Yesterday I went with the Story Theatre troupe to Hendron Lone Oak Elementary and helped setup for the performance of The Three Little Kittens. April was helping with the screening for the Gifted Talented program at Clark Elementary school in the morning, then running to WKCTC to do a workshop for Librarians on the use of theatre in teaching and then going straight to Hendron for the performance. The 300 kids at Hendron had a great time with the show which uses the play to teach about telling the truth. In the play the kittens don't tell the truth about what happened to their mittens. Throughout the play the actors interact with the audience asking for their help. Momma Cat (April) asks the kids if they have rules at their house and then has some of the audience kids tell what those rules are. She reminds the kittens that they have chores to do and that she needs their help to keep the house clean. When the kittens don't tell the truth Momma Cat asks the kids for ideas on what to do to punish the kittens for not telling the truth. This 35 minute musical is very high energy as the kittens play and dance throughout the show. I took lots of photographs of the The Three Kittens for the MHT archives.
After the show I returned to MHT to meet with Diane Byrd the director of Anything Goes to discuss the sets for the show. After the meeting with Diane the service repair technicians from Sears was here to repair our dryer. We had just replaced our washer less than 2 months ago. The dryer was purchased ten years ago. The dryer can't be repaired so I'll be out looking for a dryer this week.
I then prepared for the City Commission meeting at which MHT did a short presentation to give information to go with our city funding request. We requested $25,000 from the city for several programs and to help us with the maintenance on the Market House Building which is owned by the city. The commission meeting was held at 5:30 pm and the ordinance supporting funding for the Symphony and the Carson Center was also approved.
This morning I gave a tour to 48 middle school students from South Marshall County Middle School. It usually takes an hour to tour our buildings and do a short acting workshop with the kids. The cost for the tours are free. The only restriction is subject to scheduling.
We do tours and workshops for other groups including the Paducah Leadership class. After the tour today I helped Jim by carrying the step units and platform units across the street to the main theatre for Anything Goes. Then it was off to Rotary.
I am a Rotary member and the speaker today was an intellectual rights attorney. This subject at first glance may not seem to have much to do with the Market House Theatre but it is very important. We pay for an annual license with Ascap and Bmi for all of the preshow, intermission, and scene change music that we use. In addition if we use a song during a play as an integral part of the play we have to secure royalty permission for that song as well. It can get very expensive.
Some plays that we receive the rights to produce also include a copyright on certain types of scenery, costumes and movement that the original Broadway company used. This restriction prohibits us from recreating the Broadway show and requiring that our production be unique to the Market House Theatre. Some shows have been so restricted that many theatres refuse to produce the plays- an example is Les Mis. The barricade used in the Broadway show is copyrighted as scenery and groups are not allowed to reproduce that barricade. However the script calls for a barricade so the theatres are often left in a quandary as to whether they can produce a show without certain scenic elements.
Rehearsals continue tonight for Anything Goes. Saturday Zink goes back into production. I'm currently working on press releases for the summer drama classes, the Lunch Box theatre show of The True Story of the Rabbit and the Hare, and auditions for MY Way.
Marsha Cash is seeking volunteers for the Lower Town Music festival to work in the Buzzard Bros. Booth at the festival. Buzzard Bros. have graciously allowed MHT to partner with them as a fundraising event on Friday- Sunday May 23-25. Contact Marsha Cash if you can work this event!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
May 12
Its lunch Monday and I'm getting ready for a meeting with the incoming President Renie Barger and a prospective board member for next year. (Our year starts July 1) We meet individually with each propsective board member to give them a full briefing on the financial and programming status of the theatre. We talk about board responsibilities and staff responsibilities and about some of the important issues facing the theatre. This will be our third meeting since last week with just a couple more to go before the May board meeting on the 28th when the nomination list is formally submitted to the board. Each prospective member is given the information and than asked to think it over and let Renie know if they are still interested. Then the board reviews all the potential new members and selects from that list.
We finished the first full weekend of Zink shows. April bought Jade and a friend tickets for the matinee performance of Zink on Sunday. After the show I talked with the girls and asked if when the character in the play dies it made them cry. They both looked at me like they didn't know what I was talking about. I suddenly realized why the show works differently for adults and kids. Every adult watches the scene when I carry Becky onstage and she is dying and we cradle her between us and they know what is happening. During the scene Papa Zeke (the wise old Zebra) crosses over from Africa to the Human world and reaches out and takes Becky's hand and she leaves her parents. The parents never break the cradle that Becky was in and continue to look at the spot where she was as if she is still there. Every adult knows what happened in that moment. But for the kids they see Becky leave her parents and go back with Papa Zeke to the imaginary Zebra world.
