Well, we're taking you back a number of decades.

I'm here at Premiere Arts, and I love being on this stage.

I'm not performing this time, but I have some friends that are performing Guys and Dolls.

This is a classic performance.

You guys haven't done it here yet before at Premiere Arts, right?

This is the first time that they've ever done it.

And it's kind of crazy because it's such a classic.

It is such a classic.

It is.

And, you know, tell me a little bit about your role itself.

Your name is Doug and what is your actual character name?

So I'm playing Nathan Detroit and he is just kind of a hustler gambler fellow.

Never quite make it to the big time, but kind of a lovable goof, I guess.

Has a doll, Adelaide, that he's been engaged to for years.

Time 14 years.

This is like real life.

So there's a little bit of a dynamic between you to where you are feeling a little bit more, maybe anxious to get to the altar.

She is very anxious.

She's developed almost a psychosomatic cold because of it.

She really, really wants to get married and he just keeps kind of stringing her along.

And so the show was kind of like about sort of she's her wits and she's finally putting her foot down a little bit.

Interesting, interesting.

And I know there's gambling.

Every time I see guys and dolls, there's always dice involved somehow, right?

Yeah.

He's.

So Nathan runs a crap game that moves locations because there's this cop chasing them around, though.

He's trying to get it shut down.

And yeah, so a lot of dice, a lot of know.

How many people do you guys have in this cast?

I want to say 3030.

Yeah, yeah.

What's it been like so far?

I know you have been a pro and you've actually been doing Premiere Arts for a while to.

Right?

Yeah, I've done a few shows over the last three years.

Super duper fun.

Great.

Great cast.

I've never had a complaint about a cast I've participated in here.

But this this cast is awesome.

I love super, super fun, I love it.

So this is your second time being at Premiere Arts?

Last year?

Was it last year?

Two years ago.

Last year?

Oh my God.

Just last year we were doing Little Mermaid together, which was so fun.

What's your experience been like now that you have a little bit more of your education behind you too?

Because I know that's what you're working on.

Yes.

I'm so happy to be back.

I had such a great time last summer, and I was just so happy that I was able to come back and do this show.

I've had a great experience.

The cast is fantastic, everyone is so strong and it is really nice to come back after doing a year at school and bring some of those new skills and do a comedic role for the first time, so I'm having a great time.

Okay, so would you say overall Guys and Dolls, is it more a comedic presentation or is there a more drama involved?

What would you say?

It's high drama, but the drama is very comedic, so it's overdone.

Our characters specifically, I think are the really like they're high drama and it's very melodramatic.

So how do you bring your real life into portraying the character in that regard?

Well, I you over the top at home to my kids would say yes, absolutely no.

I think, you know, he's relatable and just wanting more.

But also, you know, having this person that he loves and you know, I can relate to that.

And I actually married my wife rather than stringing her life for 14 years.

But you know, but yeah, trying to maintain a stable and happy relationship and chasing dreams at the same time.

I mean, I think anybody can relate to that.

I love it, I love it, and it's a musical.

Of course.

Yes.

Is there any tap dancing involved or.

I feel like there's got to be some kind of show sequence.

There's no tap dancing, but there are quite a few dance numbers.

I have a few with my Hot Box girls.

We do a couple of dance numbers, so yes, we are at the hot.

We're at the hot.

Here we are.

Adelaide dances at the Hot Box, and she's been doing it for a very long time.

And she wants to settle down.

She wants to get a house in the country, but she has to get married first.

But her and her girls, they have a couple little dance numbers.

One of them is, you know, we're out on the farm.

We're little farmers, so it's really cute.

It's very campy, but there are quite a few little dance numbers in the show.

So what's maybe one of your favorite moments or most memorable moments of rehearsals thus far?

Because, you know, you guys just have like a day.

You guys open this weekend, right?

Yeah, that's a good question.

I think the biggest compliment I can pay Sophie is that when we started rehearsing this, she mentioned this just now that this is the first comedy that you've ever done, and we spend our entire time on stage arguing with each other.

