Am-Dram: Junior Edition -- Opening Night

Youngest Son is performing this weekend in his junior high's production of The Borrowers. He and most of his friends are all in the show and tonight was opening night. One of the actors had been sick during the day and missed school. School policy says that if you don't show up to school, you can't participate in any after-school activities (games, dances, performances, etc.). Poor guy wasn't feeling too great when I saw him this evening and another actor took over the part. He had to come out with the script in his hands because he didn't know the lines but did a really good job as a last-minute stand-in.

I was asked by the drama teacher/director to do some old-age makeup on one of the girls so that she'd look like the mean old lady she's supposed to play. I agreed (in exchange for free tickets) and enjoyed showing the kids how I could take one of their friends from a fresh-faced young lady and make her look old and grouchy. I wasn't as pleased with the makeup once I got out into the audience and I discussed with the director about changing it and making it more noticeable for the last two nights. She agreed and I'm looking forward to seeing the look on her face tomorrow night when she's made-up. She was shocked tonight -- so tomorrow could be horrifying for her. But, I made sure to give her a good pep talk before the show because she was so nervous. She'd played the Genie in last semester's production of Aladdin and was worried she'd set the bar too high for herself since this is a drama and not a musical. I told her not to worry and to remember that the audience may have read the book or seen the movies but they don't know the lines for the play. All she'd have to remember is to get out there and have fun with her part and she'd be just fine.

And she was. Actually, they all were. Oh sure, there were forgotten lines and cues and props that went missing. That happens in any show. What I was worried about was Youngest Son. He has a habit of ad-libbing when something's not quite right or if he sees something wrong. Did he do it tonight? You betcha he did!

It was funny that Husband, one of the other actor's father, and the junior high assistant principal were there for the performance tonight. They were all major characters in our recent Am-Dram production of Arsenic and Old Lace. When one of the Borrowers suggested reviving Mr. Clock with some elderberry wine, we all thought it was kind of ironic since that's what killed the 12 men in the cellar in our play. I was praying that Youngest Son wouldn't say something like, "No! Not that! It's from the Brewsters' house!" and, fortunately, he didn't. But, when the Borrowers left a "sugar cube" onstage during the scene change to Youngest Son's scene, I could hear Husband laughing because we both knew he'd never let it just sit there.

And he didn't. Youngest Son is playing Gypsy Boy, a Romanie Traveller, and is decked-out in a horribly mis-matched outfit which is perfect for his character. Mid-scene, he walks over to his "caravan" to get a boot and stops to pick up the "sugar cube" asking, "'Ow the 'eck did this get out 'ere?" After going to get the boot and not finding it, he comes back out and says, "Well, there's supposed to be a boot but I canna' find it and it's supposed to be in me caravan but it's not so why don' ya' sit down an' I'll tell ya' about it?" I heard from him after the show that some of the kids were thinking about throwing the boot over the set and hitting him with it. I'm glad they didn't -- it would have just made him improv even more. Fortunately, the other actor onstage remembered his lines and kept the scene going so that Youngest Son could recite all of his lines and didn't have to ad-lib anymore.

It was a little rough in places, but all-in-all the kids did a great job. Looking forward to seeing what happens tomorrow night!

Am-Dram: WE DID IT!!!

Congratulations!!! Our last performance tonight was awesome! We had a great audience and everyone remembered (most of) their lines!

I got there early (as usual) to help re-set the "stage" and make sure the props were ready for the actors. I did the speciality makeup for those who needed it and started watching as the audience arrived. A few at first, which was nice but they also were very early. We didn't open our doors for ticket sales until 6:30 p.m. and some were arriving as early as 6 p.m., which is unusual for a small community theatre production. Then when we opened the doors, more and more people arrived. And more people. And then a gentleman brushed past me "backstage" and asked if there were more chairs. I had no idea who he was or what he was talking about (found out later that it was the husband of one of the Board members). I looked out from my hiding place and the seats were full! He and a friend of his added more chairs. About 15 minutes later, they came back and got more chairs.

I told the director that we were still selling tickets and I'd decided to hold the house (meaning we wouldn't start the show on-time so more people could get in and seated). I kept watching the people coming in. Some didn't sit in the folding chairs provided -- they decided to sit on the small benches built-into the columns. People were all trying to make sure they had a great view.