It was like a light bulb going off to me when the kids didn't know what I was talking about. In some ways the kids are able to understand that Becky went off to a different place. The adults in the audience understand that Becky has left her parents and they feel that loss. Both adults and kids come back together at the end of the play when Becky talks about the courage to face predators in both worlds.
The wonderful thing about doing theatre is that it can be a powerful tool on so many levels. The best plays are the ones that you keep learning from with each performance and each audience. Sometimes the audience doesn't catch all of the nuance that is being created and all the meaning in a play until they see it a couple of times. But the performers continue to grow and learn every time you step on that stage and into somebody elses' shoes to experience life from a different perspective.
We finished the first full weekend of Zink shows. April bought Jade and a friend tickets for the matinee performance of Zink on Sunday. After the show I talked with the girls and asked if when the character in the play dies it made them cry. They both looked at me like they didn't know what I was talking about. I suddenly realized why the show works differently for adults and kids. Every adult watches the scene when I carry Becky onstage and she is dying and we cradle her between us and they know what is happening. During the scene Papa Zeke (the wise old Zebra) crosses over from Africa to the Human world and reaches out and takes Becky's hand and she leaves her parents. The parents never break the cradle that Becky was in and continue to look at the spot where she was as if she is still there. Every adult knows what happened in that moment. But for the kids they see Becky leave her parents and go back with Papa Zeke to the imaginary Zebra world.
It was like a light bulb going off to me when the kids didn't know what I was talking about. In some ways the kids are able to understand that Becky went off to a different place. The adults in the audience understand that Becky has left her parents and they feel that loss. Both adults and kids come back together at the end of the play when Becky talks about the courage to face predators in both worlds.
The wonderful thing about doing theatre is that it can be a powerful tool on so many levels. The best plays are the ones that you keep learning from with each performance and each audience. Sometimes the audience doesn't catch all of the nuance that is being created and all the meaning in a play until they see it a couple of times. But the performers continue to grow and learn every time you step on that stage and into somebody elses' shoes to experience life from a different perspective.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
May 7
My back held out and I carried Sydney on for opening night. As of writing this (Sat. 1:30 pm) the cast is getting their costumes on and we have performed 5 performances already of the show. In about 5 minutes we will do warmups for the show. This consists of lots of stretching and vocal exercises. Stretching your body to release the tension and get it loosened up. Stretching your face so that you can make expressions easier. Vocal warmups which stretch the vocal chords and your lips and tongue so you can articulate your words. Favorite vocal warmups are red leather yellow leather copper kettle brittle brattle said faster and faster. I was always partial to toy boat, toy boat, toy boat said several times faster and faster.
We had someone ask how we (the adults) cry every performance. Once you learn the tools of acting you find that you are able to touch on deep emotions within yourself when you concentrate and "pretend" or imagine a situation. I imagine that Sydney is my daughter Jade and that she is dying. That is enough to make me very emotional. I block out the fact that an audience is watching and I focus deeply on Sydney and those feelings. Then I fight those feelings. I do my best not to cry because that makes it real. Most of don't want to cry. We don't want to. That is what an audience can identify with. For me I have to lightly touch those feelings or I become so emotional I can't speak.
I read a script this morning while I was waiting for Jade to finish footlights. It is about middle school girls and the bullying and isolation that happens with our kids. It made me very emotional as I read it. April asked me to read it for possible production next season in our studio. I think it will be a challenge technically but is well worth the risk. After the performances a professional holds a "talk back" with audiences to explore the subject matter. In one of the guides we actually see a scene again with the actors and freeze them at the critical point. Then we look at different ways that scene could have continued which stopped the bullying. This is something I think is very important for our community and our kids.
Keep your eyes open next season and we will announce performance dates for this play. The cast is warming up and I need to join them.
We had someone ask how we (the adults) cry every performance. Once you learn the tools of acting you find that you are able to touch on deep emotions within yourself when you concentrate and "pretend" or imagine a situation. I imagine that Sydney is my daughter Jade and that she is dying. That is enough to make me very emotional. I block out the fact that an audience is watching and I focus deeply on Sydney and those feelings. Then I fight those feelings. I do my best not to cry because that makes it real. Most of don't want to cry. We don't want to. That is what an audience can identify with. For me I have to lightly touch those feelings or I become so emotional I can't speak.
