Pippin 5/19-26

   This week was very productive. The first couple rehearsals were, at least for me, reviewing the music; we were called in my parts to review each song; this definitely helped a lot of us, for we were needing the extra rehearsal time. With this additional music rehearsal, I feel a little more confident with some of the songs. However, there are still some songs that even I get lost in; I feel we didn’t spend enough time working on each of them for the music to be cemented in my head (and it’s not that I don’t want to practice outside of rehearsal - it’s just I don't have ways to play music when at home, limiting my rehearsal abilities). However, I think it will get better once we put the choreography and blocking to the music.

           I have been sensing from the cast a growing irritability. I think a lot of people feel upset about how some rehearsal time gets used. As many of the scenes they spend a lot of time working through require a lot of us, we can’t use our down time to rehearse music or choreography as we have to stay engaged with the work. But because we spend a lot of time going slowly, our energy really drags, making it hard to stay positive. And when that happens, people (myself included) begin to grow frustrated.

On a positive note, I got my first major experience at teaching choreography this week. I was called to begin working on the first "sex scene", where Pippin first discovers women (among other things). Because I started back to work at home this week, I didn’t get as much time as I would have liked to prepare the dance, so what I did come up with didn’t feel like enough. However, to counter that, the girls (as well as cast members watching) are really enjoying the dance - the movement I set on them allows them to get into a character, do some more physical movements, and have some new fun. They tell me it’s a workout – something I didn’t expect. Feedback from my cast-mates tell me that they are incredibly impressed with how it looks, and that it's wonderful to see some new and creative dancing within the show so far; that amount of praise makes me feel proud of my work, and also of how much I have grown as an artist, dancer, AND director (as those skills have come in to play a lot).

     With some work this weekend, I plan to not only finish the first dance, but also enhance the choreography we currently have for most of the numbers. I think I will get the chance in the coming week or so to not only finish the numbers I was given, but with the choreographer’s permission, go back and revamp some of the old numbers, and really solidify them (at least in terms of the dancing). It’s going to look really good once it all comes together. 

Willy Wonka Jr.

Today was spent just drawing up a final version of my plot on vellum.  My next step is creating an instrument schedule.  It's a little crazy to think that we're getting so close to tech and opening.  Seems like it wasn't all that long ago that we met for our first meeting.

Willy Wonka Jr.

Only thing really done today was creating a larger scale drawing of my current plot.  The scale drawing of the stage that City Auditorium provided me with was only 1/8th inch scale, and everything was too crowded to put information like channel number and what color gel goes in each light.  So I drew out my plot at 1/2 inch scale to accommodate.

I'm still wondering about one of Jim's suggestions for adding lights to the balcony rail for more front lights.  The show is going to have projectors along the rail, and I'm concerned that any lights there will interfere with the projections.  However, it might not be a bad idea to place some lights along the rail anyway and if my concerns prove unfounded, then more lights to play with.

Wonka jr. Updates

We have just a few weeks until we move int the space and I'm not exactly where I wanted to be, plus now I have to modify a piece of the the set. I think it all can get done but I'm pretty sure that I'm going not have to start taking late nights to get work done.

It's kind of weird to think about the production from this point of view. I've done work backstage before but this is a whole different thing. I'm not just building the pieces that I'm told to build. I have to think about the entire world all the time and make sure that everything fits the way I originally saw it.

Pippin: 5/12-5/16

*Again, forgive me for the length of the post; I have been very bad in keeping up with the blogging

          In reflection of this past week, I have truly seen how different this show experience will be compared to the shows I have been in at ISU. The director and choreographer work through the show little by little during rehearsal, setting up blocking and creating the "pictures." This is different than any experience I have had before, for all the shows I have been in (or directed), I have always come to rehearsal knowing what we are working on. I don't know if I like this style of directing right now, but what I do know is that I have to be patient, and let them work through the show in their own way.
          I have gotten a few opportunities this past week to create some movement for the show. However, I was asked rather last-minute, and because of that, the dance moves I came up with were made on the fly. I don't really like doing that, especially for such a big show; I wish I would have been asked earlier in the week, so as to give me time to prepare some really good material. What I came up with wasn't bad, but I may use some time later to make it even better.
          While doing some additional research for the show (to better create my choreography), I realized that much of the choreography given to us thus far seems to be taken directly from a full version of the show found online. Though this is a great resource when starting, I honestly don't like taking a lot ideas from the original show - it feels unoriginal to me. One of the things I have begun to learn in theatre is how to make a show truly original. While I am totally accepting of "stealing" some ideas from the old show, as well as other places, taking too much from the original show  could make it feel like a copy of the old one, and I don't want that; I want the audience to see our show as fresh and original, a brand-new show.
          We begin work on Act II later this week, and we continue to review the music as well. It still feels very choppy, but it will come together soon.

Wonka water problems

So today I worked a ton and got the bench pretty much done as well as started painting the bucket shack. The only down side is the storm. Water started rushing in and flooded part of the shop. We had to move everything to a safer place and just incase, we built a dam to protect all of it. I'm so not excited to see what that looks like tomorrow.

Willy Wonka Jr.

Today, I finished a rough draft of my plot.  I sent a picture of it to Jim Trenberth, asking for his thoughts.  He said that what I came up looks pretty good, and advised that I see if there are any opportunities to build on what I already have.  He also asked that I provide him with a list of what instruments I'll be needing so he can prepare anything that I'll need to rent from Fisher Theater and save some time when the light hang comes along.

So my next step is to go back over my draft and see if there is anything more I could add.