The Die Has Been Cast

Extra! Extra! The show has been cast! The show has been cast! Thank you to everyone that came out to audition, but now we have our lovely group of actors. I've worked with or seen most of the actors work before, so I'm excited to see what they bring to the table. As for those I haven't seen before, this is an opportunity to see something new, another face and hopefully another friend in our little family here at Oregon State University Theatre.


First we have Isaac Meisenheimer as Buck. I first met Isaac in last year's One Act Festival. He's a swell dude and I'm really looking forward to seeing how he tweaks his innate bro-ness away from surfer bro into jock bro. He brings a lot of enthusiasm and energy to the table. It's going to be fun watching him interact with the actors in the cast as the meathead jock that you see in every 90s horror flick.


Next up is Pam Mealy as Bambi. I first met Pam in the Oregon State University Marching Band, as I had worked closely with her father, Darren, who was in my section for several years. I've seen Pam act in several shows, including Kiss Me, Kate, Dolly West's Kitchen, and last year's One Act Festival. She is a talented actress, and she brings the no-nonsense and skeptical tones that I imagined when I wrote the role of Bambi.


After Bambi, there's Hopper played by Lindsey Esch. This is my first time working with Lindsey, but I've seen her work in this winter's production of For The Love of Lies, a Commedia dell'Arte scenario, as Arlecchino. The broad strokes of commedia I feel will lend itself nicely to the character of Hopper, whose twitchy and energetic explanations of the world around him align nicely with Lindsey's previous training.


To round out the 4 campers, there's Alessandra Ferriso as Honey. I've never worked with Alessandra on a show, but I'm expecting good things after seeing her in For The Love of Lies as Pedrolino. She seems open to direction, but what I'm really looking forward to is how she's going to ham up the sultry temptress character that I've written for Honey.


Last, but not least, we have Robert Czokajlo as The Skinner. Auditions was my first time meeting Robert, but he when he auditioned I saw the potential for The Skinner in him. He's a big dude, and the comedy is going to come from how he can use the difference in size between him and the rest of the actors to show how "scary" The Skinner really is. All in all, I'm excited to have the chance to work with someone completely new.


There you have it, folks. I talked last week about how surreal it felt having this being put on; that feeling has been replaced with excitement and a drive to turn SKINNER into something more than a stupid idea I turned into a play over the course of a couple nights and a couple beers. The rehearsals are starting soon, and words can't describe how interested I am in seeing how the show progresses from just a collection of animal puns on the page. Come see our show when it opens June 1st, right here in the Withycombe Lab Theatre.


-Mike