March 1

It has been a long week as I sit here after 11 pm for the first time to write. I've been alternating between Harriet the Spy rehearsals and The Charity League Follies. I've been asked to speak at the city commission meeting March 11 to represent the Follies show. Follies Chair Leann Stilley has told me she thinks this is the 25th Anniversary production of the Follies.

Thursday night at Harriet rehearsals we introduced the moveable platforms. We have two levels of platforms and they both roll from side to side. The front platform is 18 feet wide. the back platform is 16 feet wide. We have these platforms built up at heights of 16 and 24 inches tall. The platforms allow us to put a table and chairs on it in the off stage position and then roll it into view of the audience as the other side of the platform rolls off the previous set. The only problem is our building is only 30 feet wide and our stage opening is 24 feet wide. So for the front platform only 6 feet will roll offstage out of sight at any one change. That has created some interesting moments. In addition drapes have to be raised and lowered to hide the people offstage moving the platforms as well as raising and lowering to allow the scenery to come on and off without catching. The first rehearsal with the moveable platforms scenery would move on and off during the middle of a scene with the actors trying their best to pretend that nothing was happening. sometimes the wrong set would come and the actors would just stare at it like it was an alien creature.


Friday night went a little better. But we still have quite a few changes to work through. We are developing a lighting system that the stage manager can tell the crew when to move the platforms.

Thursday and Friday I left the Harriet rehearsal as it ended to join the follies rehearsal already in progress. We staged the traveling medley music Thursday night. This medley contains songs like Do You Know the Way to San Jose, Leaving on a Jet Plane, several others and ending with Up Up and Away by the 5th Dimension.


Saturday saw lots of behind the scenes activity on Harriet as well as Footlights classes and an Anything Goes Dance Workshop. For Harriet we had help arrive in the form of Breandan Frederick who came in and painted for a couple of hours . She was able to base coat the entire set. Two high school students came in later- Tess Shelby who will run lights for Harriet and her friend Cody. Tess was nervous asking me how many light cues there would be for Harriet. Since I haven't designed them all yet I told her about 50. Jim Keeney and I using ropes and pulleys raised the false proscenium and secured it into place. It is a 30 foot wide framed panel that hangs above the stage opening. Jim continued to work on building a couple of specialty pieces of furniture we needed as well as trying to reconfigure our masking drapes that move with the rolling platforms. I worked on setting the light cues for the show. I had spent most of the morning hanging lighting instruments working off a 10' ladder. The term Hang and Focus means to hang a light on a pipe. Then plug that light into a special extension cord which then plugs into a special outlet that corresponds with the lighting system control board and aim the light to the area we want it to shine. There are approx. 100 lights that have to be focused on areas that they didn't shine on in the past show. In addition each light has to have a color selected. Color helps determine mood and focus. Focus means helping the audience to look where the directore wants them to look. With the brightest spots where the actors stand. In addition most shadows are made up of darker lighting colors. For instance you could put a pink light on the actors face and fill in the shadows with a deep blue light from the side to heighten the mood. Not only do you have to have a knowledge of electric equipment (because each extension cord is only rated for a certain amount of power to flow through its, but also of physics, color theory and a sense of artistry. I enjoy creating with light. After I finish blogging tonight I will be searching the internet for some sound effects for school bells and saxophones and other effects for the play. While I'm searching I also have several sites that I use to find images for our slides that are projected at the back of the set. Director April Cochran and I have discussed the kinds of images we want at the back of the stage and the types of colors used to paint the stage. April is concerned that the actors be the most colorful thing on the stage. She doesn't want bright bold colors on the walls of the set to compete with the actors. There are some scenes that need to be dark around the edges so we can isolate them.

Tomorrow will be another long day.

Feb. 26

Crowns had their final performance on Sunday and it was a terrific show. Mary Jane Bowles the Director, Doug Arnold-Musical Director, Jason Munday-Percussion, and the cast did an outstanding job. I hope that we see a lot more of the cast from this show in future MHT productions. We are already planning for the next studio production in Feb. 2009.

Monday we continued to prepare for the Opening of Harriet the Spy along with work on the Charity League Follies. For Harriet Tech Director Jim Keeney worked on building two special beds that are about 2 feet wide and 4 feet long. He created custom headboards for each to help give us the feeling of location. He also is building a special cabinet that will act as Harriet's wardrobe, spy area, and a dressing screen. Lots of discussion happened about how to make the doors of the wardrobe function as both a screen for her to change clothes and wardrobe doors that wouldn't get in the way of sight lines when we didn't need the screen. I continued choreographing songs for the Follies rehearsal. Last night we had a large chorus group and worked just two songs over and over. By the end of the evening we had made lots of progress. Tonight we will review those songs and add a couple of more. We are still about 2 rehearsals behind where we should be.

