Everyman Theatre Hosts WAITING IN THE WINGS Panel Today

Today, September 6th, Everyman Theatre welcomes seasoned theatrical professionals for its panel discussion entitled "Waiting in the Wings." The panel is a part of the discussion series, The World of the Play, which began during the 2013/14 season.

Celebrated host and radio personality Marc Steiner will engage three highly experienced theatrical professionals in the discussion: Rebecca LaChance (currently the understudy for the Carole King role in Beautiful on Broadway), Kyle Prue (Everyman Theatre's Director of Production and Casting), and Joseph Smelser (Shakespeare Theatre Company's Resident Production Stage Manager). The panel discussion begins at 5PM on Saturday, September 6th at Everyman Theatre.

The panel discussion is inspired by Everyman's upcoming production of Theresa Rebeck's backstage comedy, The Understudy. The discussion will delve into the world of the professional understudy. What does it take to be an understudy? How does understudying differ from acting? The audience will get perspectives from both a Broadway understudy and the members of theatre staff who help to pull it off. Why do some theaters have understudies and others don't? And is it an artistic choice to have them, a financial reality, or both?

Rebecca LaChance is currently performing in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical on Broadway as the role of Betty, while understudying the roles of Carole King and Cynthia. This is her Broadway debut. She is a Baltimore native who graduated from Carver Center for Arts and Technology in Towson. Since Rebecca has two performances in New York that day, she will be Skype-ing in live from the backstage of her theatre. Since graduating from NYU, Rebecca has performed in the Broadway Rising Stars Concert at Town Hall, the NY International Fringe Festival, and a national tour of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie with Theatreworks USA. In October 2011, she starred as Jane in the award-winning world premiere of Central Avenue Breakdown at the New York Musical Theatre Festival. In the summer of 2012, Rebecca joined the show again for it's second production at NYMF and a run at the Daegu International Music Theatre Festival in South Korea. Recently, she performed in Johnny Baseball at the Williamstown Theatre Festival.

Kyle Prue is the Director of Production and Casting Director at Everyman where he has cast and produced over 40 Everyman productions. He has understudied roles on numerous occasions, as well. He also teaches acting at Towson University. He is a founding member of the Everyman Theatre Resident Acting Company, having performed in over 20 Everyman productions including Pygmalion, Opus, A Number, Lonely Planet, Amadeus, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, The Glass Menagerie, Visiting Mr. Green and The Crucible. He portrayed Henry Fleming in the national tour of The Red Badge of Courage, and he has appeared regionally at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Arena Stage, The Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Signature Theatre, Studio Theatre, and Theatre of the First Amendment. He can be seen in the films The Pelican Brief and Tuck Everlasting, and heard on over 300 unabridged audio book recordings in many genres including American classics, crime fiction, courtroom dramas, and contemporary non-fiction.

Joseph Smelser is the Resident Production Stage Manager at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington DC, where his recent credits include The Winter's Tale, Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Measure for Measure. In his capacity as production stage manager, he has participated in the casting and hiring of understudies and has extensive experience directing understudies, managing the logistics involved in actors covering multiple roles, and running put-in rehearsals. In his 20 years as an Equity stage manager, he has had resident stage manager positions at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, and American Conservatory Theatre in addition to his 3 years at the Shakespeare Theatre. He has also free-lanced at the Huntington, Alley, Long Wharf and Ford's Theatres, among others, and toured extensively with Anna Deavere Smith.

Radio personality Marc Steiner (The Marc Steiner Show) moderates the World of the Play series. In the 20 years since his show began airing, Marc Steiner has become one of the most recognized voices in Maryland and has gained national acclaim for his insightful style of interviewing. Mr. Steiner also has a deep understanding for theatre; he taught theatre for ten years at the Baltimore School for the Arts.

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