Thursday June 19

I have just finished posting the cast list for My Way. This is always the most difficult day for any director. There were 2-3 people I could have cast for each part in the show that would have done a great job. In a professional theatre it is all about a paid job. You don't have to be encouraging to anyone or care if they feel bad about not being cast. In community theatre we spend so much time trying to develop confidence and skills in performers both experienced and inexperienced that it hurts when you encourage people to audition and to participate and then they don't get cast. I know that both April and I agonize more over who didn't get cast or who didn't get cast in the role they wanted than most people realize. Many of the people who audition for the plays are friends of ours from the community or the children of friends. We try our very best to be as neutral as possible when it comes to casting shows. Who will do the best job for this play with this group of people.

Sometimes it is easy to make the decision on who is cast because the actor has a better vocal range or they can dance better. Sometimes they have a better sense of character than others. The tougher casting comes when you are trying to group people together. Who is taller or shorter than someone else relative to other cast members. Who looks older or younger. There are no easy guidelines sometimes when there are not clear actor choices so you have to go back to the script. How does the playwright describe the character. Is there anything the character needs to do that is specific to the actor.

In everything in life, especially theatre, it is a matter of sticking to it. My favorite story is from the father of a child I cast as the lead in a children's show. This child was on top of the world. He did a great job in the role. The next show he auditioned and was sure her was going to be cast as the lead again. I cast him as a non speaking rock. His father came up to me and told me that casting his son as a rock was the best thing that ever happened to his son.

Like the real world in theatre, publishing, music and so many other creative industries it is a matter of learning how to handle not getting the part, the music gig, the book published. As I tried to explain to one very distraught actor once- It doesn't mean I'm mad at you or don't like you or that you don't have talent or couldn't do the part or any of those things. It just means that for that show at that time someone else did a better audition or worked better for the way the director interpreted the script. April and I constantly talk about her casting difficulties with shows. She will often say I can go older or younger with this cast. Should I cast an 8 year old and everyone else who is younger has the leads or should the lead be 13 years old and use older kids as the leads. It's a tough call and often it is just a gut feeling as to which way to go with a show.

Sometimes its also feast or famine-For Anything Goes lots of parts were available for inexperienced and experienced performers. Anything Goes calls for a cast of 25-30 people. We have 20 in the cast. We didn't fill all of the chorus parts. For My Way it is a cast of 4 people- 2 men and 2 women- we had 16 wonderfully talented people audition and I didn't cast 12.

Tonight Anything Goes starts back up for the second weekend. The actors arrive at 6 pm to start warm-ups. We picked up the costumes from the dry cleaners this afternoon all freshly cleaned after last weekends run and they will dance and sing for 5 shows before they take a break again.

General Fire extinguisher is here today to check all of our fire extinguishers and emergency exit lights. We are inspected by them every June and the Fire Marshall usually makes his annual inspection about 2 weeks later.

The drama camp yesterday and today rehearsed the play and several of the kids learned how to use the shop tools to make huge buttons, scissors, needles, etc... for the mice to carry during the Cinderella song. The props were also painted by the campers. I think we got more paint on the props than on the kids but for some kids who really got into the painting hopefully their parents will be able to wash out the latex paint they got on themselves.

Tuesday June 17

With the first weekend of Anything Goes completed the cast is on break until Thursday night. This is a time for most of the company to kick back and relax for a couple of days. For the theatre we were still operating in high gear on Monday and Tuesday. On Monday the two pre-school and elementary age classes started and the Cinderella drama camp began. April convinced me to do a tour of the theatre since many of the kids had never been to the costume shop, the scene shop or backstage. I quickly remembered why April works with children and I work with adults. I was showing a group of second graders through the stage and they asked if the Anything Goes set was for their play Cinderella. I said no and told them about Anything Goes. One second grader asked why the set was a Cruise Ship. I said because the person who wrote the play set it on a ship. This was quickly followed up with another question as to why did the person write the play. After about the 3rd "why" question that could only be answered with "because" -I realized they weren't really interested in the answers (or my sanity) they just liked asking questions. I quickly pointed out something else exciting and changed the subject and we were off again on the tour.

Auditions for My Way were held Monday night at 7 pm in the main theatre. We had 2 women and 4 men audition last night for 4 roles (2 men and 2 women). In the studio theatre from 6:30- 8:30 pm were Improv classes led by Eric Hobbs.

Today, the camps continue and we will hold the second day of auditions for My Way. This afternoon at 1 pm My Way musical director Patt Lynch came in and we auditioned one male who couldn't come to the regular auditions. Depending on who shows up tonight I will either have call backs or cast the show. The only reason to have call backs is if I need to see people again. Small cast shows can sometimes be cast without call backs.

April and I met with Jim Keeney and discussed how much we could have the camp students build of their sets and props. We are using blue foam which can be cut with a saw to make things like buttons and needles and scissors. We think with close supervision the older kids can cut out things like hugely over sized buttons, needles, scissors for the mice to use in their song when they make the dress for Cinderella.

