THE FRIDAY FIVE: Austin Olive & Amie Lara From Circle's SPELLING BEE

Inspired by BroadwayWorld.com's Friday Six, welcome to BroadwayWorld Nashville's latest installment of The Friday Five: five questions designed to help you learn more about the talented people you'll find onstage throughout the Volunteer state.

With so many new productions bowing this week (hence, the Friday 5 on Thursday), the spotlight shines first on Austin Olive and Amie Lara from the cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, directed by the talented Joshua Waldrep, and opening tonight at Pearl Cohn Comprehensive High School. It's the last production of the 2014-15 - that's the 65th year - season of Circle Players, the oldest community theatre troupe in Middle Tennessee. Go to www.circleplayers.net for further information and to buy tickets to the show.

Austin Olive: A relative newcomer to Nashville, this is Austin's third consecutive show with Circle, having appeared in both Ragtime the Musical and William Inge's Picnic this season. In Spelling Bee, he plays Leaf Coneybear.

What was your first "live onstage" taste of theater? Theatre has always been a part of my life. Before I can even remember as a child, my parents were already taking me with them to see plays. One of the first experiences I remember was seeing LES MISERABLES in London when I was six-years-old. I barely remember seeing it, but the image of the students lying on the barricade has stuck with me ever since.

What is your favorite pre-show ritual? Before a show, I always listen to music that helps me get into my character and get mentally ready to go onstage. Before I go onstage, I always take ten minutes or so to sit by myself in silence and clear my mind.

What's your most memorable "the show must go on" moment? My last semester of college, I directed a production of Twelve Angry Men. It was an exhausting and rewarding experience. The day that we opened, 15 minutes after the house was supposed to open six of us were still frantically throwing chair rail and baseboards on the walls of the set. It was a frustrating and nerve-racking experience, but we ended up finishing up and playing to a sold-out house. That's the magic of live theatre: those moments when you are afraid it may not come together, and it becomes something fantastic instead.

What's your dream role? I have several dream roles. It's really hard to pick just one. I love father roles, but I'm going to have to wait a few years before I can start playing those. I would love to play Michael in Lee Blessing's play, Two Rooms, and I would also love to play Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire.

Who's your theatrical crush? I would have to say my theatrical crush is probably Emma Stone. I am incredibly upset that I was not able to see her as Sally Bowles in Cabaret on Broadway. She is a phenomenal actress. And it doesn't hurt that she's beautiful as well.

Amie Lara: After many appearances onstage for various theater companies in Middle Tennessee - and in the chorus of several Nashville Opera productions - Amie debuts as Rona Lisa Peretti in Spelling Bee. Back a few years, she was the featured performer at the Miss Music City/Miss Capital City preliminary to the Miss Tennessee/Miss America pageant (which your humble writer directed and produced)...

What was your first "live onstage" taste of theater? I have been performing since I was a child. I won my school's talent contest in third grade singing Anne Murray's "You Needed Me." I performed in a children's community theater and ended up going to a performing arts high school in the Atlanta area.

What is your favorite pre-show ritual? My favorite pre-show ritual is talking with the cast. However as it gets closer to show time I need to meditate and have more quiet to get into character.

What's your most memorable "the show must go on" moment? There are several moments where "the show must go on." There are two that really stand out. When I was playing the role of Nancy in Oliver, someone replaced the water with actual gin. I was expecting the taste of water and had to go with it even though I don't particularly love the taste of gin. When I was playing the role of Jo March in Little Women the Musical, our Professor Bhaer purposely said his first name was Franz instead of Fritz one night. I had to be quick and remember that he changed the name as I introduced him later. Actually the way I got him back the following night makes a better story, but I will save that for another day.

What's your dream role? I have had the opportunity to play a couple of roles that I have wanted to play, but one role that I have wanted for a long time has been Fantine from Les Miserables. However, that one is slowly passing me by. Any of the female roles in Little Shop of Horrors and Velma Kelly in Chicago are still on my bucket list!

Who's your theatrical crush? My theatrical crush...I'm not sure if you are referring to actors or characters. I absolutely love the characters of Fiyero in Wicked, Jean Val Jean in Les Miserables and Alfredo in the opera La Traviata. However, I have had a crush on Hugh Jackman since his first appearance in X-Men and I love that he is also a talented stage actor and singer. I would have loved to see him in The Boy From Oz. Don't laugh, but I also love Donny Osmond' s portrayal of Joseph. I have to confess: It kind of gives me chills.

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