I read a script this morning while I was waiting for Jade to finish footlights. It is about middle school girls and the bullying and isolation that happens with our kids. It made me very emotional as I read it. April asked me to read it for possible production next season in our studio. I think it will be a challenge technically but is well worth the risk. After the performances a professional holds a "talk back" with audiences to explore the subject matter. In one of the guides we actually see a scene again with the actors and freeze them at the critical point. Then we look at different ways that scene could have continued which stopped the bullying. This is something I think is very important for our community and our kids.
Keep your eyes open next season and we will announce performance dates for this play. The cast is warming up and I need to join them.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
May 8
(This is more personal than usual but I just had to share!)
Tuesday morning I should have read the tea leaves to see what the next 24-48 hours would hold for me. Some days you just shouldn't get out of bed.
About 9:30 am Tuesday morning Jim Keeney, Chris Simpson, and I loaded the theatre flatbed trailer with the orchestra pit cover (six 4' x 8' pieces each weighing about 200 lbs) and took them to the warehouse located inside the Easter Seals building. We unloaded the platforms and then loaded up 3 large rolling wall units (6' x 8' pieces each weighing about 250 lbs.) that were built for Kiss Me Kate and took those to the theatre. As we unloaded and put the units on stage I stretched my back and a disc I've had problems in the past with shifted. (This is an old college theatre injury that only seems to get worse with age. In common terms "my back went out" My daughter Jade the first time I said that to her asked me where it went?) I went to the Chiropractor immediately that afternoon to get some attention. My biggest concern was that in the play Zink I play the father. During one of the scenes I have to carry my daughter (Sydney Hughes) onstage and set her onto a platform as she is dying. I knew that I was going to be in big trouble if my back stayed out.
At the Zink dress rehearsal Tuesday night I told her that I couldn't carry her that night and for her to just walk on with me. We did the rehearsal and I left Paducah right after the rehearsal and drove 4 hours to Frankfort for the Kentucky Arts Council Grant Review. I arrived at the hotel at midnight eastern time. The four hours in one position didn't help my back. I didn't sleep well that night because of my back and woke up that morning and found that my back had locked in position and I couldn't get out of bed. I lay there thinking "I'm in a hotel in a town 4 hours from home. I have a grant review meeting in 1 1/2 hours and I can't get up. What am I going to do if I can't get up? Maybe the house keeping staff will find me lying here later in the day and help me get up? Will I have to stay for another night because I can't get out of bed? What will happen with the grant review? What will happen with Zink final dress rehearsal? I looked across the room at my cell phone and cursed myself for not leaving it closer. I glanced at the phone by the bed and wondered how you call the front desk to ask for help getting out of bed? I thought this is the perfect comedy situation for a play! (I always try to find the humor in even the worst moments. It's either a sickness in me or a strength. Sometimes I can't tell which!) With a great deal of struggle I slid out of bed and crawled over to a piece of furniture and finally pulled myself up to a standing position. I convinced myself I could do this! Once I began moving slowly about my back unlocked. Although I walked like I was 103 years old.
The grant review panel was meeting in the hotel I was staying at so I didn't have to go far. I made it to the meeting room by 9 am and then waited for our grant to be reviewed. We were 11th in order that morning and they got to us about 10:15. The panel had good comments as well as some questions about the theatre. Unfortunately the panel is set up as a public meeting but the public is not allowed to comment unless the organization representative was recognized and specifically requested to comment. The panel did not recognize me so I was not able to comment. The MHT grant application review lasted 5 minutes. I got in my car and drove back 4 hours to Paducah for the Wednesday evening final dress rehearsal. I was prepared to attend a city commission meeting at 5:30 on Wednesday when I got back. I found out that somehow I had confused the date and the commission meeting was on Tuesday the 6th. I had missed it. The city was very nice and they rescheduled me for next Tuesday.
As I got into costume for the Wednesday night final dress I couldn't bend over to tie my shows. Alexis from the box office took pity on me and tied my shoes for me. (Although Marsha Cash told her she should demand a raise while I was not in a condition to refuse!) I still couldn't lift Sydney so we walked through the motions. I went home last night exhausted and hoped that Thursday would be a better day. It has been so far.
Zink opens for the general public tonight at 7:30 pm. It officially opened this morning at 9 am. Two school matinees were held this morning- 9 am. & 11:30 am. The show went very well.
Although I'm still not lifting Becky my back has improved significantly. There is a blackout just before I'm supposed to carry her onstage and we've been moving on in the blackout and pretending that I carried her there. We will keep doing that until I'm sure I won't drop her.
