Drum roll please...the last second replacement for the role of "Brody" in the Musical-Drama "Beautiful Noise" is Sarasota's own Dane Dandridge. Dane is a veteran performer with the Asolo Repertory Theatre, the Florida State University Asolo Conservatory and numerous other regional theatres. He's a great actor and singer (check out his pic on the Home Page) and he jumped right into his new role at 6:00 am this morning after a short but spirited audition process against two other excellent Suncoast performers. After the first few hours Danielle commented about how she felt like she's known Dane for a long time, though they've never met...and the entire Cast & Crew quickly embraced this talented young man right from the start. His presence on the Team was immediately felt during his initial unrehearsed scenes with the dynamic Steve Garland, who plays "Brian", the proprietor of the fictional Myakka Music Club. Playing off a pro like Steve no doubt helped Dane ease into his role...still, he walked in cold into a full blown feature film production and really did his thing. Can't wait to hear him sing his spotlight song on the movie Soundtrack.
Like I said yesterday, I somehow knew that we'd have no problem filling the void left by a California-based actor in spite of the short notice. Dane is a welcome addition to "Beautiful Noise" and another great example of the kind of raw singing and acting talent that calls Sarasota and the Suncoast home. I'm looking forward to working with him on the set, especially tomorrow when Dane and Danielle light up the screen with a little romance that definitely gets 'Noah's (Jay's) attention. Nothing like a steamy love triangle to get the sparks flying...
Steve
