WWC Theatre Alumni Blog

~Howdy all! So good to hear from everyone! Congrats Miles!! Calvin, Angel, Kelsey long time no hear!! It is nice to know y’all are still out there! I am doing well...the ship is rocking like crazy today, all the guest are sick, and we are having to switch shows around...but as they say around here - FUN, FUN, FUN!! Hopefully the seas will calm down a bit...we spend the day and sea tomorrow then we are in Belize! Well, just when Lorna thought that she couldn’t go to school any more Carnival decided that she needs to know how to drive lifeboats and stuff!! I have spent the last month and a half learning how to use all of the safety equipment we have onboard, how to drive the lifeboats and tender boats, and how to use the life rafts. It has been really cool to see how everything works and to understand the reasons behind a lot of the procedures, drills, and rules onboard. I feel so informed!! So, that is about all I have been up to. I am planning a trip to South Africa to visit a friend from the ships when my contract is up in June. Should be very exciting! I get to go on Safari! It will be neat to see the scene with someone who grew up there! Anyways, very good to see y’all blog...keep it up! Tootles!!
~Lorna~

Hey everybody!
It's good to hear from everybody! Calvin, it's been years since I heard anything from you! I'm glad to hear that things are going well for you. How did the Mission go in Honduras? I finally got my bachelor's degree this last December and graduated from University of Wyoming. It only took 7 1/2 years! Anyway, I am on my second week of a new job, I am the assistant manager of the visitor's center for the Cody Chamber of Commerce. The job is going well so far and I think that I'll like it! I am only working here temporarily though, since I am planning on going to graduate school in the fall of 2007. I haven't decided on where yet, but I have narrowed it down to three universities: University of Nebraska at Lincoln, University of Utah, and BYU. So I have to check the history programs at these schools out a bit better before I make my decision. Calvin, it would be great to talk to you! Either post your phone number and contact information or e-mail me or something! I can be reached by e-mail at schoppie.miles@gmail.com. Other than that, there is not really anything new going on with me. Talk to everybody later!
Miles Mathews.

Tee hee, Casey you are a funny guy...no really, a super funny guy. :)

Hello my wonderful friends. Tis I, Kelsey. It's lovely to see some new posts from our theatre past (Calvin, Angel, Ben). Calvin, everytime I think of you I see you in your bright yellow "Lucky" shirt, covered head to toe in dirt.

Currently I am writing you from Philadelphia. I'm visiting a friend out here. That's why I was able to make the trip out to NYC to see Casey and a few Broadway shows. Seeing Sweeney was kind of bittersweet. It was a beautiful piece...sometimes it hurts to see theatre that good. I always long to be up there with them. It was also pretty darn cool to see Chita Rivera shake it on stage.

I'm just about ready to start rehearsals for "The Good Shepherd" with Quest Theatre Ensemble. They are a very innovative group that deals with large-scale puppetry. So, looks like I'll be learning how to walk on stilts.

It's good to hear that everyone is doing well and sticking with the dream. Chicago is a fabulous place...you should come out and visit.

Love,

Kelsey

Hey everyone! Good to see so many posts. I just wanted to get on the blog and say hi because Kelsey is here. She's excited because she, a 27 year old actress, went and saw her first Broadway show. ("What a loser!" she says.) She also says that she'll get on here soon and blog. (She says that she will tomorrow or tonight--so you'll be lucky to hear from her in a few weeks! hehe) She got to see Sweeney Todd. Then yesterday, we went and saw Chita Rivera's biographical show--it was great. She's 73 years old and can really move. They recreated the choreography and scenes from Chicago and Westside Story.

It was fun to see her, except that it got really cold this weekend. Our weather has been crazy. Last week we got 26 inches of snow and it was nearly all gone by Friday because of 50 degree temperatures. Then it got bitter cold.

Casey

Hi all. Gamyr here. I know it's been several months since I blogged, so I guess I'm way overdue. I do have significant news to report that a few of you have already been informed of by telephone. Kirsten, Hannah, and I will soon be making a move back to Salt Lake City. We're planning on making the trek at the end of May. This may well come as quite a shock to those of you who didn't know already, and have heard me rave up and down about how much we love Austin (I'm actually still having a hard time believing it myself). It's true, we still love it, but there have been other things to consider of late. As you may be aware, my mother has been struggling with cancer off and on over the last 8 or 9 years. Her recurring tumors are popping up more frequently every time, and she has less and less time to recover between bouts of treament. We feel that our time with her may be short, and especially Hannah's time with her. We actually feel quite guilty keeping Hannah from her over the last three years with nothing much to show for it. The program I had intended on applying for in directing at UT Austin doesn't even exist anymore, so nothing of real consequence is validating our being in Austin rather than staying close to family when they are in need. Secondly, we really want to have at least one more child, and Hannah's already 5 1/2 years old. At this rate, it seems like we are nowhere near being able to handle a second child. Kirsten's job is the one paying the majority of our bills, and if she stopped working to have a baby, we'd sink. Even if we could figure out something short-term and then she went back to work, she'd definitely have to work full-time again, which would mean having 2 kids in daycare full time with one of them being an infant (that's a very depressing thought, not to mention very expensive). Back home we have a free house in Salt Lake, and we have family to help with babysitting and such. It just makes a lot more sense. Kirsten keeps saying, "It doesn't need to be this hard" , and she's right.

