New TotallyTrucked Video: Andy and Kayla

Continuing our series of videos from the Spring It On! Cabaret in Rochester, here is an exclusive TotallyTrucked video of a Duncan Sheik medley by Kayla Foster and Andy Mientus that you havn't seen before, featuring a song from Duncan's new musical Whisper House which just had its premiere at the Old Globe in San Diego in a medley with one of the songs which was cut from Spring Awakening when it transferred to Broadway. A fitting tribute as we say goodbye to Andy this week.

Video:
Andy Mientus and Kayla Foster singing "And Now We Sing" from Whisper House and "There Once Was a Pirate" from Spring Awakening:



ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1) New press and reviews added to the Durham post below. http://totallytrucked.blogspot.com/2010/03/spring-awakening-in-durham-nc.html
2) Two more chances to win opening night tickets in Atlanta:
Encore Atlanta:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=343814200479&index=1
Atlanta Met Blogs: http://atlanta.metblogs.com/2010/03/05/more-free-tickets-to-wake-up-spring/

Andy Mientus: "Don't Say Goodbye" plus Welcome Robi Hager

Next week in Atlanta will be Andy Mientus' last week on the tour. We are sad to have to say goodbye to one of our original tour members--especially one that has been a friend of the show for so long. Andy created our Facebook page, I Believe in Spring Awakening, at the very beginning of our run Off Broadway. We wish him luck in all his future endeavors. Here is a note that Andy wrote to everyone:



Dear Fans and Friends (Frands?),

Thank you so much for a year and a half of love, support, and inspiration. Your cheers and kind words reminded me daily why I do what I do, and I would never have been able to sustain a run this long without your enthusiasm. My journey with Spring Awakening began almost 4 years ago when I first saw the show and created a little fan group on a whim. Since then, the places this show has taken me, literally and spiritually, were beyond my imagination. I'm not sure what I did to deserve living a rockstar life for these many months, but as incredible as this has been, I am so truly excited for all of you to see what I and the rest of this beautiful company have up our sleeves. We always get such positive feedback from our cabaret performances because when you all see us perform the same words and music time after time, I think it is easy to forget that we are all dynamic artists with a breadth of dimensions to our talent. These people can do so much more than what you've seen and while I am fortunate to have been a part of something like Spring Awakening, I am most fortunate to have been inspired by all of the talent around me. So, with my departure, and the eventual departure of everyone in the cast, do not be sad or say goodbye- we are so thrilled to give you more to see.

I love your light,
Andy

We are excited to announce that taking over the role of Hanschen will be original Broadway cast member Robi Hager! Here is his bio:



ROBERT HAGER (Hanschen) Having just finished Bye Bye Birdie on Broadway, Robert is thrilled to come back to the Spring Awakening family, now on tour! Broadway: Bye Bye Birdie, Spring Awakening. NY Theater: Pippin, Captain Louie. WBT: The Who's Tommy, Jesus Christ Superstar, Les Miserables. Film: Clear Blue Tuesday. Proud AEA member.

Welcome back, Robi!

New TotallyTrucked Video: Jam Session

Spring Awakening Tour: Jam Session
A few bus rides and tour stops back, one of Andy's favorite rock bands, Kings of Leon, happened to land in the same town - Kansas City. So Christy Altomare turned his frown upside down and went unplugged, conducting a KOL tribute jam session of "Use Somebody" with Andy. Check out this beautiful rendition of a great tune.

VIDEO

Spring Awakening in Austin!

We're opening in Austin, TX tonight! Tickets start as low as $20!

Our discount is still good. Use code SPRING to get $10 off your ticket tonight and tomorrow night.

Buy Tickets here: http://bit.ly/UTPAC

GET YOUR HALF-PRICE STUDENT RUSH TICKETS!
Available day-of-show 2-hours prior to curtain at the Bass Concert Hall Box Office.
Limit 2 tickets per person. Student ID required.

FOR STAGE SEATING
Call 877.275.3804

Afterwards, come around to the stage door and say hi. The stage door is located by the loading dock.

DID YOU KNOW: "Keep Austin Weird" has become the unofficial motto of the Texas capitol.

