The Faces of Night Zero
It was one year ago this Monday that Katrina Hamilton joined the Night Zero family, becoming the first actor in our ranks, and we couldn’t be more blessed. She gave her all when Night Zero was still just a concept, help nurture the idea and develop not only her character, but the world as a whole. She stuck through the learning adventure of creating the pilot episode, with long cold nights and early freezing mornings, trials and reshoots, blood and guts. Without her committment and enthusiasm, we’d never have made it to where we are.
Katrina is one of the many people in the production family that we recruited directly. Forest and I both knew her from the improv troupe at the University of Washington, for which I was Technical Director and they both in the ensemble. She was also in the cast of a show I directed for the Undergraduate Theater Society at UW (in which Tara Miller also starred, and Forest stage managed). Having worked with her for years, having seen many sides of what she can do, and knowing that she meshed well with the other members of the team, she was a natural first choice for the lead.
A number of other cast members were directly approached, some as ideal actors to fill specific roles and others as creative minds to develop their own characters. Having spent so many years working with the drama department at the University, combined with my current work at two local improv theaters, my network of actors and improvisors spans all sizes and ages.
The best part about theater networks is that they are self-propagating. News and excitement about Night Zero travels quickly through casts and ensembles, spreading and generating interest well after the original Night Zero member has left. With this kind of persistence, we have another pool of potential cast members– those who approach us directly, because they’ve worked with somebody involved or heard about it in a show they were working on.
Of course, nothing keeps a group stimulated like fresh blood, which is why our third pool of actors comes from those who have no affiliation with Night Zero or its crew. These are the local area actors, models, and improvisors, who have attended our open castings or responded to our website. They bring completely new ideas to the table, not only for adding depth and development to their characters, but also by asking new questions about the world and stimulating us to delve deeper into the Night Zero reality.
Between the people we approach, the people who hear through their friends, and the people who approach us, we have formed a diverse and wonderful family over the past year, and it’s ready to grow. As we move into the holiday season with pre-production of Episode Three, we’re looking for a whole batch of new faces and fresh ideas, so allow me to give a shameless plug here and say that if you’re interested in being a part of Night Zero, any capacity, hop on over to the contact page and drop us a line!
Episode One wraps up next week, I hope you’ve enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to the other parts of the post-apocalypse we’ll be showing throughout December, before we get back to “City Planning” with Episode Two later in January. Until next time, remember: the only thing worse than a horde of zombies on your tail is a horde of zombies on fire on your tail. Only use flame when you know your escape route, and only as a last resort.