PKICentral Gets Schooled by THE MAN

[BoddaH1994]

Recently the staff of PKI Central was given the opportunity to sit down with the nice in person, yet cruel in character, Katie Spearman-Lynch. Katie is better known as Doris from School of Rock. We got a chance to chat with her after one of the cast's fantastic performances in order to ask her about what it's like to be in such an amazing show. Here is what she had to say:

Ryan: How long have you worked for PKI?

Katie: This is my 5th year here and I have always worked in the entertainment department.

Ryan: What's the best part about being a cast member of School of Rock?

Katie: I really like being with the people that are in the show. They're really interesting. I'm used to working in shows where everybody is just a straight actor or dancer and in this show everyone is really dramatic and down to Earth. A lot of them are musicians, they're guys who are in a band. They don't come in here talking about their leotards or sprained ankles, we all melt together. Not that we don't sometimes get on each others nerves, which happens when you do a show together six days a week, but we're all down to Earth and get along pretty well.

Ryan: Do you get the same thrill now, after having done the show for almost four months, that you did when it first opened?

Katie: Sometimes. After several months, you start to get burnt out, but on those days when you have those audiences that are just roaring and "throwing their babies in the air," you can't help but think that this is a really really fun job.

Ryan: How long does it take to prepare for a show like this?

Katie: We started rehearsing about two weeks before the show opened, which doesn't seem like a lot of time. In any other community theatre or college production, you have about six weeks. We were here every night from about 5pm to 10pm. We would learn our lines one night, do music the next, and practices dancing another night. It gradually started to bring itself together in about two weeks.

Ryan: It must have fallen together rather well, I saw the show the day it opened and it seemed flawless.

Katie: Yeah, the stage was already set up when we came in. This is a very technical program with the music, lights, and everything. I don’t know how long it took them to get that set up. I know they've had many hours working on the set when the performers weren't even here.

Ryan: What acting experience did you have before joining the entertainment department at PKI?

Katie: I did theatre, dancing and voice lessons growing up and through high school. I was also a theatre major in college. I went to Xavier and did shows there. I figured this would be a really good summer gig and here I am.

Ryan: Why don't you walk us through a typical day as Doris and tell us what that's like?

Katie: I get to work an hour and a half before the first show. We have a company meeting in which the managers will tell us if there is anything new or different for the day. We warm up vocally and physically and the band comes out and does their warm up. Then we do a sound check with the microphones and make sure that they're working because occasionally we come out here and the speakers don't work, or the lights won't turn on, or there's no power. We do that at least a half hour before the show. Then of course we do our makeup, put our costumes on, and we have to be back in the wings fifteen minutes before the show.

Ryan: When you're not working and are enjoying the park as a guest, what is your favorite thing to do here?

Katie: My husband has a season pass, so sometimes we ride the rides and roller coasters or just enjoy the other shows.

Ryan: Have you been in any other shows this year?

Katie: I was in the Nickelodeon Celebration Parade, but besides that, just this show. Normally I fill in at other shows, but this year has been strictly School of Rock.

Ryan: Should we expect to see you in any other shows this year? Maybe Fearfest or Winterfest?

Katie: I'm a music teacher, so that really limits my availability, but sometimes I will come back for special events like the Adventures for Wish Kids Holiday Party. I hosted the karaoke for that. Currently I don't have time to do Fearfest or Winterfest, but who knows? Maybe one day I'll just give up teaching! But you can expect me back here for 2006.

Ryan: Members of our community have compared your show to shows in such world-class parks as Disney World or Universal Studios. How do you react to that?

Katie: I think it's great! I think that the entertainment department has been building and building every year and now we're to the point where people have very high expectations of our shows. This is a show that's totally different from anything that I've ever seen at a theme park anywhere. I really like how we have live musicians. We haven't had live musicians at this park in a really long time and I think it's great that we have brought that back.

Ryan: What's the craziest moment you've had as a cast member of School of Rock?

Katie: As Doris, I have to be a little mean, well not a little mean.. I am mean. One day I was checking the mics at the beginning of the show which one was intentionally messed up by the sound guy, and being in character, I start yelling at the sound guy telling him that he needs to get to work and he's going to loose his job.. things like that. Now, at the beginning, some people realize that this is just part of the show, but others really aren't sure, and this makes them a little nervous. I start heading back to the sound booth to yell at the sound guy, and this man stops me. He says, “I think you've been really rude to him and it's really inappropriate! I had thought maybe someone had put him up to it, so I didn't break character and said, “Yeah? Well maybe he should be doing his job!" He responds, “No really, I think it's really rude, and really unprofessional and you're embarrassing him in front of all of these people. At this point, I figured out that he was for real and I saw my manager walking towards him, I asked him if I could tell him, and he said I could, so I said, “Sir, I'm just acting" The man responds, “Wow, you're doing a really good job acting so mean! I respond, “Oh, well a teacher, so I just get into my teaching mode and kick some butt."

Ryan: Speaking of you being a teacher, what advice would you give a young aspiring actor or actress that would like to one day do shows as you do here?

Katie: I would say get into voice lesions if you can. Take part in any activities your school offers like choir or drama club. I took dance lesions and that was really the best experience I could have had. You come into these auditions and it can be really intimidating. Some people really know what they're doing and some don't. Even if you're not the greatest talent, just come in and try out so they'll know who you are the next year.

Ryan: Do you have any final words, thoughts or comments that you would like to give to our community?

Katie: I want to thank everyone for being such great sports and coming to our shows. I've never been in a show like this've never been in a show where you know there are going to be hundreds of people out there, even on a rainy nasty Wednesday afternoon. It's great to recognize people that you see come to the show several times.