Upcoming Press/DVR ALERTS!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

9:00 am KXAN (NBC Affiliate) Morning Show interview with Steffi D. and Taylor Trensch. This will air as part of the 9 o’clock news. They will also do a separate interview which will be available online.

UPDATE: Here it is!



On going KUT NPR Radio. Interview with Steffi D. and Taylor Trensch will run as part of Julie Moody's Arts and Entertainment report at various times.

UPDATE: Here it is! They made them interview each other! http://kut.org/items/show/18552

11:40 am KVUE-TV (ABC Affiliate) LIVE In-Studio Interview with Steffi D. and Taylor Trensch with the mid-day news hosts.

UPDATE: Here it is! http://www.kvue.com/video/?z=y&nvid=408661&shu=1

4:00 pm KEYE-TV (CBS Affiliate) LIVE In-Studio TV Interview with Andy Mientus.

Great Behind the Scenes footage of setting up at the Bass Hall by the Austin Statesman:




Lastly, help us kick SA to be the number one event in Austin this week! Post a review of the show: http://www.nowplayingaustin.com/event/detail/440121053

Spring Awakening in Pittsburgh: In Town Press

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day Weekend. My gosh, the four weeks in Boston flew by; we will have a few more videos from Boston to show you soon.

We're in Pittsburgh this week! Pittsburgh is the home of Andy Mientus. It's also where Perry Sherman went to school at Carnegie Melon. Andy has been carrying the bulk of the press roll-out as Pittsburgh gets ready to welcome back its native son.

Check out these two great newspaper articles featuring Andy:

PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE--(mentions the fact that Andy started our official Facebook group)
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/ae/theater/s_626457.html

(Andy has also started his own Fan Page on Facebook too so if you're on Facebook, show him your support)

PITTSBURGH POST GAZETTE
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09144/971845-325.stm?cmpid=theater.xml

PITTSBURGH TODAY LIVE Perry Sherman and Andy were interviewed on Pittsburgh Today Live (KDKA/CBS Affiliate):

http://kdka.com/video/?id=58060@kdka.dayport.com

And here is a review of the show the following day on the same program (though the critic reviewed two shows at the same time by catching an act of each...what??):

http://kdka.com/video/?id=58112@kdka.dayport.com

REVIEWS:

PITTSBURGH POST GAZETTE: "Spring Awakening" can be dizzying, even difficult, if you were brought up on Rodgers & Hammerstein and Lerner & Loewe. But fresh voices such as Sater's & Sheik's are worth the effort.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09148/973122-325.stm#ixzz0GpZPGhFn&B

PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE: The four leads -- Christy Altomare as Wendla, Steffi D as Ilse, Blake Bashoff as Moritz and Carnegie Mellon University student Perry Sherman, an understudy who ably filled the role of Melchior at Tuesday's performance -- propel the story with immediacy, nuance and emotional reality.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/ae/s_627078.html#

If you're coming to the show, stop by afterwards and say! The stage door to the Heinz Hall is located on Penn Avenue.

Holler!

Project: East Lansing (Blog Post by Andy Mientus)

Hey Bloggers!

So we've just finished our East Lansing engagement of the tour, which was busy and rewarding. While in East Lansing, we had a major rehearsal with our Production Stage Manager, Eric, who had been away from us for a time working with Michael Mayer on the Vienna production of SPRING. He reunited with us in St. Louis and scheduled a big rehearsal for this stop to freshen a few scenes and implement some minor staging changes and new ideas Michael discovered while working on the London and Vienna productions. See if you can spot them next time you catch our show! Anyway, it was a fabulously productive rehearsal, and I've been so proud of everyone's work this week. It was a great experience to get back to basics and explore things we hadn't since Michael's last visit some time ago, or even since rehearsal in New York. For example, to rediscover the blend and ensemble unity in Touch Me, Eric had us all sit on the floor in a circle and just sing the song to each other and really listen. It was so beautiful! The icing on the cake was having such invested audiences to explore things with in East Lansing. They were so with us, and made all of our hard work in rehearsal worth it.

