Festival Theatre was lucky to get to chat a little with Colleen Raye this week about her upcoming show (That'll Be the Day: The Music of Gene Pitney, Linda Rondstadt, and Roy Orbison) showing only this Friday, and some of her experiences in the life of a performing artist/musician! Check out some of her great insights in this quick Q&A!
Festival Theatre - What was the creative spark or genesis of "That'll Be the Day"? How does putting a show like this together look?
Colleen Raye - For this particular show, Wayne Luchau had been singing Roy Orbison/Gene Pitney for years and wanted to collaborate to book more shows. I decided to write a show around that music, add a female singer, and write the dialogue between songs. I wrote the show, paced it out. You know, when you create a show, it’s different than just going song to song, you want to be uptempo for one, say something funny between, a little bit of comedy, find the right time for ballads, having a closer that’s meaningful. There’s more to building a show like this than what people might think.
Festival Theatre - As a performing artist/musician, with lots of shows under your belt, do you have any interesting or funny anecdotes or experiences recently in your performance work? Any cool or crazy venues?
Colleen Raye - I’ve performed for hundreds of shows professionally, so I’ve been everywhere from the nightclubs of Las Vegas and Atlantic City, Philadelphia, all over the nation in some of the biggest showrooms, television, etc. So I’ve had some very embarrassing stage moments! What do you do? You just laugh it off! Everything from falling flat on my face walking on stage, to hairpieces flying off, in some of the biggest places like Las Vegas! You just gotta laugh it off! By this time, I’ve gone through almost anything, and you learn you gotta roll with it. That’s live entertainment. You know, what’s funny, when that does happen, and you’re not embarrassed about it, people are with you. They love it! They love when you make fun of yourself, because you feel connected!
Festival Theatre - You wrote this show, as well as many of your other shows (such as Sirens of the 60's and the upcoming Christmas Show). Is there something in your shows that audiences might be able to see as an artistic handprint of yours if they're looking?
Colleen Raye - All of my shows have this; first of all, high quality musicians and singers. The big thing I want is I want to reach the audience with the music, with our personalities. Because I really do believe that when you’re up on the stage, you’re not just performing for the people, you’re connecting with the audience. After each show, we love going out to the lobby, and connecting more with the audience after. We have a little bit of sing along, a little comedy, some touching moments, and also the way they’re paced, they move very smoothly. It’s not “oh hey, what’s the next song” with dead time, it moves very smoothly and professionally. You walk out of there feeling like you had a good time, were involved, and you had an experience.
Don't Miss "That'll Be the Day": A Colleen Raye Production:
Wayne Luchau, Colleen Raye,Debbie O’Keefe and The Echoes Rock and Roll Band performing the dynamic music of Roy Orbison, Linda Ronstadt, and Gene Pitney. You’ll hear your favorites including Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman”, “You Got It,” “Crying,” Gene Pitney’s “Town Without Pity,” “24 Hours From Tulsa,” “Liberty Valence,” and Linda Ronstadt’s “Blue Bayou,” “That’ll Be The Day” and “Desperado.” Filled with stories and humor as well as masterful musicianship and impressive vocals, the show will take you on an emotional, energetic and nostalgic journey you won’t forget.
"That'll Be the Day" shows only on Friday, September 28th at Alliance Church of the Valley in St. Croix Falls, WI!
Reserve your tickets at the link below today!
https://festivaltheatre.secure.force.com/ticket#sections_a0F2A00000TYbVEUA1
Festival Theatre - What was the creative spark or genesis of "That'll Be the Day"? How does putting a show like this together look?
Colleen Raye - For this particular show, Wayne Luchau had been singing Roy Orbison/Gene Pitney for years and wanted to collaborate to book more shows. I decided to write a show around that music, add a female singer, and write the dialogue between songs. I wrote the show, paced it out. You know, when you create a show, it’s different than just going song to song, you want to be uptempo for one, say something funny between, a little bit of comedy, find the right time for ballads, having a closer that’s meaningful. There’s more to building a show like this than what people might think.
Festival Theatre - As a performing artist/musician, with lots of shows under your belt, do you have any interesting or funny anecdotes or experiences recently in your performance work? Any cool or crazy venues?
Colleen Raye - I’ve performed for hundreds of shows professionally, so I’ve been everywhere from the nightclubs of Las Vegas and Atlantic City, Philadelphia, all over the nation in some of the biggest showrooms, television, etc. So I’ve had some very embarrassing stage moments! What do you do? You just laugh it off! Everything from falling flat on my face walking on stage, to hairpieces flying off, in some of the biggest places like Las Vegas! You just gotta laugh it off! By this time, I’ve gone through almost anything, and you learn you gotta roll with it. That’s live entertainment. You know, what’s funny, when that does happen, and you’re not embarrassed about it, people are with you. They love it! They love when you make fun of yourself, because you feel connected!
Festival Theatre - You wrote this show, as well as many of your other shows (such as Sirens of the 60's and the upcoming Christmas Show). Is there something in your shows that audiences might be able to see as an artistic handprint of yours if they're looking?
Colleen Raye - All of my shows have this; first of all, high quality musicians and singers. The big thing I want is I want to reach the audience with the music, with our personalities. Because I really do believe that when you’re up on the stage, you’re not just performing for the people, you’re connecting with the audience. After each show, we love going out to the lobby, and connecting more with the audience after. We have a little bit of sing along, a little comedy, some touching moments, and also the way they’re paced, they move very smoothly. It’s not “oh hey, what’s the next song” with dead time, it moves very smoothly and professionally. You walk out of there feeling like you had a good time, were involved, and you had an experience.
Don't Miss "That'll Be the Day": A Colleen Raye Production:
Wayne Luchau, Colleen Raye,Debbie O’Keefe and The Echoes Rock and Roll Band performing the dynamic music of Roy Orbison, Linda Ronstadt, and Gene Pitney. You’ll hear your favorites including Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman”, “You Got It,” “Crying,” Gene Pitney’s “Town Without Pity,” “24 Hours From Tulsa,” “Liberty Valence,” and Linda Ronstadt’s “Blue Bayou,” “That’ll Be The Day” and “Desperado.” Filled with stories and humor as well as masterful musicianship and impressive vocals, the show will take you on an emotional, energetic and nostalgic journey you won’t forget.
"That'll Be the Day" shows only on Friday, September 28th at Alliance Church of the Valley in St. Croix Falls, WI!
Reserve your tickets at the link below today!
https://festivaltheatre.secure.force.com/ticket#sections_a0F2A00000TYbVEUA1
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