Sunday, December 27, 2009

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Time to get FESTIVE!

It was hard to say goodbye to such an awesome run of Honus and Me. It was so exciting to be a part of such a great production...oh, you don't believe it was that amazing? Check out the rave reviews! See?! I told you.

What was even more amazing was meeting some of the awesome audience members (and stoshack blog followers!) that went to see the play. There were a lot of little league players who went to the show- some in full baseball gear- and who taught me some pretty cool things about the sport and about their favorite teams and players.

But with the holidays (almost) right around the corner, it's time to get festive! Rehearsals for the World Premier of Childsplay's Junie B. Jones in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells! start next week and you better believe we're gearing up for another exciting adventure. Time to crack open the Junie B. box sets. We better prepare if we want to be fully ready for our first day of first grade!

Which Junie B. Jones books have you read?

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Fan-O-Meter Update

All right, all right!

My dearest Follower,

I have received the multitude of letters and emails. The phones have been ringing off the hook and the childsplayaz dot blogspot dot com receptionist is having a nervous breakdown. The bombardment of your inquisitive requests has not been in vain. I am here to tell you: I am listening. For you and you and you and you…and you who have been asking repeatedly, “Izzy, it’s been over a month now! Are you a fan of baseball yet?” To you, I write-


I have carefully assembled a list of 10 aspects of baseball I have learned to appreciate in the last month or so. And here they are:

  • 10. Cheese fries at a baseball game.
  • 9. Baseball reminds us of a much more innocent time when the simple pleasure of a ballgame was a top priority.
  • 8. Its theme makes for an amazing blog.
  • 7. Old pieces of cardboard with a picture of a guy in a baseball uniform can make you very rich.
  • 6. Batting practice = good exercise.
  • 5. The cheese fries.
  • 4. Baseball is a lot like good theatre: it gets people out and allows them to escape to the game's drama.
  • 3. The fine art of the sport. It's clean and strategic. An amazing combination of technique and strength. Have you seen videos of Ichiro hitting baseballs into the outfield?
  • 2. The funny looking, fuzzy mascots.
And my top favorite aspect of baseball:
  • 1. You need to be a kid to play baseball, no matter how old you are.

…and the cheese fries at a baseball game are good too.

What do you like about baseball?

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Monday, September 28, 2009

Who makes all the stuff?!

Where do we get the Honus Wagner T-206 card Joey finds in Miss Young's attic in Honus and Me? After every performance, the cast has a question and answer session with the audience. I've noticed that a large portion of the questions asked are about the things we hold on stage. These props are all created or acquired by our very own Childsplay's Property Master, Jim Luther. Recently I had the pleasure of chatting with Jim as he shared with me his process on making the show as authentic as possible.

The first thing Jim showed me was the thickest binder I have ever seen! A big part of Jim's job is research. He spends endless hours just looking things up: from how a baseball mitt looked different in 1909 than in 2009 to Honus Wagner's autograph and places he attended. He finds all this information through the internet, books, and other sources, and collects the information on his incredibly huge folder.

A lot of detail goes into his work. Jim showed me a variety of baseball cards he purchased from thrift stores and local sports shops, pointing out their strategic placement in the show's card shop and their specific order in Joey's card collection in his room. He showed me the Cracker Jack box which my character uses in the World Series of 1909 (which looks very different than a box you'd buy today) and he told me about the bidding war he fought on eBay to find just the right replica.


Jim also creates a lot of the props from scratch. From making imitations of the famous Honus Wagner T-206 card to the period bunting (pictured above) of the dead ball era.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Did you know?

Did you know that in 2000, when the Los Angeles Angels MLB team were trailing the San Francisco Giants 5-4 in the bottom of the inning, the video board operators decided it was time to monkey around?

They took a clip of the monkey from the 1994 Jim Carrey movie, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, added the words "RALLY MONKEY!" on top of it and showed it at the game.

The Angels then scored two runs and won the game!

The video became so popular that the team hired their own monkey (Katie) to star in the new rally videos. Katie, the white haired capuchin monkey, stills jumps around with her "Rally Time" sign at every Angels' game.

