Here’s a fun collection of show photos from Theatre 7′s Facebook page, taken by Hank Norris. There’s also a short collection of rehearsal/set construction photos.

If you are so inclined, here’s the official review for our show, ‘The 39 Steps,’ from the Herald & Review’s Jim Vorel. My jaw happily dropped when I read:

“Jayson Albright shines as the clueless hero, Richard Hannay, benefiting from several long solo scenes and extended speeches that allow him to really flex some acting muscle. Physical muscle actually abounds as well, as Albright’s athleticism allows him to pull off a few unusual moves uncommon to a Theatre 7 stage production.”

Physical muscle? Athleticism? My inner Ren Höek – the one who regularly laments his lack of pectoral muscles – salutes you, kind sir!

Also kind was the (shared via email) review forwarded to me by mother from one Shirley Kistler. I refrain from sharing the entire review since it was not (to my knowledge) a published piece, but I would like to share this:

“Jayson Albright. He is a combination of Dick Van Dyke and Will Ferrell. His English accent never wavers and his physical comedy was outrageously funny. He was just wonderful. And…he is an EHS graduate. He alone is worth the price of admission.”

Yep, I had Mrs. Kistler back in high school. Thank you, ma’am!

What I love about her Van Dyke recognition is that not two nights prior to receiving this I was sharing with my wife how (in one particular scene) I was very specifically channeling VanDyke’s physicality. So that made me grin ear to ear for quite some time! Of course, being likened to Mr. Ferrell ain’t half bad, either

Both reviews had wonderful things to say about my costars and show crew as well – all of it well-deserved praise I might add. As I’ve stated before, its been seven long years since my last stage production; I was simply hoping for an enjoyable dip back into the pond. What I got was one of my absolute favorite show experiences ever.

I’ll have one more bit of ’39 Steps’ to share soon: I’m working on a movie poster for the show!

In a nutshell, PechaKucha is a group of presenters talking and sharing images on any number of interesting topics, but there’s a catch: each presenter gets twenty slides that last twenty seconds each, and the presenter has just that amount of time – six minutes and forty seconds – to talk. It is a truly remarkable event to behold, and even remarkabler (??) to participate.

I was just notified that the official video of my talk from CUDO’s PechaKucha Vol. 5 has been posted, in which I discuss the Rise and Fall and In-Progress Resurrection of The Muppets. My twenty slides are comprised of my own little Muppet Show; an illustrated, character-driven mini adventure that plays out over the duration of my talk. I am super stoked to finally be sharing this with you!

If you find yourself intrigued at all by this format, I encourage you to head to CUDO’s next PechaKucha event and experience it firsthand. It really is an amazing night, and even topics you think “I have no interest in that” you find yourself falling head-first into the passion it’s presenter has for it. I love PechaKucha, I love CUDO, and I love having had the opportunity to be a part of this event!

Meet Richard Hannay.

For the next two weekends I have the pleasure of starring in a production of ‘The 39 Steps,‘ based off Hitchcock’s classic film. The above photo is used in the show; my character is on the run for most of it, and a pair of policemen use the above photo just prior to a chase scene on a train (yes!).

What’s great about this show is it’s a comedy, yet still uses much of Hitchcock’s original dramatic screenplay. Believe me, it works. It’s a small cast – just four of us – though the show is populated by something like 140 different characters (seriously). The bulk of that is done by two “clowns” played by Doug Bishop and Dreux Lewandowski. Sue Powell plays three separate characters. I play Richard throughout.

The four cast member thing is slightly misleading; our crew working behind the scenes is every bit as important as the players on stage. This show is so fast-paced, with so many props and set pieces and costume changes and so on, that we actors rely heavily on the folks backstage. Yes, that’s true of every production, but even more so on this one. It’s that crazy. Couldn’t do it without ‘em.

Hard to believe, but this is my first stage show in seven years. I’ve so totally enjoyed jumping back into this, back home with Theatre 7, and feel we’ve really got something fun for the audience. If you’re in the area the next two weekends, I encourage you to come check us out!

Ladies and gentlemen: The Mime.

Talking with someone today, the topic of comic strips came up. While I am actually working on some characters (and the world they live in) for a potential web strip, my thoughts drifted to two strips featuring Troupe Dynamic I produced for the Thrive Entertainment Guide.

See the strips and read more after the jump!

Originally the idea was for this strip to be ongoing as a continuation of sorts to the Top Ten lists we had delivered for the previous year.  After the second strip, though (while acting as Managing Editor for the mag), I decided to bench the comic; not for a lack of wanting to do it (I loved the idea of Troupe D as a strip), but a feeling it just didn’t fit the overall tone of what the mag was becoming. Heck, the second strip all but confirms that thinking!

You’ll notice a shift between the character styles going into strip two. After the first was produced, I very consciously decided I wanted a more traditional comic strip look and made the transition accordingly. Its a simpler style, one I thought more fitting and, truthfully, quicker and more enjoyable to draw. I love them both, and revisiting them makes me want to go ahead and produce the few additional comics I roughed out in advance. We’ll see!

It’s been a while, but Troupe Dynamic is back with a new video!

Trouper Timmy just celebrated a milestone; as a surprise, the rest of the gang got together for a down-and-dirty, super fast and furious filming of a four-and-a-half hour opus! Or rather, the trailer for that four-and-a-half hour opus. It runs a mere 1:48.

Enjoy!

Troupe Dynamic is my comedy group passion; whenever and wherever I get a chance to play with this group, I jump (it’s not nearly often enough). “Timmy’s Trailer” was written*, produced, directed, and edited by yours truly, and I also play the character “Jay” (it’s a stretch). It was shot by myself and fellow Troupers Doug and Janet, with further assist by Teddi Lucas.  No equipment was used other than my Canon T1i (which accounts for the shoddy sound). We knew going in this was to be a quick-fire project; I’m cool with the audio all things considered.

*Really, I can’t really say I ‘wrote’ it since these characters’ voices live inside my dome. I just type out the dialogue I’m hearing up top

It breaks down like this: Flo bakes, I decorate. I’ve got peeps helping with the basic outlining and filling, but the faces are all 100% Jay. Here’s a peek at a couple’a Frankenstein trays; keep your eyes open for the Easter Egg cookie in the bunch (hint: its not easy being green). I’ll post some more later!