Uncle Fester Is Feeling Ready....

Here we go. Opening weekend starting on Friday, June 20th at 7:30 PM at the Empress Theatre in Magna, Utah.

www.empresstheatre.com

 THE ADDAMS FAMILY features an original story, and it's every father's nightmare. Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family - a man her parents have never met. And if that weren't upsetting enough, Wednesday confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he's never done before - keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday's 'normal' boyfriend and his parents.

** This show has a sensitivity rating: Macbre humor and mild profanity **

Directed by: Jake Andersen
Vocal Direction by: Jeremy Tuttle
Choreography: Lindy Davis

Performances are every FRIDAY, SATURDAY, and MONDAY June 20th - July 26th at 7:30pm. There are 3 matinees: June 28th, July 12th, and July 19th at 2:00pm.

All tickets are just $10 and reserved seating
Special pricing for groups of 10 or more (contact the box office for reservations at 801-347-7373 or email to historicempress@gmail.com)

CAST A Performances: June 20, 23, 28 (2pm), 30, July 11, 12, 18, 21, 25



CAST A:

Gomez .... Matt Green
Morticia .... Chrisanne Sueltz
Uncle Fester .... Nathan Unck
Wednesday .... Jennica Henderson
Lucas .... Travis Hall
Grandma .... JoAnn Galloway
Pugsley .... Gavin Sueltz
Lurch .... Garret Sueltz
Mal Beineke .... Garrett Beisinger
Alice Beineke .... Cheryl

Ancestors:
Conquistador .... Derek Green
Caveman .... Josh Astle
Soldier .... Tom Roche
1920's Gangster .... Michael Thrall

Saloon Girl .... Devin Johnson
Flight Attendant: Tanya Rasmussen
Courtesan .... Kathryn Brown
Bride .... Emily Preston
Flapper .... Charly Johnson
Hippie .... K'Lynn Keddington
Greek Goddess .... Connie Beaty
Cowgirl .... Maddie Sueltz

Cousin It/Thing/Mummy .... Megan Carpentier


I hope you all can make it out. The show is a ton of fun!

To The Addams Family, Both Casts......

I was cast in The Addams Family: The Musical as Uncle Fester. The show was double cast and my counterpart is played wonderfully by Dallon Thorup.  It ceases to amaze me how different we play the same role, but because of our different experiences and personalities, the role works in two totally different ways. I feel very fortunate to have been cast along side an awesome actor, so Dallon, Thank you.

Tonight marked the last night that both casts will be rehearsing together. While it is exciting to know that we will have our costumes, makeup, and props pretty much ready for the next couple of rehearsals until we open, I am really going to miss the cast from Cast B. You have all been wonderful to work with, and to have fun with. I usually hate rehearsing for shows, but I have been nothing but excited and happy when it comes to Addams Family rehearsals. 

There isn't one person in either cast that I didn't like. It has been great getting to know you and I have signed up for a couple of ushering positions, so I will see you again during your run, but I will miss sharing the stage with you all.

To Cast A, Let's rock this thing. I am so happy to be in a cast full of awesomely, talented people who inspire me, (cast B does as well, but yeah), and have made this experience a once in a lifetime kinda thing.

I don't want to go into personal details, but let's just say there have been some rough bumps in my life lately, and things are pretty hard for me on the outside of the theater. Everyone has been so amazing and have treated me well. The theater is kind of my safe haven. Once I walk through those doors, I feel happy. Things in my personal life kind of just wait outside for a while until I leave the theater, then it's back again.

I just want everyone to know how appreciative of I am for you. Thank you so much for making me laugh, for helping me feel better about myself, and the encouragement to work harder and stronger.

Anyway this is long enough. Congratulations if you made it this far and are still reading! Anywho, let's work super hard in the next couple of rehearsals so that we can have great performances. Thank you so much everyone for making this experience a great one.

See you guys tomorrow at rehearsal.

Nate

Time Out...

Lately, when Elliot is staying with me, we have tried really hard to teach him that name calling is mean. Every time he says something that sounds like an insult, we give him a warning, and then if he says it again, we put him in "Time Out".  One of those words is the word "stupid". It doesn't always mean an insult to a person indirectly, but does give off a negative tone.

Anyway, so tonight after play practice, which Elliot went with me to,  we were taking a friend of mine home, and our friend said the word "stupid", so Elliot thought it was up to him to make things right, so Elliot gave our friend a "Time Out" lecture.

Then, I said the word "stupid" talking about something else. So, you guest it. Elliot put me in "Time Out" when we got home. I got him ready for bed, turned on a movie for us to watch together, and then he told me I still had to do my "Time Out" session. So, I got three minutes in the corner of our family room while Elliot watched The Aquabats Super Show.

I have noticed that being a parent can be very tricky sometimes. You don't want to hold your kids to a double standard, and sometimes it is hard to not do what they aren't allowed to do for some things. The funny thing is, is I was actually really proud of Elliot for standing up and telling us off like that. I hope that when he is older, especially his teenage years, that he will be able to stand up to his peers and do what is right and invite them to do the right thing as well.

