Friday, June 7, 2013

The Drowsy Chaperone (Prologue)


This first blog entry will be a recap of yesterday’s events.  In the future I hope to bring more of feeling of my time, rather than a retelling of it.  I have never written a blog, but I assume it is meant to not only inform, but also entertain.  Think of this entry as a prologue with chapters to follow.  Enjoy.
 

I recently was invited to Indianola to see a rehearsal of “The Drowsy Chaperone”, a musical that is being produced by the Carousel Theatre.  I arrived on Thursday night and was amazed by how many children would be in this production.  The main parts were being performed by adults, but I found it shocking to walk into a room with thirty or so 10-18 year old kids running around.

Once the rehearsal started I was a bit surprised at how early into the process they are considering the first show is in a month.  I sat and listened to the songs and watched some of the dancing and cringed every now and then.

The rehearsal ended without any significant steps towards a finished product, but remembering the fact that I have never read the script, I didn’t have much input.  I asked the director for a script and while giving me one, he asked if I would be the stage manager.  Having never been a stage manager, my first thought was, (what the hell does a stage manager actually do?) so my response was, “sure?”.

Driving home I began to think of all the work I needed to do to get ready for Monday (our next rehearsal).  First and foremost, I need to read the script.  I figure I will go at this from the perspective of the director and make notes based on how I analyze the script.  Second, I need to be prepared to write in blocking, sound, and lighting cues.  I have a good idea as to what I could be doing, but at this point I’m not sure as to what they WANT me to do.

The first day was interesting, and I’m ready and willing to see where this journey takes me.

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