First Look: Casey, the Barista, is a Free-Market Capitalist

The full cast (Seward, Bjelland, Braun, Mastel, and Peltz) in rehearsals for TUG!'s most highly-caffeinated vignette, "Casey, the Barista, is a Free-Market Capitalist".

The early morning coffee rush is the least of Casey's concerns, especially amid a daunting economic climate and the emotional backlash of a failed romance.  Desperate just to break even, Casey begins applying the unyielding rationalism of free-market economics to all aspects of her personal life with a mechanical, Darwinian fervor.  Can this emotional budget find balance?  Can this debt be resolved?

"In a balanced economy, there must be at least as much loss as gain."

Backstage Break

Started working with costumes today.

Jacob Marley's all dressed up with no place to go!

First Look: Marley's Lament

Ethan Bjelland, Erich Peltz, and Shannon Mastel rehearse "Marley's Lament".

After Jacob Marley's cell phone clamors from backstage during a small town theatre's production of A Christmas Carol, a seemingly dull post-show party becomes an existential appraisal of the gadgets that bind us and the tones, tweets, and texts that haunt our daily lives.

First Look: August & Adelaide

Erich Peltz & Kimberly Braun in rehearsals for "August & Adelaide", the first of TUG's four vignettes.

In this scene, former hometown sweethearts Gus and Addie anxiously reconnect to discover that distance has delivered surprising revelations in their lives apart.  How do their new adult lives match up to their teenage expectations?

"Was that some kind of miserable fluke?  Or, was it meant to happen that way?"

Wish you could hear what I'm hearing...

We're heading into our second week of rehearsals and Neil Powell's compositions are coming alive.

This cast is cool.

On-the-Job Training

Tomorrow, we block the behemoth Barista scene.

So, today, our cast and crew took a field trip to Cafe Wren in Luck, Wisconsin and received a crash course in espresso basics led by Stephanie Lundeen!

HUGE THANKS to Stephanie and Cafe Wren!

Aaaaannnd...we're off!

Director Cory Johnson arrived in St. Croix Falls on Friday.

Our cast sat down for their first read-through on Saturday morning.

And tomorrow...blocking rehearsals begin!

Stay tuned -- exciting days ahead!

Pop Quiz

Just go ahead and take this quiz.

There's no reason not to.

"How Millennial Are You?"

http://www.pewresearch.org/quiz/how-millennial-are-you/

Making midnight music in the moonlight...

Composer Neil Powell and Lead Musician Stephanie Seward are hard at work tickling those ivories, in preparation for the start of blocking rehearsals next week.  Neil's original music will be performed live by the cast in this summer's production.