So, despite how much we have enjoyed Austin and all it has to offer, we are saying goodbye for now. Who knows? We may move back someday, or maybe we'll try a new place eventually, but for now, we need to be in SLC. I'm still emotionally torn over this, but logically I can't deny that it's the right decision. Believe me I've tried. :)

I hope everyone's having continued success and happy goings-on in their lives. We'll be able to visit and catch up with the SLC crowd soon, which is exciting. It is a bummer that summers seeing the show in Cisco and hanging out at Billy and Colleen's lakehouse will not be as easy to realize, but we will do our best!

Until next time!

Gamyr

Good to see the blog buzzing with blogness. Angel, Ben, and Calvin: long time no blog. Glad to hear all of you are doing so well. Daryl: Give Carrie Stevens the Blog info. I would love to see her post on the blog. We are doing a William Inge show: WHERE'S DADDY right now. Man, what a great play! Ya'll come on down for a visit sometime! And if you know of any alumni that are not blogging, give them the info. We welcome all. - Billy

Hey it's Calvin again. I should have gone to bed 2 hours ago but I am so excited to read up on what everyone has been doing that I haven't been able to tear myself away from my computer. It seems that alot of people were excited to learn about welding a while back. personally i don't see what's so cool about it. My education with welding lasted all of 15 seconds. I was working as a deisle trailer mechanic and my boss said, "see those crossbars? you need to straighten them and then weld them back together, I suggest you use a leather apron." I soon became proficient with wire welders, Oxy-acetylene torches, and plasma cutters. If anyone thinks that is cool I am also a fork lift operator, a metal lathe operator, a bartender and I built my own computer. Does that make me more manly or does it just sound like I'm showin' off? LOL

Calvin

Hi anyone and everyone. This is Calvin. OMG it's so great to know that so many of you are still alive and doing well. I've basically just been floating around and not doing much with my life for the past five years. I've done everying from vacume sales to custom home framing. At the moment I am acting on a daily basis as a server in a fancy restaurant. As we'll as Working for a destination hosting company. I'm keeping my head above water most of the time. I've gone to school for a few semesters and then stopped, a few times. Basically i don't know where I am going but wherever that happens to be I am doing all right. The funny thing is, I was just thinking about how much I missed theater today when i saw my sister, who happened to see Billy at UTAC just a few days ago. Apparently she connected Billy to me and asked if he knew me, and apparently I am still remembered by some of the people who I have come into contact with in this world because he gave her a card to give to me with this site on it. I haven't had time to read through all the posts, but I look forward to it. I can't believe that after so long, the past has found me. Keep in touch, I know I will.

Calvin Daniel Burton

So as not to be guilty of the ever present "read but no blog," I shall submit a blurb. Soooo good to be in touch again, honestly! Not sure if Lisa or Casey gets the fabulous prize yet, I'll have to go in and look at the time stamps...lol But I do still have consolation prizes, ya'll. (More hinting.) Billy, yer gonna kill me. I swear I didn't delete your Email with the Email list in it, and it's not in my trash, but it's not in my inbox list anymore either? Swear to Dog. Pretty please with sprinkles on top send it again? How was Bert and Ernie's Bliss? I second Lorna's recommendation and I know you HAD to have gone...Heh... And of course RMTA. Missed my comp last week (ARG!) so hence missed it but expect some kinda karma to hit me to make up for it... Same ol' in the Big Sky state... Sweet Dreams All.

Hugz N Stuff... --Ben-- Moolato_Mocha@excite.com

Happy Birthday Casey!!!!!!!!

This place is really cool. I love reading about where everyone is and what they are doing. Happy Belated Birthday Billy! hmm...thats a tongue twister. I guess I should post what I'm doing with my life. I am currently working at Walt Disney World creating memorable magic for the young and old. I work as a character portraying the roles of Snow White, Mary Poppins, Ariel the little mermaid, and Pluto. I do sets (meet and greets) and parades. I also get to perform in Fantasmic which is a big pyrotechnic watershow doing various roles anywhere from a british man (from Pocahontas) to a flower petal to Mary Poppins! Its a lot of fun and I still cant believe Im doing it. I always wanted to work for Disney and it has been a dream come true. I really do miss being in shows though and my work shedule kind of prohibits me from pursuing that. But, for the most part, I'm pretty happy right now. I get to paid to perform. I'm very fortunate.

Well, thats me for now. If anyone is ever coming to Disneyworld, email me at chakoo@excite.com. Or just email me in general. I would love to hear from anyone. Or I guess I could just read and post blogs. I dont know why i didnt do this earlier.

Cheers!

Angel Vandegrift

It's Billy's birthday today and I've heard a rumor that he's turning the big 50!
Congrats on making it that far Billy and many, happy, birthday wishes!

Casey