Tonight's show is selling very well with just a couple of tickets left. The kids at the school matinee really enjoyed the show. The adults all cried. April noted that the 3rd graders at the school matinee really enjoyed the show. They were able to leap into the world created in Zink and really enjoy it. Adults seemed to be more in tune with the loss of a child than the fact that the play is about courage and that Becky learns how to face her fears and how to move through that process. The zebras in the show are all symbolic of Becky's will to live and help her face her fears. Because they are symbolic they have very human characteristics. It is funny to hear a "foreign zebra" in the Zebra talent show do a joke about a Rabbi, a Priest, and a Minister in a boat in a kind of gibberish language. There are some deeply moving parts in the play as well as some very funny parts. Maybe for adults it is harder to see beyond the pain sometimes.
So break a leg to the Zink cast and crew! (I don't like saying that as much since that really happened a couple of years ago on opening night at Market House for Oklahoma.) Come see the show and if you're an adult be prepared to cry and laugh. I think it will be one of those great shows MHT puts on that people will talk about for a long time. There are still plenty of tickets left.
Tuesday morning I should have read the tea leaves to see what the next 24-48 hours would hold for me. Some days you just shouldn't get out of bed.
About 9:30 am Tuesday morning Jim Keeney, Chris Simpson, and I loaded the theatre flatbed trailer with the orchestra pit cover (six 4' x 8' pieces each weighing about 200 lbs) and took them to the warehouse located inside the Easter Seals building. We unloaded the platforms and then loaded up 3 large rolling wall units (6' x 8' pieces each weighing about 250 lbs.) that were built for Kiss Me Kate and took those to the theatre. As we unloaded and put the units on stage I stretched my back and a disc I've had problems in the past with shifted. (This is an old college theatre injury that only seems to get worse with age. In common terms "my back went out" My daughter Jade the first time I said that to her asked me where it went?) I went to the Chiropractor immediately that afternoon to get some attention. My biggest concern was that in the play Zink I play the father. During one of the scenes I have to carry my daughter (Sydney Hughes) onstage and set her onto a platform as she is dying. I knew that I was going to be in big trouble if my back stayed out.
At the Zink dress rehearsal Tuesday night I told her that I couldn't carry her that night and for her to just walk on with me. We did the rehearsal and I left Paducah right after the rehearsal and drove 4 hours to Frankfort for the Kentucky Arts Council Grant Review. I arrived at the hotel at midnight eastern time. The four hours in one position didn't help my back. I didn't sleep well that night because of my back and woke up that morning and found that my back had locked in position and I couldn't get out of bed. I lay there thinking "I'm in a hotel in a town 4 hours from home. I have a grant review meeting in 1 1/2 hours and I can't get up. What am I going to do if I can't get up? Maybe the house keeping staff will find me lying here later in the day and help me get up? Will I have to stay for another night because I can't get out of bed? What will happen with the grant review? What will happen with Zink final dress rehearsal? I looked across the room at my cell phone and cursed myself for not leaving it closer. I glanced at the phone by the bed and wondered how you call the front desk to ask for help getting out of bed? I thought this is the perfect comedy situation for a play! (I always try to find the humor in even the worst moments. It's either a sickness in me or a strength. Sometimes I can't tell which!) With a great deal of struggle I slid out of bed and crawled over to a piece of furniture and finally pulled myself up to a standing position. I convinced myself I could do this! Once I began moving slowly about my back unlocked. Although I walked like I was 103 years old.
The grant review panel was meeting in the hotel I was staying at so I didn't have to go far. I made it to the meeting room by 9 am and then waited for our grant to be reviewed. We were 11th in order that morning and they got to us about 10:15. The panel had good comments as well as some questions about the theatre. Unfortunately the panel is set up as a public meeting but the public is not allowed to comment unless the organization representative was recognized and specifically requested to comment. The panel did not recognize me so I was not able to comment. The MHT grant application review lasted 5 minutes. I got in my car and drove back 4 hours to Paducah for the Wednesday evening final dress rehearsal. I was prepared to attend a city commission meeting at 5:30 on Wednesday when I got back. I found out that somehow I had confused the date and the commission meeting was on Tuesday the 6th. I had missed it. The city was very nice and they rescheduled me for next Tuesday.
As I got into costume for the Wednesday night final dress I couldn't bend over to tie my shows. Alexis from the box office took pity on me and tied my shoes for me. (Although Marsha Cash told her she should demand a raise while I was not in a condition to refuse!) I still couldn't lift Sydney so we walked through the motions. I went home last night exhausted and hoped that Thursday would be a better day. It has been so far.
