New Mexico Entertainment Magazine December 2015

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DECEMBER 2015

TRUE WORDS FROM JIM PARRACK

The True Blood star shot from the hip when he sat down with New Mexico Entertainment to talk about new projects, comic cons and how actors need to respect the craft.

The Dolls’ Cinderella

A FREE Publi cation

A Christmas Carol

Winter Ball

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TABLE OF CONTENTS PG 14

COVER STORY

True Words from Jim Parrack

During October’s Santa Fe Comic Con, True Blood’s Jim Parrack showed New Mexico Entertainment a refreshing side to this actor.

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Cinderella: An E True Hollywood Story The Dolls talk about their new holiday show

A Christmas Carol ALT presents the classic like you’ve never seen before

LET US ENTERTAIN YOU

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Winter Ball Christmas at Hogwarts to benefit UNM Children’s hospital

The Little Mermaid and Cliff’s Magical Christmas Learn more about these events

EXTRAS

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Find out about New Mexico’s upcoming events

See what you missed last month in New Mexico.

EVENTS

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LET US ENTERTAIN YOU

New Mexico Entertainment • December 2015

SIGHTSEEING

NME STAFF Teresa Robinson-Ewers Publisher/Editor-in-Chief NMEntertains@gmail.com Ariel Bisbee Photography & Mulitmedia Director Rhonda Heyns Copy Editor CONTRIBUTORS Winter Elise Sonja Dewing NME Board Teresa Ewers Ariel Bisbee Darlene Esquibel Winter Elise Eddie Robinson SUBSCRIPTIONS New Mexico Entertainment magazine is $24 a year within the Continental United States.

Please place your order online at www.NMEntertains.com.

Please note the first issue will take 4-6 weeks.

All events submissions can be placed at NMEntEvents@gmail.com

231 Sierra Dr. SE, Ste. 11 Albuquerque, NM 87108 505.450.4706

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LET US ENTERTAIN YOU: THE DOLLS’ CINDERELLA: AN E TRUE HOLLYWOOD STORY Top: Susannah Jones as Mother, Christopher Swan as The Old Man, Cal Alexander as Randy, and Colton Maurer as Ralphie; insert: Colton Maurer as Ralphie and the company

When it comes to the holiday season there are many traditions, but none as entertaining as The Dolls annual Christmas show. This year, The Dolls are bringing a taste of British pantos with this year’s show, The Dolls Present Cinderella: The E! True Hollywood Story. The Dolls creator, Ken Ansloan, took a moment to talk about what we can expect with this production.

Where did the idea to do Cinderella as an E True Hollywood story come from?

After almost 20 years of doing Christmas Shows I was wondering what this years Christmas Show would be. My friend, Jessica Osbourne, is from England and she sug6I

gested that we do a Christmas Panto.

Christmas Pantos are one of the biggest Christmas traditions in England.

Pantomime to us here in America means mime (silent theatre in which performers express themselves through gestures). In England it is the noisest form of theatre that has lots of slapstick humor, songs and audience participation. Pantos or pantomimes usually tell a fairy tale. This idea really appealed to me and Jessica really helped me with the writing. She has been in numerous pantomimes back in England.

We all know the story of Cinderella, whether you’ve read Brother Grimm or the Disney version. What can

New Mexico Entertainment • December 2015

we expect with this show?

It is definitely more humorous and rowdy.

Pantos have definite rules that you have to follow For instance, every panto has to have a ghost scene.

Although it tells the traditional story of Cinderella, it does so in a way that is going to be very unique to American audiences.

The “Cinderella” pantos have a character called Buttons who guides the audience what to do and gets the audience worked up. Audiences can expect to have an evening filled with lots of belly laughs and songs where they play an important part to the story!

Was the creative process different from others shows?

I know that you usually handle the writing. How was it working with Jessica?

Yes, the process was different.

I was totally going in another direction

with the show. I was somewhat familiar with British Pantos but Jessica quickly made me realize that I actually knew very little.

She was invaluable in that regard. But writing with another person also pushes you into going into places you would never have thought. So it was really a growing experience in that regards.

But we also have the same sense of humor as well. We would go over the script together and brainstorm and just keep pushing each other to come up with funnier ideas. We spent half the evening just laughing together at our ideas. It was great fun!

