So I think I've decided to title each blog post with the catch phrase of the day at rehearsal. Today's catchphrase became "butt fries." Maddie said to me that she had "bought fries" and Josh thought she said "butt fries," so we all had a good laugh about that one. That's the great thing about drama - the bonding. You have so many inside jokes by the end of the play's run that it's hard to remember them all!
Today we just finished the read through and then talked a bit about the set and ideas for characters, costumes, etc. I'm still unsure what to do with the set, if we should go all out or keep it simple. I'm leaning toward the latter, but I know some people want to build this really fantastic set. That's all well and good, but that takes time and lots of money (and plenty of ingenuity), and with so many scene changes I'm worried that the set may become OVERLY complicated if we try to jazz it up at all. The script was written with a simple set and a lot of pantomime involved and the script is strong enough to support that. I want to start blocking at tomorrow's rehearsal, so I better figure something out -- and fast!
And on that note, I better get to sleep. I need to try to get to school early tomorrow and get some things accomplished before 7:20. *sigh* Hopefully the next time I post something, I'll have the set all drawn up and everything. Once I have it drawn up, I'll post a picture too.
Peace, love, and chicken grease,
L.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
First Rehearsal
Ahhhhhh, the first read-through under our belt. I was really looking forward to today because I knew that having the cast gathered together for the first time, reading through the script, checking out the chemistry, would tell me what I needed to know. And after today's rehearsal - I feel so much better! I was worried about one casting choice in particular, but it actually worked out really well - so far, so good.
I made it explicitly clear that I mean to stand by my motto: Keep the drama on the stage! We set a few ground rules about behavior outside of drama club and I feel very confident that I have a good group of students and they will make me proud. They are already throwing ideas about their respective characters my way and one girl (who plays the character who eats constantly) even brought a bag of chips today and ate them during the read-through to add to the whole thing. It was quite hilarious actually. We all laughed so hard just reading through the script, so I'm hoping it wears well!
I've asked one student to be my assistant director and hopefully that works out. He has a tendency, I believe, to go on a bit of a power trip, but I trust him to get things done and that is what is most important at this juncture. I feel sure that I can squelch any problems if they arise as he tends to be a little abrasive sometimes, but I think that is exactly what is called for in an assistant director or stage manager sometimes! Actors can be a crazy bunch that are hard to corral, so this will be good for them.
I've asked another student who has always worked curtain to be my stage manager. She's rather soft spoken, but she knows everything that goes on backstage and is absolutely dependable to the nth degree, so I'm positive she'll do a fantastic job.
I have yet to figure out all the details with blocking and the set - something that needs to be done ASAP. I think I may have the cast help me a little bit tomorrow, but I need to assemble a good technical crew as far as set building goes. I have some lovely ladies already signed up to run my lights and sound and that is a huge help.
The only other thing I want to accomplish by the end of this week is to go over the budget one more time and start filling out requisition forms for props, costumes, and set building materials. Hopefully we'll be able to make some decent money with this production so we can do a kick ass spring musical! I also need to start scouting out good people to do some of the marketing and put together the programs and such. I want to be sure to advertise this play in the paper and drum up some serious patronage.
So. I'm finally going to bed. My last period class at school is killing me. I'm nearly at my wit's end and it's only the second week of the trimester. Then after school today I had two of my understudies respectively decline the roles. Part of me understands, but the other part of me was really irritated by the whole thing. This is the bottom line in theatre: you can't always get what you want, no matter how hard you try. So you make yourself better, prove yourself and your dedication by doing the shit jobs from time to time, and just plain understand that there are a lot of different factors that go into casting. It's not just pretty faces and it's not just talent. "Knowing the director" is sometimes a good thing and sometimes. . . not so much. All in all I feel like I'm slowly building up this drama program, but time will tell and a lot rides on this spring's production.
Okay, now I'm REALLY off to bed.
Peace, love and KFC buckets,
DM
I made it explicitly clear that I mean to stand by my motto: Keep the drama on the stage! We set a few ground rules about behavior outside of drama club and I feel very confident that I have a good group of students and they will make me proud. They are already throwing ideas about their respective characters my way and one girl (who plays the character who eats constantly) even brought a bag of chips today and ate them during the read-through to add to the whole thing. It was quite hilarious actually. We all laughed so hard just reading through the script, so I'm hoping it wears well!
I've asked one student to be my assistant director and hopefully that works out. He has a tendency, I believe, to go on a bit of a power trip, but I trust him to get things done and that is what is most important at this juncture. I feel sure that I can squelch any problems if they arise as he tends to be a little abrasive sometimes, but I think that is exactly what is called for in an assistant director or stage manager sometimes! Actors can be a crazy bunch that are hard to corral, so this will be good for them.
