The MST Q&A: Kathryn Noser

If you have been to the Theater for Youth this year, you have seen Kathryn Noser. Whether playing a chicken, a snooty pre-teen or redefining what it means to be an angel in a Christmas pageant, she has lit up our Chelsea Market stage. This Spring you will enjoy Kathryn as the preening princess Lucille in JUNIE B. JONES AND A LITTLE MONKEY BUSINESS! Get to know a little more about Kathryn as she answers MST's Q&A...

Full given name: Kathryn Sue Noser

Hometown: Houston, TX

Zodiac sign: Scorpio

Audition Monologue/Song: an excerpt from My Mom is Trying to Ruin My Life, Song - Notice Me Horton (from Seussical).

Special skills: ummm... I can touch my tongue with my nose... Is that special? I also make really funny faces.

First Houston show ever saw: Way too long ago to remember what show - but it was at Company OnStage theatre.

Current show you have been recommending to friends: Spring Awakening, Wicked

Favorite show tune: Defying Gravity

MAC or PC? I like both, but currently have an iMac.

Most played song on your iPod: don't have an iPod!

Last book you read: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Must-see TV show: NCIS and So You Think You Can Dance

Last good movie you saw: The Blindside

Favorite board game: Pictionary

Performer you would drop everything to go see: Jason Mraz

Pop culture guilty pleasure: Reality TV

First stage kiss: Still waiting for my first kiss.

Favorite post-show meal: Burgers or Mexican food

Worst onstage mishap: I was a featured dancer in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in high school. My dance partner and I went up into a lift and he lost his balance and fell. Fortunately, he did his best to catch me and kept me from hitting the ground too hard.

Worst costume ever: I can't think of one I hated. I've had a lot of fun costumes... I seem to be bird-like. I've played a bird 3 times!

Favorite cereal: Cheerios

Who would play you in the movie? Sarah Jessica Parker

Worst job you ever had: In college I worked for the Great American Cookie Company, it was fun, but - I couldn't eat cookies for years after that!

TV or commercial gig you most enjoyed: Web commercial for Gordon & Elias Attorneys At Law - I got to work with my 6 year old niece on that commercial. It was so much fun to work together!

Tickets are on sale now for JUNIE B. JONES AND A LITTLE MONKEY BUSINESS. Don't forget you can get Two for One tickets on Target Family Day, Friday, March 19th at 11:30am!

And that's the word on the street!

Read More About It: Jewish Life in the South

Director of Education Troy Scheid recommends the following books about the Jewish experience in the South.

The Last Night of Ballyhoo by Alfred Uhry
The play’s biggest fans should pick up a copy of the published script!

Driving Miss Daisy (Special Edition)
Based on what is perhaps Alfred Uhry’s best-known play, the 1990 film version of Driving Miss Daisy starred Morgan Freeman and Jessica Tandy and is considered a modern classic. The story of the evolution of a friendship between an independent white Southern woman and her African-American chauffeur won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Screenplay, and Best Actress for Tandy. (Freeman was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar and Dan Aykroyd for Best Supporting Actor.)

Jewish Roots in Southern Soil: A New History (Brandeis Series in American Jewish History, Culture and Life) edited by Marcie Ferris
Produced as part of the Brandeis Series in American Jewish History, Jewish Roots provides a closer look at many facets of the history of Jews in the American South, starting with the first Jewish settlers in 1730. Comprised of thirteen essays, the book explores such diverse topics as American Jewish women writers, relations between the African-American and Jewish communities, and Jewish Confederates.

Shalom Y'All: Images of Jewish Life in the American South by Vicki Reikes Fox (author) and Bill Aron (photographer)
With a focus on Mississippi and Louisiana, though touching on many Southern states, this book explores the religion and daily life of Southern Jews in black-and-white photographs. Featuring a foreword by Alfred Uhry.

Matzoh Ball Gumbo: Culinary Tales of the Jewish South by Marcie Cohen Ferris
According to the author, “The most tangible way to understand Jewish history and culture in the South is at the dinner table.” Ferris (a native Arkansan and cultural historian), interleafs family stories with kosher recipes at the intersection of Souther and Jewish foodways, from “Pesach Fried Green Tomatoes” to “Br’er Rabbit Molasses Cookies” and “Dirty Matzoh Dressing.”

