Inspired by the 1991 film, Dogfight takes audiences into a story set on November 21, 1963, when on their last night before deployment, a chance meeting with a waitress changes the lives of three Marines – offering newfound lessons and perspectives for everyone involved.

Jessie nominee and Ovation winner Chris Lam directs this adaptation with musical direction by Peter Abando (Off Key Musical Improv), along with lighting design by Jonathan Kim (The Amish Project) and set design by Carolyn Rapanos (Common Grace).

In a unique choice, this presentation of Dogfight includes double cast leads, who will play on alternating nights: Stuart Barkley (Les Miserables), Sara Vickruck (Love Bomb) Justin Lapena (King and I), and Amanda Sum (Vancity Idol).

We spoke to the four leads to find out the inside story on Dogfight.

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What is your involvement with Dogfight?

Stuart Barkley: I am performing as Eddie Birdlace, as well as Gibbs, on alternating nights.

Sara Vickruck: I am playing the part of Rose.

Amanda Sum: I will be playing one of the Rose Fenny’s, an awkward girl who doesn’t get out much. Accurate description of myself, come to think of it.

Justin Lapena: I play alternate playing Eddie Birdlace and Gibbs.

What drew you to be a part of this production?

Stuart Barkley: When I saw Dogfight a year ago, I remember watching the performance of “Come Back” and thinking “Wow, I wanna do that!” Lo and behold, here I am!

Sara Vickruck: My initial interest was mostly the opportunity to work with Chris, and meet others in the musical theatre community in Vancouver. I had seen some plays that Chris was in, and met him many times at different events around the city. He seemed to be a mover and a shaker. This is also the first traditional musical I have been in in a while, so I was excited to ‘Get back on the horse’ or perhaps the Dog in this case.

After looking more into the script and listening to the music, I was really excited about the great songs that the character of Rose has, she goes on quite an interesting journey throughout the script. I love the music in Dogfight.

Amanda Sum: I had not actually heard of the show or the movie prior to being approached by Chris Lam to audition for the part. After doing some research I immediately fell in love with the score. Seeing the way the men treat the women in the show is appalling, and the discomfort still sits with me. I think that the misogynist aspect to the show drew me in even more, it is so interesting to work with ideas that don’t settle quite right with you.

Justin Lapena: I love the story and I love the score just as much so it was a no-brainer. I’m drawn to humanity of it all and more so that it’s not afraid to delve into the ugliness of being young; the awkwardness, cockiness, ignorance, vulgarity, yearning, vulnerability, frustration and a deep longing for acceptance and understanding underneath it all.

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Can you share some of your creative process in preparing for the role – from the initial planning all the way to opening night?

Stuart Barkley: The process has been interesting. Justin Lapena and I share the lead role (Eddie) and Gibbs, as previously mentioned, so we’ve been taking turns playing as one or the other during rehearsals. Needless to say, learning the blocking, lines and harmonies of two different characters with little repetition has been a challenge.

Still, it’s a two-sided coin. Being able to share the role with a friend allows me to see some of his character choices or thoughts that I hadn’t considered which motivates me to think outside of the box.

Sara Vickruck: Lots of subtext work. Lots of singing and entertaining my neighbours while practicing in the Library at the coop where I love. I like to begin analyzing a script by plotting my characters journey using Joseph Campbell’s work on the 17 steps of a heroes journey. Not ever characters trajectory fits this model perfectly, but it has helped me to identify some major shifts and big moments for Rose along the way.

I have never been in a play where I was double cast before, so it’s interesting to see the struggles and triumphs of this process. It’s cool to have, like a ‘twin’, who I can talk to about what we think is going on for our character at this moment, and to watch someone else interpret the same lines and characters completely opposite of me, but equally truthfully. The struggle comes with the amount of time in an already short rehearsal being halved, and not comparing yourself to your talented counterpart. It’s humbling.

Amanda Sum: Learning the music was the first step for me, just getting familiar with the songs before the rehearsal process started. I’ve watched snippets of the movie and the musical, but haven’t watched them all the way through, to avoid comparing myself to existing versions. We are midway through rehearsal now, and I’m in the midst of textwork and analysis, which I know I will continue to dive deeper into up until closing night.