The next thing I knew, the actors were taking the stage. I hadn't told the director that we were ready yet -- he'd just given them their pep-talk and said to "Get out there and do it!" So they did. And people were still buying tickets. But, they're onstage so we've got to get started. I walked out and thanked everyone for coming and gave the usual spiel about silencing cell phones and keeping conversations to a minimum but encouraging them to laugh and enjoy the show.

And, boy, did they laugh! The audience got all of the jokes, "oohed" and "aahed" when they realized something was going to happen, and gave the cast a standing ovation at the end. All of the actors did very well and I was very, very proud to be their technical director/designer/stage manager/prop master/everything else that needed to be done person. We had a great company and I wish we could have done more shows. We wanted to do more than two, but next week is Spring Break and most of our cast (either being a teacher or working with the school district) will be gone. Oh well, our two performances will be remembered for quite a while.

Now we just have to think about what show to do next. I'll be helping Youngest Son's junior high with their production of "The Borrowers" in April. Maybe we'll do another show in the fall. But for now, I'm going to put my black clothes and makeup kit away for a little while.

Am-Dram: Stress level critical....

Just got home from last dress rehearsal for our production. Not very happy. Actually, there are lots of people not very happy at the moment. Director came and helped bring in new set pieces early (which I greatly appreciated) and then left for the local school's junior high band concert. Myself, Husband, and another actor in the production all had to miss seeing our children in the concert because we had to be there for rehearsal. I spent over an hour by myself trying to set-up the "stage" because no one from the community theatre "community" has volunteered to help with sets or props (except for the people in the show and I really, really appreciate them for that). I tried to answer questions on why things were set-up like they were (I changed the arrangement of the furniture so people would get on-and-offstage quickly) and why we couldn't have things we wanted and why things we had before we didn't.

All I could do until the assistant director arrived was apologize and make-up answers the best I could. I have no authority over the building we're using and I have no authority on the Board to make decisions. I even tried to placate the press representative (which we need because we've not had much advertising) into staying for just a few moments longer to get really good photos of the main actors who were coming in but a little later than we expected.

We didn't finish the run-through tonight. Lots of lines and entrances were missed. I told everyone before the rehearsal that I was not going to be giving lines tonight. I hope they all take the next day (we don't have a rehearsal tomorrow and we open on Thursday) and review, review, review.

Me? My Xanax and I have a date tonight. And tomorrow. And I have to see my therapist tomorrow, too. I just want to get through Thursday -- then I can deal with the new crises called "Friday" and "Saturday."

Am-Dram is harder than it looks!

Well, the countdown has started. Things are starting to fall into place, but many other things are still really in need of help.

Our first dress rehearsal for our community theatre's play is over. And we've only got one more to go.

Sadly, because it's a play and not a musical, not as many people will come to see it. We know that already. When we did Seussical: The Musical in 2010, we didn't sell-out any productions but we filled the theatre very well. That's because when you have a huge cast and the majority of them are children, you get all of the parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, distant cousins, etc. lining-up early for tickets. This production of Arsenic and Old Lace is adult-oriented and has no children's parts. For that reason alone, we're not predicting a high turn-out for the show. We'll have people who come to see all of the shows and everyone who comes should enjoy it. We've even censored the language (not that there was much of it to begin with) to make it a family-friendly show.

Because it's going to be a smaller production, we couldn't afford to use the main community center theatre like we did for Seussical. It would be too expensive and even though I'm the technical designer/director for the show, the community center requires us to hire someone specific to run the lights and sound equipment, which is another cost on top of just using the theatre. There's stuff going on all around town and the school's theatre wouldn't be available and we even had to cancel one night's performance before we started because of an event happening in the same place where we'll be performing. We're using the lobby of the community center because it has a large staircase (for Teddy to run up-and-down) and it's cheap. The downside of it is that we (1) don't have any theatrical lighting so everything has to be done either practically (with actual lamps and candles) or imagined, (2) the area echoes badly and the sound of some actors gets lost in the rafters, (3) the audience will be the edge of the performance area (and some performing will take place in the audience), and (4) other people will be coming in-and-out of the building and we don't have any solid walls to keep external sound out. It's a technical nightmare -- and could explain why I've been feeling bad lately. If my name is on something, I want it right and as close to perfect as it can be. This is not easy.

