It's looking great. Here follow individual notes. See me if you have ANY questions– we need to get this tight. Alena and Lauren: Find a moment before the run to mark through these new cues for your Killing Lights Sequence at the end of the piece. I have asked Jenna to run this. I will likely be late because of my pal Obama's visit today.
Future Tense
Thursday, May 7, 2015
It's looking great. Here follow individual notes. See me if you have ANY questions– we need to get this tight. Alena and Lauren: Find a moment before the run to mark through these new cues for your Killing Lights Sequence at the end of the piece. I have asked Jenna to run this. I will likely be late because of my pal Obama's visit today.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Veldt Notes 5/6
Once again, and I don't say this lightly: Lovely work, everyone. Keep up your unflinching commitment to your work, each and every one of you. Tonight, by my watch, Veldt shaved 7 minutes off of it's run time, and that's even with some lags and fits and starts from learning quick changes and some minor tech glitches.
Big shout out to Sarah for doing really amazing work. It's been a steep learning curve--this show is technically much more complicated than even I thought it would be--and I'm really impressed with how quickly you're learning the rhythm of this thing and making it live. Nicely done!
Gracie and Alberto: get in place before lights come up. Ideally, tech will wait for you to be in place, but don't rely on that. Anticipate the cue as much as possible.
Sound: Can we take the volume down on the intercom mic? It was far too loud generally tonight.
Thundercats: In the Paris moment, I want the effect to be a cacophony of crisp, recognizable French. So, be really crisp in that moment.
Sophia: Great job connecting with your castmates in the Loon Lake sequence. I see the individual choices you're making, and it's lovely. Keep finding those little moments--
Sophia and Kendall: The top of Loon Lake felt like it lagged tonight. Keep the urgency up.
Kendall: Be a little sharper in your emotional turn away from Lydia in "Sure, swell" during Loon Lake.
Lydia: When you enter The Room during Loon Lake, give me half a breath where you're taking in what the children have imagined?
Lydia: Make a stronger physical choice in upper body poise at the top of the show. Maybe have the vape cigarette at the top? Let's talk about that.
Peter: Make the Avalanche happen all around you and on top of you.
Lights: Can we wait for the cast to clear before bringing lights up on the next beat after Loon Lake?
Emma: I don't know if this was intentional or not, but I really liked you entering into the first Veldt Room teasing out your hair more. Keep it!
Quinland: Keep the silent snarl.
Thundercats: More of you can snarl silently and tease out your hair the way Emma and Quinland are.
Thundercats: Be really intentional in how you move. Check in with each other, yes, but also make confident choices--once you start moving prior to Voltron Lion, move deliberately, confidently.
Thundercats: Give me a guttural roar when Lydia pushes George out and they both escape. We'll work on this.
In my notes and without any identifying context, I wrote the following: "Abby--GOOD--Elena + Lauren--GOOD GOOD." I don't know what was so great but I think it was during Voltron lion and exit.
George: Good job taking my note about getting more in the light in the grid.
Lydia: "No hello's" was lovely tonight. I really appreciate your vocal work on this moment.
Apple Valley was crisp and haunting. Good job everyone!
George: What needs to happen to solve the problem of your quick change after Apple Valley and into Maclean's entrance?
Maclean and Peter: Watch your volume after Maclean's entrance.
Props: The tray and table--now that we know what the things are, let's make the following adjustments--
Lydia, enter carrying the table with the tray on top of it. Set the table on the deck, upstage center. The table and tray with tea set will be onstage from this point forward.
Crew: Do not strike the tea set.
Props: Can we add to the tray a sugar container and a cream container? Neither need to be charged with their respective things.
Sound: I heard the DSR speaker cutting in and out a bit tonight, FYI.
Thundercats: Late on your entrance into The Room during the Maclean scene. I would rather you were onstage in the dark and early, rather than climbing in late after she's already started her sequence in The Room.
Maclean: Good job finding the different, rising levels of panic as you see what you see in The Room. Keep it!
Sound: No Room Hum after George tears out the guts of the room.
Props: Can the Guts of the Room be bloody?
Lydia: Can we try you smoking the vape cigarette during the bedroom scene?
George: If Lydia misspeaks her line, cover for her, improvise your line so it makes sense.
Thundercats: More intensity at George and Lydia's death. ROAR.
