The SF Bay Area Theatre Blog

Doug Brees is playing Charlie Davenport in Annie Get Your Gun. In Doug's own words, he is the "grizzled veteran" of 17 shows at Foothill; Annie Get Your Gun is  actually number 18.

Doug's first show was The Music Man in 1994 (Annie cast members were also in it...John Musgrave played Mayor Shinn in that show, and both of the Stanford brothers were in the cast- Gary played Tommy Djilas, and Kevin was in the ensemble) so he will have done 18 shows in 12 years, come opening night!

Doug has enjoyed every Foothill production I've been in, although favorites would have to include Ragtime & Into The Woods. And Sweeney Todd and The Most Happy Fella and How to Succeed... and Urinetown; the list could go on and on.

Doug share the following thoughts about why he's such a Foothill regular:

I keep coming back for many reasons, (and no, I don't want to be known as the guy who's always in the Foothill shows) but mostly because it is usually a very satisfying expression of my creative side. I enjoy the social aspect of it as well, and my ego really thrives on being a part of such amazing creations that come from the production team.

I think I do shows mostly for the two reasons I've mentioned before, creative expression & social interaction, but I definitely enjoy stepping out in front of an audience and having the audience react to you (preferably favorably). The adrenaline rush is really addicting, as is the applause. I really thrive on connecting with the audience.

Doug's favorite moment so far

I have to say I enjoy my scene with Dolly (Katie O'Bryon) where Sitting Bull (Steve Completo) and I sneak up on her. Her reactions are great fun to work with. Once we get into performance I'll have to see if I have any other new favorites. In past productions, many of my favorite moments have been backstage: the challenges of multiple quick-changes in "Ragtime", watching a well-oiled crew shift scenery (have I mentioned how fortunate we are to regularly get outstanding crew members?), listening to the overture rev up as you are about to open the show, watching some of the amazing choreography numbers (the "On The Town"ballet), the amazing sets and lighting; it all makes me think how lucky I am to be a part of these productions.

Hey Doug, Foothill is lucky to have you as a Foothill regular too!