Will we see some of our Doll regulars in this show, maybe some new faces? And do I need to ask who the wicked stepmother is?

Yes, it has most of the Dolls regulars. It will also have some new faces! Jessica suggested that two of the characters be played by stand up comedians. She was very wise in suggesting this.

The character Buttons, for instance, has to be so quick on his feet and able to adlib at a moment’s depend-

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ing on the audience’s reactions. So we have to popular Albuquerque stand-up comedians in our show Joe Quesada and William Cameron Bolt. They are natural born actors.

They immediately fit into our Dolls’ family and add a unique element to our show!

And, of course, I was born to play the evil stepmother! I feel as if I have been preparing for this role all my life! The audience gets to “boo” and “hiss” every time I enter on-stage. I love it!

hundred times now! I am amazed at how the show just flows. And how funny it is. So “hilarious” is definitely the best word that describes this year’s Christmas Show!

The Dolls Present Cinderella: The E! True Hollywood Story will run from December 4 - December 20 at the National Hispanic Cultural Center Wells Fargo Theater. Purchase your tickets at ww.nhccnm.org. NME -Teresa Ewers

One word to describe this year’s Christmas show?

So many words flooded to my brain, but the one that shines brightest is “hilarious”. I don’t think I fully realized how funny it was until we had read thru. The whole cast was reading it for the first time and every line got a laugh. We’re still laughing even though we’ve heard the jokes a

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LET US ENTERTAIN YOU: A CHRISTMAS CAROL Top: Dehron Foster as The Stage Manager and Ebenezer Scrooge; insert: Nicholas Handley, Christy Burbank and Jackson Murrieta.

Photography by Randy Talley Photography.

lbuquerque Little Theatre’s producA tion of A Christmas Carol like you’ve never seen it before - an highly inventive

adaptation of the classic Dickens story, paired down to its essential elements. In this version, we encounter a company of traveling players about to enact the Dickens story. As the on-stage trunk of supplies opens, actors and clowns spill out and roll on. The gruff stage manager and prop boy check the show’s props, which are shabby and third rate, but the troupe improvises by creating a magical world of make-believe. The acting troupe soon discovers that the actors playing Scrooge and Tiny Tim have abandoned the tour; but the show must go on, and the prop boy eagerly volunteers for the part of Tim while the cynical stage manager must be forcibly drafted to play the old miser. The troupe proceeds to make their way through the tale, creating fog, snow, fire and ghosts through mime, imagination and wonderful visual effects. The rag tag players (including the stage manager and prop boy) quickly become the characters of the story, and we are pulled into the life of Ebenezer Scrooge. The Christmas Spirits work their magic and warm the heart of Scrooge, as well as the old stage manager.

A Christmas Carol will be led by some familiar faces like Dehron Foster as Stage Manager/Scrooge, Jackson Murrieta as Prop Boy/Tiny Tim, and

Ray Orley as Director/Christmas Future. The talented cast will also include Nicholas Handley, Christy Burbank, Isaiah Romero-Cordova, Estrella Avila, Linda Sklov, Lee Ramey, Heather Antonio, Kristen Ryan and Sef Garcia.

The creative team is made up of Barbara Geary, granddaughter of famed Broadway actress, Ethel Merman (Director), Casey Mraz (Music Director), Ryan Cook (Production Coordinator/Lighting Designer/Sound Designer), Carolyn Hogan (Costume Designer) to name a few.

A Christmas Carol opens December 4th and runs through December 24th.

There will be a few special performances. Tickets are $24 for general public, $22 for seniors, $20 for students and $14 for children. Visit albuquerquelittletheatre.org for more information. NME

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EXTRAS: WINTER BALL

Winter is coming, but so is Magic!

Last year Micaela Brown, president and owner of Heritage Productions, created the first ever Christmas at Hogwarts to benefit UNM Children’s hospital. Included in the evening was a ballroom transformed into the Hogwarts Great Hall complete with candles that floated at the ceiling and a talking sorting hat. It was such a success that Warner Brothers, whom she had to let know of every step and process, appears to have mimicked it for their Dinner in the Great Hall in the UK. But thanks to Micaela, we can say it was done in Albuquerque first.

