Homestretch! Feels Like We Need An Audience!

The ensemble cleaning arms for I Speak Six Languages (featured in picture: Kelly Webber and Meredith Honda) 

So, there are only two more rehearsals for Spelling Bee before we install in the space on Monday.  We have Sitz Probe tonight.  This is where we add the other instruments to the music with the cast.  It can be complicated because very often a note played on piano will sound very different played on a Cello and it is nice to have a rehearsal solely devoted to the music at this stage.  We know all the parts, we need to put them together.  I am excited to hear the sound with the orchestra! Usually I do a theme night for Sitz Probe because it is a great cast/orchestra bonding time.  I like Pyjama day, but it is too warm for my Snuggie, so we are going with "Beach Party"!

Then on Sunday night we have a run through and then we are in the space! A big shift for me after doing Walterdale shows.  My fabulous Stage Manager, Kim, and I have meticulously planned out the time on Monday so that we maximize what we get to do in the space before Opening Night. It's crunch time, but there isn't much crunchy about the show so I am far more relaxed than I expected to be.  All the fixes required are tiny tweaks.  It is great for me to see the actors still playing and keeping it present and real.

Here are a few more rehearsal pictures from the amazing Janine Hodder:

Amanda Neufeld as Rona Lisa Perretti

Nadien Veroba as Olive and Curtis Knecht as Barfee

Nadine Veroba, Curtis Knecht, Meredith Honda, John Evans, Kristin Johnston and Mark Sinongco as the Spellers!

Sunday is for Musical Theatre!

Yesterday I had two events that were musical theatre based to get me through the day.  The first was a Musical Theatre Workshop with Don Horsburgh at The Citadel Theatre.  It took place in the converted Rice Theatre and he took us through a Master-class with 6 young performers.  He had each sing a piece and then he did some tweaking to it, sharing his tips with the crowd and imparting some of the behind the scenes tricks for preparing a musical theatre audition.  I found Horsburgh very personable and humble and he worked with a gentle intelligence with the singer/actors.  All six were well prepared and tuneful and for ten dollars it made for a nice little mini-concert in addition to a workshop.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but it made for a nice 2 hours of musical theatre and as a Director I can tell you he gave good tips about preparation for your audition - for example: avoid shiny plastic covers on your music, don't cut off the key signatures, and avoid Sondheim unless you bring your own accompanist.

I grabbed a bite to eat and then went to my own rehearsal for ELOPE's 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.  It was a good rehearsal and we are so close to having all the blocking completed that it feels really good.  I am chomping at the bit to get into runs and we are almost there.  Actually the next rehearsal we work a big chunk and clean it so I can get to the place I like where I am assessing where the show is at and where it needs to be tightened and clarified.  I am blessed with a fabulous cast that goes away and comes back even better than when we left so it makes my job easier, but I know there are parts that are going to look different when we put it all together.  I am also looking forward to having all of the players in the same room.  I was supposed to yesterday, but a series of unfortunate events (bad driving conditions in Saskatchewan, arising work conflict, and the stomach flu) meant that I ended up missing 3 and having another one come late.  It's hard as a director to really assess a project with missing holes, but you can't help some conflicts, I guess.  April gets much better for missing people (they are missing far less frequently) so I am looking forward to having all the bodies in the space doing their thing!  As it was, the big number at the end looks so good and it's a complicated piece with people doing different things and it makes me happy! Oh, and they sound sooooo good!

Late Night Posting... Insomnia

Right now it's 4:39 a.m.