Caroline, Or Change (2004 Original Broadway Cast) Book and lyrics by Tony Kushner, music by Jeanine Tesori
This recent musical (produced by Main Street Theater in 2008) by another Southern Jewish author of renown, Tony Kushner, dramatizes the author’s memories of his relationship with the family’s housekeeper in 1960s Louisiana. The original Broadway cast recording features Tonya Pinkins as Caroline.

The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story by Lemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket, the author of the acclaimed “Series of Unfortunate Events” books, has written this insightful holiday story for audiences of all ages and faiths—as long as they have a wicked sense of humor. Why won’t the latke stop screaming? It comes into the world surrounded by twinkling lights, candy canes, and a pine tree. None of these Christmas accessories understand the latke’s attempts to explain the history and meaning of Hanukkah. If you know the story of the Gingerbread Man, you can guess the latke’s fate—but before he meets it, he is able to impress on his audience his life’s purpose: that Hanukkah is not the “Jewish Christmas” but a separate and unique holiday.

THE LAST NIGHT OF BALLYHOO, still playing at our Rice Village location, has been extended (AGAIN!) through December 27th! Don't miss out on the family holiday hit. The show about a Jewish family in the South at Christmastime must close on the 27th!

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Taking a Look Back

Can you believe Thanksgiving is less than a week away? The season is already just about half gone! I thought it might be nice to take a quick look back at the 09-10 Season thus far.

The House of the Spirits


Alexander Garza and Eva De La Cruz


Chelsea McCrudy and Alexander Garza


Rosarito Rodriguez and Seán Patrick Judge

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type


Alan Hall, Katie Harrison, Micah Stinson, Rebecca Cansler and Kathryn Noser


Kathryn Noser, Micah Stinson and Katie Harrison


Kathryn Noser, Katie Harrision and Rebecca Cansler

The Afternoon of the Elves


Alison Coriell, Sarah Beth Roberts, Katie Harrision and Kathryn Noser


Alison Coriell and Jared Carlin


Alison Coriell and Katie Harrison

The Last Night of Ballyhoo


Jamie Gieger and Bethany McCade


Rebecca Greene Udden, Liz Cascio and Matt Tramel


The Cast of The Last Night of Ballyhoo

THE LAST NIGHT OF BALLYHOO, still playing at our Rice Village location, has been extended through December 20th! We hope to see you for the rest of the season!

And that's the word on the street!

The MST Q&A: Liz Cascio

You might remember Liz Cascio as a member of the quick changing ensemble last season in The Light in the Piazza, or maybe she was your child's teacher recently for our KOS classes. Tonight Liz takes a bow as the Gone with the Wind obsessed Lala Levy in MST's revival of THE LAST NIGHT OF BALLYHOO! Get to know a little more about Liz as she answers MST's Q&A...

Full given name: Elizabeth Anne Cascio

Hometown: Orange, TX

Zodiac sign: Taurus

Audition Monologue/Song: "Rosa" from The Rose Tattoo by Tennessee Williams and "I Wish I Were In Love Again" from Babes in Arms

Special skills: Classically trained soprano who can turn any hip-hop song into an operatic aria

First Houston show ever saw: Les Miserables at Jones Hall when I was in the Second Grade

Current show you have been recommending to friends: The Last Night of Ballyhoo at Main Street Theater, of course.

Favorite show tune: "Being Alive" from Company

MAC or PC? PC

Most played song on your iPod: "Life is Wonderful" by Jason Mraz

Last book you read: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Must-see TV show: The Tudors

Last good movie you saw: District Nine

Favorite board game: Celebrity

Performer you would drop everything to go see: Audra McDonald

Pop culture guilty pleasure: I love to watch old '90s reruns, like Full House and Saved by the Bell. My boyfriend hates it.

First stage kiss: 6th Grade, Brent Kyle in Sagebrush, essentially a knock-off of Oklahoma. He played Willie White and I played Sarah Allgood. It was quality.

Favorite post-show meal: Anything deep fried and a beer. I'm a Southern girl, after all.

Worst onstage mishap: Falling down a flight of stairs center stage at the very beginning of a morning matinee of Seussical. The kids kept laughing about it for like five minutes.