It makes me happy that even though I am the dad, my son, even at age three, can still teach me great lessons!

The Deseret Alphabet (Video)

This is a video I made back a few years ago about the Deseret Alphabet. I thought it was a fun topic. If this goes over well, I may make more video blog posts, even though I am fatter now! Anyway I hope you enjoy it.

Pie Charts.....

Again. Not really on my topic list, but I have had some fun with pie charts lately. There is a website that will let you make your own pie charts, and I had some fun with them. Here are a couple.

I use Graphjam.com to make them. They actually have other types of graphs you can make as well. I just have fun with the pie charts. The two are ones that I made before, Just for fun, I will add one more.

Go ahead and make some of your own. Email them to me at unck42@yahoo.com and I will post them in a future blog.

Peace Out!

Elliot, Daddy and The Aquabats....

Now, I can't remember if I told everyone my rules about the blog/journal thing. I am picking topics off of a list my dad gives to his English students in high school. There are 250 topics, and I forgot to tell you, I can only write for ten minutes, so if you are reading and I make a dumb joke....Yeah, I don't edit what I write. Sometimes things come out well, and sometimes they come out in a weird way.

Since my last post a couple of hours ago, I decided that I didn't pick a topic off the list, and It only took me about a minute and a half to write. So, instead of doing a topic tonight, I am doing a second blog. This one has a video.

This is my sweet little boy, Elliot, and he is rocking out to an Aquabats concert from their Serious Awesomeness DVD from 2003, long before their hit show on The Hub. I got into them when I was in 9th grade, and they have always been one of my favorite bands since then. The fun thing is, Elliot loves them to death, and we have watched their TV show a million times. I love having a kid that loves things that I like, most of the time. He is going through a Power Rangers phase. Even when I was little, I never did like the Power Rangers, but I have been happily watching them for Elliot.

I love acting, and sometimes, being a parent, even a divorced parent who isn't getting along with the other people, is a good acting experience. My sister made me think a little bit when she said, "You know, you love that little boy that is part you, but you have to remember that even though you don't get along well with my ex-wife, Elliot is part her too, and he is being shaped and molded by her too."

I actually have really awesome sisters. They make me think of things in a different light all the time. Anyway, I promised you a video. and this is super sweet and funny. He asks me if I want a guitar, they are the guitar hero ones, lol, and so I got up, put the camera down and played with him. He's the best. Anywho, here you go..Oh, he is funny.  

Anyway the best parts are the beginning, and then he asks me if I want to play, and it is the cutest thing I have ever heard. And at the end of the song and video. 

Drive-In Movies...

After a hilarious conversation my friend from my plays at the Empress theater had with her adopted daughter from Russia, explaining to her what a Drive-In movie theater was. Here is what I posted. It is funny, and it is true.

So, When TV was invented, people stopped going to the movie theaters, so they invented the widescreen format. They came out with 3-D movies, and they invented Drive-Ins. The funny thing is, they noticed that teens and young couples would go to the drive-in to "park", and Hollywood found that if they made movies faster, they would have full parking lots every weekend, so they started making bad movies with lesser known stars, and the fad was monster and alien movies. That is why there are so many bad sci-fi movies out there from that time period. Can you tell I am a film history student?

If Animals Could Talk, What Would They Say? What Would I Ask Them?

I think if animals could talk, most people would just say "my dog" or "my cat". I would also like to talk to my dog, Duncan. He barks so much. I just want to know what the heck he is really barking at and what possesses him to do so. I would tell him that I can't give him a treat every time he comes in from using the bathroom outside because he would get fat and sick, and we love him and want him healthy. If Duncan talked as well, he would probably say, I want a treat, I want a treat. Then after not getting his treat, he would go in the front room, chase his tail, and bark at it until he gets tired and plops down where he is.

So, I got that one out of the way. I would tell a cat to go lick/bathe himself in heck. Cats are evil. That is why old ladies with tons of cats are crazy. They are possessed by demons that are summoned from the cats.

However, that only includes house cats. I think it would be awesome to have a conversation with a tiger at the zoo and ask him why he just lays down all day instead of entertaining the crowds. I am sure that the tigers would probably say that we are related to house cats, and that is why we are so lazy and don't care about people wanting to see them or not.

I think I would get tired of trying to wait for a sloth to tell me anything. I would ask a sloth if he is offended about the way he is portrayed in the Ice Age movies.

Speaking of movies, There is Doctor Doolittle, both the classic, and two with Eddie Murphy, which weren't horrible, but still not great. I loved the weasel in the second one.

I would ask a bear if humans pretending to play dead would really fool a bear to leave them alone. I would also ask if bears like honey, or if Winnie the Pooh is a poor spokesman for all bears everywhere? I would ask Little John, the bear in the Disney film Robin Hood why he and Balloo from the Jungle Book have the same voice. I know they are just cartoons, but still, they have the same voice, and I would like some answers.