Justin Lapena: I read the script the first time as an observer. I take in the story make notes of any striking scenes or moments that I particularly enjoyed or found interesting. Then I read the script again paying attention to my character and his journey through the show researching things that he says that I don’t understand and I try to pay attention to what kind of a person he is without being judgmental about it or labeling him as just one thing. For example, is my character a chronic liar, are there subjects that he is uncomfortable talking about, how does he relate to the people around him and how is he perceived by them, etc. Then I memorize what I can of the text in anticipation for rehearsals and then when we get to rehearsals the fun begins and you get to play around with staging and get to see how chemistry between characters and different actors affects the delivery or emphasis of the text or your objectives in the scenes. Then you keep playing and collaborating and offering new ways to do the scene until it feels right and the director approves and it falls into a rhythm but not so much so that the performance gets locked into a cookie cutter way of performing. That’s the best thing about live theatre, it can be completely different every night because we know where we start and where our characters need to be by the end and as long as we hit certain cues and checkpoints the journey to the end is always a series of new discoveries which keeps everything fresh and fun.

What should audiences expect from this show?

Stuart Barkley: Oh, man. Expect to see a roller-coaster ride of a show.

Sara Vickruck: New faces, who you haven’t seen a lot of in Vancouver yet. Catchy tunes. Some aggravating realities. A well told story.

Amanda Sum: The audience should be prepared for an intimate, up close and personal telling of a beautiful story and some mean harmonies!

Justin Lapena: A night of honest, intimate repertory storytelling that just happens to have some seriously killer tunes.

Dogfight is based on the 1991 film of the same name. In what ways is this production different and which elements are similar?

Stuart Barkley: I won’t lie, I haven’t seen the movie. But, seeing a live show beats a movie any day.

Sara Vickruck: I haven’t seen the original movie, and have avoided it, because I don’t want to let that movie affect my acting choices.

Amanda Sum: The interracial couples definitely give the story some depth, in both casts. I’ve not seen the full movie, but whichever cast you come to see, our production does not stray too far from both the vulgar and endearing moments that the movie has.

Justin Lapena: The movie is very similar to the Musical at its core. The themes, timeline and the message are the same, however one major difference being the story focusing on “three bees” in the musical as opposed to “four bees” in the movie. Some scenes have also been cut, abbreviated or changed around to accommodate the songs and a general adaptation to the stage but largely, the important scenes are there almost verbatim.

Are there any books or authors that have been influential to you so far in your creative journey?

Stuart Barkley: 1 book comes immediately to mind – The Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz. To supplement it, The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle and The Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman. No three books have furthered myself as an individual or a performer.

Sara Vickruck: Of course. Here are a few.

The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. I read this book along time ago, but from it I still work with the structure of the 17 steps to help flesh out my characters journey over the course of the musical.

The Tao Te Ching as interpreted by William Martin – this just helps to remind me to have compassion for myself and shift my perspective as I go about my days.

Audition by Michael Shurtleff – I just picked this up again the other day, wanting to be continually learning and challenging and trying new tactics as an actor.

Amanda Sum: Lately, I’ve been really into reading contemporary Canadian plays. Stephen Massicotte has been high on my list, as well as works by Daniel MacIvor.

Justin Lapena: That varies for me from project to project. Each project is a different beast entirely. That being said I really enjoy Mitch Albom and Don Miguel Ruiz’s books when I want to work on some self betterment or trying to understand myself more as a story teller, an artist and a person.

What is the most important lesson you have learned so far in your career?

Stuart Barkley: Be kind to everyone. As the saying goes: “Do onto others as you would have them do onto you.”

Sara Vickruck: Everything is connected. This is a lesson I learn over and over again, because I always seem to forget it. Opportunities come your way that seem to lead you down one path, and all of a sudden something else comes along that takes you in a different direction, but eventually those things come together again, some how.