Worst costume ever: A turquoise blue unitard and a swim cap with giant sequins hanging from it. Seussical, again.

Favorite cereal: Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Who would play you in the movie? Parker Posey

Worst job you ever had: Retail during Christmas season. I was actually thankful that I got mono, so that I could quit.

Liz and the rest of the hysterical ensemble cast have delighted one sold out performance after another, and that was only previews! This weekend is already sold out, so don't delay in getting your tickets for this holiday charmer. THE LAST NIGHT OF BALLYHOO, originally set to close December 12th, has been extended through December 20th to meet demand. Playing at our Rice Village location. For tickets, please call 713-524-6706.

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Stuart Little Hits the Road

MST's touring production of STUART LITTLE presented its first performance today in Huntsville! Here is a little peek as to how Set Designer Jeff Lane, Scenic Artist Meghan Hakes, and Costume Designer Macy Perrone will transform the school stage into Stuart's world.

STUART LITTLE will be touring throughout Texas this fall and spring. For more information about how to bring this charming production to your school or community center, contact Lauren Smith at 713-524-9196 x105, or visit the web site and complete a request form online.

And if you can't bring us to you, the touring production will have a special presentation in the summer of 2010 at our Chelsea Market location. Look out for information on that this spring!

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A Picnic with Click, Clack, Moo!

This past Saturday we had a FUN-tastic day with Chick-Fil-A. Farmer Brown’s barnyard had a special visit from the Chick-Fil-A cows after the 4:00pm show on October 3rd. After the show, the cast, cows and audience enjoyed a free Chick-Fil-A meal in the lovely Chelsea Market courtyard. And all BEFORE it started to rain!

The Baby Cow with two MST fans!


The fantastic crew from Chick-Fil-A.


Is that the CFA Cow trying to "horn in" on someone's lunch?


The Chelsea Market courtyard is the perfect place
for a sold out house to have a picnic!


The Cows of Chick-Fil-A and the Cast of Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type!

CLICK, CLACK, MOO: COWS THAT TYPE plays our Chelsea Market location through October 10, 2009.

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Could Ps and Qs be more timely?

In the wake of PS AND QS: THE ABCS OF MANNERS winning Best Original Theater Show from the Houston Press, comes this little gem of an article from the New York Post.

Apparently, even New York audiences still need a lesson in how to turn their cell phone off when entering a Broadway theater. Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig stop the show to allow an audience member the opportunity to answer the phone.

Click here to read the New York Post article and see video!

Where is Mike Hardline when you need him!

BTW - Daniel Craig was in the original cast of A NUMBER when it premiered in London in 2002!

A NUMBER / MACHINAL plays our Rice Village location February 18 - March 14, 2010. Tickets go on sale October 31st.

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Announcing the Cast of Romeo and Juliet

Mark McCarver - Romeo/Sampson
Lauren Dalk - Juliet/Gregory
Norelia Reed - Lady Capulet/Tybalt/Watch 1
Jonathan Gonzalez - Nurse/Friar Laurence/ Abraham
Steven Laing - Capulet/Friar John/Benvolio/Balthasar
Alexander Garza - Escalus/Mercutio/Paris/Watch 2

ROME AND JULIET will be available to tour to your school from March 1 - April 30, 2010. Call 713-524-9196 x105 and talk to Lauren Smith for more information.

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6 Degrees of Clark Gable

Here is an interesting article about "The Clark Gable House" from the Houston Press. Gable lived in Houston doing theater for a year in the 1920s. When he left Houston, it was to appear in the New York production a MACHINAL by Sophie Treadwell.

This spring MST is producing MACHINAL (coupled with Caryl Churchill's A NUMBER)!

I just thought that was an odd little set of connections.

A NUMBER / MACHINAL plays our Rice Village location February 18 - March 14, 2010. Tickets go on sale October 31st.

And that's the word on the street!

Read More About It: The Life and Times of Isabel Allende

Director of Education Troy Scheid has put together a list of great reading to enhance and broaden your experience of our current production, THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS. Check it out! If you see anything you like, click on the Amazon.com links below and help support MST with your purchase.