I've asked another student who has always worked curtain to be my stage manager. She's rather soft spoken, but she knows everything that goes on backstage and is absolutely dependable to the nth degree, so I'm positive she'll do a fantastic job.
I have yet to figure out all the details with blocking and the set - something that needs to be done ASAP. I think I may have the cast help me a little bit tomorrow, but I need to assemble a good technical crew as far as set building goes. I have some lovely ladies already signed up to run my lights and sound and that is a huge help.
The only other thing I want to accomplish by the end of this week is to go over the budget one more time and start filling out requisition forms for props, costumes, and set building materials. Hopefully we'll be able to make some decent money with this production so we can do a kick ass spring musical! I also need to start scouting out good people to do some of the marketing and put together the programs and such. I want to be sure to advertise this play in the paper and drum up some serious patronage.
So. I'm finally going to bed. My last period class at school is killing me. I'm nearly at my wit's end and it's only the second week of the trimester. Then after school today I had two of my understudies respectively decline the roles. Part of me understands, but the other part of me was really irritated by the whole thing. This is the bottom line in theatre: you can't always get what you want, no matter how hard you try. So you make yourself better, prove yourself and your dedication by doing the shit jobs from time to time, and just plain understand that there are a lot of different factors that go into casting. It's not just pretty faces and it's not just talent. "Knowing the director" is sometimes a good thing and sometimes. . . not so much. All in all I feel like I'm slowly building up this drama program, but time will tell and a lot rides on this spring's production.
Okay, now I'm REALLY off to bed.
Peace, love and KFC buckets,
DM
Monday, March 10, 2008
Getting Started
Ahhh, here it is, yet again: showtime! After much deliberation, we have chosen a spring play for the high school drama club, Dearly Departed. It's a lot like Greater Tuna, if any of you have seen that play. It takes place "somewhere south of the Mason-Dixon line" and all starts when a man drops dead at his breakfast table in the first scene. The rest of the play they all spend just trying to get the poor guy buried. It has a lot of good "characters" and I'm looking forward to seeing them onstage and presenting it for an audience.
We had auditions and, as usual, we didn't have enough guys try out. I had twelve girls try out for six roles and three guys try out for four male roles. Needless to say, I had to go on a headhunt throughout the school to scrounge around for another fella. We finally found one after many off the cuff auditions in the stairwell and even some begging and pleading on my part (and the part of some drama club members, other teachers and even parents!).
I perseverated all weekend long on the cast list. I must have casted and re-casted the thing a dozen times. There was one role in particular that I'm still unsure about, and quite honestly feel that I've made a mistake in the casting, but we'll see how it will all work out. I was literally sick to my stomach all weekend long about it, and being accosted in the hallway on Friday afternoon by one girl who auditioned didn't help things. She wanted to state for the record (again) that she didn't want a certain part. The problem is that all of the girls who tried out were SO good, but I just couldn't cast everyone. It breaks my heart and I HATE hanging up the cast list. I always feel like a heel, no matter that I made ten other people happy! I know there are some who are unhappy with me, upset, and some that are just downright mad, but I'm hoping that our read-through tomorrow will go well and everyone will gel.
So. Rehearsals start tomorrow and run three days a week. We only have about seven weeks to get this show up and running, so. . . bonne chance to us, oui?
We had auditions and, as usual, we didn't have enough guys try out. I had twelve girls try out for six roles and three guys try out for four male roles. Needless to say, I had to go on a headhunt throughout the school to scrounge around for another fella. We finally found one after many off the cuff auditions in the stairwell and even some begging and pleading on my part (and the part of some drama club members, other teachers and even parents!).
I perseverated all weekend long on the cast list. I must have casted and re-casted the thing a dozen times. There was one role in particular that I'm still unsure about, and quite honestly feel that I've made a mistake in the casting, but we'll see how it will all work out. I was literally sick to my stomach all weekend long about it, and being accosted in the hallway on Friday afternoon by one girl who auditioned didn't help things. She wanted to state for the record (again) that she didn't want a certain part. The problem is that all of the girls who tried out were SO good, but I just couldn't cast everyone. It breaks my heart and I HATE hanging up the cast list. I always feel like a heel, no matter that I made ten other people happy! I know there are some who are unhappy with me, upset, and some that are just downright mad, but I'm hoping that our read-through tomorrow will go well and everyone will gel.
So. Rehearsals start tomorrow and run three days a week. We only have about seven weeks to get this show up and running, so. . . bonne chance to us, oui?
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