Whatever it Takes

Apologies for the long delay between posts. This week's excuse is that I was in tech week for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at the Owen Theatre. Last Friday was our opening night and the actors performed something of a tech week miracle.

I don't think it's a spoiler to say that this show took a long time to come together. As late as last Sunday, our runs of the show were slow, costumes hadn't been completed, lines were insecure, and the set was only half completed.

But in five days, the impossible occurred. The show actually came together. The final result is something everyone involved can be proud of.

The actors and crew did some truly genius work this week. They worked in and out of rehearsal to build and paint the set and stage, get costumes fitted, hang and focus lights, and clean up lines and choreography. By the end of the week, we had something that looks like the quality show that we wanted.

What I'm getting at, is that I really appreciate the work of this cast and crew. In the spirit of the title above, they did everything they could to pull this thing off. And they did. 

Special thanks to Philip Harris, who has helped me sort out a massive variety of microphone issues, to Ashley Truitt, who put in a truly ridiculous amount of work on the stage painting, and to Ethen Garcia and Kerri Edwards, who filled in roles at the last minute. It's a true team effort.

Thank you to all of the cast and crew. Without every one of them, this production would absolutely fall apart. In the next few days, I'll update the page for this show with new information and pictures about the show.

I'm Back! (To School)

It's been a bit since I posted on here. Frankly, I've been distracted and there haven't been many developments in most of my projects. 

What's happened this week?

• Professional development and classroom planning at the school. School starts tomorrow!
• Continued rehearsals and set building on Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, which opens August 31 (Click here for tickets)
• I had a piano lesson and spent time at the gym.
• I spent Friday in downtown Houston, having a really enjoyable conversation with a friend from college. In fact, there have been several really interesting conversations that I hope to reflect on here, when I can get my thoughts into writing.
• I saw The Mousetrap at The Alley Theatre in Houston. Fabulous play, exciting twist. If you get a chance, you should go see it, though my performance was virtually sold out.
• Some time to relax and to reflect today before school starts.

On that last note...

What's coming up this week?

• More rehearsals! Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is going into the final stages of the show, and it's time for things to come together. This week I hope to add microphones and see the sets come together.
• The first week of school! I'm excited to see the students come back and begin the new work this year.
• I'm going to see another show this week. I need to decide what to see. I want to write more about the shows that I see and reflect on the work I want to be doing with my life.
• More piano practice and time at the gym.

The year in advance

During this first week, I'm going to ask my students to reflect on two topics: what are they looking forward to this year and what are they the most worried about this year. In the spirit, I want to go through the same exercise for myself.

This year, I'm most excited for the chance to push the men's choir. We are instituting evening rehearsals for the first time this year, and that will give me a chance to really dig deep. This is also the first year I will have a group made up entirely of students that I taught. I'm interested to see how this will be different from previous years.

I'm also excited for the chance to expand my piano courses. Last year I offered a second year course in piano; this year that course will have its own class period. It will be more structured and hands on. I'm excited to see what happens.

I am most worried about my personal growth this year. On the one hand, I feel more confident in some things than I ever have. Especially where my teaching is concerned. On the other hand, the long talks that I have been having with friends and colleagues in recent months have left me doubtful of where I stand as a musician.

What I do know is that I need to be practicing piano a lot more, and watching TV a lot less. I'm still figuring out what my path will be, but those are both things I know.

Work helps ease my worry. So back to work it is!

Show Progress

As of tonight, we are a month away from the opening of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

Tonight we had our first stumble-through of Act 2. Overall, I was really impressed with where things were. About 75% of the act has been set in stone, with a few scenes never staged, and a few dance numbers that haven't been choreographed yet.

The singing was really solid. A couple of songs were rough (there's one choral section that is really tough and wasn't quite right tonight), but for the most part I think the singing is pretty much done other than finesse.

One of the challenges for the actors is to match the pace of their dialogue to some of the underscoring. Certain sections have to be sped up or slowed down in order to line up with expected moments in the music. Since we're performing with tracks, there's really nothing I can do in the moment, so it's up to the actors to become familiar with those moments.

The run took about an hour and a half, which is longer than the act, but only by about 50%. When all is said and done, the act should run a little less than an hour.

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At the end of this week, we will finally get access to the stage. At that point, things will really move along. It's tough to visualize how set pieces will move and where actors will enter when our rehearsal space is smaller than the stage!

Since we won't have set for a little while longer, I'm a little concerned with the scene changes. The choreographer plans to have them pretty carefully plotted (her husband has designed the set), but they'll take practice to get them in the music. Many of the scene changes flow directly out of the end of the scene, or into the next scene with no breaks, so they have to be precise.

All that to say, the actors are doing a great job, and the show is really coming along. We're not totally done yet, though. In the next few weeks, this show is going to completely transform as the final pieces fall into place and I'm excited to see it!

Last Week of Summer Vacation

What am I going to do with my last week before inservice begins?

• Practice piano (I have a lesson on Thursday)
• Rehearsals for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (click the link to get tickets!)
• Meet with other organizers of The Woodlands Chamber Music Project to discuss our future.
• Clean up my apartment one last time
• See a new show or art experience
• Return library books
• Try to consciously Sharpen the Saw

I guess it's going to be a busy one. Anyone have exciting plans for this week?

What I'm Reading

• Still working my way through Drew McManus's blog archives over at Adaptistration. I'm in March of 2012 as I write this. Fortunately it seems he's taken a short hiatus until next Monday so maybe I'll catch up by then!
• The Nantucket Diary of Ned Rorem. I haven't spent much time listening to Rorem's music (I will be checking out some scores when I go to the library tomorrow), but his writing is a pleasure to read. This particular book is more tinged with melancholy than previous ones, as it chronicles his advancing age.