I would ask spiders why they have to bite people and ask them why are they so ugly. Besides spiders being ugly, mother spiders really are caring and nurturing to their baby spiders.

I would ask elephants about their life in Africa and how it is different here in America in a zoo. I would also ask them if they were super upset about the movie "The Protector" where elephants are sacred and bad guys come and use kung fu and they throw a baby elephant a few feet away. I mentioned this in my last post, but it is too freaking funny to not post again. Best Elephant Throw Ever!

I would ask the hare why he was so cocky when it came to his race with the tortoise. He would probably smart off though.

If I had to pick only one animal that I could talk to though, I would probably pick a Chimpanzee. They are cute, and they understand humans pretty well, well, as much as a monkey can understand our human ways.

I really do wish that I could talk to animals and have them talk back. The world would be a better place just for understanding each other. Come to think of it, we need to do the same thing with other human beings. In a way, we are all animals. We have instincts, we need to eat food and drink water to survive. We just have the blessings of being a fully developed human being with knowledge to make life better. Not easier, but better. Wow, I am getting in too deep in thought for 12:34 A. M.  I better sign off.

I hope you are liking the blog posts, and I hope you will come back to read more.

Nate

Letter to my parents asking if we can get a pet elephant.

Dear mom and dad,

How are you? Mom, have you lost weight? Dad, you are looking pretty trim yourself. As you probably know, I have been feeling kind of lonely lately. It would be so great not to feel that way anymore. I know what you are thinking. "Why is Nate asking us about our weight" Don't dwell too long on that. It's a compliment. Really. It is.

Anywho, we have Duncan, our precious little wiener dog. He is great, but just like all of us, he is getting older. He keeps me company at night when I can't sleep, but he also kind of likes to do his own thing. He won't be around forever. I don't like thinking about it. It makes me feel bad.

Now, I love animals so much. I think that they are put on earth to give people joy, and crazy "When Animals Strike Back" episodes on the Fox Network. There was this one guy that jumped into a bush to dodge his drunk brothers bullet. They were shooting cans, but the guy thought it would be great to start shooting at his brother. The brother didn't get hit, but the guy dove into the bush where a rattlesnake was hiding. The snake bit the guy and he died. Anyway, that doesn't have anything to do with what I am about to ask you, but the story makes me laugh.

So, here we go. I would really like to get a new pet. Now, I thought long and hard about this. I really think that getting a pet elephant would be the best option. You probably think I am crazy, but I rationally worked it out by making a pros and cons list. Here they are.

Pros, They bathe themselves. We just need a little plastic children's swimming pool, and he will do the rest. They never forget things. We can make money off of the kids in the neighborhood by giving them rides on the elephant. Pretty soon , it will start paying for itself. We could rent him out to movie companies that are looking for elephants. I saw this movie once where a guy picked up a baby elephant and threw it a few feet away. It was a martial arts movie, and man, that was the highlight.
Best Elephant Throw Ever....   Also, we can put it out to stud, make new baby elephants, and sell them, but only after they grow up. We don't want to break the mother's heart.

Here are the cons. The city zoning people would have to make up a new law about having elephants as a pet, probably not in our favor. The elephant dung would be hard to clean up, but that is why we can just ride him around the corner and do his business on another lawn, which could make our neighbors hate us. Also, they could be loud making their elephant sounds, and could do it in the middle of the night, causing us to not sleep. Oh, and we would have to constantly look out for poachers trying to get at the elephant's tusks. I hate those guys.

Anyway, I think it is something we need to do. Maybe we can call celebrated elephant authority Dame Daphne Sheldrick that rescues baby elephants and adopt one. I will personally see that it gets here by checking our UPS website everyday for delivery conformation. We might have to go to the post office to pick it up, though.

You know. I don't really want to drive five minutes over the United Postal Service, so let's just drop the whole elephant thing.

Sincerly,

Nate

Starting Over

Hi. My name is Nathan Unck. I wanted to start this blog/journal all over again. I started the project in 2010. I posted 8 posts, then I lost my papers.

Let me explain the papers. My dad is retiring from his job as a high school teacher where he taught English for 35 years. He started two years before I was born. Crazy. Anyway, every time students came into his classroom, he started off by making them write in a writing journal. They could choose what ever they wanted to, but if they were stuck and couldn't think of a topic, my dad would give them a list of 250 topics that they could write about. I got a copy of those papers and decided to write a blog/journal using the topics.

So, I lost the papers, and the blog kind of fell by on the wayside. I was setting up my other blog, which is actually a site where I post my film critic review podcast. I have recently got a real domain name for it because the other address was way too long. Anyway, I was working on that, and then I saw the blog, and looked at it. I had a lot of fun going back and looking at things that I wrote that I totally forgot about. So, I am keeping those posts here on the blog, but I am super excited to jump into the new topics that I have.

I hope that you will enjoy reading them as much as I had fun writing them.

Nate