For Harriet today we will record Harriet's voice onto a computer for playback during the show. There are a couple of moments when we hear Harriet's voice as other things happen on stage. Jim and I will also be moving lots of flats (wall sections) to the theatre's warehouse facility to clear space back stage for the scenery for Harriet the spy. Tech rehearsal is this Sunday. (That is the day we add sound, lights and costumes for the first time.) This week and next week are typically called Hell Week because of the extremely long hours the technical crew and performers put in to get ready for the opening. We still have a couple of scenic pieces that are only in the conceptual stage and those need to be finalized in order to meet our goals.

Diane Byrd and Emily Chapman worked on Anything Goes last Saturday afternoon. They are preparing for the dance workshops which start March 1. They look to be lots of fun and everyone interested can find out more details by clicking on the newsletter button on the website.

March 6-9 is Harriet the Spy performances. March 10 will be the Economic Impact of the Arts study meeting for the area. March 11 will be the theatre's preview night to unveil our 45th Anniversary schedule of plays. March 17 & 18 are the auditions for Zink. March is coming up quickly.

Wednesday Feb. 27 is the Board of Directors meeting to begin budget discussions and evaluate fundraisers for the rest of the current fiscal year.

Friday Feb. 22

2 pm. Lunch time and I'm trying to finish my Kirchhoff's soup before going back to choreograph for Follies. I spent the morning trying to work out the dance movements to a song medley for tonight. Last nights Follies rehearsal was cancelled so I'm only 3 rehearsals behind. It took me 2 1/2 hours to work out the movements for 50 people on stage. I start with the words of the songs and the beat. Is it 4 beats to a measure or 3 beats? Is it cut time or standard time? What does the song feel like? Then I start trying out a few steps here and there. (Trying to remember that I'm choreographing for a large group of women so that my tendency to use masculine dance steps don't dominate.) This morning's song medley included : I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing, Followed by Black and White by 3 Dog Night, Next was Halfbreed by Cher, It's Not Easy being Green, Indian Nation by Paul Revere and the Raiders, Gypsy Tramps and Thieves, Everything is Beautiful. I'm back to work this afternoon on the Sunshine medley. I called Mary Jane McGuire the musical director for Follies and we discussed a couple of sections of music that really need a strong bass beat to keep the dancers on the beat.

While I was choreographing Jim Keeney technical director stopped in and we talked about furniture styles for Harriet the Spy. We need to build some custom beds, tables and chairs to fit the stage areas. We also talked about ways to make a dumbwaiter in a scene. Crowns is still taking up time too in trying to reschedule and we are juggling school matinees for Harriet the Spy with a couple schools changing their last minute numbers to attend.

Soups done. Time to go back to work.

Thursday Feb. 21

6 am-Began watching the weather forecasts for tonight.

8:30 am arrived at work. I immediately took all of the tickets for tonights show offline so they would not be availble for online purchasing. This would force everyone to speak to us in person to order tickets for tonight.

9 am-Getting coffee at the Market Square Coffee shop Valerie Pollard and I cancelled the Follies rehearsal early on. Trying to get 50 people to a rehearsal is too difficult when the weather is crazy.

10:30 am- Box Office Manager Alexis Davis and I talked. I told her we wouldn't make the call until 3:30 pm if we were going to cancel CROWNS for tonight. Tell everyone to call back after 3:30 to order tickets for the show.

11:30 am- Talked with Mary Jane Bowles the Director of CROWNS and asked her to talk to the cast to see if they could re-schedule should we cancel.

12:30 pm -Everything was melting and it was looking like we would go on as planned.

1:30 pm April (Cochran)called some of her cast of Harriet the Spy and many of them can make rehearsal so they will go ahead as planned. They will be done by 6:30.

2:30 The forecast is still not looking good.

3:15 Forecast looks really bad for 7 pm-10pm. Prime show time. We checked the box office charts and only had 26 people with tickets for tonight. The theatre only seats 60. Called Mary Jane and talked about the cast getting here. Some are not sure.

3:30 Took one last look at the forecast. I figured that several of our ticket holders would not attend if the weather got worse. So....I decided that it was better to make the call than have anyone get hurt trying to come to the show.

3:35 We cancelled the performance of CROWNS for tonight. This is the first time in my 25 years we have cancelled a show because of weather. I'm going over in a few minutes to watch the Harriet the Spy rehearsal. Then home to choreograph a song for Follies rehearsal tomorrow night. Hopefully that will go on as scheduled.

What a day!

Feb. 18

Presidents day wasn't a holiday at the theatre. We continued to work on Harriet the Spy and the Charity League Follies production. Tonight we took publicity photos of Harriet the spy cast. The Follies rehearsal tonight worked through the choreography of the song Save the Country and Convoy. It is interesting to me watching as 50 people try to learn the movement. It is often just a idea that you create when choreographing for a large group. Watching everyone doing the movements either makes you want to celebrate when it works or sick to your stomach when it doesn't. Fortunately tonight it worked. At first everyone was confused but then slowly they began to get it. Asking people to clap their hands and walk on the beat of the music is not as easy as it looks. Everyone feels or hears music differently.

