Riggins to Apear in 1940'S RADIO HOUR, 11/12-12/12

It pretty exciting to be a teenager cast in a semi-professional musical, but just imagine what it must be like for 14-year old Barry Riggins of Santa Rosa. Not only was he cast in the company of "The 1940s Radio Hour" at Santa Rosa's 6th Street Playhouse, but the show has been adapted to feature the teen's acting and vocal talents.
 
Like a storyline from script that have might have been written for an old MGM musical or Shirley Temple movie, Barry Riggins' audition tape caught the attention of the show's director. Director Michael Fontaine was so impressed with the talented teen he took time to adapt the script and cast Barry as B.J. Miller in the musical comedy for the holidays that takes audiences back to the golden days of radio. "The 1940s Radio Hour" runs Nov. 12 to Dec. 12, 2010 on the main stage of 6th Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa, Calif.
 
 "After seeing a tape of Barry's audition, I knew I had to find a way to spotlight his remarkable talents," said Michael Fontaine, 6th Street Playhouse Interim Artistic Director and director of "The 1940s Radio Hour."
 
 "The script, as written, had no role for him. But, he was so talented and this musical structure is so flexible, I thought - 'we have to find a way to incorporate this kid,' " said Fontaine.
 
 "His talent is more than just a talented teen who could be a nice addition. He has an incredible vocal quality that we wanted to featured. After really examining the script (which gives us permission and allows us to adjust and adapt for the cast at hand), I realized I could adjust a few character lines and references and
have Barry be an integral part of the show that could spotlight his talents. He has the experience and the poise of a person easily twice his years and he is the strongest vocalist of the show," said Fontaine.
 
Barry, a student of Santa Rosa High School (who's also a member of the school's prestigious ArtQuest Program) only found out about the audition at the last minute.
 
"I actually auditioned for 'The 1940s Radio Hour' on a whim. I heard about auditions after school on the day of the audition. So, I quickly threw together some quick choreography for 'Beauty School Dropout' from 'Grease," a song I was pretty familiar with," said Barry. "As I was practicing outside the 6th Street
Playhouse (waiting for my audition slot) I set my sheet music down on a car parked out in the corner of the parking lot. About five minutes later, my heart sunk as I watched the car start to drive off. My sheet music for 'Beauty School Dropout' flew to the ground and (it almost sounds like a bad joke now) the car ran over
the sheet music," said Barry, who noted the pianist wasn't thrilled with the tire marked sheet music.
 
Undaunted, he sailed through the audition. He's a teenager with the experience of an old pro.
 
His resume lists his having participated in more than 24 shows since the age of seven. He began performing with student theater training companies in the ensemble and eventually landed roles including Winthrop in "The Music Man" and Oliver Twist in "Oliver!" before moving on to performing with Roustabout Theater, the resident company of the Wells Fargo Center in Santa Rosa. Barry's also performed as a solo vocalist and in addition to tap dancing and playing instruments including piano, clarinet and ukulele, he's also a sing-songwriter.
 
"Around the age of five, I had myself convinced I wanted to be a voiceover actor, doing the sounds for all the Looney Tunes and Disney characters. Since there were no children voiceover camps I could attend, I participated in a Novato musical theater program called 'Broadway Bound Kids.' And I was hooked," said
Barry.
 
"My grandmother was actually a San Francisco showgirl in the 1940s and actually performed some of the songs that are featured in 'The 1940s Radio Hour'  like 'Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy' and 'Chiquita Banana.' So, I suppose I've got some theater blood pumping in me. And I'm extremely lucky to have the most
supportive, loving parents on the planet," said Barry.
 
"Playing B.J. Miller has been wonderful! Each character in this show has their own individual quirks and I've had a ball trying to individualize B.J. throughout the rehearsal process. It's the little things that are the most fun and ultimately rewarding," said Barry.
 
"Balancing school and rehearsals has been a tremendous challenge. I'm currently a sophomore at Santa Rosa High School and the combination of quadratic discriminates and essays in the daytime and '1940s' at night has been really tough. Many late nights with minimal sleep! Still, I am loving the process," said
Barry. "Above all, I am just super psyched to be working with such a talented variety of people, from the cast to the crew."
 
For tickets or more information about the 6th Street Playhouse production of "The 1940s Radio Hour" call 707-523-4185 or visit www.6thstreetplayhouse.com

 

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