Good Times

As I said this blog is about things I really enjoy doing. If there were one thing I would choose to do for the rest of my life, it would be to act, sing, perform, or just be on a stage. I do not care if it is making millions of dollars in front of tens of thousands of people or on a small, intimate stage in front of 10 people. From September 2006-September 2007, I was in 6 community theatre productions. I played everything from a walk-on cameo, to scene stealing supporting actor, to lead actor. I also was the backstage manager for Grease which was very rewarding because it gave me the opportunity to work behind the scenes for the first time and still be on stage in a limited role. However, my greatest accomplishment thus far on stage was bringing to life the character Morat Notboratnichkov in the musical Idol Night at the Karaoke Place. Morat was initially a clone of “Borat”. However, I feel that he grew apart from that stereotype. Sure, I have heard of Borat but I still have never seen any of his shows nor the movie. I do not know how to explain but I think I took a bit of Yul Brynner from The King and I, added a dash of Ricky Ricardo, and something of myself and came up with something unique. Of course, the writer responsible for the show was there on stage and off to guide the entire cast.The fun and excitement was not limited to the stage. On May 11, Chris and I were interviewed on Toledo 24 News in order to promote the show. The lady doing the interview was totally caught off guard. The weatherman could be heard in the background laughing. I think I even amazed myself because this was at 6:45AM. Never before have I ever been involved in a show which brought with it so many memories. EVERYONE WINS!!!

Jamy Shaffer