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School of Rock has been deemed by many to be one of the best shows that PKI has hosted in years. If you havenÃ't seen it yet, you're really missing out and you don't have much time left! Remember, the show will NOT be running until Labor Day weekend (the show will run Saturday through Monday) with various showings throughout the day, the last one being at 6:30pm.

After having interviewed Katie, we had an in-depth conversation with Scott Hayward, the stage manager (the real one). He taught us several things about the technical side of the show, which were very interesting. Here are some paraphrased things that he taught us about the show:

-The life of an actor in the entertainment department is far from easy. The actors and actresses in the department work six days a week while their show is open! It takes a very special type of person to have that type of commitment.

-Ever wondered how the lights work? Well, it all relies on the drummer actually. He wears an earpiece, which has a clicking, noise that both keeps him on beat and in sync with the lighting. It quite literally gives him verbal commands as to when to actually start playing.

-Speaking of the lights, they are run by a computer program that is linked into the audio that the drummer is hearing.

-Yes, everything is 100% LIVE!

-A crazy moment he experienced one time was when the show was just about to begin and the lights suddenly quit working. As the band began with the song “Cat Scratch Fever,†the streamers that were intended for the end of the show suddenly went off! Needless to say, that show had to be cancelled, but a quick reboot of the system and the set was ready for the next show. Hats off to the technical team for not flipping out on that one!

-A ton of old props are still stored in the Paramount Theatre. Even some of the old Magic of the Movies props, like movie posters and the chromakey screen are still hung from the rafters! Click here for some photos.

Click here for some close up photos of the set as well as several backstage photos of the Paramount Theatre.

The staff of PKICentral would like to extend a very warm and sincere thank you to Maureen Kaiser for setting thing whole thing up for us, Scott Hayward for staying late into the night with us and showing us the ropes of the Paramount Theatre, and finally Mrs. Katie Spearman-Lynch for being such a good sport and letting us interview her. Thank you guys so much!!

Ryan Suhr

Media Director

PKICentral.com – Where THE MAN has left the building.

[Young Gunz]

Wow... just wow... Every time I turn around, this site has some sort of new and original content. It must have been so cool to meet the cast of School of Rock!!

I always wondered about the little things... like how things worked there. It's cool that a site like this is able to uncover some of the 'mystery' behind things at Kings Island. I'm going to have to start coming back more often!

keep up the good work

[TOPGUN1993]

Thanks for changeing the hompage !!!

[Shman]

Hey guys I LOVE this update!!! The live shows are a part of PKI that I think deserve a lot more credit then they are normally given. Its great to see you guys out there covering them. The School of Rock show is definatly one of the best shows PKI has put on in the last 5 years. The show is the complete package, great music, awsome lighting effects, great performers and even an easy to follow story line. It is great to see a good quality back in that theatre. Sure we would all love to see shows along the lines of Celebration and Escapades, the really big Musical Reveiw shows come back.....but I think that style of show is out of date, plus lets face it...those shows cost millions of dollars for the hundreds of costumes, sets, and performers. PKI hit it right with this show! One set, One set of costumes, and 9 on-stage performers....but yet a great quality show! As long as big-brother Paramount is calling the shots I think that this is the kind of shows we will be seeing....and I am alright with that

Now.....we just need to get that huge Mission Impossible Stunt Show that is going in at Canada's Wonderland

[flightoffear1996]

That show sounds pretty cool and no I kind of wish I would have seen it.

[Ups and Downs]

It's one of the best shows I've seen in years at the park.

[Braves0511]

That is pretty cool. I'm a drummer so I kind of like the whole music thing, obviously or i wouldn't do it. And the clicking thing in your ear she talks about is really fricken annoying, imagine something making an extremely high pitched dut noise over and over right in your ear like a mosquito. It's hard to explain until you experience it.

[gburn07]

Out of all the parks that i've been 2, this is the only show i've seen that is superior 2 the ones i see at Disney. It is flawless in every way, and one of the few that hasn't put me to sleep half way. It gets better as it goes along, very creative minds in the making of this.

[harvesterofyoursorrow]

A great addition to the PKIC lineup of content! I really like the direction you guys are going! This is somthing that should be on the parks website!

[Scooby_Doo]

Very good stuff you guys never stop ''amazin'' me great job I wonder what show will be in that building for the 2006 season?.

[Admiral Ackbar]

BEST UPDATE EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Shman]

Hey everybody.....don't forget you get one more chance to see this awsome show this weekend. The show will run Sat, Sun & Monday. 1:00 2:30 4:30 5:30 6:30

Everyone should try to go and see it before it closes.....it would be cool if we could all get together and pack the house for that last show on Monday!!!

[BoddaH1994]

Hey everybody.....don't forget you get one more chance to see this awsome show this weekend. The show will run Sat, Sun & Monday. 1:00 2:30 4:30 5:30 6:30

Everyone should try to go and see it before it closes.....it would be cool if we could all get together and pack the house for that last show on Monday!!!

Fantastic idea!

Who's up for meeting outside of the Paramount Theatre before the 6:30 show and giving the show one last goodbye for the season? Let's support the cast and crew of the show and thank them for such great work this season.

Ryan

[beastfan11]

I miss School of Rock! Great music, great fun, great acting .... WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT!?!?!?!

Really hope it comes back for 07

[DeLorean Rider]

Doubt it considering its paramount related,

[CoastersRZ]

Wow, nothing like digging up an old topic! It should be noted that in the upcoming entertainment auditions, the park is looking for band members to partake in a band for one of the live shows next year. Whether that be for a School of Rock type show or something similar, it sounds like it could mean a similar type of show.