Ken’s Korner
By Ken Owens
First of all, I want to welcome everyone to my first column in Callback News. I have been around Callback for 5 years now, have helped out on a number of projects, and now excited to have my own on-going column. Let’s have some fun as we chat about the Las Vegas entertainment community.
Beer And Burlesque On The River - I spent five days in Laughlin, Nevada helping my friends who produced the new production show Sin City Burlesque at the Riverside Resort. It was amazing to see a brand new production show come together from conception to opening night in just 3 ½ weeks. Yes, you read that right – 3 ½ weeks. Most people would say that is an impossible feat to open a new show in such a quick timeframe. However, producer Carrie Proffitt and her co-producer Dan O’Brien did the impossible.
What made this show successful and come together so fast was the professionalism of the talented cast who were able to implement the vision set forth by Carrie and Dan. There was not any open audition for this show – each cast member was hand picked by the production team and chosen for their individual talents. The four beautiful and talented Las Vegas dancers were Lacy DiBongrazio, Teri Corcoran, Jennifer Vossmer, and Karen Fujimoto. Not only are these lovely ladies amazing dancers, but each accomplished choreographers as well. Singer Lily Arce brought her beautiful vocals to the show and also filled the role of hostess for the evening. The three incredible specialty acts included Emmy Award winning comedian John Padon, the sexy aerial silks and pole acrobatics of Danielle Rueda-Watts, and special guest star the reining queen of burlesque – direct from America’s Got Talent – the sultry and seductive Michelle L’Amour.
Anything is possible when a producer/director hires talented professions and then allows them to have a creative input into the project. I see so many shows close as quickly as they open because the producer does not allow the individual talents of the cast to shine and be able to bring their best to the show. Fostering a team environment and allowing creative input from your cast will make your show an on-going success and achieve seemingly impossible goals.
Above is the cast photograph from Sin City Burlesque. Additional cast photos with all of us from Callback News are available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/callbacknews1/sets/72157624780608437/