The House of the Spirits (or en espanol): Begun in 1981 as an imaginary letter to Isabel Allende’s dying grandfather, this is the epic that inspired Caridad Svich’s stage adaptation. At the time, Allende was living in Venezuela, where she had fled the reach of Pinochet’s government. Through the fortunes of four generations of the fictional Trueba and del Valle families, Allende traces the history of Chile through the violent events of 1973, when her relative, Salvador Allende, Chile’s president, was overthrown by a military coup led by Augusto Pinochet. The book contains elements of magical realism, such as the hereditary clairvoyance of the book’s female characters, the algae-green hair of Rosa the Beautiful, and the mysterious devotion of the dog Barrabas. However, several characters in the novel have real-world counterparts: the character called “The Candidate” and “The President” is said to represent Salvador Allende; “The Poet” represents Chilean Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda, and Pedro Tercero Garcia is said to represent folk/protest singer Victor Jara.

Pablo Neruda: Selected Poems (Edición bilingüe): Gabriel García Márquez called Neruda, the great Chilean poet and 1971 Nobel Prize laureate in literature, “the greatest poet of the twentieth century in any language.” When Isabel Allende was working as a journalist in Chile, she sought an interview with Neruda. He declined the interview and told her she should consider being a novelist rather than a journalist. Neruda’s poems encompass a range of subjects including love and sensuality, history, and politics. Not quite two weeks after Pinochet seized power, Neruda died of heart failure (he had been hospitalized for cancer). Though the military dictatorship tried to prevent Neruda’s funeral from spurring unrest, thousands of Chileans attended in defiance of curfew and in protest of the new regime. This book is a bilingual edition.

La Población: Throughout Latin America, Víctor Jara is regarded as a symbol for the struggle for human rights because of his political activism, prominently expressed in his songs with themes of love, peace, and equality. La Población is his 1972 album chronicling the struggles of Chile’s poorest residents living on the outskirts of Santiago de Chile. As a prominent figure of protest against the Pinochet government, he was arrested, tortured and executed days after the coup by members of the military dictatorship.

The Sum of Our Days: A Memoir (P.S.) & My Invented Country: A Memoir: While parts of The House of the Spirits may be understood as paralleling the experiences of Isabel Allende and her family, in these two memoirs she explores the life of her family and circle of friends (her tribe) more literally and closely. In The Sum of Our Days, written as a letter to her daughter Paula, who has just died, Allende traces her journey from grief at her loss to being able to work again, celebrate life, and experience contentment. My Invented Country subjectively explores the Chile that Allende experienced, including growing up in Santiago, historical events she lived through, and social and cultural aspects of the country. Playwright Caridad Svich recommends these books for exploring the world of The House of the Spirits (both the play and the novel).

Battling for Hearts and Minds: Memory Struggles in Pinochet’s Chile, 1973–1988
(Latin America Otherwise): Just as September 11, 2001, is a defining moment in American history, remembered by all those who were old enough to understand what was happening, so was September 11, 1973, a defining moment in Chilean history. It was the day Salvador Allende (Chile’s president, leader of the Socialist Popular Unity coalition, and a relative [tío] of Isabel Allende) was forced to resign by the advancing forces of Augusto Pinochet. This was followed by purges of leftists and anyone suspected of socialist sympathies. While Pinochet succeeded in ruling the country from 1973 to 1988, a complex struggle continued for control of how the coup would be viewed. In looking back on this moment, how did people on each side of the conflict define it? Through interviews, archives, Truth Commission documents, radio addresses, and written and oral histories, Stern explores the struggles over resolving individual “loose” memories and experiences with the collective mythologizing of Allende’s ouster and Pinochet’s rule. Playwright Caridad Svich recommends this book for exploring the world of The House of the Spirits (both the play and the novel).

The History of Chile (Palgrave Essential Histories): The History of Chile provides a broad overview of one of the world’s oldest democracies. Characterizing Chile as “a country of historians and poets,” and taking advantage of Chileans’ interest in self-reflection, history and record-keeping, Rector combines historical narrative with an introduction to political, social and cultural forces in the country. Playwright Caridad Svich recommends this book for exploring the world of The House of the Spirits (both the play and the novel).

