IRTE's Danielle Montezinos

Today, we're going to talk to Danielle Montezinos, one of the cast of IRTE's "The Groovy Gang Adventures". The Groovy Gang is based on those great Hanna-Barbera cartoons like Scooby-Doo, Josie and the Pussycats, and Jabberjaw.

Did you watch cartoons like Scooby-Doo or Josie and the Pussycats when you were young?

I watched Scooby-Doo everyday after school, though I found it sort of lame, even at a young age.  Probably because it's about Scooby, who's a dog and I was always a cat fan.  The Pussycats were more appealing but were never on when I was home. Only got to watch that when I was home sick or on vacation, which made it even cooler.  I don't remember anything about that show except the theme song!

I was also a big fan of The Jetsons.

Tell me a little about the character you're playing in "The Groovy Gang Adventures". What inspired you to create him or her?

I play Clara Cross. She's sort of the bitchier, edgier version of Daphne and nicer Veronica  from "Josie and The PussyCats".  I like playing bitchy self-absorbed people as it's nothing like me. Also, she means well, thinks she's a good girl, and aims at nothing but to be Prom Queen! If she's Prom Queen, she will most certainly get into Harvard and meet her future husband where she can drop out and be arm candy.  Then and only then, will her daddy be proud.  Sort of sad, wouldn't you say?...At least Clara has a life plan.

Danielle as Clara Cross, Prom Queen at large.

Did you belong to a groovy gang when you were a kid?

Unfortunately, no.  That would have been fun!

Can you tell me one a memorable adventure you had when you were young?

I had many adventures. Some of which were really stupid and could have resulted in me and my friends found dead at the beach. We grew up in Florida and were very bored.  Florida teens equals not too bright.  If you ever have kids, do not raise them in Florida, else they will end up being drugged up whores.  I'm the exception, of course.

Of course.

Thanks, Danielle. I can't wait to see you and the rest of the Groovy Gang.


"The Groovy Gang Adventures" opens Saturday, April 6 with a performance at Gotham City Improv. Check out the full schedule here.

Tickets are only $6.

Are you a junior high, high school, or college student? Tickets are $3 at Gotham City IRTE performances with advanced reservations.

Too cool for school? Take advantage of the "3 for 3" deal! Tickets are $3 per person for groups of three or more with advanced reservations (only at Gotham City).

IRTE's Alex Decaneas

This week we're talking to cast member Alex Decaneas. He's gearing up to be the leader of the Groovy Gang when "The Groovy Gang Adventures" begins on April 6.

Did you watch cartoons like Scooby-Doo or Josie and the Pussycats when you were young?

Yes definitely, though I am not sure if Scooby and Josie were the top Hanna-Barbera cartoons of my liking.
Top Cat... Couldn't get enough of that show. Space Ghost and Birdman were close runners up. Love that Birdman theme.
When I was younger I had a crush on the blonde drummer from Josie and the Pussycats... but who didn't? Am I right? Heh...er...um.

What were your favorites?

I think I loved "Top Cat" so much because he was such a smartass. And he got away with it. As a developing smartass I felt a connection.

Can you tell me a little about the character you're playing in "The Groovy Gang Adventures"? What inspired you to create him?

I play Tad Stevens, all American boy next door, rich kid, self-proclaimed leader of the gang, lover of ascots and complete moron.

I wanted to explore the Fred role, but twist it to the idea that... what if Fred comes from a place of authority where he should have none? What would that be like?

Alex as Tad Stevens directing his film school thesis in LA.

 Did you belong to a groovy gang when you were a kid?

More of a groovy duo with my cousin... if you consider playing video games, writing stories, making stupid films, and generally being anti-social akin to teenagers solving mysteries in places they should never go.

Can you tell me a memorable adventure you had when you were young?

I remember ditching some church function with a friend of mine to explore what was out back behind the church... which was in a pretty rural area. Turned out to be (what I thought of at the time) as a huge expanse of forest. So we're running and climbing up hills and doing stupid swashbuckling shit like hitting each other with sticks, when I hear this blood curdling scream of my name.

"Aaaaaaaaaaleeeeeeeeeeeeeex!"

It's my father, and I know I've been caught. And I turn and sprint to get back to the church, but I am an uncoordinated mess and slip through some rocks, twist my ankle, and land in a huge mud pile. Needless to say the rest of the church day was... interesting.

I'm sure it was. Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions, Alex.

"The Groovy Gang Adventures" opens Saturday, April 6 with a performance at Gotham City Improv. Check out the full schedule here.

Tickets are only $6.

Are you a junior high, high school, or college student? Tickets are $3 at Gotham City IRTE performances with advanced reservations.

Too cool for school? Take advantage of the "3 for 3" deal! Tickets are $3 per person for groups of three or more with advanced reservations (only at Gotham City).

IRTE's Jamie Maloney

With our first show of the season approaching, I thought it'd be great to get to know some of the cast of "The Groovy Gang Adventures" through the lens of cartoons, adventures, and groovy gang-iness.

Today, let's hear from Jamie Maloney who's going to play Peter Alan Wilcox.

Did you watch cartoons like Scooby-Doo or Josie and the Pussycats when you were young?

I watched a lot of Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space. I had a big crush on Melody when I was 5 years old. At some point in the 90's the Cartoon Network had a marathon of J & the PC's and I taped all of it. I still have that tape. I often watched Scooby Doo at a friend's house before school and would argue Scooby Doo vs J& the PC's. I took Josie's side but in retrospect I see that Scooby was the original and the best.

What were your favorites? Why?

I always liked the episodes that had guest stars. Especially when they starred real life people like Don Knots or Abbott and Costello. I wondered how they managed to make the transition to the cartoon world, and looked for discrepancies between their animated and real life selves. Phyllis Diller looked much younger as a cartoon than as a living person. I saw the Harlem Globetrotters on Scooby Doo before I saw them in real life and was disappointed by them in real life.

Tell me a little about the character you're playing in "The Groovy Gang Adventures". What inspired you to create him or her?

I'm playing Peter Alan Wilcox. He's approaching 110 years old and is inadvertently responsible for every disaster and tragedy that occurred during the 20th century. He's an unintentional super villain long past his prime. I came up with him for a show I did a few years ago called "Match Wits". He came from a few disparate sources including a character voice I did for an even earlier project and my love of history.

Peter Alan Wilcox in his black ops days.

Did you belong to a groovy gang when you were a kid?

I was kept pretty sheltered and isolated for most of my childhood so the only gangs I was in were the ones made up of my Star Wars and GI Joe figures and the occasional reluctant family pet.

Can you tell me one a memorable adventure you had when you were young?

One summer at sleep away camp I snuck off the camp grounds with a bunkmate to go to a candy store. We had to walk through the woods, past a graveyard and across a road, the whole time not sure if we were going the right way and trying not to be spotted by anyone. We dove into roadside ditches and patches of poison ivy (at least I dove into the poison ivy) whenever cars drove by. We got away with it and should have left it at that but we got greedy and went again. We had our cover story all figured out. We made it to the store and on the way back we were inevitably caught. I barely got a syllable of our story out before my dumb ass friend went and told the truth. We spent the rest of the day sitting on the Field House porch while this asshole counselor that everyone hated sat in front of us eating all of our candy while we watched.

That's an "extreme interrogation" technique used by the CIA today. No doubt Peter Alan Wilcox would make that camp counselor, and his snitch bunkmate, pay.

Thanks so much Jamie for sharing some great memories with us.

The Groovy Gang Adventures opens on April 6, 2013! For further details, visit the IRTE website!