Zink opens for the general public tonight at 7:30 pm. It officially opened this morning at 9 am. Two school matinees were held this morning- 9 am. & 11:30 am. The show went very well.
Although I'm still not lifting Becky my back has improved significantly. There is a blackout just before I'm supposed to carry her onstage and we've been moving on in the blackout and pretending that I carried her there. We will keep doing that until I'm sure I won't drop her.
Tonight's show is selling very well with just a couple of tickets left. The kids at the school matinee really enjoyed the show. The adults all cried. April noted that the 3rd graders at the school matinee really enjoyed the show. They were able to leap into the world created in Zink and really enjoy it. Adults seemed to be more in tune with the loss of a child than the fact that the play is about courage and that Becky learns how to face her fears and how to move through that process. The zebras in the show are all symbolic of Becky's will to live and help her face her fears. Because they are symbolic they have very human characteristics. It is funny to hear a "foreign zebra" in the Zebra talent show do a joke about a Rabbi, a Priest, and a Minister in a boat in a kind of gibberish language. There are some deeply moving parts in the play as well as some very funny parts. Maybe for adults it is harder to see beyond the pain sometimes.
So break a leg to the Zink cast and crew! (I don't like saying that as much since that really happened a couple of years ago on opening night at Market House for Oklahoma.) Come see the show and if you're an adult be prepared to cry and laugh. I think it will be one of those great shows MHT puts on that people will talk about for a long time. There are still plenty of tickets left.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
May 6
Yesterday was spent doing painting and fixing small details on Zink. Last night I took a little video to promote Zink. You can see a sneak peak of the production on our website by clicking on the Zink page link on the home page. Then watch a couple of moments from the start of the play.
Rehearsal went well last night and things are looking good. Today is a day for travel. Marsha Cash who plays the mother in Zink has a doctors appointment in Nashville and hopes to be back for the rehearsal at 5 pm. I have to leave just before the end of rehearsal to drive to Frankfort tonight so that I be there tomorrow morning for our Kentucky Arts Council Grant review. The total time set aside to review the MHT grant is 10 minutes. Some years the grant review panel asks questions of the organizations and some years they don't ask any questions. I'm not allowed to speak unless they ask a question. I've booked a room in Frankfort so that I don't have to leave at 4 am tomorrow morning and drive back. The review happens at 9 am Eastern time tomorrow morning.
Final Dress rehearsal is Wednesday at 5:00 pm for Zink. At 5:30 pm Wednesday is the City Commission meeting in which MHT will be considered for funding this year.
Today I will try to setup a meeting with Creatures of Habit to talk about costumes for Anything Goes. I will also get Jim Keeney to switch gears and start working on Anything Goes. Janice Peterson is doing the last minute costume fixes for Zink. I'll have to stop by Wagner clothing today to get some patches and police uniform accessories for my costume for Zink (I play the father).
Program ads are starting to come in. Annette Deem is selling ads for the theatre for next season on a commission basis. Annette has done this for the past couple of years. We are trying to sign up volunteers for the Lowertown Festival Fundraiser. We are supplying the servers for the Buzzard Brothers BBQ booth at the festival. The Buzzard Brothers are splitting the profits with the theatre. There is a sign up sheet in the box office.
April, Travis Hensel, Emily Chapman, and Sydney Hughes are touring each day with Story Theatre. Sydney has the lead role in Zink. It makes for a long day for her to act as a kitten during the day and young girl dying of leukemia at night. Sydney is home schooled so that allows her to tour with Story Theatre. I would never have dreamed of being able to do what she is doing when I was kid. Sydney's parents, Terry and Jennifer Hughes, are very supportive of the theatre.
Alexis is processing season ticket orders and selling Zink tickets. Last Friday was Box Office Assistant Rhiannon Dodds Birthday. She only works part time so we are looking for a time to surprise her with cake and cards.
Rehearsal went well last night and things are looking good. Today is a day for travel. Marsha Cash who plays the mother in Zink has a doctors appointment in Nashville and hopes to be back for the rehearsal at 5 pm. I have to leave just before the end of rehearsal to drive to Frankfort tonight so that I be there tomorrow morning for our Kentucky Arts Council Grant review. The total time set aside to review the MHT grant is 10 minutes. Some years the grant review panel asks questions of the organizations and some years they don't ask any questions. I'm not allowed to speak unless they ask a question. I've booked a room in Frankfort so that I don't have to leave at 4 am tomorrow morning and drive back. The review happens at 9 am Eastern time tomorrow morning.