This week we will be working hard at finishing the set for Harriet the Spy while starting up Crowns for its second week of the extended run.

Feb. 15

Crowns opened last night to a sold out house. The performers did an outstanding job and the audience gave them a standing ovation. For over half of the cast this is their very first play. Each of the cast members has a wonderful talent and they really created a memorable evening of theatre. Special acknowlegements go to Mary Jane Bowles as the Director and Doug Arnold as the Musical Director. Both of them worked hard to help the cast create a wonderful theatre experience. The first weekends shows are sold out. The company was available for an added weekend and the ticket demand was there so we added shows on Thur., Fri., and Sun. of the following week.

I was fortunate enough to be able to photograph Sister Harvey of Paducah with a few of her favoirte hats. Her photographs are in the display window. She is a wonderful lady who attended opening night and told me how much she enjoyed the show.

Today was spent working on finalizing our play selection for next season. Each year trying to pick the seasons seems to get harder and harder. In addition we are making last minute plans for Spamalot tomorrow. Food and beverages for the bus ride are being purchased. In addition last minute ticket buyers are calling. We have a good group going and the trip looks to be lots of fun.

Feb. 14

I had the pleasure of watching Crowns rehearsal last night. Although it had a few rough spots, due to loss of rehearsal with the ice storm, overall it was headed for opening night. The play is a wonderful collection of story and song that brings us all to a deeper understanding of family and culture. There are some truly moving moments in the show where the story of each woman's family in the show helped me understand how connected we all are. MyKynleigh Abraham's character has a line in the play about doing things that we think are modern without even realizing the connecting line that extends back through the history of our culture or family. Tickets are selling well and we will decide today whether to extend the run for an additional week. That extension will depend on several factors. We will post information on our website.

Harriet the Spy rehearsals moved to the mainstage last night. Jim Keeney and I worked on platforms yesterday to get them ready for the transition from the classroom and the taped out floor to the main stage and actual platforms. There is still alot of platform work left to go. There are still some items on the stage that have to get moved back up to prop storage as well.

Last Saturday a group of volunteers helped organize prop storage. That is a huge undertaking. We have two entire floors full of home decor, telephones, swords, dishes, cooking utensils, radios, and about 100 other items that we keep for use in future shows. There is still a lot left to do but it was a good start.

I'm still wrestling with royalty companies on securing rights for next season. We are awaiting approval and royalty costs on some of the musicals before we can announce them to the public. Although some theatres announce their season with TBA's (to be announced) I really don't like doing that. We are also looking at cost factors for the season for next year. That is the depressing part of the equation and the finance committee will be meeting soon to hammer out a fiscal budget for 08/09.

February surprises

Feb. 13

It has been a wild and crazy couple of weeks and not just with The Underpants. Underpants did well. The weather on the second thursday didn't hurt too badly because everyone was able to exchange their tickets for the next couple of performances. The following Tuesday I trekked to Frankfort to receive a check from the Kentucky Arts Council. It was a photo opportunity with our regional legislators and a chance to do a little arts advocacy. I decided to spend the night in Frankfort and a severe thunderstorm came through about 1 a.m. and the hotel moved everyone on the second and third floors to the lobby. Maybe I should have seen that as an omen! Since that day weather has played havoc with the theatre rehearsals.

With the ice this past Monday and Tuesday we ended up cancelling rehearsals for Harriet the Spy, the Charity league Follies, and Crowns. All three rehearsals have really put us behind in our prepartations. Especially Crowns. Tonight is the final dress rehearsal before opening and the cast hasn't rehearsed since last week. This show only runs for 1 week end so there isn't the option to move people's tickets to another performance. We have never cancelled a performance in theatre history. But we've also never been in this situation before. I'm going to the final dress rehearsal tonight with my fingers crossed that everything will be ready to open tomorrow. The show is almost sold out for the weekend.

The follies rehearsals have now lost 3 days. One day of music and 2 days of staging. It generally takes about 1 1/2 hours to stage a song for the first time. That means we are now four songs behind in our staging. That may not seem like a lot but when you are working around everyone's conflicts it is very difficult to pick that time back up.

Tuesdays with Morrie is cast and Tom Dolan and Don Maley were selected to perform the parts. They will do a great job! Fortunately they don't start rehearsals until March. We are working behind the scenes with Diane Byrd the director of Anything Goes and Emily Chapman who will help choreograph on a series of Pre-Audition workshops for Anything Goes. The first three Saturdays in March will have a dance workshop to learn the routine that will be used for auditions. More information about these workshops will be on the website auditions page. We are moving the Anything Goes auditions back a week to March 31 and April 1 in the Second Stage Classroom.

There are still tickets available for the Spamalot trip this Saturday to Nashville. It's supposed to be good weather on Saturday last I heard.

The old saying - The show must go on is sometimes a lot tougher than the audience ever realizes.