Another downside to community theatre is that it's all volunteer. I'm not saying that I don't enjoy doing this. Volunteering my time/effort is enjoyable for me. However, I love our actors dearly but it's not the same -- you can tell them to be quiet backstage or to not go around the curtains where the audience can see them but that doesn't mean they'll listen to you. It's like herding cats at times.

But there are a lot of good things about doing this show, too. I'm meeting people in town that I would never have gotten to meet otherwise. We're becoming a close "company" and having a lot of fun when we're together. Everyone is enjoying seeing each other and helping each other with their lines, props, and costumes. Plus, with the exception of Eldest Son who's off across the state in college, I'm finally getting to do a theatrical production with all of my immediate family members. Youngest Son is helping-out backstage with props (because there are no parts for kids) and I even convinced Husband to audition and he will be playing Dr. Einstein. It's a fun activity to do together and I've enjoyed helping them learn more about something I'm very excited about.

Tonight was our first night "onstage" in our production area. A lot of lines were forgotten. Some actors were unavailable. Not all of the props and scenery made it to the venue. But everyone did their best. If they keep it up for our last dress rehearsal tomorrow and into our production nights, we'll be fine. If they remember how excited they were when they first got the parts and deliver their lines like they did in our first read-through, we'll be awesome.

Oh, and for those who don't know, "Am-Dram" stands for "amateur dramatics" and, no, I don't allow anyone around me to use the name of The Scottish Play. I'd say "break a leg" but I did that onstage in college and don't want to curse anyone else with it.

My brain hurts....the continuing story

At least today I'm not staring as much at the computer. Today I'm looking at books, sending text messages, and making phone calls in order to help get our production underway. So, since I'm going to be really busy with the show now, I might as well give my faithful readers some information about it.

Our local community theatre group is doing two performances of "Arsenic and Old Lace." If you've never seen the play or the movie starring Cary Grant, then you need to as soon as you can! It's a great story about the Brewster Sisters who perform their "charity" on lonely elderly gentlemen and are assisted by their nephew Teddy (who believes he's Teddy Roosevelt) in "disposing" of the evidence. Another nephew, Mortimer, lives with them and is a drama critic for the newspaper and plans to marry Elaine who lives with her father, Reverend Harper, just across the cemetery from the Brewsters. Mortimer finds out what his aunts have been doing and tries to protect them, but is soon confronted with his long-lost cousin Jonathan (and his associate Dr. Einstein) who has plans on making the old Brewster home his new headquarters of crime. It's a hysterical production and all of the actors have been having a blast working on the scenes and getting their lines memorized. Husband is even in this production. He's not as big on the theatre as I am, but I convinced him to audition since he's seen the movie thousands of times and he will be portraying Dr. Einstein.

I'm the technical director for the production which means I have to help design the set, design the costumes, find the props, manage the technical crews, and act as stage manager during the productions. Finding a place has been difficult since the only "theatre" (actually built for theatrical productions) in town is (1) incredibly expensive to use and (2) doesn't want people to build sets on their parquet flooring they've installed for the annual Gospel Sing that comes through every August. They also only allow the person who sold them their lighting and sound system to operate them during any productions and he's WAY too expensive for us (even though the director and I are perfectly capable of running the equipment). When they built the theatre they even decided to cut-out the fly loft and counterweight system because they figured an additional 20 feet less to build would help the budget but didn't realize that theatrical productions need a way to bring scenery in and out and that often the easiest way is to go up. Plus, our production requires a "practical" (means that they have to be used and built to code) set of stairs for Teddy to imagine as San Juan Hill every time he goes up them and screams "Charge!" Since they'd have to be fastened to the floor, the theatre is a no-go for this production.

We would use the Junior High's theatre/auditorium where Youngest Son's recent production of "Aladdin, Jr." was held, but (1) they want too much to rent the space, (2) the area is occasionally used by classes and our stuff wouldn't be as secure as we need it, and (3) we'd still have to build the set with the staircase and that's going to cost more. Even though the assistant principal of the Junior High is in the play as the evil Jonathan, we still couldn't afford to have it there.

