Struts & Frets: Interviews with the Cast & Crew of Love's Labour's Lost - Jose Dao Miguel

Now, Hamlet Isn't Dead has never ventured to Venezuela, but if everyone there is as lovely, quick-witted, and (let's face it) sexy as Jose Miguel Dao, sign us up for the first flight out of here. We'd probably be disappointed, but it's a risk we're willing to take. Fortunately, we snatched Jose up, and you're the lucky audiences that get to see him play Don Adriano de Armado! It's not been much of a stretch for him to bring this hot-blooded man of action to life, and we're so glad he fell into our lives.

Artist's depiction of the casting process.

 HID: First thing’s first: What’s Don Armado’s favorite color and why?

JD: Armado's Favorite color is Burgundy because it represents royalty and he feels that the use of it get's him closer to be a Royal.

HID:Armado becomes very poetic over the course of the play. Do you have a favorite poem in your life?

JD: I've never been a big fan of poems as Armado is but there is poem I do enjoy reading once in a while... let's play something (a poem dedicated to hip humans) by Ted Joans.

HID: He’s also very combative. In a knock-down, drag-out fight, what would be your weapon of choice?

JD: A gun that shoots poop. Humiliation is a must in a fight (fart sound).
 
HID: He also uses a lot of words incorrectly. Has there ever been a time you found out you’d accidentally been using the wrong word or words?

JD: Every day. When I first arrived to the US I would refer to my forehead as my foreskin. Ex. I'm dizzy I feel a lot of tension in my foreskin.

(Editor: Jose actually presented us with an "alternative answer" for this question:
            "if the response to the 4th question is too intense for our target reader. change it to  'corn jsnkkbdksndbijh LOL bhjvdjhvs llok sbshhsk ii I msg mean . my English es real bueno'."

HID: Anything else we need to know about you or the show itself?

JD: Go see the show, so I don't have explain it to you and after take me out for coffee (you pay) and I'll tell you more about myself.

You heard the man! Get down here! Take him for coffee. After you see his performance, you won't take no for an answer. (Though you might have to wait in a line.)
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For tickets and more information, you can either go here: http://hidlove.bpt.me/
or here:  http://www.hamletisntdead.com

If you haven't Liked us already on Facebook, now is the time! All the cool kids are doing it.
https://www.facebook.com/HamletIsntDead

If Twitter's more your speed, we have that too. We just want to please you any way we can.
https://twitter.com/hamletisntdead

Or to see us in action, you can check us out (and subscribe, hint, hint) at https://www.youtube.com/user/hamletisntdead

Basically, if you want to follow us, you just put hamletisntdead after something. And why wouldn't you want to follow us?? We're a lot of fun. So, see you soon for Love's Labour's Lost!

And remember, it's Hamlet Isn't Dead:
Theatre You’ll Love, Whether You Like It Or Not!

Struts & Frets: Interviews with the Cast & Crew of Love's Labour's Lost - Greg Pragel

Quick! Who's the perfect actor to play Berowne whose initials are G.P.? If you guessed Guy Pearce, Gregory Peck, or George Plooney, you're wrong, close, or kinda weird. If you guessed Gwyneth Paltrow, we applaud you on your progressive thinking. But the correct answer is, as you'll see next week, Greg Pragel! And here's your sneak peek inside the mind of one of Shakespeare's cleverest, wittiest, sexiest characters.

Clearly, perfect casting.

HID: Hi, Greg! First thing's first, what's Berowne's favorite color, and why?

GP: Berowne's favorite color would have to be yellow, or bright orange/red because he talks about light & the sun throughout the play. Or maybe it's the color of Rosaline's eyes which are … wait I know this one. 
 
HID: Let's move on. Berowne’s a very learned man who likes to advise and lecture others. If he were a schoolteacher, what would he teach?

GP: I'd like to think that Berowne is the substitute teacher that comes in & gives the classroom life again. He'd probably teach English, with his wit & wordplay it would be a fun subject to teach - but he wouldn't just teach it or give lectures. I'd like to believe Berowne is the guy who instead teaching about a war, he has his students battle it out with Super Soakers. Instead of teaching about music he brings in his electric guitar & melts their faces off. He's like Dead Poets Society meets Dangerous Minds meets School of Rock!
 
HID: Berowne also has a lot of long soliloquies. Are there any times in your life when you talk to yourself more than usual?