Pinochet in Piccadilly: Britain and Chile's Hidden History: In 1998, ten years after his rule as dictator of Chile ended, Augusto Pinochet was arrested in London (where he had traveled for medical care) and charged with crimes against humanity. His ensuing 16-month detention led to questions about relations between Pinochet’s government, Margaret Thatcher’s Britain, and Tony Blair, who authorized the arrest. Playwright Caridad Svich recommends this book for exploring the world of The House of the Spirits (both the play and the novel).

Le Ton Beau De Marot: In Praise Of The Music Of Language: The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Gödel, Escher, Bach challenges several friends to translate a short poem from French to English, and the resulting widely varying attempts lead him to meditate on the puzzles and challenges of translation, whether from one language to another or from “the page to the stage.” Main Street Theater’s production of Caridad Svich’s play is the result of several layers of translation: from book to play, from Spanish to English, and from script to performance.

Translation will be the topic of our talkback with Ms. Svich on Sept. 20, 2009.

THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS plays our Rice Village location through October 11, 2009. For tickets, please call 713-524-6706.

And that's the word on the street!

The MST Q&A: Eva De La Cruz

Eva De La Cruz appears as Clara in THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS, making its English language premiere at our Rice Village location. Get to know a little more about Eva as she answers MST's Q&A...


Full given name: Eva Cristina De La Cruz

Hometown: born in Guayama, Puerto Rico!

Zodiac sign: Libra

Audition Monologue/Song: Lolana Aerobics from “Latins Anonymous”

Special skills: I play the flute, and speak Spanish fluently

First Houston show ever saw: “Dinner with Friends” at the Alley Theatre

Current show you have been recommending to friends: “In the Heights”

Favorite show tune: “For Good” from Wicked

MAC or PC? MAC, but I still have a PC at home (I know, I’m a traitor!)

Most played song on your iPod: “On My Way” from Violet

Last book you read: “House of Spirits” to prep for the show

Must-see TV show: The Office

Last good movie you saw: Pixar’s “Up”

Favorite board game: Taboo

Performer you would drop everything to go see: Bernadette Peters

Pop culture guilty pleasure: Spongebob Squarepants

First stage kiss: When I was in 9th grade, I performed in a new musical called “Relatively Speaking”, and was staged to kiss my boyfriend at the time. Needless to say, we had broken up by the time we opened but had to kiss anyway – awkward!

Favorite post-show meal: La Tapatia

Worst costume ever: I played Nell in “Endgame”, and was dressed in this horrible ratty nightgown and bonnet, made up with white and purple makeup to where I looked like a zombie, and shoved into a trashcan. Need I mention that Nell dies partway during the show and there was no way for me to get out of the trashcan until the end of the show??

Favorite cereal: Honey Bunches of Oats

Who would play you in the movie? Tia or Tamera Mowry (from “Sister, Sister”)

Worst job you ever had: waitressing at Bennigan’s (summer before I started college)

TV or commercial gig you most enjoyed: I had a lot of fun playing a bride in a friend’s commercial project for school – we mimicked the VW Jetta commercial (“Big Day”) where the bride’s true love shows up at the last minute.

THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS plays our Rice Village location through October 11, 2009. For tickets, please call 713-524-6706.

And that's the word on the street!

And the Tyrannical Farmer!

Okay, maybe Farmer Brown just doesn't know what to make of the mysterious notes that appear on his door, but Liz Freese's rendering certainly shows a no nonsense agrarian!

Farmer Brown

CLICK, CLACK, MOO: COWS THAT TYPE plays our Chelsea Market location from September 26 to October 10, 2009. For tickets, please call 713-524-6706.

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Take a Peek at Click Clack Moo!

Rehearsal's start next week for CLICK, CLACK, MOO: COWS THAT TYPE, our Theater for Youth Season opener. In order to give the director and the cast an idea of what the costumes will be like for everyone playing a farm animal, Costume Designer Liz Freese provided the following scketches.

Get a sneak peek at how Liz will be transforming the actors into the rebellious farm animals demanding a warm night's sleep!

The Hen


The Duck


The First Cow


The Second Cow

CLICK, CLACK, MOO: COWS THAT TYPE plays our Chelsea Market location from September 26 to October 10, 2009. For tickets, please call 713-524-6706.

And that's the word on the street!