This year, for the First Annual Magical Winter Ball, she is creating a new theme and new, enchanting events for adults and kids. The Hyatt Regency Downtown will be decked out in the finest froz- I mean, winter look. The beneficiary is once again UNM’s Children Hospital, New Mexico’s only dedicated children’s hospital.

How often do we get to dress to the nines in Albuquerque? The Winter Ball gives us adults a chance to dress in black tie formal, costume, or as Micaela says, “Dress magically.” The ball runs from 7pm to midnight and attendees will be entertained by something different every twenty minutes. And then there’s delicious food, cocktails, and dancing.

To make things all that more interesting, clues to next year’s theme will be hidden around the ballroom. The first person to solve it will get free tickets to next year’s event.

The Kids version, Snow Ball, is two

hours of activity including “Do You Want to Make a Memory?” where you and your kids will be transported to an enchanted winter forest where you’ll meet Disney Princesses, the Snow Queen, a circus troupe, the warm hug snowman, and face painters. In addition, they’ll have an activity to create a physical memory to take home with them.

Because she wants as many children to enjoy the event as possible, Micaela brings in kids from Boys & Girls Club who wouldn’t normally have an opportunity to attend. They get a chance to be rewarded for the number of books they read and their school grades. Last year she was able to sponsor 100 kids to join in the fun. Letters from them after the event expressed that it was so amazing that they thought they had been in a movie. The Winter Ball is on February 6th from 7pm until Midnight. Tickets are $150.The kids Snow Ball will run February 6th-7th, with four different event times. Tickets are $40. This year she aims to bring in 200 boys and girls.

You have an opportunity to sponsor them on the tickets page. NME - Sonja Dewing insert: Micaela Brown, creator of this years event.

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EXTRAS: THE LITTLE MERMAID AND MAGICAL CHRISTMAS hile some are celW ebrating the holidays with ice and snow,

others are going under the sea with Albuquerque Little Theater. Disney’s The Little Mermaid is an exciting production at the theater filled with music, song and fins. In a magical kingdom beneath the sea, the beautiful young mermaid, Ariel, longs to leave her ocean home to live in the world above.

Based on one of Hans Christian Andersen’s most beloved stories, with music by eighttime Academy Award winner Alan Menken,

it’s a hauntingly beautiful love story for the ages. Disney’s The Little Mermaid will capture your heart with its timeless tale and irresistible songs including “Under the Sea,” “Kiss the Girl” and “Part of Your World.”

Disney’s The Little Mermaid runs December 18, 2015 to January 3, 2016 with performances on Friday & Saturday at 7:30PM, Sunday at 4:00 PM and one special performance on Christmas Day at 4:00PM. NME - Teresa Ewers

www.musicaltheatresw.com/mermaid

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xperience the Christmas Magic that is Cliff’s Magical Christmas! Cliff’s Amusement Park has transformed into a must see Christmas extravaganza with over half a million dazzling Christmas lights and a 120 foot tall Christmas tree that was named a Top Tree to Visit

by USA Today. Enjoy our premier amusement park rides, festive holiday eats, and of course, the man of the season himself: Santa Claus.

Come join the magic and make a memory this Christmas. Cliff’s Magical Christmas runs until December 30th.

Visit www.cliffsamusementpark. com for more information.

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COVER STORY: JIM PARRACK

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t was another year of promoting the annual Santa Fe Comic Con and I was prepared for the outrageous cosplay costumes that took some folks a year to create and the celebrities who would be gracing us with their presence. What I wasn’t expecting was the openness of one star in particular. I didn’t know what to expect with Jim Parrack.

Dressed in jeans and leather jacket with a laid-back presence, I wasn’t sure if Parrack would be overflowing with feedback or a quiet soul that I would have to pull information from.

Just finished filming Priceless here in New Mexico, releasing next year, Jim wasn’t unfamiliar with the territory, sharing previous projects that he worked on. But it was the next question that lead me to believe that this interview would be very interesting.

When asked how he felt about this year’s comic con, Parrack replied, “I don’t really like this shit too much.” Now, before you comic con fans start a riot, Jim explained what he meant.

“I like the people, but I don’t know how to interact in a situation like this, so I get very uncomfortable.” I wanted to know more. Actors are used to meeting with their public. I asked if it was the size of the crowd or the experience in general that lead to being uncomfortable.

“I’m not understanding how to be here,” shared Parrack. “It’s an unnatural way to interact.