GP: Well I've been caught at work a few times now. I cater for a bunch of companies in the city & one time we were at someone's house deep in Brooklyn, for a business meeting or maybe an engagement party or bar mitzvah (they all blend together after a while) - but my boss Alan came over, nice guy, & in the softest, kindest voice says, "Greg, you look like a crazy person. Stop staring at the wall & talking to yourself. The wall ain't gonna talk back to ya." 

HID: We’ve noticed you (Greg) are a big Marvel superheroes fan. If Berowne were the sidekick for a Marvel superhero, who would it be and why?

GP: WARNING NERD POST AHEAD:
        Ok obviously if you know me I'd like to say Spidey, because he's the answer for everything - or Thor because …well, its THOR - but I think Berowne would be a funnier version of War Machine. 

        Here's why: first off Iron Man/ Tony Stark is Berowne. He's witty, a player, an intellectual, a leader within having another leader (Cap or Nick Fury), a lover at heart, acts quickly & passionately - he's Iron Man. So if he had to be a sidekick he'd be Rhodey, or War Machine. But I might rename him to give him his own persona like Iron Wit, the Metal Jester, or Copper Whip…which are all terrible names. Lol
 
HID: Anything else we need to know about you or the show itself?

GP: If you've ever acted foolishly being so in love, or want to watch others act foolishly cause they are in love - Come See This Show!
        If you love 90's music -
Come See This Show!
       If you like Superheroes…well there aren't any in this show, But we can talk after, so
Come See This Show!
       Seriously, I laugh every single day in rehearsal - if you like to laugh, come see this show !

See you soon !  :) 
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For tickets and more information, you can either go here: http://hidlove.bpt.me/
or here:  http://www.hamletisntdead.com

If you haven't Liked us already on Facebook, now is the time! All the cool kids are doing it.
https://www.facebook.com/HamletIsntDead

If Twitter's more your speed, we have that too. We just want to please you any way we can.
https://twitter.com/hamletisntdead

Or to see us in action, you can check us out (and subscribe, hint, hint) at https://www.youtube.com/user/hamletisntdead

Basically, if you want to follow us, you just put hamletisntdead after something. And why wouldn't you want to follow us?? We're a lot of fun. So, see you soon for Love's Labour's Lost!

And remember, it's Hamlet Isn't Dead:
Theatre You’ll Love, Whether You Like It Or Not!

Struts & Frets: Interviews with the Cast and Crew of Love's Labour's Lost - Alice Qin

Ladies and gentlemen, hang on to your hearts; the cast of Love's Labour's Lost is here to steal them all away. First up, with the deftest of thieving hands, is Alice Qin. This Australian-raised actress is sure to get your budgie smuggler in a twist. (Are we using that phrase right?) Get ready to give it up for Alice!

If that's a budgie, consider us smuggled.

HID: Alright, Alice. First thing's always first: What’s Rosaline’s favorite color and why?

AQ: She's not a child, she does not have a favourite colour. She does, however, look good in jewel tones. She also shakes her head at you for asking.

HID: Yikes. Sorry to offend, ma'am.

         Um...okay, if Rosaline and Berowne really did dance together at Brabant once, what kind of dancing did they do? And how’d the rest of the evening go?

AQ: You know how sometimes when you're doing your thing on the dance floor and some dude just comes up behind you and grinds on you? You're kind of feeling the guy so you want to keep it going a little bit but he is doing this awkward knees-bent-two-step thing and you want to maintain contact so you just move along with him until your quads burn with the fire of a thousand sexual frustrations? That happened. Then they made out, but she left before they could exchange digits.

HID: Awkward. If Rosaline were to be sorted into one of the houses of Hogwarts, which would it be, and why?

AQ: Ravenclaw. Although she would gladly go to war beside the Princess if it was asked of her, so there's some loyalty and bravery there, but she's too smart to choose Gryffindor.

HID: Rosaline seems to have a lot of fun torturing Berowne. What do you think would be her favorite torturous tactics to win his affection?

AQ: We already know she's a total tease (poor Boyet), so a realistic tactic would be the hot and cold mind games she likes to play. She likes to give literal and figurative blue balls. In terms of an actual, violent, torture tactic; since she favors his wit above all else (definitely not his dancing), she might make tiny slices at his neck repeatedly. If he gets accidentally decapitated well then she gets to keep her favourite part of him. (whoa that got dark, feel free to cut this)

HID: No way! We go for the raw, unadulterated theatre experience here! (Though we assure everyone, Love's Labour's Lost is nothing like that. It's a family-friendly experience and Alice has been instructed to be on her best behavior.)