East Lansing was also a huge personal joy, because it is just 45 minutes away from Ann Arbor, where I go to school, and so my week was full of visits from friends and faculty. I was also able to order Pizza House whenever I wanted it- those who are in the know should know how amazing that is!

After our last performance, which my best friend from school attended, I actually got to go back to Ann Arbor for the night and see even more old friends. It was beyond trippy to see all of my old haunts peppered with new buildings that didn't exist when I lived there, but so nice at the same time. When you're on the road, familiarity is a rare luxury. I was so glad to enjoy that luxury while I played to the wonderful audiences of East Lansing. Thanks for coming along for the ride- maybe I'll see you again when I'm back at school!

Best,
Andy

[BlogMaster Note: Here are a couple of videos created by Andy and Gabby, now live on our Youtube channel. Perry's parents come to E. Lansing to give the tour cast a proper meal. And we held a concert to drum up excitement on MSU's campus]





[The Guilty Ones in E. Lansing came to the concert and we have one in particular to thank for taking this footage]:







The Guilty Ones also painted this awesome rock on MSU campus!



Thanks too for everyone who submitted suggestions for things the cast should do in E. Lansing. In the suggestions, one fan also warned Andy not to wear U of M wear while he was on MSU's campus (you can see from the audience's reaction in the Q&A above that that was a very wise and appropriate heads up LOL)! While they chose not to blog about them (most of the suggestions were for bars, etc), they were used as an insider's tour guide and helped make it an amazing week in E. Lansing!

Profile of the Month: Andy Mientus plus In Town Press, E. Lansing

Profile of the Month: Andy Mientus

1. Have you ever gotten sick of performing the same show night after night?

This is a show I could never be sick of. It is such an intense piece with music that I connect to so personally. Of course, there are the nights when I'm really pumped up and can't wait for each new scene, and then the quieter nights where I just feel very lucky to be part of something so beautiful, but truly I am still on the honeymoon.

2. Who/what do you miss the most while away on tour?

I miss my mom a lot and all of my friends back home and at Michigan. My old life, really. On the nights when I get emotional in Left Behind, it's from thinking about all of those things that I had to leave behind for now.

3. What is it like when an understudy goes on in a role? Does it make the performance more difficult? Does it change your character?

Our company is pretty healthy on the whole, so understudies going on is still a relatively rare thing. For example, I've never done the Vineyard with anyone other than Ben, except for in rehearsal. When it does happen, we're all just so thrilled to see the understudy get to shine and to see what new discoveries they make in the role. Hanschen doesn't really interact with anyone other than Ernst, so I think I stay pretty constant despite who's on, though there have been times when I've forgotten to sing in Touch Me because I was listening to a Georg cover's riffs!

4. How do you deal with critique? Do you ever work outsiders' suggestions into your performance or do you prefer to perform completely by your own ideas/previous direction?

It is my job to perform my role as directed, so I just try my hardest to do that and not listen to any outside critique. As with all art, no two people will see my performance the same way, and I certainly can't please everyone, but as long as my bosses and my scene parter are happy, I'm happy. The rest is really none of my business.

5. After being so active with "I Believe..." on Facebook, what is it like to be on the other side and actually IN the show? Most fans say things and have opinions about what goes on with cast members and in the show. Do you ahve anything you once said or thought when you were a fan that has completely changed when actually living the life you used to talk about?

Transitioning from a fan to a cast member was beyond surreal and I still pinch myself occasionally. I feel very lucky to have been a fan first, because I think I could never become jaded about the show, no matter how many performances or rehearsals we reach. It could never just be a job for me, given my history. Also, I totally understand what it's like to be on the other side of the stagedoor line. I hope everyone out there knows that if ever a cast member doesn't come out, can't stay long, or seems distant or unfriendly, it is for some bizarre reason that has nothing to do with the fans. We all really do enjoy meeting fans at the stagedoor, because often it is their stories that inspire us to perform to our fullest the next time. But sometimes, you eat a bad burrito and just can't make it out, you know?

Being on the "inside" now, I can say it is really funny how much some fans think they know about the show, the future of the show, our personal lives, etc. So often, people will come up to us after the show and say something like, "So I know so and so is leaving on X date and will be replaced by blank. Is that going to be weird considering what happened with such and such?" and we just have to laugh. It's always like, well, that's news to me!

