Raconteur Theatre Company

I’ve never been a huge fan of Comfest. I don’t like mud, random naked people, random naked people covered in mud (or painted!) so this should come as a shock. Given this I had mixed feelings when I was told we would be performing Aster, Holger Gunn at Comfest but I convinced myself it would be fun.

But here’s the thing – it was fun! Sure, the lapel microphones we were supposed to be wearing to combat the ambient noise didn’t work out, leaving us screaming the show into stand microphones. Sure, the stage was awkward with the microphones placed willy nilly. Sure, I was so disgustingly hot and sweaty that I was grossed out that poor Andrew (Holger) had to kiss me…

But in spite of these things I could scarcely had enjoyed myself more. The outdoor atmosphere, the screaming, the staging, the different audience all changed the show in ways I couldn’t have imagined. This was not the Aster, Holger Gun I had come to know and love, no this was a different story entirely and yet also not.

So it turns out I don’t hate Comfest at all.

This was one of the many thoughts running through my head the first time I read Justin Toomey’s Aster, Holger Gunn after being cast as Aster. Little did I know I was headed for a turbulent process involving a change in actors leaving us less time than originally planned for rehearsals. By the time we got around to rehearsing that kiss, it had become bigger than necessary and as someone who hadn’t been on-stage recently I was nervous.

I should have known better. I should have realized that this was a very natural and realistic emotion given the scene at hand. What I did know what that I needed to just get it over with. And what I came to realize is that both that kiss and the last kiss are such pivotal moments in the story that they were truly enjoyable.

Things I Learned During After the Afterglow:
* Sam Blythe (Duck from Aster, Holger Gunn) is the biggest goofball ever.
* Kafe Kerouac has delicious coffee.
* If you park illegally on North Campus they will tow your car astonishingly quickly!
* RTC is perhaps the nicest group of people ever (who else would bring you a birthday cake to tech week?)
* I am very hard on myself.
* It is unenjoyable to wait in the rain for intermission when there is no backstage available!
* There was a strange man across the alley. Every night he showered while the cast of Aster, Holger Gunn ran lines, he either never noticed us or didn’t care that we could see him.
* A smile on-stage can change the entire show.
* Operation and Apples to Apples are the best games in known existence.
* Sometimes a mid-performance line flub can be a confidence booster.
* Huzzah is not as annoying of a word as I originally thought.
-Molly

No, not the kind you attach to the back of a truck. Or the kind that bigger stars get to retreat to when they’re pissed. More like the ones you sit and watch while waiting for your movie to start.

Well, we’ve got ‘em.

Check out the first trailer for Aster, Holger Gunn!

Check back next week for the trailer for Roulette!

-Aaron