The MST Q&A: Haley Dyes

Haley Dyes appears as Clara Johnson in THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, playing at our Chelsea Market location. Get to know a little more about Haley as she answers MST's Q&A...



Full given name: Haley Jane Dyes

Hometown: Houston, TX

Zodiac sign: Virgo

Audition Monologue/Song: um. . . .Three Tall Women by Edward Albee, and My White Knight from Music Man

Special skills: howling with my dog, Ernie. shamelessly, I might add.

First Houston show ever saw: whew, that's a tough one . . . can't recall. probably Christmas Carol at the Alley

Current show you have been recommending to friends: Light in the Piazza :)

Favorite show tune: humph, i don't really have one??

MAC or PC? MAC, baby!

Most played song on your iPod: probably Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap

Last book you read: Working on "Three Cups of Tea," "The Shack" before that

Must-see TV show: House!

Last good movie you saw: Australia (x2 actually)

Favorite board game: Scattegories, if I am playing with Laura Kaldis!

Performer you would drop everything to go see: Eddie Izzard, Billy Joel, Bette Middler

Pop culture guilty pleasure: Trash Magazines

First stage kiss: 4th grade, I played Eve in one of the shows put on by my Baptist school

Favorite post-show meal: cheese and wine!

Worst onstage mishap: ya know, i have no clue

Worst costume ever: I played a CareBear once. . .that was pretty terrifying

Favorite cereal: oooooooooooo, cocoa pebbles, but I never eat them.

Who would play you in the movie? Anne Hathaway! I like her. . .she would have to go blonde!

Worst job you ever had: flight attending or waiting tables. . .same thing

TV or commercial gig you most enjoyed: NOT Clash of the Choirs!!

THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA plays our Chelsea Market location through January25, 2009. For tickets, please call 713-524-6706.

And that's the word on the street!

If You Fall In Love With Italy

We recognize that after you see THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, you might desire to learn more about Italy, its beautiful countryside and its people. Here are just a few suggestions from the staff at MST.

The Light in the Piazza and Other Italian Tales (Banner Books)
Elizabeth Spencer’s original short story, on which the musical was based. (SPOILER ALERT! This Amazon listing gives away crucial plot details!)

The Silver Spoon
If this production makes you hungry, consider the Italian “Joy of Cooking” classic from 1950.

Italy in Mind: An Anthology
or
Desiring Italy: Women Writers Celebrate the Passions of a Country and Culture
Two anthologies of the writings of famous tourists to Italy throughout the ages—the second one contains only women writers.

The Stones of Florence

The Agony and the Ecstasy:
A Biographical Novel of Michelangelo
Set designer Liz Freeman Freese recommends this “biographical novel” of Michelangelo, set in Florence and Rome.

Rome (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE)

Florence and Tuscany (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

Under the Tuscan Sun (Widescreen Edition)
If you haven't seen enough of Italy, this movie is a postcard for the beautiful country side, and a pretty great film!

THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, plays our Chelsea Market location through January25, 2009. For tickets, please call 713-524-6706.

And that's the word on the street!

How Do You Make a Hat Fly?

If you know THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, you know that they young lovers are brought together by a chance wind gust and an errant hat. So it was MST's challenge to create this moment in a theater without 40' ceilings and a rail system.

Technical director Mark Roberts was set to the task making this effect work. First attempt weren't the most successful.

Stage Manager Eva De La Cruz gives the hat trick a try during rehearsals for Main Street Theater's THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA.



Costumer Macy Perrone gives the hat trick a try herself.



So it was back to the drawing board to improve the effect for consistency. This is what it looks like now as Technical Director Mark Roberts presents the cast with a new and improved hat trick during technical rehearsals.





And that's the word on the street!

The Best of 2008!

Main Street Theater had three of the Chronicle's Top 10 Best Shows of 2008! (Really it was 12 since The Ensemble and Catastrophic got 2 for 1 punches)

Caroline, or Change, Present Laughter and ... L.A. Is Burning all got honored. The great thing about this list is that it really shows the gamut of what MST does.

First you have what I think most people know us for, the classic, period piece that can charm or move just about any soul with effortless style. Noël Coward's Present Laughter might just be the epitome of that genre.

Then you have Caroline, or Change. I like to call this is a "new classic". A contemporary piece with a period setting (1963), the musical transports you to another time while showing us sides of the human experience that are very now.

Finally, there is ... and L.A. Is Burning. This was a world premiere! New, modern and delving deep into what makes people tick and Houston audiences (not New York or Chicago) got to see it first!

It is truly wonderful that we are so honored this year, but even more so that our range is recognized. Main Street Theater's mission has always been "to create theater that challenges its audience to think and its [professional] artists to grow ... by presenting an articulate and compelling product in an intimate setting ... creating memorable theatrical experiences for [its] audiences."

We know you want to laugh and forget the woes of today's world and we take great fun and pleasure in providing that escape throughout the year. But we also want to make you think and move your heart. Theater takes you places you don't go in your everyday life in ways that only the words of a playwright spoken by a live actor can take you.

Another really exciting thing about the article is that 7 producing companies got mentioned. 4 of the companies produce outside of the Downtown Theatre District. Houston really does have a thriving and varied theater community.

Happy New Year and go see a play!

And that's the word on the street!