Tech Week is on the Rise!

Hello all!

I just wanted to drop in a post because I haven't done one in a little while. It is my day off today and I have a whole lot of nothing to do.

We have just begun running the show in it's entirety...all 2hr 45min of it! It is an exhausting show, both mentally and physically and we are starting to add elements of scene change music tracks and all of that technical stuff.

Which brings us steps closer to the looming TECH WEEK! For those of you that know the lingo, it looks as if we are going to be doing 4 "10 out of 12s" this coming week. And then we begin previews! And for those of you that don't know, preview week goes a little something like this:

Rehearse all day...show at night...sleep....get up, and do the same thing. We do this for a week straight, at the end of which we will have a 4 show weekend. Let's just say that this is not the time to start developing a cold...or stage fright for that matter.

Anyway...as Gracie Fields once said, "Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye! Cheerio, here I go on my way!"

Until the next post, happy day off!

Always,
Alex b.

Sunday Times Ad

Hello all! This is the FULL PAGE AD they will be running in the Los Angeles Times on Sunday.

Get them while they're hot. Enjoy!

Check these out!

Hello everyone! Below are two professional pictures that we will be using in the ads! Enjoy!
Photos by Craig Schwartz

A Great Day Off!

Usually, I am so bored on my days off, I resort to watching CSI: marathons on Spike TV until I fall asleep. Exciting right?

But yesterday was different. This day off was special. Why you ask? Because my dad was in town!
He came down to LA to meet up with his two brothers, Rich and Jerry, so they could surprise my grandma (their mother). They decided to come and pick me up as an added surprise for her.



The day was so much fun. We had a great lunch at Brent's Deli, Uncle Rich tried to learn my Yorkshire dialect, I got to see all of my cousins who I love so much, and Grandma was thrilled to see all of us. It was a very successful day.



We only have 2 weeks until we open this show to the public. Seeing my Dad was just the boost I needed to get me through the next 14 days.



To my family who is following the blog, I love you all so much. Thank you for reading and supporting.

I will wrap this blog entry with a quote from my cousin Mike, who is the most hysterical up and coming stand-up comedian on the planet.

"Jell-O...it's twelve different colors that all taste the same. And yet, restaurants will always serve it to you in a crystal goblet, while the Carrot Cake, the best of all vegetable-based cakes, gets a styrofoam plate and Saran Wrap." -Mike Brightman

The Boys...in Character.

And now, introducing the boys of THE HISTORY BOYS!!!

Demond Robertson as CROWTHER


Sean Marquette as TIMMS


Brett Ryback as SCRIPPS


Alex Brightman as POSNER


Ammar Ramzi as AKTHAR


Cord Jackman as RUDGE


Adam Armstrong as LOCKWOOD


Seth Numrich as DAKIN


And Peter Paige as MR. IRWIN

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures!!!

Peter and Cord
Good Ol' Mr. Hector!
Scrippsy and Poz!
Me and Mr. Ben Taylor
Dakin Playing Peekaboo!
The History Boys Badge
Andrew, Seth, and JB
The Boys!
Posner and Posner!

Lights, Camera, History Boys!

This past weekend, we have been filming a movie.

But Alex, I thought you were doing a play! First you tell me that there is singing and dancing in this "play." Now you are telling me there is a movie?

Yes I am. High above the stage, there is a mammoth movie screen. During scene changes, the audience is treated to short clips of various "goings-on" at the high school. Not only does it distract the audience from noticing the scene changing, but it also gives insight into what happens in between scenes. They are not merely for show. They enhance the story at hand.

So for the last couple of days, we have been in the generous, wonderful, and hysterical hands of Mr. Ben Taylor, the man responsible for all of the video segments in EVERY SINGLE PRODUCTION OF THE SHOW...EVER! He, among others that we have worked with during this process, is partly responsible for all of the awards this show has recieved. We couldn't be more fortunate to get to work with such amazing people.

We got to set early both days, got into our signature school suits and makeup, and off we went!

We filmed opening shots of the first day of school, the boys goofing around in the hallway, the boys studying for Oxbridge exams in the library, and many more.

It's going to be edited together and put on screen with incredibly important 80's jams behind it. It is going to look gorgeous and very clean.

I am going to post a bunch of pictures! So heads up!

Oh yeah, I forgot! We also had a photo shoot! We took pictures for the poster and ads, so the minute those are available, I will post that as well.

Thanks for reading!

"What a wanker!" -Timms

And Now We Add Movement!

The fun never ends!

Today we added choreography to our little play. I know what you are thinking. "Wait...it's a play...but it has singing...and NOW DANCING?!!! What's going on here?"

Well...I'll tell you what's going on here...a freakin' Tony Award Winning Play...that's what. Now no more questions!

Sorry...i didn't mean to fly off the handle like that.

Anyway...
Today the wonderful Jack Murphy landed in the states after an 11-hour flight and what did he do? He didn't go to his hotel and take a nap. He didn't even go home to change! He came to our rehearsal annex and began teaching us the movement to our one musical number in the show.

