Featured in THE MISSOULIAN (as Charlie Brown, No Less)

Suddenly I'm an actor again.  It hasn't happened in years, really -- a short stint playing in Motherhood Out Loud, a series of plays about our maternal-inclined friends, and only because my dear friend Rose asked me to -- and suddenly I'm inundated with performance opportunities!  Today my stint as Wallaby Wickersham in Seussical the Musical ends, while my role as Charlie Brown in A Charlie Brown Christmas continues!  To that end, I was featured in The Missoulian, the local paper, last week:  the full article and a link will now follow.  Please enjoy.  (Andy Meyers is amazing.)

THEATER

MCT, Fort Peck team up for 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' benefit show

LAURA SCHEER laura.scheer@missoulian.com

• Dec 20, 2019

 

 

Some of Missoula’s favorite performers are transforming into the beloved Peanuts Gang and bringing the magic of the holidays to local kids as they put on a special presentation of “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

Missoula Children’s Theatre is partnering with the Fort Peck Summer Theatre for a series of sold-out benefit shows to raise money for youth programs Dec. 21 and 23 at MCT.

The cast includes familiar faces from both MCT and the Fort Peck Summer Theatre. The iconic characters are brought to life by Haley Alexa Court as Lucy, Andy Nelson as Linus, Bridget Smith as Sally, Jay Michael Robert as Schroeder, Sydney Hayward as Frieda, Megan Wiltshire as Snoopy and Laramie Dean as Charlie Brown.

Andy Meyers doubles as both director and Pigpen, Charlie’s hygiene-lacking friend.

“Pigpen has the most time off stage, so that makes it easier to direct and choreograph,” he said, adding that his costume features clouds of dust and details of dirt.

He said the hardest role is Snoopy because you’re playing a dog who has to speak through expressions and emotions rather than words. Meyers said Wiltshire, who is the director at On Center Performing Arts in Missoula, is perfect for the part.

“She just sort of has an open book to do some acrobatics, she’s roller skating at one point,” he said. “Megan is so much fun and she just goes for it.”

The show is in the genre of “Theatre for Young Audiences,” in which adults perform for kids, Meyers said.

“‘Theatre for Young Audiences’ is about engaging young audiences and getting them excited about the arts,” he said. “We’re doing a piece like Charlie Brown that actually has quite a strong message in it as opposed to just being entertainment.”

The cartoon classic adapted for stage follows Charlie Brown as he tries to find the true meaning of Christmas. He eventually takes on the role of director of his school’s Christmas pageant, a challenge from Lucy, and attempts to restore the holiday spirit.

Despite Charlie Brown’s mopey disposition, he’s quite motivated and determined.

“Charlie Brown is actually very helpful,” said Dean, director of theater at Hellgate High School. “He’s trying very hard to find what Christmas really means, and even though his friends are really mean to him and his dog is mean to him and everyone’s mean to him, he keeps going and going and going.”

Dean said he hadn’t performed in a show for years until taking on the role of Charlie Brown. He’s also a cast member in MCT’s "Seussical," running through Dec. 22. As a theater teacher, he said it’s important to dive back into actually doing your craft.

“It’s good experience to practice the art that you are teaching,” he said, adding that several of his students are coming to see him in the show.

The adult performers are playing a group of kids, something Meyers said can be tricky because you don’t want to just be characters.

“We have to play these kids with such honesty so they’re relatable and so their struggles and intentions are relatable to kids.”

Proceeds from the sold-out shows go to youth programming at Fort Peck Summer Theatre and MCT, which both Dean and Meyers said is a win-win for the audience and organizations.

“It feels nice to know that not only are we getting to do the show, but it will have an immediate benefit,” Meyers said. “Even these little ripples will fund a whole children’s program for us in the spring.”

Dean agreed, adding that people are starting to recognize the importance of theater and the arts, especially for kids.

“We spend a lot of time talking about the validity of the arts, and it’s really such a human thing,” Dean said. “There’s so much live theater in Missoula, and we’re really fortunate to have that and to be able to show kids early on.”

