April 10, 2013

This morning I went digging in April's craft closet for Chinese New Year decorations to use on the set of Hallelujah Girls. Each of the scenes in the Hallelujah Girls has holiday decorations to go along with one of the characters that dresses up and celebrates Halloween, Christmas, Chinese New Year, Valentine's Day, and the 4th of July.  I already raided April's decorations for Halloween and Christmas.  Cast member Cat Tilker brought in some of her decorations as well.  I'm still on the hunt for Valentine Decorations.

I learned that the second week of April is a bad time to shop for Halloween, Christmas, Chinese New Years, and Valentines Day decorations at stores!  Surprisingly Hobby Lobby was just putting out their 4th of July decorations!  After Easter that's the next big holiday to decorate for.  Like Christmas it's never to early to get your 4th of July decorations.

We have 3 middle school and 1 high school student working on the set change crew for the Hallelujah Girls. They have to change out all of the decorations in each of the scenes.  Tomorrow we will try to put these scene changes to music so the scene change crew can "dance" to the music as they change the set.  Hallelujah Girls tech rehearsal is Sunday where we add all the lights, sound and costumes together.  The cast has been doing lots of costume changes already so Sunday won't be such a shock.  They have to change costumes every time the set changes.  Audiences will get a kick out of the changes in the show along with the acting and directing. The show opens a week from tomorrow.

April began staging Tomato Plant girl yesterday in the Studio Theatre.  She has 3 young kids in the cast and it's fun to pass through rehearsal as the characters play games like mother may I.  That show opens in less than 4 weeks.

Saturday the Love Loss and What I Wore Cast will rehearse again in whatever space they can find.  Since we are working on the set and lights on the mainstage Saturday and Footlights classes in the Studio and Classroom.  Saturday afternoon Paducah Bank is auditioning kids for their commercial in our classroom space.  (If kids are interested they need to contact Paducah Bank)

It's the never ending quest for classroom and rehearsal space at MHT.  Love Loss and What I Wore is directed by Valerie Pollard and Renie Barger and the 5 women in it are all having a blast.  It is a special dessert theatre performance on Mother's Day weekend that goes on in 4 weeks.   (The same weekend as Tomato Plant girl.)

In Les Miserables rehearsal tonight we staged the cart crash scene, the trial, and Fantine's death scene. I have Tony Bohannon and JC Witherspoon fighting in the hospital scene with a sword and a roof piece of wood.  As we did the fight choreography poor Kim Yocum was lying there trying to pretend to be dead and yet trying not to get accidentally impaled or killed by the two guys fighting around her.  Tony and JC did a great job of slowly learning the choreography but when you are trying not to hurt your scene partner or get hurt the lyrics you are singing tend to jump right out of your head as your scene partner is swinging sharp objects or blunt objects at your head.  I let the rest of the cast go before we started the fight choreography.  It's hard enough to work on this with just the 3 people.  When you add 30 people watching you learn how to fight and try to sing at the same time it adds a whole extra layer of nerves.

We have made it through staging the first quarter of Les Mis and will review the first 5 scenes on Friday.  I know I already have to go back and re-work some of my blocking. I'm not happy with in the chain gang scene and outside the factory.  It worked great in my head but didn't quite have the same look when I staged it with the actors.  Trying to have 7 guys step in unison to the lyrics uhhh huhhh, uhhh huhhh, uhhhhunhuhhhhhhh.  Isn't the easiest thing in the world.   In addition trying to have 20 actors move in a revolving circular motion as they beg in unison was also not the easiest thing.  Staging a show to me is always one step forward, then 1/2 a step back and then another step forward as we work through the process.   Les Miserables opens in 2 months and I'm already feeling the pressure. Musical Director Cindy Miller bless her heart tells me all the time "I need more time!"

MHT is a jammed with lots of local talent creating some really great theatre!