I sketched out a ground row (a piece of scenery that stands on its own from the floor in front of a backdrop) It is a simple design with stone walls and a arched entry to a gate that has a path that leads off to the castle in the distance. I will try to sketch out the ground row with a little more detail and then photocopy it with transparency paper in the copier and then project it with the overhead projector.

Natalia from Creatures of Habit picked up the costumes today from Anything Goes to take to the cleaners. Everything must be dry cleaned or laundered before the second weekend begins its run Thursday. Janice came and measured all the kids in the camp yesterday to begin making and altering costumes for Cinderella show.

Wednesday will be spent trying wrap up some details on marketing for next season as well as finishing up some last minute grants. We need to sell about 50 new seats in order to be 1/2 way to our goal of $50,000. If we can get half of the money raised we have a good chance of finding a foundation to match our dollars to finish the project.

Saturday June 14

The show opened Thursday night to a great audience response. Last nights audience also responded enthusiastically. We had our first Golden Screw nomination for Anything Goes last night for Jim Keeney the technical director/stage manager. What is ironic is that Jim is the one who is supposed to double check everyone else to make sure they don't forget something! Jim forgot to check to make sure the blue traveler drape was closed behind the bar set before we opened the curtain. As a result the curtain opened last night to reveal the Manhattan bar set right in the middle of the ships deck. Jim asked if he should run and close the drape before the lights came up for the scene but that would have left the audience sitting in the dark for about a minute wondering what was happening. It also would have brought attention to the fact that the curtain wasn't closed in the first place. So we brought the lights up and took out the ship slide on the screen. Fortunately the Manhattan skyline patterns lined up on the screen just right and most of the audience never knew anything was wrong. That is always the saving grace of live theatre and its curse. Anything can go wrong at any moment. However the audience has no idea what is supposed to happen so it just looks like we planned it that way.

About two scenes later someone back stage knocked into the bar set and I could hear glasses crash offstage. Both Diane Byrd and I wondered if this were an omen of things to come. The storm hit just after the second scene and a major rain and thunderstorm raged outside as the actors continued to sing and dance. The lights flickered twice but we never lost power.

The lights flickering probably helped the performers really focus in and the show was terrific. After the show the company headed over to the Bohle home for a party. I was the first to leave about 11:30 and reminded everyone that call was 1 pm for today's show. We have two shows today. 2:30 and 7:30. I'm about to head to Sam's Club to pick up sandwiches and food for the company for between the shows.

Response to the shows has been great. Diane, Pat, and the cast are doing a great job with the show and now all we need is to sell lots of tickets! This show single tickets sales will go a long way toward whether the theatre ends the year in the black.

Between shows I will video company members one at a time to interview them about their experiences with the show. I'll post it on the website by Monday.

Final Dress Day Wednesday June 11

Tonight is the final dress rehearsal for Anything Goes. It has been a lot of long nights this past week to get the show ready. I'm taking a moment to catch my breath before the last push and then the rehearsal. I took several photos of everything that was happening on the last day before opening. Jim Keeney and I stayed after the rehearsal last night until almost midnight painting on the false proscenium (the frame around the opening of the stage) and the brig porthole. To paint the proscenium which is 13 feet in the air is not an easy task. With the orchestra pit uncovered it means that we have to lay 2x4's across the orchestra pit opening and then put a piece of plywood on top. It makes for a precarious perch. (See photos). After we finished painting I came back across the street and worked on finishing up the restaurant discount card and next years season ticket holders.

Alexis is working hard to get the packets ready for season ticket holders who have renewed to pick up during the run of Anything Goes. It will be tight to see if we can get that completed in time for Anything Goes.

Janice Peterson made a couple of last minute black skirts for the angels yesterday when Diane Byrd the director, decided we needed a more unified look than we had for one of the dance numbers.

This morning Jim and I started with cleaning the auditorium and stage area to get it ready. Our housekeeping staff of Mike and Della Schmidt come every Wednesday morning for about 4 hours and clean all the buildings. There is a great deal that has to be picked up and cleaned before Mike and Della arrive.

Jim Keeney built the last rolling prop today- a large mirror with a rolling base. (see photos). I worked on lights and sound as well as doing final touch up painting this morning.

Breandan Frederick who found, built and acquired (beg, borrow, steal) the props for the show and Aaron Spoden, who works on the crew running the digital projections, came in to help paint. (See photos) They painted the stage floor. Breandan took a brush and carefully painted around the spike marks onstage that help the actors know where to place scenery in the scene changes. Aaron used a paint roller to cover large sections with black paint on the floor.

Marsha was busy preparing a lobby display about Cole Porter and a cute ship graphic with the cast members faces and little stick bodies.