This is not a good thing.  I should be sleeping.  I almost was, but the snoring kept me from going completely out.  I don't blame Mark, he is sick and there have been many nights when I have kept him awake with my snoring.  I moved rooms but I have a hard time with other mattresses and to be honest my mind has been quite awake after an unintentionally stressful rehearsal.  For the last month we have been focusing on choreography as that is when the schedules have allowed for it so it has meant a very jam packed month with a lot of moves for the cast to learn.  For me, it was a lot of being there but the focus was not on my stuff.  That's okay, but I do prefer to layer choreography in earlier and interspersed with scene work so that there is a little more time between rehearsals for the actors to reinforce the moves and at the same there is time where I am working with them on scenes so that the continuity and structure of my rehearsal pattern is maintained.  I think my cast has handled it well, but the problem with the month intensive (12 rehearsals - a lot of choreography) is that I worry they will feel overwhelmed in the right now.  I know and they know we are still over a month out and we will have plenty of time to practice it all and clean it and get to the point where it is second nature, but it the moment it can feel like a lot. Also, I will be honest, the schedules suck. People are busy and have lives and go on vacation or have work conflicts or get sick or have other commitments and that means they miss.  We haven't really had the time to fill in the missing bodies to the degree that I would have liked and I think for those who now have to catch up it might be intimidating.  And I, sponge like director that I am, am sucking in all that apprehension and stress. I have my own stress about schedules.  I have had many people tell me that I am too nice, but I honestly believe that if a person comes to me with a conflict that it is a legitimate conflict, however, it starts to add up for me.  Every request piles up and I start to worry - will we ever have everyone in the same room? Right now we do, on paper, and I have all these TBAs that I am hoping we won't need, but without all the bodies being there I need to keep them in reserve so that I can be sure that we will have the most amazing show.  Which means more rehearsals for everyone, instead of fewer.  With this cast we should have the most phenomenal show.  The talent is in the room. So I want to make sure that I do my part to get them there.  I also sensed that a couple of the cast were not having a great time tonight.  I think I have a high empathy level and for some of them I knew there was stuff going on (not to do with their show per se) so I could feel that a few people were having a less than fabulous time.  I checked in with a couple of them - and felt the stress of not being able to make things better. So I have lain awake for the past few hours tumbling all this stress over in my brain, knowing that I can't own it all and hoping that the arising conflicts stop rolling in and that all will be well and that perhaps Mark will stop snoring soon so I can go back to my bed.

Right now it's 5:01 a.m. I am so glad that the kids are in camp tomorrow. I don't think I would be able to deal with them at home after I have only had 2 1/2 hours of sleep...

Back to School Preparations...

We are one week from the return to school for the boys and a little bit longer for me. Now that Fringe is done I have to go through all their stuff that they brought home last June and see what I need to get. It is irritating to buy a new set of pencil crayons every fall when I know we have a huge box of half used ones at home. I think I might spend some time sorting through those and the crayons and saving some money instead of buying new ones. Don't call me cheap - call me frugal. I hate the waste!! I know they also brought home some duo tangs and loose leaf paper and Oliver has a binder that is immaculate. I'd like to reduce the purchases as much as possible.

For my school I have a list of nothing. I am doing scene study (Drama 257) so there are no texts on the list and I think I probably just need to dress to move. I am at a disadvantage there since I do not move as well as those 20 year olds, but I will do my best.

I am debating auditioning for a couple of projects this Fall. I do not want to get swamped and I want space to write. It will have to be the right project with the right people. I want to work on things where I learn... I also don't want to fill up the time and then find I am unable to do something amazing that might come along later. So, I think I have to wait for the right thing... I really should be writing more...

Night Music picks up again this week and goes into high gear next week. Sitz Probe on Wednesday and rehearsals on both Saturday and Sunday. I really need to review my lines. I know that next week will be challenging but luckily we (as a cast) are in good shape and I know we will all support Elizabeth as she finds her Desiree and moves into the show.

Today I spent some time with Gibson alone at the Telus World of Science while Oliver went fishing with Grandpa. Apparently Dad fell in the water and the fishing was not great, but Oliver had a good time and is getting quite good at casting. That's pretty cool. Gibson enjoyed having me to himself and spending my money!

A Nice Review, a Wedding, Family and Exhaustion...

The Gateway had a nice review of Village of Idiots and they even mentioned my set:

http://thegatewayonline.ca/articles/arts-entertainment/2011/07/10/absurdity-rules-walterdale-s-wacky-world-idiots

Thought I would share. There was a pretty good review in the Sun as well, but they didn't say anything about the set, so I didn't post the link. This Blog is about me, after all... Well, really this review is better so why not just read it?

I got back from my San Francisco/Berkeley trip for my cousin's wedding on Sunday evening. I had left Thursday morning and enjoyed the 3 1/2 vacation slash family reunion slash wedding. It would have been the perfect trip to take the boys on since there were dinosaurs at the wedding and a whole bunch of kid cousins, but I did my best to enjoy it without them. I did a lot of visiting, but it always feels like you don't get to do enough. I was wishing I had made my return on Monday instead of Sunday so I would have had that one last day... but alas...

I am now tired. I have had rehearsals for Pieces (Fringe 2011) this week. Tonight was very giddy. We are off-book so that is good, but there is still a lot of "line" so work is needed. I am happy with where we are at and now we have a 2 1/2 week break until we can rehearse again. And then we go hard! Tonight we did media photos and from what I saw on the camera they looked pretty good. One of our cast is a very good photographer and she took some lovely shots. It really takes a village... Next week I meet with Sound Designer Magnolia and my lovely SM Kim and we have a track through the script for cues, etc... so we can figure some of that stuff out before we hit the space. I want to be ready when we walk in there.

