One of the main
goals for our Theatre Education Community is to help theatre students and
professionals from all over connect and identify with each other in order to
build resources and support the theatre education field. We shine a spotlight
on a different member every other week by conducting a simple interview.
Our latest
Spotlight Member is Lorie Baldwin, Troupe Director of Troupe 519 at Lawrence
High School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Lorie is a woman of many talents! She
not only teaches, but also acts, directs and does voiceovers. She’s always
looking for new ways to challenge herself and her students and isn’t afraid to
try something new.
Ginny: What is the weirdest
stage food you’ve ever made or eaten?
Lorie: The weirdest
stage food I ever made was when I directed Disney's Aida. We made shish kebobs for the engagement feast.
They were made of different colors of bread (pumpernickel, French, rye). It was
all cubed so it looked like meats. The kids on stage ate it heartily each
night! The worst stage food I had to eat as a performer was in a
production of Clue. I was Mrs.
Peacock and, at the dinner scene, we had to eat something that was "monkey
brains" or something. It ended up being cold instant mashed potatoes with
red food coloring. It was disgusting but my character was supposed to love
it and eat it with pleasure. Yuck!
Ginny: What was the
first role you ever played?
Lorie: The first
role I ever played was in 2nd grade (circa 1977). I remember being very
excited about it even then (I guess I was born a theater kid). I was a
violet. I still remember my line, "I just bloomed yesterday!"
Ginny: Everyone has
at least one good theatre story (a costume mishap, smoke alarms during
performances, malfunctioning set pieces, etc). Tell us yours!
Lorie: I have a
couple of these. When I was in college, I was in Early One Evening at the Rainbow Bar and Grille and my character
(Shirley) had to carry around a pet rat, named Tony, after her old
boyfriend. One of the nights of the show, the cage broke and the rat was
running around the stage. It was really frightening. Another
disturbing story was when I directed Annie.
I included several elementary students in the orphanage, in addition to my high
school students. Well, during tech week, it was discovered that one of
the orphans had lice, and all of the wigs, sheets, props...etc. had to be
laundered with special soap and everyone in the cast had to be checked for
lice. It was gross!!! I get itchy just thinking about it.
Ginny: How do
you relax after a busy day?
Lorie: I am a
voice over artist in addition to teaching theater, so when I am not acting in
community theater, I audition for voice overs. This is relaxing to me
because the two activities (acting and voice over) get my 'head out of school'
for awhile and I am able to remember that I, too, am a theater person in
addition to being a teacher. I also enjoy my three dogs---I'm a real
animal person. If it were up to me I would have a fourth but husband says
no. Two of my three dogs have been in my shows---Anakin has been in Annie as Sandy of course (even though
he's a Boston Terrier). And Tootsie (a jug) was in It's a Wonderful Life and also played Bruiser Woods in Legally Blonde.
Ginny: What will you
miss the most after retiring?
Lorie: I know I
will miss the excitement of opening night for a show I've directed. There
is a magical quality in the air the whole day of opening night---seems like
everyone is in a good mood and it's like a holiday. I will miss that
feeling just as I would miss a holiday if it wasn't celebrated anymore.
Ginny: If you could
live anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
Lorie: I would
really like to live outside of London, in the Cotswold area. I would like
to be that cool American actress and snag all of the American roles in their
community theater because my accent would be so spot on. ;) I
visited the area a few years ago and just fell in love with the charm of the
pubs, the history of the theater there and the general cozy atmosphere. I
think I would fit in quite well there and it is a pipe dream of mine to live
there once I retire.
From delousing an
entire cast, to eating monkey brains and blooming into a lovely violet, it’s
clear that Lorie has the kind of skills any theatre person would truly
appreciate. If you enjoyed her interview as much as I did,
add her as a contact in the
Community!
Do you know someone who deserves a moment in the Spotlight? Tell me
their name and why at gbutsch@schooltheatre.org. Want to read more Community Spotlights? You can find them here.
Photo: Lorie in Seeing Stars In
Dixie at Playmasters in Bensalem