6. What has been your best/most memorable moment on the tour so far?

There have been so many incredible, hilarious, moving, and surprising moments on tour so far. A short list would include:
-Doing the show on Election Night and finding out the results right before Touch Me
-Kate Fugeli (our original Adult Women u/s) throwing us a party in LA with In and Out and Superbad
-Bowing a record 4th curtain call at our official opening in San Fran
-The rowdy student show at 10am in LA
-Our last rehearsal in New York, doing the whole show on the O'Neill stage for the Broadway cast, old and new
-Sending Kate off the same night that the Broadway production closed

7. What do you think you would want to do if you weren't an actor?

I always enjoyed English and creative writing classes in High School and college. Though my brother was an English major, so I couldn't copy him. When I was little, I really wanted to be a backup singer, like you see on SNL or Letterman. You know how there's always like two girls and one guy and they're usually in black turtlenecks? Or at least they were in the 90s. Like that!

8. At this point in the tour, how many times do you think you've had to bleach the roots of your hair? Is it a pain or do you prefer your hair blond?

Oh my gosh, dozens. We do it every two weeks. Half the time we do just the roots, and the other half we do the full bleach, which is much more involved and painful. It is a total pain in the ass, but I couldn't imagine my character without the shocking blonde hair, so it's all worth it! Our hair guy, Kevin, is a total genius too, and I owe the fact that I have any hair left after so many processes to him.

9. What was your first stage kiss like...or was Ben your first?

Ben was my first boy kiss (we were called back together, way back when!) and he's a dreamboat, so I can't complain, but my first stage kiss was in my 8th grade production of The Music Man. There was music, and there were wonderful roses (they tell me).

10. What's it like seeing throngs of people lined up each night and are there any particularly memorable moments that have stuck with you?

It is always great to see lots of fans afterward- I think it shows that we connected with them so much that night that they'd like to meet us personally. Just the other night I had some fan's mother mess my hair, like REALLY hard as soon as I walked out of the door. I was thinking, "Lady, I know you totally just watched me jerk off and all, but do you always touch strangers so aggressively?!"

11. What's your favorite...

a) City on the tour?

Seattle and Minneapolis are tied. Both had such amazing culture and REALLY great audiences. If actors didn't have to live in New York or LA, I would totally live in one of those places.

b) Broadway show?

Rent was my favorite Broadway show, and Hedwig is my favorite Off-Broadway show.

c) Movie?

Probably Superbad. I swear, someone had me on hidden camera my whole High School experience. I relate to that movie in a big way!

d) TV show?

Gossip Girl is my guilty pleasure (Wouldn't Ed Westwick make a SICK Hanschen?!) and Summer Heights High is my current favorite.

e) snack?

Something healthy, like nuts or cheese

f) Fraggle from Fraggle Rock?

I'm not THAT old, dude! I can't even remember when that was on.

g) Viral YouTube video?

Until they took it down, there was this AMAZING video called "Joe's Models for WEB." I hope some of you out there were lucky enough to see it. I can always watch "Washington"- let me lay it on the line, he had two on the vine.

12. How does the cast pick rooms with each other in the hotels? Do you get assigned people or do you just choose who you want to room with?

We can room with whoever we want, or alone. If you room with someone, you save money. I try to switch it up, but I've lived the most with Lucas.

13. Has the hectic tour life stifled your creativity? Are you still able to write/compose/be inspired between the constant changing of cities and climates and hotel rooms?

It totally jolted my creative life, actually. True, I don't have so much free time to write, but I probably have just as much as I did at school and travel is the BEST inspiration possible.

14. Write your memoir in six words. Use six words - exactly six words - to tell who you are, where you've been, what you're thinking, etc.

I believe all will be forgiven.

15. What made you want to do theatre for a living?

It is honestly just what I have always done, and I'm actually pretty skill-less otherwise. I mean, there was a summer a few years back when I couldn't even get a job at H&M! I tried a lot of things growing up- academics, sports, music- but theater was the one thing that stuck and I ever seemed to get any positive feedback in. More than anything, I couldn't imagine myself doing anything else.