Final Dress rehearsal is Wednesday at 5:00 pm for Zink. At 5:30 pm Wednesday is the City Commission meeting in which MHT will be considered for funding this year.
Today I will try to setup a meeting with Creatures of Habit to talk about costumes for Anything Goes. I will also get Jim Keeney to switch gears and start working on Anything Goes. Janice Peterson is doing the last minute costume fixes for Zink. I'll have to stop by Wagner clothing today to get some patches and police uniform accessories for my costume for Zink (I play the father).
Program ads are starting to come in. Annette Deem is selling ads for the theatre for next season on a commission basis. Annette has done this for the past couple of years. We are trying to sign up volunteers for the Lowertown Festival Fundraiser. We are supplying the servers for the Buzzard Brothers BBQ booth at the festival. The Buzzard Brothers are splitting the profits with the theatre. There is a sign up sheet in the box office.
April, Travis Hensel, Emily Chapman, and Sydney Hughes are touring each day with Story Theatre. Sydney has the lead role in Zink. It makes for a long day for her to act as a kitten during the day and young girl dying of leukemia at night. Sydney is home schooled so that allows her to tour with Story Theatre. I would never have dreamed of being able to do what she is doing when I was kid. Sydney's parents, Terry and Jennifer Hughes, are very supportive of the theatre.
Alexis is processing season ticket orders and selling Zink tickets. Last Friday was Box Office Assistant Rhiannon Dodds Birthday. She only works part time so we are looking for a time to surprise her with cake and cards.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
May 4
Several people have mentioned that they read my blog and really like knowing what is going on behind the scenes at the theatre. Feel free to post comments at the bottom each posting with your favorite memories of tech day or anything else that comes to mind. I tried something new yesterday and today by carrying a camera with me and occassionally snapping off some photos.
We are in the midst of what in the theatre is usually called hell week. That defines the weekend before and the week leading up to the opening. It is a time full of long hours and a tremendous amount of work to get to the finish line- opening night. I've included several photos in the blog that I took today as a way to get a better understanding of what I'm writing about.
Friday afternoon May 2- I spent the day taking down lights and cable in the theatre's mainstage, then walking them across the street to the studio theatre to rehang and cable the lights in preparation for Zink. We had an electrician in to install a light on the side of our box office building so that people can see our banners at night. We also had the electrician rework our house lights in the studio theatre so they can be dimmed on the light board along with the rest of the stage lights. Up until now you had to have an actor turn the light switch off at the side of the room to turn off the house lights for us to start the show and the actor had to turn the house lights back on at intermission and at the end of the show. A couple of times the light board operator had to run across the stage after the show because after curtain call the actors forgot to turn the house lights back on. In the midst of carrying lights across the street and getting ready we had a couple of big thunderstorms with downpours. Our back door to the studio theatre has a small drain outside. In a downpour it overwhelms and floods the back of the theatre with water pouring into the building under the door. That always adds to the drama of the theatre when you drop everything and bail the back hallway.
Saturday- May 3, I worked on lights all morning and April held footlights classes. At noon we left and got ready for the 6th annual derby party which started at 3 pm. This years crowd was down a little from last year but still a good size group making for a great time. The food was great by Kirchhoffs. Max's did the bar for us and Maiden Alley provided the screening of the race. St. Mary and Graves County High School students provided a string quartet for the listening pleasure of Derby Party guests. Bill Brockenbourgh went home with the winning ticket by betting on the winning horse from our 50/50 charity raffle. He took home $150 and the theatre received $150 for our youth and outreach program. We packed up from the Derby party and went home only to change clothes again and return to the theatre to set light cues. April and I set the cues until about 10:30 pm Saturday night.
Sunday morning May 4. April, Jade and I arrived at the theatre about 9:15 with our breakfast from the drive through at McDonalds. I base coated the rock platforms and the tree. April worked on sound cues. Our daughter Jade brought her little DVD player and watched movies and rode her bike in the back parking lot while her parents worked. All Jade's friends tell her how cool it must be to have two parents who work at MHT. Jade just rolls her eyes. The poor kid has spent many a beautiful weekend afternoon cooped up in a dark theatre where "mom and dad" worked out the technical details on a show while she had to find a way to keep herself from going stir crazy. I think she would gladly trade sometimes for her parents to have more normal jobs.
