The Women Casting!

10 years ago I joined the cast of FUHS’s production of Clare Boothe Luce's The Women as Peggy. Today I am ready to return to the play a little older and a little wiser. Thanks to my wonderful director Brandon Ferruccio, I am cast in Westminster Playhouse’s production of THE WOMEN as Mary. It's time to reinvent myself as Mrs. Stephen Haines! I am excited to work with Brandon for the first time and to meet the rest of the cast tomorrow night at our first read-through. 

Goodbye 2013 - Hello New Year!

I must say that 2013 has been a struggle both personally and professionally. I am not sad to say goodbye. However, I am also reminded today of the many blessing 2013. I started the year with 2 Shakespeare classics: Hamlet and Romeo & Juliet. And I finished strong with 2 rumpus comedies: Americana and Bedroom Farce.

Today I am pleased to announce The Examiner acknowledge my work as a Best Supporting Actress in Americana at STAGEStheatre in "Best Orange County Theatre of 2013". It pleases me greatly to see STAGEStheatre and myself acknowledged beside the likes of acclaimed OC Theatre from SCR.

In addition to this great piece of news, Eric Marchese with the The OC Register highlighted Bedroom Farce one of the "Top 10 Shows of 2013"! (See picture - Left).

So thank you, 2013 - For the good and the bad. May I learn, grow, create, and prosper in 2014!

ACTORS, SAY YES TO EVERYTHING! (Bedroom Farce Casting)

Everything happens for a reason. When one door closes, another door opens, and sometimes doors reopen when least expected. I will be taking over the role of Kate in Bedroom Farce by Alan Ayckbourn at STAGEStheatre. I have already been thrown into my first rehearsal and stumbled through the blocking of the entire show. I have a lot of work to do before we open in less than 4 weeks, but I am confident that it will all come together. I can't wait to meet the entire cast tomorrow.

This turn of luck has made me realize how many times I have been fortunate enough to step into roles that I was not originally cast in. Well, I shouldn't call it luck or fortune really.... More like hard work and dedication.

WHY YOU SHOULD YES TO EVERYTHING! 

I was 12 years old when I first started acting. I remember walking into the rehearsal space as a member of the ensemble in a youth production of Annie and feeling very small. The first words out the director's mouth were, "There are no small parts, only small actors. Each and every one of you is vital to this show." I took this to heart and I poured all of my efforts into Maid #1 ("Blue is her best color, no green I think!") and Ira (they cut all but two lines before rehearsals began). Ever since then I believed that the ensemble was just as important as the leads - and I still do.

When I was in high school I got high praise for my ensemble work from my teachers. I had given up on singing lessons by then and wanted to be considered a serious actress. I wanted to play William Shakespeare, Samuel Beckett, Sophocles, Arthur Miller, George Bernard Shaw, etc. When it came to the spring musical I had trouble getting cast as a lead. Although I had musical theatre experience, the choir students who lived and breathed music always seemed to outshine me in the audition room. However, directors were all to happy to cast me in the ensemble. I would pick up bit parts and one-liners along the way - creating a backstory for my "character". I remember vividly standing in a crowd scene, rehearsing for The Mystery of Edwin Drood. We were practicing moving in and out of the scene, repeating it over and over again. Finally the choreographer/assistant director stopped us. "You all look bored up there. You have no expressions on your faces and you are standing like statues," she said. This was followed by eye-rolls and sighs from the two dozen exhausted teenagers standing on stage. "Why can't you be more like Jamie? She is the only one in the moment. I can't take my eyes off of her." I remained serious even though I was smiling inside.