And I have the hardest time keeping a straight face because it's just so funny and over the top.

And yeah, just I think it will translate well.

I think the audience will really get a kick out of it and yeah, yeah.

What about you?

Similarly, I really do love those scenes where the two of them are just going at each other.

It's so funny.

And even though it's an older play, it's still like very.

The comedy is very well written.

I think it translates really well.

I really, I enjoy Sue me.

I think, I think that that's my favorite one to rehearse when I get it right.

It's very fast.

Like we're having this argument.

I know.

Exactly.

Audience.

It'll be perfect.

Yeah, but I think that's my favorite so far.

That's a really fun song.

And this is a fantastic theater.

I mean, here at The Learner, there's so many different people that come to the audience, and we love that you guys come out and support the arts to talk to us about what you think, that what do you want people to go home with what they take from the show?

I mean, I, I would say that anytime you come out to a venue like this, first of all, I've, I've told everybody here this before, I didn't think I would ever act again.

And then I came and saw premiere to a show here a few years ago, and it was like, that's community theater.

Unbelievable.

I thought it was some regional production.

So you can come out to see local talent, put on a great show and just have a night off, have a couple hours where you just laugh and enjoy and and go home happy.

I love that, I love that and you guys, there's always such great performances that we do here.

The stage is phenomenal.

The experience that you guys have within the cast members to, and I always want to encourage people.

If you haven't gotten involved with theater yet, do it.

It gives you confidence in so many different ways that you never knew possible.

Or maybe you did it back when you were little, and now it's time to get back up on the stage because you have a little bit more time on your hands, right?

Yeah.

Okay.

Very cool.

So now you guys are opening this weekend, right?

So Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

But there's also a kid's performance too because I love the Premier Arts does that.

You guys have both an adult program but also often have the same play or musical for the kids too.

So they kind of get their own opportunity to be a part of the of the performance.

Let's talk about that.

What are the kids doing?

I mean, have you gotten to see them?

Yeah, I was volunteering in the dressing room yesterday with them and they are so cute.

They're so excited.

And it's also it's really special, I think when you have, like, kind of a little mini counterpart in the show, like playing your role.

And that's really sweet.

And they're also great.

They're very talented.

And it's it's just really, I think a nice experience for them to be able to have their own production, then go see the main stage production, and it's such a great program I really like.

It was so nice last year.

It's going to be so great this year, so it's a great kind of mentorship within that too, right?

Where the kids are learning and I know.

Did you do theater when you were younger too?

Yes.

Did you do it as well when you were younger?

I did some in high school.

In high school.

Okay.

And so, you know, just looping that back to and how that impacts you as you grow into adulthood.

Let's talk about that.

I mean, how has that impacted you over the years and how you are as a professional or as a human?

I think I think you alluded to it earlier.

I think putting yourself out there and stepping onto a stage and taking that bold step like it instills confidence and instills the ability to speak in public.

It instills the ability to have conversations with people that you maybe wouldn't have before.

I mean, yeah, it opens a lot of doors and just kind of loosens you up a little bit in your life.

I love it.

Speaking of loosen up, I love these costumes.

These are the costume folks here.

They do a phenomenal job.

They really.

Brittany.

Yes.

Britney is amazing.

Thank you.

Do you guys have multiple costume changes within the show too?

Yes I don't.

You don't hear one trick pony right here.

Yeah, I love it I love it.

So I'm sure everybody can see a lot of different things happening up on the stage.

When are the performances happening?

This week.

And how do people get their tickets?

Yes, we have a performance Friday at 730, Saturday at 730 and then Sunday at two.

And I believe the kids show is Saturday at two as well.

So we have quite a few shows and people can get their tickets at the box office.

They can call it in.

The learner I think is the other is the online avenue.

Okay.

Learner it is.

All right.

Perfect.

Well I'm excited to see you guys, guys and dolls.

We're going back to the 40s and 50s here, so we'll see you there.