People would say somebody is worth extra interact at the table I don’t buy that. I feel like we’re just people. So, it’s not that I judge it, I just don’t understand, expect to just say, ‘Hey, how ya doing?’

For Parrack, meeting his fans or the everyday Joe is an occurrence that happens naturally. “It’s usually just an organic thing, that you cross paths or something. We’re human, we have an instinct for that,” says Parrack. “I don’t have no kind of instinct of what to do when someone puts you at a table and people gotta pay…It’s just very uncomfortable, but I love watching. I wish I could just sit

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“It’s usually just an organic thing that you cross paths or something. We’re human, we have an instinct for that.”

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“My enthusiasm about the show was ‘this is good stuff that’s happening’. I really didn’t have a sense of the rest of it.”

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back and watch.”

Well, fans have been watching Jim, who made a name for himself, as Hoyt Fortenberry, on the HBO series True Blood, and his drive for acting came from watching a very influential actor. “I saw this mini-series Lonesome Dove with Robert Duvall and it just blew me away,” says Parrack. “It’s one thing to think about it, but I started acting a little bit and found that I loved it. You know how a dog likes to chase a tennis ball that’s how I feel.” Parrack has worked alongside with talented actors like Brad Pitt, James Franco, and the man who influenced him - Robert Duvall, but when asked who he had on his “dream list” to work with, he shared that there was one actor he would love to work with. “A lot of them I’ve gotten to work with, but I saw Al Pacino in a play Glengarry Glen Ross - that would be a dream.”

The talk of working with legends lead to talk of upcoming projects. Parrack shared a few of the movies he’s been working on. “There’s this movie coming out, The Adderall Diaries, next summer it’s Suicide Squad. I did a movie with my wife called Tatterdemalion, it’s a physiological thriller.” When asked what the experience was like working with his wife - simply put, “It’s the shit.” The conversation

turned back to True Blood. Jim didn’t expect the fan base that it would create and popularity it would form. Parrack did admit that he didn’t see it coming.

“I don’t think I was very aware of it. I think what I was really aware of was parts started like this, but I get to that. (creating a “Point A to Point B” scenario with his fingers.) My enthusiasm about the show was ‘this is good stuff that’s happening’. I really didn’t have a sense of the rest of it.”

Parrack’s trip to Santa Fe was not only to meet with fans but give something back to actors looking to make a career in film, creating a three-night course for them to learn for his experiences. “I’m real upfront. There is no way in three nights of sitting down that you can walk away saying, ‘Got it’. What I’m hoping to do is help people define for themselves what’s ‘being a better actor’. I’m looking to perk up people’s curiosity, see if I can inspire them and give them a little taste of an approach that might be or might not be for them.”

Another thing that Parrack was passionate about in this teaching was building actors that have respect for their craft. “If I wanted to be a doctor and I ran into your emergency room and said, ‘Ready’, you’d die and I’d go to prison. But actors, they think they’re special. So

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it’s become a mixed crowd of people who are devoted - have respect for what they’re d o i n g and who came before them. Then you have people who don’t want to get a job and be treated special.

If actors in America has a bad wrap, it’s partially deserved.”

When it comes to his legacy and what he would like it to be, a question he hasn’t been asked before, Parrack looks at what’s

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to come to inspire people. “The things I did…and this is next chapter - I have no say in what I’ve done before, I’m developing myself,” shared Parrack. “But what I do here forward, I hope, increases people’s appetite for life. Whatever I do, it stirs you up and makes you want more out of life…and then just die.”

Needless to say, the interview ended with a laugh and with me feeling refreshed to witness the honesty of such a devoted actor. Whether it’s on the street, on a set or in a classroom, Jim Parrack has something to teach and you will walk away with a valuable lesson.