In my last year of college I had a big audition for The Redlands Shakespeare Festival. They were doing three show in repertory: Twelfth Night, Macbeth, and Antony and Cleopatra. I had never taken on a project that demanding before, but I knew what I wanted - Viola. I wanted Viola so bad I could taste it. I went into the audition prepared and confident. I rocked it in there! Then I got the call - "We have cast you as Olivia in Twelfth Night, Witch #3 in Macbeth, and ensemble in A&C." My heart sank for only a brief moment. Then I thought to myself, this is the biggest project you have ever taken on! Three shows in eight weeks of rehearsal! Maybe this is what you need. Maybe this is all you are ready for. So I said, "Yes." I fell in love with Olivia at the first read-through. I thought about her every moment of every day - for two days. Then I got the call: "Jamie, we had to let go of our Viola. There were too many scheduling conflicts. Would you be willing to step up into that role?" And I said, "YES!". But that is not where the story ends. Did you know that Witch #3 has all the best lines? Well, she does. In my opinion, Witch #3 is the best witch of them all. And then something wonderful happened with Antony and Cleopatra too! I was simply member of the ensemble, a woman foot-soldier awkwardly dressed as a man. Slowly the other foot-soldiers got too big for their britches. They didn't want to make the 1-2 commute to Redlands for a handful of lines. Three ensemble members dropped the show in a matter of days. So I started picking those up too. I was given the roles of Diomedes and every single messenger line in the play. I showed up the next day with my parts memorized. I got to be beaten by Cleopatra, learned fight choreography, and gingerly help carry Antony down a flight of stairs during the final moments of the play. I hardly left the stage. It was the best summer of my life. The following year, the director of Antony and Cleopatra cast me as the lead in Measure for Measure - the greatest role I have every played.

Now I am about to play a role in Bedroom Farce that I was not originally cast in. I was considered second best at the audition, but I am going to prove that everything happens for a reason. I am going to prove that I am the right choice after-all. All I had to do was say, YES.

Americana Closing!

Tonight we closed Americana at STAGEStheatre. I feel so blessed to have had such a great run with such a talented director and cast. The staff and crew at Stage had been like family. It is not often that original pieces are given such support and attention. I am grateful for the many packed houses and publicity this show has provided. More importantly, this show has reaffirmed my love of comedy. It is good to have the laughing juices run through my veins again. I can't wait to have another go at tickling your funny bone with my next project. More information coming soon. Stay tuned!

Jason Sutton & Jamie Sowers in "No Salesman Will Call" (Americana)

Shakespeare Institute Players' As You Like It mentioned alongside the RSC!

I just stumbled across this review of As you Like It - Sandra Holt, of The Stratford Herald, recently praised the Shakespeare Institute Players in her latest review of the RSC’s As You Like It. It seems the Institute’s production of As You Like It turned some heads in Stratford-upon-Avon. In her mention she praised our production as “beautifully performed” and named this year’s RSC production as a “runner-up in the Stratford staging stakes”. Of course I am not delusional enough to believe that the greater theatrical community found our production more intriguing than that of the Royal Shakespeare Company (Pippa Nixon is my all-time favorite RSC actress afterall), but I am certainly glad that we made an impression and are still being talked about nearly a year later. I feel so blessed and honored to have played Rosalind with the Shakespeare Institute Players and I am so proud of everyone involved.

Americana Casting!

Well, it has been a while since I have been in a play written in the 21st century: 2 years to be exact. And after playing in Hamlet and Romeo & Juliet, it feels like an eternity since I have been in a comedy.

Today both these cycles have been broken. I have been cast in Americana, a series of 3 one-act plays written by David Macaray. I will be playing Sandra Larson, a hoarding consumerist, in “No Salesman Will Call”. This will be my first time working at the fabulous Stages Theatre in downtown Fullerton, CA and my third time working with director Phil Brickey. As Phil said earlier today, “It has been too long.”

The last time I worked with Phil was on a play reading of Transfigured Night, where I played the wife of the great composer Anton Webern. I think we have both grown as artists since then and I can't wait to get reacquainted with his work. Also joining the cast is Tracy C. Marquis, who played Webern in that production, and KC Marie Pandell, whom I trained with at FUHS and Chapman University. I am looking forward to meeting the rest of the cast for the first time on Tuesday.

Here's to a new adventure!

Romeo and Juliet Opening / Closing!

It is not often that I blog about the opening and closing of a show simultaneously, but with only two performances of Santa Fe Springs Playhouse’s production of Romeo & Juliet it seems necessary. I am grateful for the opportunity to bring Shakespeare to the community of Santa Fe Springs and perform the beautiful venue of Heritage Park. I dedicated a lot of time and effort into playing Mercutio, yet it feels as though I hardly know him. This production has provided an incredible learning experience for me, challenging my skills and bringing me out of my comfort zone. Who knew that the straight-laced, feminine, little ol’ me would play a pot-smoking version of one of Shakespeare’s greatest homoerotic male characters? It was a challenge I was willing to face. I hope that during this process I achieved the openness and relaxed portrayal of wit, courage, loyalty, and intrigue that I see in Mercutio. With such a short run, it is hard to say that I reached my full potential in this coveted role, but I can say I had a great time playing with my cast-mates. Love and Peace.