Just to explain, right before the boys in the show go off for their Oxford and Cambridge exams, they put together a little musical number out of appreciation for their esteemed and beloved teacher, Mr. Hector.

For the first hour, it felt like I was back at NYU at 18 West 18th street at the CAP21 studios doing a Voice and Speech warmup. He had us walk around the space, jog around the space, be present with everyone, and capped it off with a couple of rolldowns.

After we were warmed up, we started putting together this little number. It's not very elaborate. It's a little movement piece to Gracie Field's "Wish Me Luck as You Wave Me Goodbye." We began the primary frame of the number, learning some of the basic movements and putting them into rhythm. Tomorrow, we will chunk the number together and see if we can put some semblance of a story into it.

After "dancing" for a bit, we went back into staging the show. We are trucking along at a nice pace and the show is starting to come together even more. Also, relationships outside the show are building as well. We are becoming a great group of 8 friends, which really helps the dynamic onstage. For example, there is rarely a time where the 8 boys are apart...whether we are getting lunch together, seeing movies, or going to sport's bars to watch the Red Sox! I am so grateful that we are not sick of each other yet. We're a good group of boys.

Alright, that's it for now. A couple of us boys had an interview with the LA Times today...more on that later!

Until then.

Rudge: "What's the verdict then sir? What do I write down?"

Irwin: "You should write down, Rudge, that I must not write down everything teacher says."

And Now We Add Music

Unlike most straight plays, "The History Boys" has a lot of MUSIC!

So, today we began learning it all! My character (Posner) sings the majority of the songs in the show, but there are also two songs we sing as a group.

Some of the songs include:

* Accordeoniste by Edith Piaf
*Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered
*Bye, Bye, Blackbird
*Wish Me Luck as You Wave Me Goodbye by Gracie Fields

and a couple more....all played fabulously by two handsome gentlemen...Mr. Brett Ryback and Mr. Andrew McClain.

Today was really intense with Richard because we are trying to squeeze in so much information in such a short amount of time. But I think that all of this crazy work is going to pay off in the end. We already sound good...soon enough, we will sound GREAT!

Alright...time to watch the Red Sox game with Seth.

"Give me a smile I can keep all the while in my heart while I'm away." ---Excerpt from Wish Me Luck

Staging (and Sitting)

Today began the staging process of the show. Which means that we were right back to where we were a couple days ago. Not mentally, mind you...but physically...

ON OUR ASSES!

For those that are unfamiliar with the show, it takes place, mainly, in a classroom. So most of the time, we are sitting down behind desks.

Today we began to create rough "sketches" of the first scenes of the play. It was great fun! It felt nice to finally be active, especially since we haven't gotten a chance to experience what it feels like to act...and do a dialect! That was it's own little adventure for all of us.

We decided to attack the famous "French Scene" today, in which the entirety of the scene is spoken in French. I had a wonderful time pretending to be a French Madame in charge of a whore house...don't ask.

Anyway...it's the weekend and I have laundry to do. I hope that all of the shows back home in NYC are going swimmingly and I miss every single one of you...you know who you are.

Until then...adieu mes enfants!

"Oh! Quelles belles jambes!" (Oh what beautiful legs!)

A Poem About a Lost Boy

This is a poem that I recite in the play. It's beautiful.

"Drummer Hodge"
by Thomas Hardy

They throw in Drummer Hodge, to rest
Uncoffined – just as found:
His landmark is a kopje-crest
That breaks the veldt around;
And foreign constellations west
Each night above his mound.

Young Hodge the Drummer never knew –
Fresh from his Wessex home –
The meaning of the broad Karoo,
The Bush, the dusty loam,
And why uprose to nightly view
Strange stars amid the gloam.

Yet portion of that unknown plain
Will Hodge forever be;
His homely Northern breast and brain
Grow to some Southern tree,
And strange-eyed constellation reign
His stars eternally.

Table Work

Two days into rehearsal and already the show is looking great!

We are spending a lot of time doing table work, sitting around a table and talking through each scene.

The show is chock full of references and poems and it is important that we understand everything in the script before we begin to put it on it's feet.

I am personally having the time of my life sitting and talking with brilliant people about this play.

Our director, Paul Miller, also supplements the table work process with audio clips of Alan Bennett reading from his diary. It is both hysterical and insightful into the mind of the playwright.

Something that i was primarily worried about was the dialect and how authentic it was all going to sound. After all, this is a British show with an almost all American cast.

HOWEVER, my worries have ceased 100% after the last couple of days. Even though we still have work to do, everyone in the show is putting on a stellar accent!!!

That is all thanks to the uncomparable JB Blanc, who mixes a crash course dialect class with hysterical stories from his life. And when i say hysterical...I mean...I wish i could explain it, hysterical!

Basically, we are all having a great time.

I feel so fortunate to have the honor of working with such talented and wonderful people. I mean that from the bottom of my heart.

That's it for now! Get excited about The History Boys...because it's coming!

