What plays or musicals would you like to see GCP produce in an upcoming season?
SA: I would like to see them do "Gypsy" because of the great music and roles.

GCP Girl: Tell me one of your New Year's resolutions.
SA: To move forward with a positive attitude.

GCP Girl: Tell me something you'd like everyone to know!
SA: I love to perform. It is great to be back on the GCP stage after an absence of 3 years.

Thanks, Sue! "Chasing Manet" opens the last week of its run tonight!

xo xo GCP Girl

"Chasing Manet" cast profile: Dorothy Field

Dorothy Field joins in the fun as Iris in "Chasing Manet"!

GCP Girl: Tell me a bit about your character.
DF: I play Iris. In her younger days Iris was a reserved, quiet lady who took pleasure in reading books authored by Pearl Buck and Edna Ferber. She is happy at Mt. Airy and, at times, remembers with fondness her brother, Arthur, and Spanky, the little dog they shared. She enjoys the companionship at Mt. Airy, and doesn't hesitate to speak her mind when the occasion arises, something she might not have done in her youth.

GCP Girl: Tell me about some of your previous shows.
DF: I have been privileged to perform bit parts in several shows at GCP including "Oliver," "The Crucible," "It's a Wonderful Life" and "The Man Who Came to Dinner." At High Springs, I enjoyed roles in "Deathtrap" and "Dracula." At Acrosstown, I played in "Galileo in Gainesville" and "Richard III."

GCP Girl: Why did you audition for "Chasing Manet"?
DF: Initially I hesitated to audition for Manet, fearful of the negative portrayal of characters. After reading the script it become clear this was about a group of people in their later years who came from diverse backgrounds and varied experiences, not unlike all of us at younger times in our lives. This is a comedy for all to enjoy, including the characters themselves.

GCP Girl: What is your favorite scene in the show?
DF: My favorite scene is the art class, when Henry, in a clear moment, tells us all about his experiences as an archeologist. We are in awe of his background, which we were not aware of until this moment.

GCP Girl: What was your biggest challenge in preparing for this show?
DF: Truthfully, midway through rehearsals I injured myself and had difficulty walking. But, not to worry. My character uses a walker, so I was saved. Biggest challenge was getting from the car to the stage.

GCP Girl: What does "Chasing Manet" say to you? Why should people see it?
DF: Residents of nursing homes may have their ups and downs, but they are no more happy or unhappy than the rest of us from time to time. Although the plot is outrageous, this is a comedy to be enjoyed by guests of all ages.

GCP Girl: Tell me one of your New Year's resolutions.
DF: I never make New Year's resolutions. Just try to live each day smarter and be a good friend to those around me.


Thanks, Dorothy! That's a plan I think we all can live with!

xo xo GCP Girl