I am so tired. I am pretty sure it is all the overlap of multiple projects and the travelling and all that, but today I shut my eyes and opened them and it was 2 hours later. I need to get my energy back! As of this weekend one project will be done (Village) and my ADship will be technically over and I will have a break on Pieces so I can work on my lines for A Little Night Music. I am missing a Production Meeting for Wyrd Sisters tomorrow night because I have Night Music rehearsal, but I told them what I think they need to know at this point so I am good there. I am only Master Painter for that show after all...

Looking Forward...

Tomorrow (Wed, July 6th) is Opening Night of Village of Idiots. I am excited and sad about this. It marks the last Opening Night of my tenure as Artistic Director, so there is a sadness about seeing this journey end. I have learned a lot and met a lot of friends over the last few years. I have made mistakes, and learned from them. I hope that I am passing on what is needed to the incoming AD. I have been trying to do so, but I also don't want to be overbearing or come across like I am trying to still do the job. I will miss it. I know that this job and what I learned from it will serve me in the future, but like anything 'unknown' it is scary to move on. I am also excited about the Opening. Openings are always fun and because I got the opportunity to design the set I am anxious to see the reception of that.

I also have to pack tomorrow. I am going on a wee holiday to San Francisco for my cousin's wedding. I am so looking forward to seeing my cousins and siblings and aunts and uncles who will be there. I have a list of things to do before I go... when I come back, I dive right back into Pieces and A Little Night Music and finishing the run of Village... I am looking forward, but the path is cluttered...

Damage Control... Before This Gets Worse, I'd Better Do Something...

I have always had good intentions when it comes to working out. However, you know how good intentions work... throw in my life and nothing that is completely and only about me gets done. However, this week it is pretty bad. I had a dance rehearsal Tuesday night for A Little Night Music wherein we waltzed for about 45 minutes of the hour and a half (maybe a bit more, hard to tell), this was followed by set painting the next morning for about 3 and a half hours at Walterdale and on Thursday morning I was walking like a 90 year old. My right knee was killing me and my lower back was not happy. I took Thursday off and tried to rest through the ache, but then I painted again on Friday and that afternoon was not good. I know that I have to make the time for me to get in better shape. I am not going to run marathons, I do not even care what size I wear, it's the aches and pains that I cannot deal with. This week must start with me as priority. That is my intention... let's hope I follow through.

Now I can get to next week...

Had a great lunch/meeting with AM about life and our Fringe show. We are on track. I got there 1/2 an hour early and that gave me time to look at the script and make some really good notes for where it needs to go. I shall work on that tonight, tomorrow and Saturday. I am excited about ideas that came up for the script both from my head and from suggestions from AM. It is a good place to be.

Also, got the email about schedules for next week for A Little Night Music - YAY! I only rehearse Tuesday next week (which means I have to cancel one other item and decline another - sigh), so I can look at planning with the Fringe Team for a read through of the script. May should be a reading and re-writing month with June getting busier, so hopefully I will get more schedule information from ALNM and then I can plan with my team. I know that I will have Monday nights free... I can also use those.

Anyhow, I am in a better place now than I was earlier. I even got some more done on that Character Study thing.

Behind Again... and here I am Blogging...

Yesterday was demolished by errands and cyberspace. I have to get a computer that is not linked to the internet so I don't waste so much time on Facebook and Twitter. My great writing push from earlier in the week did not extend into yesterday and today has been tied up with errands, Store work (payday tomorrow!), and a lunch date. Hopefully I will get something done this afternoon. There is tomorrow, but I plan to be napping after the wedding. Yes, I am planning on watching. I am hoping it takes my mind off the election.

Tonight I have my one-on-one for A Little Night Music. I haven't finished my Character Study, but I have done a bit on it. It feels weird to do it when I haven't done anything but a read-through on the show. I am really adverse to making definitive choices for my character until I work with the text aloud and with the other actors. I know, it sounds like excuses, but those of you who have worked with me as a Director, you know that I work very intensively with the text for many, many, many hours of rehearsal before I start pushing for more concrete choices. I just don't know what to expect from this one-on-one and I worry it will be a waste of time after we get it on it's feet and start hearing and speaking the words. sigh. I also want a schedule for next week and after sooner rather than later. I can only hold those days open for so long. It will burn my butt if I save them and find out last minute that we aren't rehearsing. I have three other shows on the go, so time is valuable for me. I messaged the Director yesterday and she said we should be getting a schedule asap, but it has not showed up in my in-box yet. Frustrating. I will ask tonight at the one-on-one. I just need to know so that I can plan my life and the rest of the stuff I have to get scheduled.