The cast showed up at 1:30 pm and we did a technical rehearsal with costumes, sets, lights and sound for the first time. Sydney Hughes who plays Becky Zaslow, the main character, worked with her wig and bald cap today for the first time. She got her hair cut short so that it would work with the bald cap we purchased from creatures of habit. It takes her about 45 minutes to get it put on correctly and then blended in with her skin. Sydney then has to wear a wig over the cap so it can be removed during the show when she get chemotherapy. All of the Zebra's had their costumes today. The 4 adults who play Becky's parents, her teacher and a hospital nurse also had costumes today. We spent a great deal of time working on special lighting cues for when the predators attack the Zebras and when the Zebras jump from the African Savannah to the human world to help Becky out. We finished the run through about 5pm and then had pizza and ice cream courtesy of MHT board members Ann Counts (thanks also to her husband Phil) and Heather Dorr for providing the Pizza and Ice Cream as a way of saying thanks to the cast and crew for doing the show.
We wrapped up about 6:30 and I promised Jade I would ride bikes with her when we got home because she put in an 8 hour day at the theatre today too. Tomorrow we go back at it.
We are in the midst of what in the theatre is usually called hell week. That defines the weekend before and the week leading up to the opening. It is a time full of long hours and a tremendous amount of work to get to the finish line- opening night. I've included several photos in the blog that I took today as a way to get a better understanding of what I'm writing about.
Friday afternoon May 2- I spent the day taking down lights and cable in the theatre's mainstage, then walking them across the street to the studio theatre to rehang and cable the lights in preparation for Zink. We had an electrician in to install a light on the side of our box office building so that people can see our banners at night. We also had the electrician rework our house lights in the studio theatre so they can be dimmed on the light board along with the rest of the stage lights. Up until now you had to have an actor turn the light switch off at the side of the room to turn off the house lights for us to start the show and the actor had to turn the house lights back on at intermission and at the end of the show. A couple of times the light board operator had to run across the stage after the show because after curtain call the actors forgot to turn the house lights back on. In the midst of carrying lights across the street and getting ready we had a couple of big thunderstorms with downpours. Our back door to the studio theatre has a small drain outside. In a downpour it overwhelms and floods the back of the theatre with water pouring into the building under the door. That always adds to the drama of the theatre when you drop everything and bail the back hallway.
Saturday- May 3, I worked on lights all morning and April held footlights classes. At noon we left and got ready for the 6th annual derby party which started at 3 pm. This years crowd was down a little from last year but still a good size group making for a great time. The food was great by Kirchhoffs. Max's did the bar for us and Maiden Alley provided the screening of the race. St. Mary and Graves County High School students provided a string quartet for the listening pleasure of Derby Party guests. Bill Brockenbourgh went home with the winning ticket by betting on the winning horse from our 50/50 charity raffle. He took home $150 and the theatre received $150 for our youth and outreach program. We packed up from the Derby party and went home only to change clothes again and return to the theatre to set light cues. April and I set the cues until about 10:30 pm Saturday night.
Sunday morning May 4. April, Jade and I arrived at the theatre about 9:15 with our breakfast from the drive through at McDonalds. I base coated the rock platforms and the tree. April worked on sound cues. Our daughter Jade brought her little DVD player and watched movies and rode her bike in the back parking lot while her parents worked. All Jade's friends tell her how cool it must be to have two parents who work at MHT. Jade just rolls her eyes. The poor kid has spent many a beautiful weekend afternoon cooped up in a dark theatre where "mom and dad" worked out the technical details on a show while she had to find a way to keep herself from going stir crazy. I think she would gladly trade sometimes for her parents to have more normal jobs.
The cast showed up at 1:30 pm and we did a technical rehearsal with costumes, sets, lights and sound for the first time. Sydney Hughes who plays Becky Zaslow, the main character, worked with her wig and bald cap today for the first time. She got her hair cut short so that it would work with the bald cap we purchased from creatures of habit. It takes her about 45 minutes to get it put on correctly and then blended in with her skin. Sydney then has to wear a wig over the cap so it can be removed during the show when she get chemotherapy. All of the Zebra's had their costumes today. The 4 adults who play Becky's parents, her teacher and a hospital nurse also had costumes today. We spent a great deal of time working on special lighting cues for when the predators attack the Zebras and when the Zebras jump from the African Savannah to the human world to help Becky out. We finished the run through about 5pm and then had pizza and ice cream courtesy of MHT board members Ann Counts (thanks also to her husband Phil) and Heather Dorr for providing the Pizza and Ice Cream as a way of saying thanks to the cast and crew for doing the show.