16. What is your favorite thing to do when you have the day off?

Usually, I explore whatever city we're in my friends and eat some comfort food. Sleep in, call my Mom, read. Basically, the things I would always do on my days off, at any point in my life.

Announcements:

Cleveland natives: We need suggestions for things the cast should do and video blog about while in Cleveland, OH. Include off the beaten path things that can't be found anywhere else. Is there a food item that is specific to Cleveland? Your favorite restaurant? Post them as a comment below. Deadline: Feb 26th.

We need Guilty Ones Street Team Members in Philadelphia! Email your full name to phillyguiltyones@gmail.com. We will contact you with more information as soon as possible. Our 1st meeting is on March 8th at 6pm in Center City, Philadelphia. Details will be posted on our Facebook Fan Page! JOIN THE FACEBOOK PAGE: http://www.tinyurl.com/SAPGO/

PRESS ALERT FOR FANS IN E. LANSING!

Tue 2/24: TV Interview with Kyle Riabko WXMI Fox Evening News

Wed 2/25: Radio Interviews with Chase Davidson and Lucas Wells (a Michigan native!)

7:20 am LIVE In-studio Radio Interview – WQTX 92.1 FM

Live radio interview with Tim Barron of the “Tim Barron in the Morning” show. WQTX is an oldies station.

8:00 am LIVE In-studio Radio Interview – WFMK 99.1 FM

Live radio interview with Danny Stewart and Monica Harris on the “Danny and Monica in the Morning” show. WFMK is an adult contemporary station.

8:15 am LIVE In-studio Radio Interview – WJIM-AM 1240

Live radio interview with Michael Patrick Sheils on his morning show. WJIM is a state-wide public radio station.

8:35 am LIVE In-studio Radio Interview – WMMQ 94.9 FM

Live radio interview with Rich Michaels and Debra Hart on their morning show. WMMQ is a classic rock station.

9:25 am LIVE In-studio Radio Interview – WLNZ 89.7 FM (with TV taping)

Live radio interview with Jack Robbins for his morning show. WLNZ is a talk radio station. TV cameras for LCC-TV (their affiliate TV station) will also be taping the interview for later airing.

More YouTube Videos! Lastly, we've just released four more videos that were found in camera footage. These are from San Francisco:

# 1 San Francisco Fan Gift Bags


#2 Last Day in San Francisco Stage Door Fans # 1


#3 Stage Door Fans # 2


#4 Stage Door Fans # 3 What's Your Favorite Part of the Show?

Spring Awakening Comes to St. Louis!

***UPDATED: Thanks to all the Guilty Ones who recorded these and those who found the links to these appearances. I've included them below.



WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 11TH--

MATT SHINGLEDECKER --Live radio interview on KMOX-AM (News Talk) at 8:40am CT on their morning show. Hosts are Doug McElvein & Debbie Monterey.

http://www.kmox.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=3446592

BLAKE BASHOFF AND STEFFI D--Live TV interview & performance on Great Day St. Louis, KMOV-TV (CBS-affiliate) at 10am CT. Hosts are Stephanie Simmons & Carol Daniel.

This is fabulous! http://www.kmov.com/greatday/artsandentertainment/celebritybuzz/?nvid=331061

ANDY MIENTUS AND BEN MOSS--

--Live TV interview on Show Me St. Louis, KSDK-TV (NBC-affiliate) between 3-3:30pm CT. Host is Wendy Erikson.

Thanks to Katie for uploading to YouTube:



--Live radio interview on KMOX-AM at 4:20pm CT.

http://www.kmox.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=3458073

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 12TH

CHRISTY ALTOMARE AND KYLE RIABKO
--Live radio interview & performance of "Word Of Your Body" on KYKY-FM at 9:15am CT on their morning show. Hosts are Guy Phillips, Courtney Landrum, Jenn Myers & Kevin Burghoff.

http://www.y98.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=3455932

--Live radio interview on KTRS-AM at 10:10am CT on the McGraw show. Host is McGraw Milhaven

*** Updated****Here are the fabulous reviews we received from the great city of St. Louis! Post your thoughts on our performance at the Fox below.

