From the "How'd You Do That?!" Files

Photo by Ewa Skowska

We caught up with Misha Schmiedecke, the Props Designer from Dashing Through the Snow to ask about that incredible plate of chili cheese fries that Raynerd brings out in the last scene.  As a devoted connoisseur of all things chili, cheese, and fried, we thought this plate looked good enough to eat.

ACT: So Misha - How did you do that?!

Misha: I have designed the props for three plays in a row since Honky Tonk Angels.  But with all the plays I've done, this is my first time making fake food.

ACT: What materials did you use?

Misha: I had an idea of what I wanted it to look like but I was stumped about what material to use for fries until I read somewhere online about memory foam.  It worked perfect.  It was cheap and easy to cut.  I angled the edges and cut them all different lengths and arranged the fries on the plate using glue to hold them down so I could spray paint the whole thing.  The top of the mound and the inside of the mound are big blocks of foam to fill the space.

ACT: Are those real beans?

Photo by Ewa Skowska

Misha: Yes! Dried kidney beans! The chili was totally improvised. I bought a can of Hormel chili as inspiration and I pretty much tried to replicate the look from that.  I thought glue and paint would be the way to go, and then I added dry rice and dry kidney beans for texture.  Two failed mixings of glue and paint later, I finally got the right color and consistency.  I spooned on the mixture to the top and then strategically spooned it so it looked like it was flowing down the fries.  My husband shook his head at me when he found me studying the mound of chili and fries and saw that I was hand placing kidney beans and grains of rice.  He asked "How far away is the audience?"  I told him about 15 feet from the first row.  Then he asked "How long are the fries going to be on stage?"  I said, ".....about 30 seconds."  He proceeded to tell me that no one was going to notice my extra kidney bean placement. But I couldn't help myself.  I wanted them to look as real as possible!

ACT: And the cheese?

Misha:  I started with paint and glue again but that didn't really work.  It kept disappearing and being soaked up by the chili and the foam.  I wanted it to be really cheesy looking and it was coming out almost clear.  After the first layer dried I mixed up just paint (no glue) to match the color and touched it up by hand.  It needed about 4 or 5 more touch ups before the cheese color was saturated enough.  Spray gloss finished the whole thing off.

ACT: I don't know that I want to eat this anymore.

Misha: No, but as Raynerd would say, "BEHOLD! I bring you tidings of great joy!  The chili cheese fries are done!"

ACT: Are you a chili cheese fry lover?

Misha: I tend to hold the chili - but there's nothing like nacho cheese!  It's one of my favorite food groups.  Goes good on ANYTHING!!

Backstage with Betsy at "Dashing Through the Snow"

Betsy let us into the dressing room backstage to see how she transforms into TWO different characters in Dashing Through the Snow. Two absolutely hilarious characters, we might add!

Opening Night Caption Contest!

"Spirit as in "Angel," not whiskey for the eggnog!"

WE HAVE A WINNER!

Congratulations to Micah Mackenzie!  See you tonight at the show!

* * * 

Submit a caption for the photo above in the comments section below by 3:00 pm EST and be entered to win 2 tickets for Opening Night of Dashing Through the Snow!  That's tonight! Yay!

The winning caption will be chosen by a panel of staff and volunteers at ACT, and the winner will be notified by 3:30 pm.

Let the captioning begin!

On Pins and Needles: Notes from the Costume Shop

COLORS OF THE SEASON
Guest post from costumer Deborah Austin

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere you go backstage, in the wings, and on the Mainstage at Asheville Community Theatre, but the holidays arrived in the costume shop in mid-October. ACT’s next show, Dashing Through the Snow, calls for an elf, an angel, Mrs. Santa Claus, and three characters from Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. There is also a last-minute Christmas Eve wedding party of bride and bridesmaids and an innkeeper with an amazing wardrobe of holiday sweaters.

Set in the 1980s in a Christmas themed bed and breakfast in Tinsel, Texas, the opportunities for over-the-top outfits and hair styles are unlimited. The unit set is decked out with every imaginable Christmas ornament, wreath, and stocking in the traditional holiday shades of red and green.

I usually try to fashion a complementary color scheme to work with the set and lighting designers’ palettes, creating a picture of colors and textures woven together for each “look” of the show. (Not in Tinsel, Texas.) The goal of the costume crew has been to create the loudest, brightest collection of colors that scream “Tacky!” when set against the cardinal red and holly greens of the B&B reservation desk and living room. Think plum, lime green, orange, purple, pink, rust, and yellow. Oh yes, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas … that is, Christmas in Tinsel, Texas!

The Hallelujah Girls set for ACT in November

The Hallelujah Girls, a rollicking Southern comedy by the successful playwriting team of Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten, is coming to Asheville Community Theatre in November and December.

Hilarity will erupt when the feisty females of Eden Falls, Georgia decide to shake up their lives. The action in The Hallelujah Girls takes place in an abandoned church-turned day spa where this group of ladies gathers every Friday afternoon. After the loss of a dear friend, the women realize time is precious – and if they're going to change their lives and achieve their dreams they have to get on it now! But Sugar Lee, their high-spirited, determined leader, has her hands full keeping the women motivated. Carlene's given up on romance, having buried three husbands. Nita's a nervous wreck from running interference between her problematic son and his probation officer. Mavis' marriage is so stagnant she's wondering how she can fake her own death to get out of it. And sweet, simple Crystal entertains them all, singing Christmas carols with her own, hilarious lyrics.

The comic tension mounts when a sexy ex-boyfriend shows up unexpectedly, a marriage proposal comes from an unlikely suitor, and Sugar Lee's arch rival vows she'll stop at nothing to steal the spa away from her. By the time the women rally together to overcome these obstacles and launch their new, improved lives, you've got a side-splitting, joyful comedy that will make you laugh out loud and shout "Hallelujah!”

Having enjoyed long and successful careers in show business, Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten’s work has been seen by millions of people across the U.S. and around the world. Four of their plays have been performed at ACT, including the world premieres of Dearly Beloved, Christmas Belles, Southern Hospitality, and ‘Til Beth Do Us Part.


AT A GLANCE

WHAT: The Hallelujah Girls; written by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten

WHO: Directed by Jessie Jones; starring LaNita Cloninger, Rick Sibley, Kerry Shannon, Susan Cain, Roger Magendie, Beth Heinrich, Rhonda Parker, and Joan Atwood

WHERE: Asheville Community Theatre – Mainstage. 35 East Walnut Street, Asheville, NC 28801

WHEN: November 20 – December 6. Fridays and Saturdays, 7:30pm; Sundays, 2:30pm

TICKETS: $22– adult; $19 – senior/student; $12 – children

ACT Box Office or online

Hope you will join us!