We wrapped up about 6:30 and I promised Jade I would ride bikes with her when we got home because she put in an 8 hour day at the theatre today too. Tomorrow we go back at it.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
April 30
I've just returned from seeing Jesus Christ Superstar at the Carson Center. This past Friday I attended Little Shop of Horrors at the WKCTC. I do my best to see and support other arts events in our community.
This morning the Paducah Sun Current carried an article about the Market House Theatre Ultimate Derby Party fundraiser. I was quoted as the Market House Theatre "owner". This isn't the first time that I've been called that. Both April and I are often called that by the kids who take classes and do shows at the theatre. When we tell them that we are only employees of the theatre they are always surprised. The surprise is even bigger when I tell them that the people of our community are really the owners of the theatre. People who support the theatre by making a minimum donation of $40 each year are the owners. The board of directors are elected by the owners of MHT. Board members act as owner representatives in the decision making process. The board has hired me to be the CEO of MHT. That means that I oversee the plays the theatre puts on and supervise all of the employees. I make decisions as to how the theatre operates its business. The board decides on where the theatre is headed for the future and raises funds to help cover the part of the operations not covered by ticket sales. So the answer is no. I'm not the owner of MHT in the sense of a business owner, but I do believe passionately in the ideals that the theatre stands for. April and I give money each year for a membership so that we can support the theatre and others can see that we believe in what the theatre represents. So in a larger sense you can say that I am one of the "owners" of the theatre. I share that ownership with almost 150 others in the community who support MHT by making a membership contribution.
This morning I finished working on the budget to present at the finance committee this afternoon. We are just finishing paying off a couple of bank loans for copiers and ticketing equipment we purchased on a lease to own a couple of years ago. That will help the budget next year. After that, I spent some time working on publicity for the Derby party this weekend. I worked with Jim Keeney to move some large pieces of flooring from the turntable so we can get Anything Goes taped out so they can rehearse Thursday night in the mainstage. Kelly Salchli came in and began to paint on our backdrop for Zink. Kelly is a terrific artist who does murals in peoples homes. April and I won Kelly's services at a school auction last year and had Kelly come in and paint a beautiful windows on my daughter Jade's bedroom walls. The painted window looks out onto an enchanted land. Butterflys are painted on various points around the room.
Zink rehearsed tonight and got through the last two scenes of the play. Zink still has a great deal of scenery to finish by Sunday afternoon's technical rehearsal.
This morning the Paducah Sun Current carried an article about the Market House Theatre Ultimate Derby Party fundraiser. I was quoted as the Market House Theatre "owner". This isn't the first time that I've been called that. Both April and I are often called that by the kids who take classes and do shows at the theatre. When we tell them that we are only employees of the theatre they are always surprised. The surprise is even bigger when I tell them that the people of our community are really the owners of the theatre. People who support the theatre by making a minimum donation of $40 each year are the owners. The board of directors are elected by the owners of MHT. Board members act as owner representatives in the decision making process. The board has hired me to be the CEO of MHT. That means that I oversee the plays the theatre puts on and supervise all of the employees. I make decisions as to how the theatre operates its business. The board decides on where the theatre is headed for the future and raises funds to help cover the part of the operations not covered by ticket sales. So the answer is no. I'm not the owner of MHT in the sense of a business owner, but I do believe passionately in the ideals that the theatre stands for. April and I give money each year for a membership so that we can support the theatre and others can see that we believe in what the theatre represents. So in a larger sense you can say that I am one of the "owners" of the theatre. I share that ownership with almost 150 others in the community who support MHT by making a membership contribution.
This morning I finished working on the budget to present at the finance committee this afternoon. We are just finishing paying off a couple of bank loans for copiers and ticketing equipment we purchased on a lease to own a couple of years ago. That will help the budget next year. After that, I spent some time working on publicity for the Derby party this weekend. I worked with Jim Keeney to move some large pieces of flooring from the turntable so we can get Anything Goes taped out so they can rehearse Thursday night in the mainstage. Kelly Salchli came in and began to paint on our backdrop for Zink. Kelly is a terrific artist who does murals in peoples homes. April and I won Kelly's services at a school auction last year and had Kelly come in and paint a beautiful windows on my daughter Jade's bedroom walls. The painted window looks out onto an enchanted land. Butterflys are painted on various points around the room.
Zink rehearsed tonight and got through the last two scenes of the play. Zink still has a great deal of scenery to finish by Sunday afternoon's technical rehearsal.
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