        Anyway, anything else we should know about you or the show itself?

AQ: A lot of my actions are just Cher Horowitz saying "As if!".

Looks like the acting secrets are out of the bag. But don't worry, the show has plenty of surprises in store, and there are more heartthrobs a-coming in Hamlet Isn't Dead's "Struts & Frets" series. Tune in tomorrow for Alice's on-stage opposite, Berowne!

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For tickets and more information, you can either go here: http://hidlove.bpt.me/
or here:  http://www.hamletisntdead.com

If you haven't Liked us already on Facebook, now is the time! All the cool kids are doing it.
https://www.facebook.com/HamletIsntDead

If Twitter's more your speed, we have that too. We just want to please you any way we can.
https://twitter.com/hamletisntdead

Or to see us in action, you can check us out (and subscribe, hint, hint) at https://www.youtube.com/user/hamletisntdead

Basically, if you want to follow us, you just put hamletisntdead after something. And why wouldn't you want to follow us?? We're a lot of fun. So, see you soon for Love's Labour's Lost!

And remember, it's Hamlet Isn't Dead:
Theatre You’ll Love, Whether You Like It Or Not!

Love's Labour's Lost: Dramatis Personae

It's that time again! Time for you to gaze lovingly into the eyes of the twelve actors who are going to steal your hearts in Love's Labour's Lost! It's Shakespeare's first romantic comedy, and we've filled to to the brim with all the love, laughter, and 90s music it can handle. 

Join us not only for in-house music from our irresistible actors, but pre-show jams from Della Grove - one of our favorite Brooklyn-based Rock and Americana bands.

We're also thrilled to bring you treats courtesy of Park Slope's own Buttermilk Bakeshop. We're not only excited for you, but we're looking forward to chowing down on some ourselves!

Therefore, without (much) further ado, we're proud to introduce the gorgeous cast of Love's Labour's Lost!

 

Greg Pragel as Berowne

Justin Weaks as King Ferdinand

Jordon Waters as Dumain/Forester

Travis Klemm as Longaville/Dull

Alice Qin as Rosaline

Megan Greener as Princess of France

Shanna Dana as Maria/Jacquenetta

Samantha Maurice as Katherine/Holofrenes

Nicholas Jaye Stauffer as Boyet/Nathaniel

David Andrew Laws as Costard

Josh Mahaffey as Moth

Jose Miguel Dao as Don Armado

Come laugh, love, and sing along with the coolest cats around this summer at Westbeth Artists Community. Within the next few days, we'll be bringing you a one-on-one interview with each of these stunning celebrities, so stay tuned. Bookmark this page, spread the work, and check back frequently.

And if you haven't already snatched them up, tickets are available below. You can also follow us on various social media sites, so you don't miss out on one moment of all the love we've got to offer.

We'll see you soon! Spread the word! Spread the love!
And we'll save you a seat on the 16th!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For tickets and more information, you can either go here: http://hidlove.bpt.me/
or here:  http://www.hamletisntdead.com

If you haven't Liked us already on Facebook, now is the time! All the cool kids are doing it.
https://www.facebook.com/HamletIsntDead

If Twitter's more your speed, we have that too. We just want to please you any way we can.
https://twitter.com/hamletisntdead

Or to see us in action, you can check us out (and subscribe, hint, hint) at https://www.youtube.com/user/hamletisntdead

Basically, if you want to follow us, you just put hamletisntdead after something. And why wouldn't you want to follow us?? We're a lot of fun. So, see you soon for Love's Labour's Lost!

And remember, it's Hamlet Isn't Dead:
Theatre You’ll Love, Whether You Like It Or Not!

Struts & Frets: Interviews with the Cast and Crew of Richard III - Laura Iris Hill

Time for a bit of a vocab lesson. Laura Hill informs us that a "budgie" is a small Australian bird, and that "budgie smuggler" is a slang term for a speedo. We're not brave enough to check that out on Urban Dictionary, so we'll have to take her word for it. Plus, she plays Margaret in HID's Richard III, so we're not willing to risk getting on her bad side.

Good luck finding a bad side on that face.