We're currently rehearsing at the church where our director works. There's a nice area that was part of the original church that's been converted into a theatre. We asked if we could use the space but they turned us down because it's not a "Christian production." I'm still trying to figure out if they're objecting to the fact that it's not about a story in the Bible or if they're objecting to the language, violence, and murder that takes place. Last time I read the Christian Bible I saw a lot of violence and murder in there, so perhaps that's not what they're talking about.

Finally, we've found that the local Civic Center will allow us to use their main lobby as a theatrical space. And, to make things even more fortunate for us, they already have a large staircase right in the middle of it! We'll have a thrust stage configuration -- that means the audience will be seated on three sides of the stage and it makes them feel as if they're inside the Brewsters' living room as well. Add a couple of doors, a window seat and window, furniture, and use large curtains to stand-in as the walls (cheaper than having to build them) and we'll have a minimalistic version of the set most people see but it will still work and give focus to the actors and not the background. Plus, it's a LOT cheaper!! That's a big bonus in community theatre!

So now that we've found a place, we've had to work on the dates. On the weekend we wanted there's a soccer tournament scheduled in the exposition hall -- right next to the main lobby area. That's not going to work. There are other events at the schools and in town on other weekends with which many cast members would have conflicts. We wanted to do three performances but have had to scale it back to just two for the dates that are available for the actors, crew members, and the building. But at least we now have dates so we can start selling tickets.

Yesterday I spent the day working on costume designs. I started trying to sketch the costumes for the Brewster Sisters and for Jonathan and Mortimer. Then, I finally gave-in and started looking on the Internet for photos of the types of clothing that I want them to wear. Since it's a community theatre production, each actor will have to create his/her own costume. This is when we love the local thrift shops, resale stores, and free-stores -- especially since this is a period piece (supposed to take place in the 1940s) and a lot of old clothing can be found at those places. A little accessorizing, a little altering, and a little imagination will make them work and on a reasonable budget. I made costume plots for each of the characters and handed them out at last night's rehearsal. They have until next Monday to start finding parts of their costume and have to bring in what they have that night so we can make sure they're on the right track.

Next is the prop list. This one is going to be easy and hard at the same time. There's a prop list in the back of our script books -- but it's as if you were staging a Broadway production (actually, it is the list from the Broadway production) and we don't have that kind of space or money. Our director is loaning us all of the set pieces since he has a Victorian-style house and a lot of extra furniture that will work perfectly in our "make-do" space. I've been calling people who say they have items we can borrow and trying to come up with ideas on how to "fake" the things we need but can't get. Youngest Son wants to major in theatre now and has volunteered to work on the prop crew so he can get some backstage experience. Little does he know that his experience is going to be cleaning a lot of dirty things I find at junk stores, things that people donate (which usually have been sitting in a basement for years), and building/creating items that we can't find but are important to the play. Technical theatre is often a "trial-by-fire" and he's going to get one.

Our lighting is going to be different since we have to use the lights in the lobby and a few additional "practical" lights and up-lights so that we can have brightness and darkness in the "house" as scripted. No theatrical lighting here. I've been working with theatrical lighting and lightboards since I was a teenager, so for me it's going to be different trying to get the mood-lighting I want with very little with which to work. Somehow, though, we'll make it happen.

Fortunately I've gotten new materials for my professional makeup kit because I have to make the actor playing Jonathan look somewhat like Boris Karloff (that's one of the running gags in the show). He's a great guy and really open to letting me experiment on his head. You don't usually get an actor/actress who's willing to let you paint and glue stuff all over them. And the other makeup and hair designs for the rest of the actors will have to wait for now. They'll be doing their own anyway since no one else has special-effect makeup. Well, there are ladies playing male roles, but it's not that hard to get them to look male-ish enough for the theatre. I'm just going to have to be sure the Brewster Sisters have gray/white hair, that Elaine hides her purple highlights, and that the rest of the cast (well, those who have hair, that is) gets theirs styled correctly for their part.

I know in the end I'll look back at all of this and think about what a great job everyone has done and how hard we've all worked and smile. Right now, though, my brain won't shut-up because the "voices" have each taken sections of the play (lights, sound effects, costumes, makeup, etc.) and are arguing about how to get it all done on a budget of about zero dollars. So, you'll probably be able to tell when I'm really busy 'cause my posts might not be as eloquent, insightful, or as long as previous posts. But, the little "voices" nag me every day to make sure my daily post is here -- so I don't think remembering to do this will be a problem.