From The Missoulian.

Dracula in Denver!

... performed at George Washington High School in Denver.  Directed by Scott Hasbrouck.  Fall 2019.

Get a copy for yourself or purchase the rights for a performance by clicking here. 

DRACULA ... coming soon!

I'm ridiculously excited about the BBC's new adaptation of Dracula from Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, the creators of Sherlock.  Claes Bang as the legendary Count looks fantastic; according to Netflix, although there's no official release date yet, it will probably air during the holidays.  There will be three episodes, and each will be roughly ninety minutes.

Also ... it looks delightfully queer, which thrills me to death, obviously.

You can check out my adaptation of Dracula by clicking here. 

Frankenstein Among the Dead

Lee Adler as the Monster menaces Nathan Dudden as Victor Frankenstein in Frankenstein Among the Dead, my first published play from Theatrefolk.

Click here to access copies of the scripts or the rights to perform!

Coming Soon ... My New Short Story "The Pink House"

Coming Soon ... Geek Out II!

 From Qommunicate Publishing ... Geek Out II, containing my new short story "The Pink House."  Ever heard of a spite house?   Danny and his husband Kyle are going to find out when they spend the weekend in the so-called Pink House, built on a salt marsh on an island off the coast by a man who sought to torture his ex-wife ... and traces of that spiteful act still remain ...

LGBTQ+ stories, poems and essays on star-crossed lovers, femmes fatale, AI and superhero love affairs, RuPaul’s Drag Race, alien abduction films, queer Muslims, trans forebears, dead Hollywood heartthrobs, haunted houses, enchanted closets and more! All with some beautiful, thought-provoking, full color visual art and b&w graphic art too!
Geek Out! II: Queer Pop Lit, Art & Ideas presents original work by the following writers and artists:

• GENRE FICTION (science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, horror, romance) by Carole Ackelson, Alexis Ames, Melanie Bell, Cathy Bryant, Laramie Dean, Charlie Godwyne, Jude-Marie Green, Novae Caelum, Anne E. Johnson, Jess Simms, Louise Tondeur, Alice Pow and Raymond Luczak.
• CREATIVE NONFICTION (essays & articles) by Andres Caravantes, Lorna Phillips and Emad Aysha.
• EXPERIMENTAL POETRY by Mackenzie Bush, Clinton Inman, Ian Duncan, Violet Mitchell and Sean Patrick Mulroy.
• VISUAL ART by Kelsey Ford, Todd Swindell, Huda Tariq and Aiden Kvarnström.

Geek Out! II: Queer Pop Lit, Art & Ideas is edited and introduced by Sage Kalmus, MFA faculty and cofounder of Qommunity Media LLC, parent of Qommunicate Publishing.

Geek Out! II: Queer Pop Lit, Art & Ideas is the 2nd edition in an annual series of work discovered through an open call for submissions.

Pre-order your copy by clicking here.

Laramie Dean's Dracula

"The children of the night ... what music they make ..."

Get your copy (or the rights to perform!) my adaptation of Bram Stoker's vampire classic, available from Theatrefolk.

Click here for details.

Gorgon Sisters Interview

My interview from last spring with the gracious Lindsay Price from Theatrefolk about my play The Gorgon Sisters.  (Man, what is up with my hair?!?)

Click here to purchase a copy for yourself.

Dracula Advertisement

Click here to order a copy for yourself!

Frankenstein Among the Dead Video Advertisement

Ah, Frankenstein Among the Dead ... my first published play (thank you Craig and Lindsay and all my friends at Theatrefolk!).  Please enjoy the advertisement they created.

And you can purchase your copy and the rights by clicking on the title ... Frankenstein Among the Dead. 

Welcome!

Welcome, everyone, to the inaugural post for my author blog, By Laramie Dean!  I'll use this page to post about my adventures in Artist Land, mostly about the writing I do, but occasionally performances, productions, travels, and, oh, what the heck, books and movies and television shows and things that interest me that may interest you.

Please like my page bylaramiedean@laramiedeanauthor on Facebook and follow me on Instagram!