We replace some over sized paper towel dispensers back stage which are too large for the small paper towels we use. That required a run to Paper supplies for the dispensers. We haven't had the right size paper towel dispensers for the past couple of years.

Every one is finishing up last minute details in preparation for the final rehearsal tonight and the big opening tomorrow. Programs should arrive tomorrow and we are creating program inserts. Seven weeks of work by the cast crew and production team are all coming together. After Sundays performance most of the cast and crew will collapse for a well deserved couple of days off. For Patt Lynch and I we will be auditioning My Way on Monday and Tuesday evening.

Tech Sunday June 8

A lot has been accomplished since Thursday night. Set pieces have been built, props found and made, lighting, sound and projections created. Yet there is still a great deal to do today before the Tech rehearsal.

Director Diane Byrd and I sat in the audience yesterday from 1 pm until almost 9 pm while lighting operator Jim Roush sat at the light board setup in the audience. Ted Roush sat in the control booth at the followspot and assistant director Denise Bristol sat and walked the stage as we set the light cues for the show. There are about 90 cues for the show. Often times I would start with an idea for the lights for a particular moment in the play and then ask Denise to walk the stage going to every part of the stage that the actors in that scene would play. Then Diane and I would refine the lighting to make sure that the brightest spot on the stage was where the audiences eyes would focus while trying to darken areas that aren't used in that particular scene so it wouldn't pull focus. We would look at different colors in the lights to see what emotional feeling was being created and sometimes do a color change to help highlight costumes or the mood of a song at the moment as well. I use a technique I call painting with light. I try to use as much color as possible so that the folds and shadows of the costumes on the actors aren't just filled with darkness but with color.

While we were setting the lights Patt Lynch volunteered his time to help paint while Jim Keeney continued to build the missing set pieces in the scene shop. Jim started Saturday morning by building the headboards for the twin beds that then become a full size bed. I designed a pattern for the headboards that look appropriate when they are separated and then make a completed pattern when the beds are pushed together. Then Jim built a large rolling wall unit that acts as a divider between two of the "cabins" that are onstage at the same time. It is a cutaway wall section that helps the audience understand that we are seeing two different locations and that the people in each location can't see each other.

After setting the light cues Diane and I looked at about 50 or more different images to try to select about 5 or 6 different images to put on the projection screen at the back of the stage which completes the set locations.

This morning I'm up and out the door early to do some shopping at Walmart for bed skirt ruffles and then its down to the theatre to work on sound trying to sort through some of the microphones we are using to balance them with the orchestra levels. The dressing rooms have to be cleared out and prepared for Natalia and Creatures of Habit which will arrive at noon today with the costumes for the rehearsal today. Call for the actors is 1 pm. We will run the show today starting and stopping for costume changes and for technical elements. After the rehearsal we adjourn across the street where volunteer Dick Holland has prepared food for 30 people.

Then it's a little more work for the tech staff after we eat. Everything is base coated and some set elements have been finished painting but the main wall still have about 2 days of painting to go before we are finished.

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.

Monday June 2

Today has been a day of running around for me and scheduling and building for others. Jim worked on the back wall of the bar scene during the morning. We selected a piece of scenery that was built for 45 Seconds from Broadway 3-4 years ago. We had stored it at the warehouse because it was a unique window piece. Jim built a rolling base for the wall and shelves for glasses to fit on the wall. Then he has been working on the rolling bar unit. The wall and bar unit are used in the first scene of the show and then never appear onstage again. Jim and I are still discussing how to turn 2 twin beds used in the show into one large bed for one of the staterooms. Whether we use the cut away walls as a "headboard" behind the bed or we actually build head boards for each of the beds. Tomorrow Jim will begin work on the brig set. Someone asked me what a brig was. It is a term I just took for granted that everyone knew. A brig is the jail cell on a ship or on an military base. In our show the brig has two bunks and a couple of crates and a barrel to play cards on.

I spent the morning calling the royalty company about The Sugar Bean Sisters (there is a clause in our contract that all scripts must be ordered by a certain date or we have to reapply for rights), returning sound equipment that was rented for the story theatre tour, returning signed contracts to the city for services rendered for the city donation this year, and proofing the program for Anything Goes at Paducah Printing. The afternoon has been spent following up on rental and studio scheduling. We have a church that is looking to rent the studio theatre every Sunday starting in July for a couple of months while they are in transition from their current home. The Paducah Improv group will begin classes June 9 from 6:30-8:30 pm in the Studio Theatre. Led by Eric Hobbs this is a class for adults who love using theatre games and exercises to build their everyday skills. People can join at any time and the fee is $5 per class. Eric hopes the troupe will be able to offer a couple of performances in the studio theatre.

The Lunch box theatre is rehearsing The True Story of the Tortoise and the Hare in the Studio Theatre as I write this. I'm about to go tape out the floor for the auditorium of Clark elementary school on the classroom floor.