And with that, we're glad to welcome to the annals of HIDiocy, Laura Iris Hill!

HID: First off, what is your favorite color and the favorite color of each of your characters?

LH:     My favourite colour is green. Always has been. It’s the colour of nature. 

     Margaret: I’m going with red for the house of Lancaster but it also fits in nicely with all the blood of her enemies she likes to spill.
     Richard of York: this little guy likes orange. Bold and bright like him.
     Messenger of Lord Stanley: this wily character is all about the beige
     Messenger to Richard: a bit flaky this one, this messenger just can’t commit when it comes to colours. Pretty unstable if you ask me.

HID: So…what was Margaret up to during all that time in banishment?

LH:     Well, yes, this is the question, isn’t it? You see her cousin Louis XI of France took pity on her and tried to keep her out of trouble by setting her up as a hostess of a B&B, and I have this on good authority, not too far from the current location of the Euro Disney. Not really known for her warmth, hospitality or going out of her way to serve others this sent Margaret into, if you can imagine, even deeper depths of fury. She does say “…I do find more pain in banishment/ Than death can yield me…” when she returns to England in Richard III. Running that B&B, that’s what really pushed her over the edge; too many doilies, and no Yorks around to douse them in blood. What’s a former queen to do? 

HID: If you were banished from New York right now, what would you have to do before you left?

LH:     Who have you been talking to?

HID: Is there anyone in real life you feel needs a good old fashioned cursing? If so, who is it and what’s the curse?

LH:     Well, you know, I’m not really the cursing type myself but since you ask and I’m put on the spot I guess I would say because I come from Australia the current prime minister could do with some good old fashioned cursing. John Oliver has even done a segment mocking him – for an English guy to do that on tv here in the USA means our prime minister is definitely up to no good.

     As for the curse itself…hmmmn…maybe he should be turned into a budgie seeing as he has such a penchant for smuggling them.

Do yourself a favor and check out that clip. You've probably already seen it, since you're so cultured. And attractive.

 

And after you've done that, do yourself another favor (since you're doubly cultured and attractive) and reserve your ticket for Richard III so that you can see Laura's (cultured and attractive) face.

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For tickets and more information, you can either go here: http://r3hid.bpt.me

or here:  http://www.hamletisntdead.com 

If you haven't Liked us already on Facebook, now is the time! All the cool kids are doing it.

https://www.facebook.com/HamletIsntDead

If Twitter's more your speed, we have that too. We just want to please you any way we can.

https://twitter.com/hamletisntdead

Or to see us in action, you can check us out (and subscribe, hint, hint) at https://www.youtube.com/user/hamletisntdead 

Basically, if you want to follow us, you just put hamletisntdead after something. And why wouldn't you want to follow us?? We're a lot of fun. So, see you soon for Richard III

And remember, it's Hamlet Isn't Dead:

Theatre You’ll Love, Whether You Like It Or Not!

Struts & Frets: Interviews with the Cast and Crew of Richard III - Jim Cairl

Meet Jim Cairl. Actor. Father. Cardinal. Or…wait, no that last one is one of the characters he plays in Hamlet Isn’t Dead’s Richard III. He also plays Brackenbury, Ratcliff, and King Edward IV. It’s not easy tackling multiple characters, but either Shakespeare makes it easier or Jim’s a freakin’ natural.

Look at that face and tell us it's not both.

So if you’re a fan quick-changes, Jim’s got ‘em in spades. Let’s hear a little from the Master of Disguise himself.

HID: Jim. May we call you Jim? Jim. What is your favorite color and the favorite color of each of your characters?

JC: My favorite color? I like a nice blue. Not an in-your-face blue, but something muted and quiet. Brackenbury - He's definitely another fan of blue. But, a navy blue. A straightforward color -  you know what you are getting with a good navy.  Edward - White, of course, For the White Rose of the House of York. Cardinal - Another easy one. Red, for his office... and the tasty strawberries... but mostly the strawberries Ratcliffe - A deep grey - like the shadows he's always lurking in.

HID: We hear a lot about the Cardinal and his strawberries. Do you have a green thumb in real life as well?

JC:     I grew up in an apartment, and now own a house - I've been trying to cultivate some gardening skills, but so far it's been very touch and go. It's a lot more work than I thought it would be. 

HID: So, what’s, uh…what’s wrong with King Edward? Is it syphilis? It’s syphilis, isn’t it?