For example. I am currently in another play called Love Bomb, produced by Shameless Hussy Productions. A few years ago I stopped acting for a while. I needed a break and decided to focus more on my music, I released my first album last summer. At the time I thought, ‘Sara you are so silly leaving acting to go work on music, you should stick to one thing.’ Then, a friend of my room mates, who happens to be on the Board for Shameless Hussy Productions and has jammed at our house a few times, mentioned they needed a musician for a show they were producing and I should audition. I got the role. Which has led to me getting an agent and being part of Dogfight. Had I not taken the time to work on my music, I would have been capable of being in Love Bomb. To add to the craziness, Love Bomb deals with the subject of sex trafficking and about 6 years ago I became interested in this topic and wrote a song about it. Everything seems to tie together in the end.

Another lesson I continue to learn, is that everyone’s journey is unique, and there are many ways to get where you are going. As a result, there is no point comparing yourself to others – I still struggle with this of course – because their journey will be different from yours.

Amanda Sum: When in doubt, make a fool of yourself.

Justin Lapena: The success of others does not automatically equate personal failure. Stay hungry and willing to learn. Don’t take casting personally and remember perseverance is paramount because if you’re in this career for the long haul, rejection is an old and familiar friend you’ll run into more often than not.

What other projects do you have coming up and where can people find out more about you online?

Stuart Barkley: During rehearsals, I have been wrapping up my BCRPA Personal Training Certificate program at Douglas College. Performance-wise, I will be performing this Summer in Chemainus in the upcoming production of Footloose as the priest’s daughter’s boyfriend, Chuck.

After that, I am considering going back to school full-time for a Sports Science Diploma, then finishing my Performing Arts Degree.

Sara Vickruck: We are continuing to re work and re mount Love Bomb, which we are currently touring as a work shop along side WAVA (women against violence against women). I am playing musical gigs around the city often along side a friend of mine Brian Africa, and in another all girl band The Bandwagon. You can check for updates at SaraVickruck.ca

Amanda Sum: I don’t have any projects lined up yet, but I will be focusing on school for the next few years. I’ll be continuing to fill my life with the theatre and music as per usual. Hopefully some new covers and originals will appear on my Youtube channel, but we shall see.

Justin Lapena: Just a few auditions and some things up in the air in the works but I don’t have anything else officially lined up after this just yet.

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Thanks to Stuart Barkley, Sara Vickruck, Amanda Sum, and Justin Lapena for speaking with us!

For tickets to see Dogfight, please visit PacificTheatre.org.

The post The Biz Interview: Dogfight appeared first on Biz Books.

We had to know more about what goes into creating an improvised musical, so we tracked down three members of the show – Sam Mitchell, Byron Abando, and Jamieson McCormack – to tell us more about the process and share some of their improv expertise and insights with our audience.

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What is your involvement with Love Musically and how did that get started?

Sam Mitchell: I’ve been in Off Key Improv ever since the group emerged out of a weekly practice night where we would get together and improvise songs.  When the idea for this show was proposed, I jumped at the opportunity because there just aren’t that many two-act musical improv shows to be a part of in Vancouver.

Byron Abando: I am one of the band members. I provide rhythm, percussion and sound effects. I got invited to play one of Off Key Improv shows and I got hooked.

Jamieson McCormack: Personally, I am a main stage payer as well as Off Key Improv’s Social Media Manager.

We got started 4 years ago, under Jennifer Pielak’s initiative, to challenge our comedy skills and workshop something new. However we all fell in love with building shows like Love Musically and now here we are, 4 years later and still together. Life is just a little better when you’re Off Key!

Love Musically is an improvised musical based on the film Love Actually. Can you explain how that works?

Sam Mitchell: The show will start with our host casting parts for each of the eight principal cast members based on who our audience is that night.  The audience members choose what information to give us, and they spark the direction for the show to go.  The improvisers play those roles for the entire show, exploring the stories that emerge between them without ever leaving the stage.  There is no plan, so as for what happens next, your guess is as good as mine.

Byron Abando: We are taking the core concept of Love Actually which is connection and relationships between people as our main driving plot. Love Actually is beloved because people can relate to those characters and see bits of themselves in the difference roles.

