Joseph Martinez (Michael Banks) is excited to be returning to the Kitsap Forest .jpg "Joseph Martinez at rehearsal at the Kitsap Forest Theater")
Theater for the 3rd year in a row. Joseph is 10 years old, lives in Shoreline, and is homeschooled. He is excited to be a human this time after playing a tiger and baby Tumnus in Narnia, and a duckling in Honk!
He was first introduced to theater when he was 5 years old and began performing with his homeschool group at Magnuson Community Center. He participated in multiple productions there before being introduced to the Kitsap Forest Theater by his friend, Jasmine Harrick.
Joseph says, “I love performing at KFT because of how family friendly it is. After our performances the cast eats dinner together, plays games, sings around the campfire, and camps out overnight. I love spending time outdoors.”
.jpg "Joseph Martinez in Honk!")
On top of learning his lines, music, and choreography, Joseph has worked with a dialect coach to learn a British accent. “I first became interested in a British accent after watching World Cup soccer games and now it’s fun to get formal training on learning a real British accent.”
Joseph has really enjoyed playing Michael Banks and finds that his character really just wants love from his parents. “All Michael wants to do is fly a proper kite with his dad. Michael and his sister, Jane, drive away nannies because they just want their parents’ attention. I feel sad for him but then Mary Poppins comes along and things change – and as Mary Poppins says, anything can happen if you let it.” Come see the show!
Meagan Castillo (Mary Poppins) is happy to be spending another spring in the beautiful Kitsap Forest Theater, and is thrilled to have the opportunity to take on the role of Mary Poppins. A Seattle native, Meagan has performed with many local theater companies, including Seattle Musical Theater, SecondStory Repertory, Tacoma Musical Playhouse and the Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan Society. She is currently a pre-nursing student at Bellevue College.
Meagan was first drawn to the Kitsap Forest Theater in 2011, when her then 10-year-old son expressed an interest in joining her on stage. The unique environment of the theater, which encourages family participation both on and off stage, was a perfect fit. Since then, Meagan has had the privilege of appearing on the Kitsap stage with both of her younger sons; in the 2013 production of Narnia, as well as last years production of Honk!.
“I believe that the family friendly, multi-generational environment of the Kitsap Forest Theater is very important, both for the cast and the audience. I'm proud to be a part of creating a place where parents and grandparents can expose their children to quality theater in a relaxed and welcoming space”. Despite the challenges of staging a production of Mary Poppins outdoors, Meagan feels that it really is an excellent fit for the theater. “The themes of finding the magic in the everyday, as well as the Banks family's struggle to connect with one another is something I believe everyone can relate to.”
Meagan is also enjoying the challenge of playing a character many people are familiar with and have preconceived notions of. “So much of the fun in creating a character is making it your own. That's difficult with a role like Mary, since most people immediately think of Julie Andrews. Returning to the source material is also tricky, since the Mary in the original P.L. Travers' stories isn't terribly likeable. Despite this, playing Mary really is a dream come true, after all how often do you get to be Practically Perfect.”
Buy your tickets today online (no ticket fee) and come for a "jolly holiday" in the forest with your friends and family! It truly will be a "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" adventure!
We are planning on profiling some of our actors in our spring production of Mary Poppins. We hope that you will enjoy getting to know them and then come see them in action at the show!
Merrill Matheson (Bert) is originally from Provo, Utah and holds a BA in theatre with a minor in ballroom dance from Brigham Young University and an MFA in arts leadership from Seattle University. He has worked in many sides of the arts, including administration, technical crews, and performance. We asked him to tell us a little something about his experience with the Kitsap Forest Theater:
“I am thrilled to make my Seattle acting debut with Kitsap Forest Theater! I have been impressed with the professionalism and kindness from all the Forest Theater staff. I am amazed by the natural beauty of the theater venue. The forest reminds me of the mountains of Utah where I grew up, but there is the added beauty here of all the Pacific Northwest moss covering everything.”
“Bert is a dream role of mine, and I am thrilled about the opportunity to play him. Bert is a kind, genuine, and playful character who always looks out for others. He sees the big picture in life and doesn't let small mishaps discourage him. He puts others' needs above his own and doesn't worry about material possessions. But most of all, I'm thrilled to play Bert because he's just a lot of fun, always putting a smile on others' faces. If I can help you see what Bert sees to help put a smile on your face, then I will have done my job as an actor. See you at the show!”
It is always exciting to invite new actors to experience the Kitsap Forest Theater stage - there really is nothing like it. You can even hang out in the sunshine between stage time during rehearsals! All of the actors and production staff have been hard at work learning the songs and dances, and putting together an exciting show - don't miss it! Tickets available here.