JC:     Look, Richard has had his eye on the crown since Henry VI, part 3. So I think a nice, slooooooowwww, poisoning from an unsuspected crippled brother is much more likely path than the sudden, serendipitous demise of the syphilitic sovereign. Besides, late stage syphilis has dementia as a component, and though Edward may have been a little too trusting of the people around him he still made sense -  right to the end.

HID: If you were King of England, what are some changes you would make to the current system?

JC:     I will take my inspiration from a former King of Spain, who said (sang)
It's Laissez Faire/
I don't even give a care/
Let's make Friday part of the weekend/
And give every new baby chocolate eclair It's Laissez Faire/ I don't even give a care/ Let's make Friday part of the weekend/ And give every new baby chocolate eclair
I think people would prefer that to Polo and fascinators. 

And if we have to have that song stuck in our heads, everyone does!!

Listen and enjoy, then boogie on over to the BPT to purchase tickets for Richard III. The time is nigh, we open THIS FRIDAY, and we can’t wait to see you there!!

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For tickets and more information, you can either go here: http://r3hid.bpt.me

or here:  http://www.hamletisntdead.com 

If you haven't Liked us already on Facebook, now is the time! All the cool kids are doing it.

https://www.facebook.com/HamletIsntDead

If Twitter's more your speed, we have that too. We just want to please you any way we can.

https://twitter.com/hamletisntdead

Or to see us in action, you can check us out (and subscribe, hint, hint) at https://www.youtube.com/user/hamletisntdead 

Basically, if you want to follow us, you just put hamletisntdead after something. And why wouldn't you want to follow us?? We're a lot of fun. So, see you soon for Richard III

And remember, it's Hamlet Isn't Dead:

Theatre You’ll Love, Whether You Like It Or Not!

Struts & Frets: Interviews with the Cast and Crew of Richard III - Sara Group

The last time Sara Group was on Struts and Frets, her episode began with a limerick (It did, we swear). This time, we give you Sara as a haiku.

She played an Edward

In Henry the Sixth and died.

This show's deja vu.

If this seems a bit vague, that's either the nature of ancient Japanese poetry, or we're really bad at haikus. Either way, Sara plays Lady Anne, Catesby and Prince Edward in this show, and (spoiler!) things do not go well for the latter.

Or for Anne, really, but don't tell Sara. She's not read it yet.

So now we give you the stylings of Sara Madeline "Don't Give Me a Weird Middle Nickname" Group.

HID: Here we go! What is your favorite color and the favorite color of each of your characters?

SG: My favorite color is a nice grass green. Prince Edward's is sky blue, and Anne's is red (for the House of Lancaster and vengeance). For some reason the first thing that popped into my head for Catesby was plaid, so I'm going with that because it makes me chuckle. 

HID: You portray Prince Edward in this show as a puppet. Who’s your favorite puppet from all of history? Is it ALF?

SG: Y'know, I never got into Alf. And I'm drawing a serious puppet blank. Can I just choose the movie Labyrinth in its entirety?

HID: You may. What’s the most difficult part of the show for you?

SG: In terms of physical difficulty, definitely the scene with the Prince Edward puppet. I did not expect that it would require so much arm strength to operate that little guy. 

HID: We’re sorry to hear that. Is there anything we can do to make it easier for you?

SG: Not unless you can magically make my biceps larger. 

Well, it may not be strictly magical, but we're sure the show has at this point. Come see Sara Group exercise every muscle, from her biceps to her brain in Hamlet Isn't Dead's Richard III, opening THIS FRIDAY March 20th!
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For tickets and more information, you can either go here: http://r3hid.bpt.me 

or here:  http://www.hamletisntdead.com 

If you haven't Liked us already on Facebook, now is the time! All the cool kids are doing it.

https://www.facebook.com/HamletIsntDead

If Twitter's more your speed, we have that too. We just want to please you any way we can.

https://twitter.com/hamletisntdead

Or to see us in action, you can check us out (and subscribe, hint, hint) at https://www.youtube.com/user/hamletisntdead 

Basically, if you want to follow us, you just put hamletisntdead after something. And why wouldn't you want to follow us?? We're a lot of fun. So, see you soon for Richard III

And remember, it's Hamlet Isn't Dead:

Theatre You’ll Love, Whether You Like It Or Not!