It's Showtime!

Today is the official opening of Honus and Me and we are all super excited. We are stocked up on peanuts and Cracker Jacks backstage and we are ready for SHOWTIME!

Did you know that Little League and Fall Ball players can see the show for free?

For more info on this and more offers contact Childsplay:

Tempe Center of the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe. Box office 480-350-2822 - www.childsplayaz.org

Check out more pics from the show below!

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Monday, September 21, 2009

Batting Cages!

This is a picture of Miss Debra K. Stevens, who plays the Bluebird's best hitter (Andy Noland) in Honus and Me, making it look easy in the batting cage.


The cast of Honus and Me recently took an exciting field trip to the Kiwanis Park Batting Range. It was a hot day, but not as hot as our mighty swings!

It was my first time in a batting cage and I have to admit I was a little scared of the crazy machine throwing fast baseballs at me. I put on my helmet, my tough face, got a piece of Bubble Tape Gum and hoped I would come out of the cage alive. It was actually a lot of fun. We tried swinging at both softballs and baseballs and hit at different speeds.

Check out footage of my Mom (Katie McFadzen) filming us right before our batting session.


Here I am at the batting cage right before I got SUPER good as soon as Mom stopped filming:

Can't wait to do it again! Have you been to the batting cages yet?

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Preview Weekend!

Today is the Target Storybook Preview for Honus and Me. I have to say that all the catch practice and baseball watching has paid off.
Check it out for yourselves!

Honus and Me

By Steven DietzAdapted from the book by Dan GutmanThe discovery of a rare Honus Wagner baseball card presents 12-year-old Joe Stoshack with a moral dilemma - and a magical opportunity to gain confidence and determination from one of baseball's finest.

  • Target Storybook Preview: Sun., Sept. 20 at 4:00 p.m. ($12 discounted tickets)
  • Opening: Sat., Sept. 26 at 4:00 p.m.
  • ASL interpreted performance: Sun., Sept 27 at 1:00 p.m.
  • Tempe Center for the Arts -- Theater
  • PRP Aug. 3, On Sale Aug. 10 (10:00 a.m.)
  • Recommended for age six and older.
Performance Schedule:
  • Sat., Sept. 19 4:00 p.m. Preview
  • Sun., Sept. 20 4:00 p.m. Target Storybook Preview
  • Sept 26. - Oct. 11
    • Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.
    • Sundays at 1:00 p.m.
When are you going to see Honus and Me at the Tempe Center for the Arts?

Monday, September 7, 2009

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Player Spotlight

I recently had the pleasure of chatting with one of the newest members of Childsplay's acting company. Actor and writer, Louis Farber, shares with us some of his favorite baseball memories, inspirations and how he went from being a "spec of dust" to playing the fierce bully, Birdie in Childsplay's Honus and Me.

What made you interested in Childsplay and the script, Honus and Me?

The thing that interested me the most was an opportunity to work. I had never worked with Childsplay before and I had no knowledge of the show. I received a phone call from my friend Jeremiah Clay Neal who was contacted by Dwayne Hartford at the suggestion of David Saar. David had seen me in The Water Dog, an original show Jeremiah and I developed for our company Word Of Mouth Tour Company, and he thought I would be good for the role that had been vacated by whoever dropped out or whatever, so then I called Dwayne and said "I hear you're looking for me" and he said "You are a spec of dust, on a piece of whale poop at the bottom of the ocean. Now read...read like the wind." So I did. At this point I should say that I was excited about the idea of working with Childsplay on their season opener. So I came in and read for Dwayne and that was the first exposure I had to the script and the story of the play.

What is your favorite baseball childhood memory?

When I caught my first fly ball. I was in the sixth grade and I was in center field and the ball was hit hard and it flew out and up and over my head and I jumped and somehow caught the ball. I was so surprised that I actually stopped and looked at the ball in my glove. I finally came to when I heard my team and the bench screaming "Throw it!" As I was checking out the ball runners were tagging up and scoring. Oops. I will never forget that catch though, and how accomplished I felt seeing that baseball in my glove.

