Introducing the Fight Girl Cast

Like I promised, here's a little info about the cast of characters, the actors playing them, and, consequently, a little about the story of Fight Girl Battle World.  FYI, the play is in many ways an homage to sci-fi, action, and cult films and TV series, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Firefly, Blade Runner, and others, so it'll be a fun ride.  Now, presenting the cast of Fight Girl Battle World!

Rebecca Morris plays E-V, a street prize fighter who also happens to be the last human female in all the known galaxies.

Rebecca is a local actor, performing in plays and movies.  If you saw our production of Angels in America this fall, you'll remember her as Harper Pitt.  Badass that she is, Rebecca choreographed most of the fights in the show.

Jake Bowden is GENERAL DAN'H, leader of the insurgency against the United Galactic Alliance/Council (UGC), the intergalactic government.

Jake is a student at UNCA studying theatre.  In addition to his acting, Jake built many of the set pieces you'll see in the production.  Little known fact: He and Charlie went to the same high school, but in different centuries.

Lauren Kriel (that's me!) plays J'AN JAH, Dan'h's Ursalean, gender-bending pilot.

Lauren is graduate of Warren Wilson College, where she majored in theatre/English.  As a younger sibling, she's glad she finally gets to be on the winning side of fights (although choreographed).

Bobby Abrahamson is ADON-RA, the last human male in the known galaxies, notoriously known as a vengeful psychokilling space terrorist.

Bobby is a theatre student at UNCA and was recently an administrative intern for NC Stage.  Do you know any good jokes? You want to hear this guy's laugh -- it's infectious. 
 

Jason Williams is LC-4, a "robot robot" who was once a robot playwright and soon becomes E-V's right-hand tin can.

Jason does it all.  He not only plays two other roles besides LC-4, but he also designed the lights for this production.  Jason directs as well, and his next project is As You Like It with the Montford Park Players.

Jessica Lewis is MIKAH MONOCH, a torture-obsessed agent for the UGC.

Jessica is yet another lover of sci-fi.  She's a big "Dr. Who" fan and a "Firefly" fan, too.  (The list goes on, of course.)  She is studying literature at UNCA.   

Alison Young plays both ZIMLEK, E-V's bookie/coach on Battle World, and COMMANDER G'BRIL, the UGC's second in command to the president.

Alison is a graduate of Mars Hill College and is a performer of all kinds.  She sings, acts, and performs burlesque! Did you see the New Year's Eve eve performance by Bombs Away Cabaret here at NC Stage? If so, then you've seen her do her thing.

Travis Kelley is PRESIDENT YA-WI, commander in chief of the UGC, who initiated the Human Wars, an almost successful attempt to wipe out all human life.

Travis is a sci-fi movie devotee.  You might recognize him from local theatre productions around town, or perhaps you've seen him at the Asheville Pizza & Brewing Company, where he works.

Bradshaw Call plays both the ZOOKEEPER, a trained keeper of the most endangered species in the galaxy, as well as the ANCHOR, the glamorous newscaster spreading news to the farthest reaches of the UGC core planets.

Bradshaw is a man of many talents.  The spaceships? He built them.  The term 'space galactica?' He coined it.  Just wait til you hear all the excellent character voices he uses in the show...




We open this Thursday, January 19, so grab a friend or two, don a costume if you like, and get your qwarding blarkbutt down to the theatre to see this show.  We've got one hell of show for you.

"Setting" One Flea Spare

Our last post had to do with putting the fictional Snelgraves into historical and geographical reality with their would-be neighbor, Samuel Pepys. Today's post is in a similar vein in that it's about taking the description of the setting given by Ms. Wallace, the playwright, and bringing it to the physical reality of NC Stage's space.

Here's the description of the setting:
"A room that has been stripped of all its fine furnishings, except for a couple of simple, though fine, wooden chairs. One small window upstage. 
 
A cell or room of confinement.

The street below the window of the Snelgraves' house."

So how does that all come together and mesh with the ideas of the director and other designers? Well, there are a series of production meetings where discussions occur, ideas are thrown out and others replace them, decisions are made and eventually action must take place. In the slideshow below, you can see the evolution of the set design from model through construction through painting to completion (roughly). In some of the painting pictures, you can see the Scene Designer himself, James Johnson. You can also see how with the design of the set, we made the decision to bring in the seating of our side sections, as the playing space is a bit more confined than usual. (They're great seats, by the way...)

Enjoy the (slide)show! And, of course, feel free to share your thoughts and comments below.