Thursday June 5

I'm sitting here during the break between Act one and Act two at the back of the theatre where I have set up the computer and the sound system for the show. It has been an event filled day for Anything Goes. We are in the midst of the long days and lots to be completed.

All of the musicians moved their equipment into the pit for the first time today with the exception of the woodwind player. Music Director Patt Lynch worked with Mary Jane McGuire who is playing on the keyboard this afternoon. Jason Munday the percussionist brought his drumset in at 4pm today. Patt and Mary Jane worked through part of the show this afternoon. The spent a couple of hours selecting different keyboard and piano settings to get the sound they wanted. At one point they were trying out different pipe organ sounds and trying to mix that with brass sounds. Patt would say "no thats got to much bass in it." Then they would try several other sounds. They would play a section and Patt would ask Mary Jane if she rolled the notes on a certain passage. Sometimes that would be something that would inspire both of them to try to play a musical phrase two or three different ways. Sometimes Patt would say no this needs to flow from here to here and then stop. It's a lot more difficult than just playing the music. Balancing out the different sounds and volumes against the actors singing is also a difficult challenge. We don't mic the majority of our performers so you are balancing the actors voice against musical instruments.

Jim went out and purchased paint this morning so we could base coat the set. Aaron Spoden came in today as a volunteer and painted the platforms and the brig gray. Jim built set pieces to angle the top wall units down to the lower walls. Then he worked on putting stops on the two rolling bed units so that when Steve Schwetman jumps up on them they don't roll across the stage. Of course that is the irony-we need the beds to roll on and off the stage for the scene changes and not roll while they are doing the scene. That is alway the challenge in scenery. Make it easily moveable to change quickly and yet make it solid and unmovable just as quickly. I spent time this morning trying to create what the paint scheme is for the proscenium piece and the up the walls. Then I worked on moving the sound equipment from the control booth at the back of the theatre to the back row of the theatre so we could run some sound cues and add a microphone to one of the actors who has to sing a song that is at the edge of her range and doesn't allow her to project her voice above the orchestra. We have 20 cast members and 4 wireless microphone packs. That is why we don't generally mic the performers. Trying to blend performers who are miked and un miked performers is a real tough thing to do!

After working on sound I took all the lights down from the studio theatre that I had taken down from the main stage just 3 weeks ago for the play Zink and brought them back over to the mainstage. We spend a great deal of time moving equipment back and forth because we can't afford to purchase enough equipment for both spaces.

Jim cut the hole in the wall of the brig for the portal window which has to open for a funny moment in the show.

The cast starts to arrive as early as 5 pm to work on dance moves or music with Patt. The rehearsal officially starts at 7 pm. Most nights the cast is out by 10 pm.

Today the staff took a couple of minutes out and celebrated Janice Peterson's birthday today with a special sugar free low carb pudding cake that Alexis made. (Sugar Free for Marsha, Low Carb for Marsha and Alexis, I took my lactaid pills so I could eat it) With each staff members birthday the rest of the staff kicks in for cake and gift cards from a variety of places.

Marsha has been working on membership and getting ushers for the performances of Anything Goes as well as interviewing new volunteers. Alexis is busy printing out season tickets to try to hand out with the performances of Anything Goes. Janice is working on costumes for the Cinderella Camp. April is working on choreography for the camp.

Tomorrow night is the last run through before we reach the tech rehearsal adding lights, costumes and sound and a full orchestra for the first time. Saturday we will set the light cues and Sunday is the tech rehearsal.

Oops there's the call for places for Act Two. That's my cue to go.