St. Louis

Post-Dispatch

Smart, imaginative and emotionally explosive, it’s no surprise that the Tony-winning "Spring Awakening" has turned into an international hit.
http://www.stltoday.com/..stltoday/entertainment/..reviews.nsf/stage/story/..532CFE11ACDFC8928625755A006EBA..BF?OpenDocument

Playbackstl.com

The entire ensemble cast is superb.

http://www.playbackstl.com/..content/view/8504/175/

Vital Voice

Tears and Cheers for "Spring Awakening." Much like “Rent,” the last rock musical to reenergized Broadway, “Spring
Awakening” grabs you by the collar with anger and urgency.
http://www.thevitalvoice.com/..node/2123

Ladue News Review

Spring Awakening is a delicious treat prepared from most
unexpected and delightful ingredients.
Rating: A 5 on a scale of 1-to-5.

http://www.laduenews.com/..articles/2009/02/12/..diversions/theater/..doc49934a3f88a06665525061.txt

KDHX-FM

Nothing short of wonderful.

http://www.kdhx.org/index.php?..option=com_content&task=view&..id=8864&Itemid=272

97.1 FM Talk
(Fox News Radio)

Saint Louis is lucky to have such a strong cast
present Spring Awakening, which features a stage reminiscent of
Rent and overall abandon not seen since Hair.

http://www.971talk.com/..Channels/Max/Story.aspx?ID=..1062410

Belleville
News-Democrat

This gutsy show, running through Feb. 22, has enough electrical
current to power Ameren UE's headquarters nearby, and like it did on
Broadway, lit a fire among young-at-heart patrons witnessing a new
era.

Alton Telegraph Blog

I believe this is a must-see musical.

http://originalcyn...freedomblogging.com/2009/02/..11/sex-teens-and-a-pop-..musical/457/

“Kristen in the City” Blog on KMOV-TV (CBS) Website

Spring Awakening

This is a musical unlike anything
you've ever seen.
http://www.beloblog.com/KMOV_..Blogs/kristen/2009/02/spring-..awakening.html

Thanks everyone for your suggestions on what to do in your great city! The cast will decide which suggestions they like best and there should be more TotallyTrucked vids soon!

A couple of looming deadlines:

If you would like to submit a question for Andy Mientus, our Profile of the Month, please leave a blog comment below by Feb 18th.

Suggestions for things the cast should do in East Lansing, MI are also due by Feb 18th. Leave a comment below.

More to come!

We're Back!

We're Back! Thanks for your patience, everybody. Soon there will be more videos on our TotallyTrucked YouTube channel too! This will become a more interactive and more frequently updated blog, so please subscribe to it now so you can post comments and give us suggestions.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

We are kicking things back into gear by introducing a new feature called "What Would You Do?" Here's how it works:

We all know the best way to get to know a city is with a local. So if you are from (or know anything about) St. Louis, East Lansing, Cleveland or Toronto, we want your recommendations for things that the cast should do in your city--restaurants, clubs, sights, places of interest, etc. The cast will create videos and blog posts based on some of their favorite suggestions!

The deadlines are:

February 4th for St. Louis, MO

February 18th for East Lansing, MI
February 25th for Cleveland, OH
March 11th for Toronto, Canada

(edited..we left off Cleveland originally by mistake! Sorry!)

Leave your suggestions as a blog comment below (remember to include the name of the city you are writing in about).

PROFILE OF THE MONTH

Secondly, we will be profiling a cast member, musician or company member each month. Andy Mientus, who plays Hanschen, will be the first profile in honor of our upcoming stops in Michigan and Pittsburgh. Andy, who is a native of Pittsburgh, was in the musical theatre program at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor ( about an hour from East Lansing) before we whisked him away. Many of you know that Andy actually created what has now become the official Facebook group for Spring Awakening. His passion for the show turned into a dream come true when he found out he booked the part. Nice to see that dreams really do come true!

Have a question for Andy? Leave your questions as a blog comment below. He will answer many of them in next month's profile. Deadline for questions is February 18th.

Thanks for being a fan. If you know friends and family in our upcoming cities who may not have heard the news, be sure to tell them not to miss us!