Dress Rehearsal

It's really getting down to the wire now!

With only one more "rehearsal" to go, things are coming together!

We were still missing 2 cast members today, but I have been reassured that they will be there tomorrow.  Absences are a reoccuring problem that I have not yet had with a show...even when we did The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland and Number the Stars we NEVER had to contend with this amount of students gone for such a long length of time.  However, I do understand that it is summer and that students go away.  I am, however, having students that may end up missing performances, which is a big cause for concern for me.  Apparently in the past, it has been handled as a necessary evil, but I am still not quite sure how I want to handle it...to have a person missing from the cast is a real concern for an actual performance, and one that I have honestly never had to deal with before.  (Learning experience # 2,487)

I do realize that it is a community theatrical production, and that students have other obligations.  I also know my hometown, and I know how important sports are to the Marengo atmosphere, so I know that I am treading on thin ice here; do I do what I want to do, and really live up to the standards that I'd like to set?  Or do I go with the flow and realize that these things happen?  It is difficult for me.

It is interesting working on a children's show with a large number of techies who are minors.  I had always had college students in the technical positions before, and it is definitely a reality check for me to have to remember that they need the time to rehearse their scene changes just as much as the actors do.

Tomorrow we will have a mini audience (just a few people) who couldn't make it to the actual showtimes.  I am going to attempt to step back as much as possible, and let them have their show now (which it truly is) and  see how they do :)

We will have the day camp kids on Thursday morning, and we'll try to run it with all of the stops (pre-show music and all) just to let the students have a feel for a "real audience."  We did that today as well, but many of the students had difficulties remembering to be quiet backstage, which was an interesting challenge...I'd like to put the students in the band room across the hall, but I am not sure if it will work out that way...I wouldn't have anyone in there to tell the children when to go off and on; I could have a parent working back there, but I also do not have sound on the moniters in the band room, which would make figuring out where we are in the script a real challenge.

For now, I know that if all else fails I can have the students stay in the dressing rooms until it is their turn to go onstage.  Again, not ideal, but it will do just fine.

It is becoming a reality now...so...I guess, as a director, my job is almost done...I will give my notes as usual, and congratulate them on their triumphs, but really...its their's now.  So, here goes!