"I really enjoyed doing this one. And I'm beginning to get it. Turning facts on their head. It's like a game."

We're on Playbill.com!

Check out the press release for the show on PLAYBILL.COM

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/111717.html

The article features the unmatched, fiercely talented, and handsome (that's for you Peter), Peter Paige, who will be playing Mr. Irwin.

The rest of the cast follows in alphabetical order.

Enjoy!

"Do you exist on an unhealthy diet of takeaway food sir?"

The Heartbreak Kid

It's good. Not thrilling. Not unique. But good. It's good.

Dialect...Bloody Hell.

I knew this was going to be a fun experience...but I had no fuhkin cloo it wez gohna bee soh haaahd!

Today we began learning DIALECT!

To be more specific, the YORKSHIRE DIALECT!

To be even more specific, a YORKSHIRE DIALECT FROM THE TOWN OF SHEFFIELD.

It is too hard to explain how this accent sounds, but i can give you examples from movies and TV.

For example, today we started our lesson by watching "The Full Monty," because the movie takes place in Sheffield.

Also, we were told at the end of our lesson to watch "Wallace and Gromit" because Wallace has a very overenunciated version of what we're aiming for.

Our teacher is the notable JB Blanc. He is most known for his work in the film, "The Count of Monte Cristo," and the television series, "Prison Break" as Jerry Curtin.

He is a fantastic teacher and a hilarious Yorkshire boy himself.

We took a crash course in Yorkshire for five hours after watching the movie and it was grueling work.

But I am having the time of my life! The absolute time...of...my...LIFE!

More dialect tomorrow! More fun and games on the way! And more pictures!

And even though this isn't a line from the show, it was the first thing JB Blanc said to us this morning regarding learning Yorkshire:

"Run for your lives boys...we're fucked."

First Look at Some of the Boys!

Just a quick look at the cast of "The History Boys."

First photo: Adam Armstrong (Lockwood), Amar Ramzi (Akthar), Brett Ryback (Scripps), and Demond Robertson (Crowther)

Second photo: Peter Paige (Irwin)

Third photo: Cord Jackman (Rudge)

Fourth photo: Dakin Matthews (Mr. Hector)

More photos to come! Enjoy!

THE FIRST REHEARSAL!

I just got home from a long day at the Ahmanson Rehearsal Annex where we had our first rehearsal for our little British show.

In a word: AMAZINGINSANEAWESOMERIDICULOUSFASCINATINGNEWEXCITINGSPECTACULAR!

First off, I got to meet the rest of the boys! They are all incredible guys and we all had such an immediate bond with each other. I guess we were all psyched to be where we were. It's so funny because almost all of the boys know each other in one way or another. For example, Brett Ryback, who will be playing Scripps knows about 10 people I know from different walks of life. It's the same for all the rest of us.

The we met the adults, or as our director wants us to call them, the "teachers." He believes that we should all be ADULTS!

Everyone is so nice and talented, and we barely got the show off the ground yet!

Today was not really a rehearsal, as far as rehearsing goes...allow me to elaborate.

All of the boys got measured for their suits...then we all got haircuts. Some of us got cut big time...some of us, just a snip.

After going over some business (Equity papers, contact sheets, paperwork stuff), the boys were let go.

However, I was asked to remain to begin tablework with the teachers. Because a number of my scenes are conversations with the teachers, I stayed and had my first REAL REHEARSAL.

We read through all of the scenes and talked about the various subtexts and references throughout. After about two hours of that, it was time to call it a day.

Tomorrow, we begin dialect! I'm nervous.

Oh yeah! Our stage manager told us today that we have been invited as a cast to see the most recent production that is taking place at the Ahmanson. It will give us a chance to see the theater at work.

Turns out, that show is "AVENUE Q." I couldn't be more excited! That's on Tuesday!

Bye for now!

"If you want to know about Hollywood, study Henry VIII."

New Photo!

Just wanted to post the promotional picturer that The Ahmanson Theatre has put up on their website.

I'm sure that there will be more promo photos as the weeks progress and we take more pictures.

But until then....ENJOY!

Home Sweet (Studio) Home

I am finally here in Los Angeles!!!

After a 5 hour drive with my mom (chock full of listening to Todd Rundgren and Hall & Oates), we moved into my new home.

It is a small studio, but it is awesome! It is furnished like a hotel with all of the utensils and amenities I could ever want.

I think I'm going to love it here. I have a murphy bed (a bed which pulls out of the wall) and that's awkward in the best way.

After moving the clothes in, we went grocery shopping and stocked the fridge with the necessary items (Vitamin Water, Water, Bagels, Cream Cheese, and, of course, MICROWAVEABLE PIZZAS!

Alright...it's time to watch Survivor with my mom...and then...CSI: Crime Scene Investigation!

Take a look at some pictures I took of my new digs.

Rehearsals start tomorrow! More pictures to come tomorrow with my new History Boys Hairdoo!

"Most of the stuff poetry is about hasn't happened to us yet!"

love love love