What baseball team do you root for?

The defending world champions of baseball, the Philadelphia Phillies.

What baseball player inspires you and why?

Cole Hamels. He's a left handed pitcher for the Phillies. He inspires me because at 27 years of age, he has not only led his team to a World Series, but he was voted the series MVP.

If you were an MLB player, what would be your nickname and theme song?

My nickname would be "Farbertron" and my theme song would be "Looking Good" from a little movie called "The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training".

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Out at the Ball Game

This weekend our director took us out to the ball game! Here is what happened:

Friday, August 28, 2009

Thursday, August 27, 2009

The Equipment


Day 4-

Let's talk gear.

I'm starting to break into my baseball shoes/cleats, which is great. They felt strange at first since I've never worn shoes with plastic spikes underneath. They were a little too snug on the first day and now that I've been rehearsing in them, they have become super comfy. So comfy that I accidentally forgot I had them on and forgot to put my regular shoes on after rehearsal!

I am also now very attached to my baseball mitt. When searching for a good fit it was important to take some things into consideration including my hand size, age, and field position. My character's position is shortstop (the fielding position between second and third base) so that meant my baseball mitt needed to be a little smaller than an outfield mitt and with a closed web.

And my favorite so far: my batting helmet. It's nice and snug and not only does it make me feel safe but it also makes me look like a pro!

I'm super stoked about the Diamondbacks game tomorrow night! Hopefully we'll win.


Wednesday, August 26, 2009

I love this!

Choosing Teams




Day 3-

I am looking for a team to be a fan of.

I saw my first baseball game in San Francisco (Giants) when I was about 19. The only thing I understood well was where the nearest cheese fries vendor was. Then, this summer I saw the Cubs play at Wrigley Field and was impressed by the passion the fans showed the team. The Cubs won that game and there was much celebration. I now own a Cubs hat and shirt, so does that make me a Cubs fan? I live in Phoenix, Arizona now so should I be rooting for the Diamondbacks? We have planned to watch a live game this Friday. Will they make a fan out of me?

I find it interesting how people become fans to specific teams. Some people seem to be loyal to their home teams. Others are more interested in the best teams of the season and others are attached more to particular players no matter what teams they are moved to.

I wonder if eventually I'll become that guy with the giant, pointing, foam hand furiously screaming at players after they miss a good hit. We'll see.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Playing Catch


Day 2-

I learned how to play catch. Yes, for the first time.

Before you judge me, let it be known I was born in Mexico City and I grew up being exposed to soccer (futbol) and not much else when it came to sports. I was never a sports fan and my most athletic moments in high school happened with the the school's marching band.

So now I'm a little older... but after about 10 minutes of total embarrassment, I was able to somewhat constantly throw and catch a ball without too much jumping and screaming.

And then it was fun! I couldn't believe that I was playing catch for a living!

Last night I drew diagrams of baseball fields with labels for bases and boxes and whatnot and learned basic rules of the game. My script is starting to look more like a scrapbook or journal of notes and pictures.

I am on my way to becoming a fan and as Miss Young says in Act 1, Scene 3 of the play, "there's two kinds of people in the world: people who like baseball; and people who will like baseball when they stop being idiots"!

Monday, August 24, 2009

Meet and Greet


This is day 1 of Honus and Me rehearsals and I am super excited.

I am a company memeber with Childsplay, Arizona's professional theatre company for young audiences and families and was cast as Joey Stoshack in the play, Honus and Me, based on the children's novel by Dan Gutman.

Today I met the incredible cast and the talented designers and artists involved in the production. Everyone is amazing.

The show revolves around Joey, a kid who LOVES baseball. I have to admit, I've never been a fan of the sport. I have no real knowledge of baseball and never had a real interest in it. Until now.

I love the script and the character and starting today I start my journey of becoming a baseball expert! Can I do it in 4 weeks?

We start blocking the beginning of the show tomorrow and tonight I am preparing for it. I hope you enjoy my journey.