The Auburn Players Community Theatre will be presenting The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown on July 17th, 18th, and 19th. The production will star Laura Kelly as Cathy and Jeff Kringer as Jamie.
Today AuburnPlayers.org caught up with Matt Limerick, director of The Last Five Years.
Can you tell me a little about your theater background?
Well growing up, my church did very creative productions that were Broadway style musicals, as well as choirs and the like so it was always part of my life. My parents were always incredibly supportive when it came to my involvement with anything artistic and creative. It wasn’t until I moved to Raleigh, North Carolina that I realized theatre was something I could do for a career. There I had the pleasure of working with the amazing people at Raleigh Little Theatre, Meredith College Theatre Department, and Wake Drama. Like many people this love led me to New York City where I auditioned and starting discovering my love for all aspects of theatre production, this led to work on stage, television, film, and administrative theatre. My time in theatre has taught me how important it is to be knowledgeable and have experience in all aspects of a show (performance and non). A lot of what I bring to the table while directing is because of my performance background. I’m currently a rising senior in the amazing theatre Department at SUNY New Paltz, where I’m studying costuming design and directing/casting.
What drew you to this musical?
The Last 5 Years has always been one of my favorite musicals because of its unconventional style. And at its core it’s real, and difficult to watch because we have all experienced the emotions and struggle featured in the show.
You have a little bit of interesting history with the show don’t you?
It’s really interesting working on The Last 5 Years, because it’s a semi autobiographical piece. In 2008 I had the immense pleasure of working at 13 the Musical on Broadway, which was also written by Jason Robert Brown. It was really interesting to watch him work with that cast and crew, and remember that the Character of Jamie is based on Jason. So while I’m not trying to put the two together on stage, it has been and interesting resource to have that experience to bring to this production.
What’s the best part of working with this cast?
This cast is a directors dream. They did their homework before the first day of rehearsal. This has been a short rehearsal process as far as this kind of theatre goes. They challenge me every rehearsal to be on my toes because of how prepared they are and how they have really worked to embody these characters as their own. It’s really been a pleasure to work with Laura and Jeff to build these versions of Jamie and Cathy. As a director this is my third show, and with each production my casts have been absolutely perfect for what I need.
What’s next for you?
What’s next for me? In August I will be relocating full time to New Paltz, NY while I finish my education at SUNY New Paltz. This year I was the pleasure of Asst. Costume Designing a really fabulous play called ‘Panic’ based on the life of Alfred Hitchcock; where I will be working under 2015 Drama Desk Nominated costume designer Andrea Varga and helmed by Connie Rotunda. I also will be designing Hair and makeup for our production of Julius Caesar directed by Laura Noble, and I will be Asst. Directing the Jason Robert Brown musical Parade which will be directed by Catherine Doherty. At New Paltz I also have the pleasure of working with this wonderful theatre company called Paper Rain Laboratory, which produces found space theatre. Post New Paltz I will be pursuing a career in Casting.
Recent Comments