#trclassof2014

STATS: Name: Jessica Hillenbrand Mentorship Emphasis: Acting Role: Phil's Girl Kickball Nickname: The Fox Q & A with TumblrBot! TumblrBot: What brought you to Third Rail? Jessica: "I had just graduated college, and I wanted to continue my training but experience the “real world” rather than go back into a completely consuming education setting. Third Rail’s reputation got me looking into the Mentorship Program, and taking a variety of classes from such talented individuals seemed like a great way to diversify and develop my abilities. I knew for sure I wanted to be a part of it after I read Third Rail’s mission statement for the company as a whole – their focus on promoting empathy and provoking curiosity is what I want to work towards as a person and an artist." TumblrBot: What drew you, personally, to bobrauschenbergamerica? Jessica: "It was gut instinct, pretty literally. With any play, if it’s something I want to be a part of, I get butterflies in my stomach while reading it. I’ll find my breathing match the rhythms in the text like it would if I were speaking it, and have been called out on several occasions for making weird faces with my nose in the script. It’s strange, sure, but undeniable. So I felt that with BRA, and knew. On top of that, the world and the language was very different than a lot of what I’d done in the past, so I felt I ought to dive in and play." TumblrBot: What is your "working attitude?" Jessica: "Look for the love, in all aspects. Find the empathy. For getting into characters, for understanding a play, for keeping good relationships with everyone else in the room, for making sure I’m still on the right track with my life. It’s a pretty versatile tool." TumblrBot: What aspects of your Mentorship training have you brought into your work on this production? Jessica: "Through all the training, my personal work has focused a great deal on improving my breath and physical relaxation. Both from a lack of prior concentrated training in those areas, and a long history of holding tension, relaxing has been (ironically) demanding. But I came into BRA with a much clearer idea of what I wanted to change, and this play and my character have been the perfect playground to really work (on not working). It’s still a process, but I think the stars kind of aligned with this one timing-wise, and have set me on a good path." TumblrBot: How does it feel to self-produce? Jessica: "It alternates between really empowering and feeling like I’m on a roller coaster that the brakes just went out on. There was a lot of trial-by-fire, learn-as-we-go, which in some ways was the best way to learn it all. I’d love to do it again, after everything I now know. And a nap." TumblrBot: If you were a Rauschenberg Combine, what are five objects or materials that would be part of you? Jessica: "A wooden bookshelf, high-heeled boots, lit sparklers, raised eyebrows, red paint." TumblrBot: What is something about your character that resonates with you? What is something that is utterly different? Jessica: "Phil’s Girl (who has a name--for me, at least) is a young woman trying to have all the fun and love she can. That’s pretty close to home. But she’s got a much simpler, foolhardy (and I mean that fondly), more act-first/think-later approach to the world. For better or worse, I’m more analytical, cautious, and think-before-during-and-after. ... but we both make a great martini." Remember to get your tickets and come meet all our Mentees all at once! bobrauschenbergamerica's run ends this weekend!

Thank you to everyone who came out! It was a wonderful opening! Now let's do it again!!!

STATS: Name: Natalie Stringer Mentorship Emphasis: Acting Role: Susan Kickball Nickname: Natty Ice Q & A with TumblrBot! TumblrBot: What brought you to Third Rail? Natalie: "The first and second rails just weren't as ELECTRIFYING! No, actually, it was about this time last year and I was trying to figure out what I was going to do, figured out Third Rail had this Mentorship program, and thought I'd apply. I hadn't had much direct exposure to Third Rail before this, and I wanted a way to work with a whole new group of people I admired and respected." TumblrBot: What drew you, personally, to bobrauschenbergamerica? Natalie: "The text was malleable, the cast fit our ensemble, and it is inherently challenging to produce and perform...which is exciiiiiitiiiing!" TumblrBot: What is your "working attitude?" Natalie: "Shut up and listen (which is harder than you'd think)." TumblrBot: What aspects of your Mentorship training have you brought into your work on this production? Natalie: "MAKE AN ACTIVE FREAKING CHOICE, don't worry about failing, and stay as physically and vocally free as possible." TumblrBot: How does it feel to self-produce? Natalie: "It feels AWESOME! I just learned how to secure rights for our show. I've never had the chance or reason to learn these things. Oh and budget. Yeah, the budget...I've never considered so intimately how business affects the ideas and realities of the art. Plus, self-producing allows us all to realize potential we never knew we had. It's a great feeling to accomplish something you didn't know you could do (well, duh)." TumblrBot: If you were a Rauschenberg Combine, what are five objects or materials that would be a part of you? Natalie: "Wooden shoes, leather, stained glass, a passport, and a violin." TumblrBot: What is something about your character that resonates with you? What is something that is utterly different? Natalie: "What resonates with me is Susan's unfaltering desire to discover the honesty of her feelings, to be fully aware of how the world, life, makes her feel, and not pretend or bullshit about it. What's different about her is that she honors her sometimes flighty feelings at the expense of others' expectations...a singular approach which takes a lot of courage actually." Stick around for more posts! It's an opening-night-a-palooza!

SHOW!!!

So close and yet so far!

STATS: Name: Sean Powell Mentorship Emphasis: Acting Role: Allen Kickball Nickname: Seanye 3000 Q & A with TumblrBot! TumblrBot: What brought you to Third Rail? Sean: "The opportunity to be part of the Third Rail mentorship program came just at the right time for me. I had been out of college for three or so years and since then had been lucky enough to work fairly regularly as an actor here in Portland. However, I was craving the chance to not only receive more training by learning from those I had admired from afar, but also find an artistic home and begin to understand how a theatre company is run. I hope to someday make a life for myself in the theatre and this seemed like one more way to get a little bit closer to that dream." TumblrBot: What drew you, personally, to bobrauschenbergamerica? Sean: "The ensemble nature of it was a big turn on, and also many thematic elements seemed to oddly coincide with what this program has meant to me. I don't want to give too much away though..." TumblrBot: What is your "working attitude?" Sean: "Do what you love. Love what you do." TumblrBot: What aspects of your Mentorship training have you brought into your work on this production? Sean: "I continue to strive to do the following things on stage: listen, speak from a rooted place, change my partner, and try to get what I want. All while not pushing and staying open and easy. All the training we've had has informed how I do all that. It continues to be a challenge." TumblrBot: How does it feel to self-produce? Sean: "Thrilling! It's certainly been overwhelming and mind blowing, but I think when you are working with a group of people who are all committed to the project you are bound to succeed! I feel very fortunate to have had this chance to work with all the other Mentees and Third Rail company members." TumblrBot: If you were a Rauschenberg Combine, what are five objects or materials that would be a part of you? Sean: "1. An anchor I can swing on. 2. An enormous globe. 3. A mountain of vinyl records and a record player. 4. A barrel full of red wine. 5. A kimono." TumblrBot: What is something about your character that resonates with you? What is something that is utterly different? Sean: "Allen and I both spend a considerable amount of time in our heads swimming in our thoughts, but Allen is far more intellectual than me." Mentees are going to be coming at you left and right over the next couple days... are you ready for us???