NME - Teresa Ewers

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

December 5, 2015 TWINKLE LIGHT PARADE

https://www.cabq.gov/culturalservices/things-to-do/annual-events/twinkle-light-parade

UNTIL May 2, 2016 Turquoise, Water, Sky: The Stone and Its Meaning Museum of Indian Arts & Culture 710 Camino Lejo Santa Fe, NM 87505 Turquoise, Water, Sky: The Stone and Its Meaning highlights the Museum’s extensive collection of Southwestern turquoise jewelry and presents all aspects of the stone, from geology, mining and history, to questions of authenticity and value. https://www.newmexico.org/ event/?eid=25088&date=12/03/2015 UNTIL January 2, 2016 River of Lights ABQ BioPark 903 10th St. S.W. Albuquerque, NM 87102 Experience millions of glowing, sparkling lights and over 150 dazzling light displays, animated sculptures and synchronized music light show at New Mexico’s largest walkthrough holiday production. https://www.cabq.gov/culturalservices/ biopark/events/river-of-lights UNTIL January 28, 2016 A Matter of Taste Santa Fe Art Tours What makes a work of art good or bad? Why are we personally drawn to one artist and not another? These are some of the questions we’ll explore during this tour of three art galleries and the one-and-only Kakawa Chocolate House. http://www.santafearttours.com/

December 3, 2015 JAMES S.A. COREY BOOK SIGNING Jean Cocteau Cinema 4121 Cutler Ave NE Albuquerque, NM 87110 http://jeancocteaucinema.com December 3-13, 2015 NUTCRACKER ON THE ROCKS Keshet Dance Company 4121 Cutler Ave NE Albuquerque, NM 87110 http://www.keshetdance.org December 6, 2015 Simulcast Dance Performances at the Movies:The Lady of the Camellias, Bolshoi Ballet Century Rio 24 Plex and XD 4901 Pan American Fwy Albuquerque, NM 87109 December 6, 2015 Simulcast Dance Performances at the Movies:The Lady of the Camellias, Bolshoi Ballet Century Rio 24 Plex and XD 4901 Pan American Fwy Albuquerque, NM 87109

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December 9, 2015 Whole Toning - Fall Series Maple Street Dance Space 3215 Central Ave Albuquerque, NM 87106 Aside from not overindulging this holiday season, the best thing you can do for your health is to lower your stress levels, and toning is a wonderful way. maryselapierre@gmail.com December 10, 2015 Simulcast Dance Performances at the Movies: Nutcracker, New York City Ballet Century Rio 24 Plex and XD 4901 Pan American Fwy Albuquerque, NM 87109 December 19-20, 2015 The Nutcracker Aspen Santa Fe Ballet 550 B St. Michael’s Drive Santa Fe, NM 87505 http://www.aspensantafeballet.com/ performances/season-performance-pages/Nutcracker-SF.html December 20, 2015 Simulcast Dance Performances at the Movies: Nutcracker, Bolshoi Ballet Century Rio 24 Plex and XD 4901 Pan American Fwy Albuquerque, NM 87109 December 22-30, 2015 New Mexico Mi Amor Art Show 2015 Studio Vaillancourt 100 East San Francisco St. Santa Fe, NM 87501 The New Mexico Mi Amor II Art Show will feature paintings by artist Sandy Vaillancourt. The art show will feature colorful

watercolor and oil paintings and fine art prints that weave together her love of New Mexico and 20 years of living and traveling around New Mexico and walking around the neighborhoods of her home town, Santa Fe. http://www.sandyvaillancourt.com/ sandyvaillancourt.com/Vaillancourt_ Studio.html December 24, 2015 Christmas Eve Torchlight Parade & Fireworks Red River Ski Area 400 Pioneer Road Red River, NM 87558 http://www.redriverskiarea.com/ UNTIL December 27, 2015 COWGIRL ARTIST DONNA HOWELL-SICKLES McLarry Fine Art 225 Canyon Road Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 The cowgirls Donna Howell-Sickles paints sing of an eagerness for life and gratitude for the companions that share in the journey.

Donna Howell-Sickles, a Cowgirl Hall of Fame member, has been painting cowgirls since 1972.

While the energy of Howell-Sickles’ cowgirls seems to jump off the canvas, the symbolism in her paintings is not always obvious. Howell-Sickles uses folklore and classical mythology to bestow deeper meaning to the scenes she paints. By alluding to ancient myths and how women have been portrayed through legend, Howell-Sickles creates an archaic heroine, one that is relatable for modern women as well. http://mclarryfineart.com/artists/donna-howell-sickles

November 27, 2015 December 30, 2015 CLIFF’S MAGICAL CHRISTMAS http://www.cliffsamusementpark.com

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SIGHTSEEING: SOUTHWEST BACON FEST

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