On a more positive note - I will be seeing Into the Woods (ELOPE) and Boygroove (Impulse Theatre) this weekend. Two musicals, very different, in one weekend. Should be fun!

Teacher's Convention... Not so Bad this year...

I wasn't really looking forward to having the 2 of them home all day together, but they were fabulous this year. With the cold being what it was, there would be no outlet in sending them outside to work it out in physical activity. However, other than one of two small altercations over the two days they were great little guys. They took turns, they joked, they played together and apart. Yes, Gibson made several messes on my table involving cutting paper and drawing things and yes, Oliver played a lot of DS, but they also read, played the Wii, played with toys, etc... and they got along for the most part. That was nice.

I also got some work done. Mostly online via email and such, but I also went to class and worked on some playwriting stuff and rehearsed. A production couple of days for me.

Tomorrow night I am going to a show at the U of A - Death and the Maiden. I am looking forward to seeing it. I hope to work on my lines during the day while at the Drama classes, but that is never the best place. I do not rehearse until Tuesday night so I have some time (a small bit) to get some work done. I feel better about it all, but the song words are elusive and there is one I have barely rehearsed (How to Survive). The words ain't easy in this show!

Endings and Beginnings...

Last night Rabbit Hole closed. It was a lovely show, different and yet the same. I did appreciate that my cast kept it active and alive and never exactly the same, but yet preserved the story. I know that sounds like director babble, but whatevs... Anyhow, we struck the set and props (I have a crap load of stuff to put away and Mark took two big bags of toys to Goodwill) and tidied the building and sat around in a bit of a shock. This show was such a lovely family that it was sad to see it end. Now, I didn't personally have to travel the emotional journey that the actors did, so it is easy for me to say I wish it could've run longer, but I was very happy with it. I was blessed on this project. I had so many great people who helped make it as wonderful as it was - not just the actors, but the rest of the artistic staff and the crew. They really took care of it and I think it showed. I was also blessed to have so many friends come and see it. I know how busy we all are, because I make it to only about 50% of the shows I want to get to, so every time someone makes the time to come and see my shows I feel very special. Last night was wonderful for me - to see so many people there that I know.

Today I enjoyed sleeping in. Then I enjoyed only having one thing to do - A Threepenny Opera rehearsal. And then I enjoyed going for dinner at Outback and having a terrific steak and a nice dinner with Mark and the boys. Everyone was in good spirits, silly, but cheerful.

Threepenny is the major thing on the horizon and I now need to sit down with myself and figure out what I want to fill my life with for the foreseeable future. I have a Fringe script to re-work and develop and finishing casting. I have a few auditions to consider. I have T4s to fill out. I also have a paper to write and many, many plays to read. I am not at a loss for things to do.

Final Dress

Last night was our Final Dress. It's all there. I had picky little notes, but that's it - all we need is an audience. Today we clean and do some stuff where we need to tweak lights and sound, and then tomorrow is a day of rest and we have our first Preview on Monday. Here we go! Yee Haw!

2 Weeks to Opening Night

Whorehouse is moving along. We are in great shape. There is some tightening in a few crunchy places, but generally it is small potatoes. Now we are waiting on the other details, the completion of the set, the acquisition of all the show props, the lights, the costumes and the make-up. We add the musicians on Sunday at the Sitz Probe which will be fun. Dry Tech happens on Monday night (no rest for me or the rest of the Production Team, but the cast gets a night off!), and we begin a 2 night process of Q2Q on Tuesday. We have done our work on the acting, singing and dancing and now we have to be patient while the technical elements get incorporated. I am anxious and nervous and excited. It's all about how close it will look to the picture in my head. I have a great team, so I have great expectations about how that will all turn out.

We have had a few issues - illnesses, work issues, lates, the usual - we are dealing with it all and it seems to be that a calm head and good preparation is working miracles to solve everything as it comes. Let's hope that all the illness is over and done with and that no more unexpected work emergencies pop up! I do feel that everyone is invested in the show and that is half the battle!

Fabulous Rehearsal Last Night... Now if I Could Just Sleep...

We had a great rehearsal last night for Best Little Whorehouse. It was a stumble of Act Two and it was really in pretty good shape. There were a couple bumps but we are still 3 weeks out from Opening so those will get cleaner as we keep working. Then we taught the Aggie Song/Dance to our two new Aggies. I am so happy we solved that problem. Injuries scare me. The last thing I want is for an actor to get injured, but we needed the bodies for the dance. The 2 new guys picked it up fast and we have another hour tonight to clean it and again we have 3 weeks to Opening.