Jamieson McCormack: The way we improvise is very unstructured – we like to let the energy of the night, our audience and their suggestions inspire how our characters and story develop. For Love Musically, the movie Love Actually will kind of be like an unseen player, always on stage with us giving us direction to play off of. If you’ve seen the movie, you’ll know it is all about the relationships, so we will be gathering real relationships from our audiences and improvising with truth on how hard, rewarding, silly and insane love can really be.

What are the creative challenges and rewards associated with creating an improvised musical?

Sam Mitchell: There are a lot of people in this show, and so coordinating that many minds when there’s no plan can be a challenge.  But, somehow that challenge makes it all the more rewarding in the end.  When you’re in the audience watching and something surprises or delights you, you can bet that we are surprised and delighted too.  We’ve never seen the show either.

Byron Abando: The challenge is that it is somewhat like a high wire circus act without the net to catch you if you fall. On a scripted show you are not creating a new work, you are following another person’s creation. You can memorize your part, develop a muscle memory of sorts, and perform the show. But you did not create the show. The reward is the freedom of not being restricted by a script. It challenges your own knowledge of character and plot development. We all contribute to not only performing the show but creating it as well.

Jamieson McCormack: Creating improvised musicals still makes my palms sweaty and my heart race. I have been waiting for this to get easy for 4 whole years, and I have come to the realization it just never will. Improv has no safety net, so the challenges come when you’re doubting yourself or if you doubt another one of your fellow players. That energy breeds uncertainty and disconnects you from the moment you are in.

This being said, there is no bigger reward than getting over this doubt and learning to trust the process. When you get on stage with another player and you feel so connected, it’s like you both know where things are going without really knowing at all. It’s like magic… I have no other way of describing what it feels like. That’s why improvisors walk onto empty stages with nothing but a word of inspiration. For the raw, prickling, set-your-soul-on-fire, magic. 

What can audiences expect when they see it?

Sam Mitchell: Since it’s all improvised you can expect to see an entirely new show every night.  What remains the same is that you’ll see a cast improvising scenes and songs, supported by an incredible four-piece band, creating a musical before your eyes.  If you love the spirit of the season, the fond memories and traditions, the challenges and emotions,  you’ll see it all in this show.

Byron Abando: They can expect something new every night. It is the beauty of the show because it is never the same show. As it is a musical there will be singing, dancing, and dramatic moments. But how they will be presented will be new for every show. Be prepared to laugh and to cry.

Jamieson McCormack: With Love Musically you have to expect the unexpected. We are comedy improvisors, however above this we play to the truth. If a moment calls for something serious we will honour it. So much so that you could be laughing one moment and then crying in the next. The best jokes happen when we least expect them. When you’re with your family or best friends and something random happens that just splits your sides! These are always the funny moments we remember. Playing to the truth allows us to create these memorable moments naturally.

What are three things that every improv production needs in order to be successful?

Sam Mitchell: The desire to do an improv show,fearlessness, and an audience. I joke, but it’s true.  You really don’t need all that much.

Byron Abando: Creativity, Knowledge, Practice.

Jamieson McCormack: Trust, a humble attitude and maybe one chair… though if you don’t have a chair you can always improvise one!

Why does the world need musicals and improv (and both together)?

Sam Mitchell: For musicals: to see the world as a more magical place. For improv: to realize that everything we do in our daily lives is actually improvised. Together: to experience the joy of spontaneously created music.

Byron Abando: Musicals and improv provide joy and art to the world. When Winston Churchill was asked to cut arts funding in favour of the war effort, he simply replied “then what are we fighting for?” Why not put both together? Musical improv bridges multiple skills together and allows it’s players to showcase all of them including their own creative mind.

Jamieson McCormack: We are always looking to connect. Especially in this day and age, where some of our most intimate relationships are with a screen of some sort! People go to the theatre to feel something, be it laughter, sadness, joy… our emotions are what make us so human and connection to others is what nourishes these emotions. Music is audible emotion, and musicals are an expression of the overflow of these feelings.

Improv is created within every moment, and relies on connection, to both the players and the audience, to thrive. When you bring the two together what you get is a crashing of raw emotion channeled through undoubted connection. The world needs this to remember that it is possible. That hope, love and magic do exist. Not trying to wax poetics about a comedy show or anything, though if you come join our audience you’ll get what I’m talking about.

