February is a short month; therefore, this will be a short Thomsen Talk. As I write this, Tarzan ® is about to open to the public, and I really hope you will all make an opening in your schedule to see this. It’s epic. When Director of Student Theatre Kelsey Celek and I met in early … Continued
Happy New Year, Everyone! The staff of QCT is back in full-swing (cue Tarzan) working on the 2017 season; however, before we get too far along, we stop to look back at 2016, to remember and to thank. Saturday was QUILTAS. QUILTAS is probably the most exciting night of the QCT year because it’s like … Continued
Bing sang to Rosie, “When I’m worried and I can’t sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep, and I fall asleep counting my blessings.” I’ve had many restless nights. As a director, I worry what people will think about the show that I’ve poured my heart and soul into for several months. I feel … Continued
After I left the snowy potato fields of Almost, Maine, I grabbed my friend Dorie Mae (Doris Malacarne to her fans) and crossed the border into Canada to spend a week in Stratford, Ontario. With a population of only 30,000, one might wonder, “Why Stratford for a vacation?” Well, remember, yours truly is no average, … Continued
Several years ago I directed a play based on the book The Giver. The setting is a community in the future that entrusts all of the memories of the past to one individual. The community has no sense of joy, pain, color or love. A young boy named Jonas is assigned as the next Receiver … Continued
‘Twas the day after Boot Camp, and not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse (I called the exterminator). On Saturday, there was an event on the Civic Center side of the OLC, and the security guard on duty asked me if we had an event on Sunday. I paused, looked reflectively, and replied, … Continued
“Sit back and relax” is such a popular expression with watching entertainment, and yet it seems all wrong for live theatre. When I was teaching, I would tell students to be active audience members. After watching a movie, a play, or a singer, ask questions: why did I like or not like that; what worked, … Continued
Grandma and Grandpa Thomsen were huge supporters of mine. They would travel around the country to see a play I was acting in or that I had directed. After I moved to Quincy, they saw my production of A Year with Frog and Toad. During intermission, Grandpa Thomsen walked out into the lobby and came … Continued
Stories begin. Stories continue. One of the final lines in CAMELOT is “What we did will be remembered.” Whether our production of CAMELOT will be remembered throughout the ages remains to be seen, and even if my mind goes tomorrow, which is likely, working on CAMELOT provided me with one of the most satisfying theatre … Continued
“One brief shining moment that was known as Camelot….rehearsals!” Rehearsals can be exhausting, tedious, and exhilarating! Often all in the same night! The job of an actor is to lift the words off the page and breathe life into them. What that life could possibly be is discovered throughout the rehearsal process. In rehearsals we … Continued
50 Shades of Grey Does this title of this Thomsen Talk intrigue you? Keep reading…. (Be warned: this one’s a long one.) In 2009 the Herald-Whig did an interview with me and asked what was something I wanted to accomplish in my lifetime. I said I wanted to travel to Europe and I wanted to … Continued
Any Saved by the Bell fans out there? Remember that episode where Jesse was taking caffeine pills and Zach confronted her on it and she broke into song singing “I’m so excited… I’m so excited…” and then she broke down and confessed “I’m….so…. scared….” Riveting television! I must confess that pretty much anytime I say … Continued
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