Now if only I could sleep. I have screwed up my sleep pattern because my brain isn't shutting off when I get home. I am either buzzing with thoughts of the Whorehouse or of LOST - sometimes both. Two nights ago I dreamt I was directing a hybrid LOST/Whorehouse travelling show (don't ask for details, but Matthew Fox was delightful to work with and Terry O'Quinn was a bit of a diva)... Anyhow, I couldn't fall asleep until 3 AM and then I was dead this morning. I have to get it to shift back and soon. It is not convenient.

My Life is Either at the Zoo or in a Whorehouse Right now...

And I am not talking metaphorically!

I had a planning meeting this morning with the other Camp Counsellors for the "Acting Like Animals" Camp that I will be working at this summer at the Zoo. It was fun. We had one of the counsellors from last year there and he gave great input and the girls seem fun and enthusiastic and I think we will all work together well. I am excited about this and need to get to work on the plays for the camp. I have the stories and resources, now I have to write the scripts.

I am also at a very important phase in Whorehouse rehearsals. Last night we started putting the pieces together. We have everything choreographed and blocked and last night we stumbled Act One. It was choppy, especially in between scenes, but it is all there and now I can clean it. I am a little stressed about injuries because I don't want to have anyone hurt, but we have a plan to help avoid that and still keep the integrity of the number. Speaking of the dance - it is so good. I find it hard to believe that they learned all that so recently. We have some work to do, but not as much as we could have. It was nice for everyone to see what has been done - since I work in pieces this was the first time some people saw any scenes outside the ones they are actually in. It was great to hear the laughter and applause from the cast in the house for the cast on the stage. Lovely, lovely, lovely!

Moving forward in great strides...

Ahhhhh....

It is so nice to finally feel like we are moving forward. We had some solid chunks of the script completed but this week with the addition of choreography and the availability of certain key actors increasing we have just been moving along. I am finally moving at the pace I like and I am liking what I see. It is also echoed by the move into the space. There is certainly something about being in the theatre feeling like *bang*, now we're moving!

We are a week and a half from having everything blocked and choreographed and then we have a delightful amount of time to clean and make this baby sparkle! Very, very fun!

Now, if only I could fix the issues I have with people who show up late, or read the schedule wrong and don't show up at all, or get sick (don't get sick, people!), or get injured (don't get injured people!) then I would be totally happy.

Trying not to be so cranky...

I am trying, really, to not be so cranky. I think once I am caught up on sleep I will be able to let it all go. People are people and it ain't my job to fix them - just live with them...

On the upside - EXCELLENT REHEARSAL TONIGHT for SIDE STEP! Much joy in the building and watching and my cast rocks the house! Love the show now that choreography is started. I feel like we are moving along!

Rehearsal High!

We had a fabulous rehearsal tonight for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. We basically stumbled about 2/5 of the play and we have only been at this for about 2 and a half weeks. The cast is so sharp and fun. I am having a blast. We still have some choreography to fill in the blanks, but it was nice to feel that we are on the right track so early! Right now we are missing a few people due to conflicts, so when we fill in the cast members and the choreo it is going to sing! Yippee! Or should I say Yee Haw!?

Pain in the Neck...

My seized neck is putting a real cramp in my style. I have been functioning pretty good with it - getting the things done that I needed to get done, but oh it hurts. Luckily I have been able to find positions where I can sleep, but if I shift too suddenly in the night it isn't fun. Leads to me sleeping in a very tense state. I will continue to medicate and hopefully the muscle will relax soon.

Last night I had a great blocking session for Whorehouse. It is picky work fitting together the bits and pieces of the opening sequence, but we got it mapped out and when we revisit it we will add more characterization and colour and choreography to give it more zing! The cast sounds wonderful. I went on Sunday to the music rehearsal just to hear them and they sound so good and it isn't even the whole bunch of them. We will definitely have a great sound - yee haw! It's nice to have a show where all the soloists can sing well and all the ensemble can sing well (indeed, pretty much anyone in this cast could handle a solo and sound terrific). You don't have any weak spots that way! The schedule it almost done and it ain't perfect but it will get the show done and has room for fixing and tweaking. I think we shall be good with it.

Train Wreck...

That's all I can really say about my rehearsal tonight. Actually, I can say more. The song is coming along. It totally changed tonight, but it is coming along and I am not worried about anything but the finger snapping! I think we were better in the rehearsal than we thought because it was the weird line screw ups that were messing with our brains (I am using the royal 'us', I think). Anyhow, I would like to think it was not as bad as it felt, but it does mean that I have a lot of work to do. Lines, lines, lines...