What are some of your favourite musicals?

Sam Mitchell: The Book of Mormon, The Last Five Years, Title of Show

Byron Abando: Once, Les Miserables, Hamilton

Jamieson McCormack: Two of my favourite screen musicals are both Joss Whedon creations: Once More With Feeling (The Buffy Musical) and Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. They’re both a little bit goofy, however Joss just gets it. Whatever “it” is, he gets.

For stage it would have to be Once: The Musical. It will stop your heart (*not literally).

What are your favourite holiday movies – besides Love Actually?

Sam Mitchell: I’m a big fan of A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Byron Abando: Miracle on 34th Street and The Holiday.

Jamieson McCormack: It’s A Wonderful Life for its sweet nostalgia and hopeful optimism and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, the stop motion version, for allowing me to feel okay with being a weirdo misfit growing up. I feel like the island of misfit toys may very well be where improvisers come from! 

Who are your improv influences?

Sam Mitchell: Before I started doing improv I watched a lot of improv.  And every week my friends and I would go watch a group called Table 23 at a coffee shop—they did a great show, and their audiences were frequently at capacity.  That group happened to feature Jennifer Pielak, who is now our director now in Off Key Improv, and Graham Myers, who later came to be the artistic director of Second Storey Theatre.  I joined Graham’s theatre in 2011, performing in the resident cast in weekly shows.  Those years formed the core of my experience as an improviser.

Byron Abando: The Second City and Second Storey Theatre.

Jamieson McCormack: Doug Widick from North Coast (NYC) and Kory Mathewson from Rapid Fire Theatre (Edmonton). I’ve taken workshops from both of them and have watched them in shows. They’re incredibly talented humans and good people.

What’s the most important lesson you have learned so far in your career?

Sam Mitchell: Surround yourself with creative people.  There is nothing better than hearing new, exciting ideas from your friends and just being able to say: Yes, let’s do that.

Byron Abando: To keep learning and take educated risks.

Jamieson McCormack: When you want to do something, you have to commit to it. You will get no where doing things half a**. You’ve got to go all in, FULL A**!

What books and authors have been influential to you?

Sam Mitchell: There is a wealth of literature on improv, so I’ll mention only a few.

Improvisation for the Theatre by Viola Spolin – because you can’t go wrong with reading foundational texts.

Impro by Keith Johnstone – because of the impact he has had on improv in Canada

Process by Mary Scruggs and Michael Gellman – for their ingenuity in pursuing a similar improv form to what we are pursuing.

Homo Ludens by Johan Huizing – for his trailblazing anthropological study of play (after all, improv is primarily an expression of play).

The Boy Who Would Be a Helicopter by Vivian Paley – for her insight into how play develops in the child and how teachers ought to support that development.

Byron Abando: A Case of Need by Michael Crichton. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.

Jamieson McCormack: The Harry Potter series is responsible for re-sparking my childish belief in magic, and I will always come back to it when I feel myself growing up too much for a dose of fantastical faith.

What other projects do you have in the works and where can we find out more about you?

Sam Mitchell: Aside from this work with Off Key Improv, I teach improv at two Coquitlam high schools.  I also occasionally perform with Second Storey Theatre in Port Coquitlam.

Byron Abando: offkeyimprov.com

Jamieson McCormack: When I’m not with Off Key, I work in Social Media Marketing and I am also a Registered Holistic Nutritionist. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram under @JamiesonEileen if you like food photos or 140 characters or less of random thoughts.

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Our thanks to Sam Mitchell, Byron Abando, and Jamieson McCormack for speaking with us!

Love Musically plays December 16th to 20th at Studio 1398 on Granville Island (1398 Cartwright Street). Shows are 8pm Wednesday to Sunday with 2pm matinees on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $18 and are available at lovemusically.brownpapertickets.com.

For more information about Off Key Improv, please visit OffKeyImprov.com.

The post The Biz Interview: Love Musically Spotlight appeared first on Biz Books.