Sound: Missing a helicopter effect prior to Maclean's last entrance at the end of the play.
Tomorrow: at 5 pm, I want to convene the Veldt cast, onstage if the stage is available, and try something with the table and tea set. Hopefully, this should only take twenty minutes.
We'll do fight call with Alberto, Kendall and Maggie after you guys get into costume and makeup.
Keep up the energy and intentionality, everyone! We're in solid shape and I'm super excited. THANK YOU for being diligent and committed. Don't stop reviewing lines and notes--
pjs
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Veldt Notes Tech Run 5/4
First off, thanks for a great run everybody. Good work.
Movement Ensemble: Yeah. None of those new headlamp cues happened. We didn't have a chance to run through them so that is to be expected I suppose. We will find a moment before the run today to mark quickly through them. Here is a list of each changed headlamp cue from yesterday:
Woode: He starts offstage in red, don't cover his light. After Hollis calls for him a second time he will be about to say something. Cut him off by turning off his light.
Stimson: Don't go red, only turn off the light. Happens in the same place.
Applegate: Turn his light to red after Hollis: "It. The thing you were waiting for. Something." and Applegate: "Yes… yes!" The second "yes" (he says three) is your cue to turn it red. Then his light goes off in the same place, after his third "burn."
Stone: "Lespere: I remember": go red. "So long:" turn off.
Lespere: "Hollis: Sleep well.": go red. "Lespere: Nothing.": turn off.
NOTES
All Astronauts: Microphones. I am currently unsure about what our microphone situation will be. We need to be careful with these. They are expensive and delicate.
All astronauts: The entrance into the scramble/roll call is lagging. I understand part of that is just getting used to the dark and glow tape that had significantly faded by the time we got started. Nonetheless, that entrance needs to pop.
Houston Voice: The audience's reaction to "hahahahaha" speaks for itself. Furthermore you were killing it on the un-comedic rest of it. That's that robot we're looking for. Keep it up!
All Astronauts, especially Stone: Assuming we will still be using these microphones, you don't need to yell in them when you're lost in space (the cluster after the crash, "Captain!" etc.), it's painful on the ears. Speak urgently and desperately for sure, but take down the volume.
Stone: Small physical adjustment- make sure to keep your chin up throughout the play, especially while you're listening to everyone else talk. When your head sinks down it makes the light look funky.
All Astronauts: When you enter in space, enter with your line, i.e. the moment you pass through the door- you don't have to be in place in your corner to start speaking.
All Astronauts: Also, have your light on back stage so we don't see it clicking on/you turning it on/holding it and so on. Fiona, you of course are the exception and it looked just fine, thank you for endowing that action with, ya know, some acting.
Movmt Ens. and Woode: Don't cover his headlamp as he enters. Woode, remember, you are about to say something (along the lines of "help" or "tell my wife I loved her") and that is the cue for the ensemble to turn off your light. They need that cue.
Stimson: Great fear! Nice energy, vocalization and the panicky movement looked great in the headlamp.
Stimson and Applegate: The whole floating toward killing Stimson sequence and the chilling silence afterward popped really well. That's what we've been looking for.
Applegate: 'I'm on my way to burning right now" was what we've been looking for. In general that cool, or actually stone cold, Applegate was really starting to work yesterday. The lights and sound helped you out but mostly it just had a more alive energy to it. You can still go deeper. Here's a thought, the people that have that cool you're angling at draw power and assert power from that even coolness. When you're not doing that it falls flat.
Applegate: Sexier with your allusions to the affair. Really rub her face in the fact that you got it on with her fiancee, saw all the lace only meant for her, experienced that intimacy. Relish it.
Applegate: "It took it all away" was spot on, you were really asserting yourself and it was clear this was about more than just an affair.
Hollis: During that affair-attack: more broken. Weaken Hollis' defenses. This catches you so by surprise and your anxiety level is already so high, that this is the final straw. And by this point he has already stripped you of your captain's rank and made you look pitiful and weak in front of your whole crew. In act, don't be so sure of anything you're doing after the asteroid hits- be lost and frantic, use the roll-call as a life-saver but know that it's not going to do any good. Right now Hollis is too strong and capable. Don't believe in yourself.
Stone: I already told you this, but "No more of this" was much more what we're looking for good work.
Lespere: Mattie. You are the Queen of taking notes. Thank you.
Lespere: Also, after you've gone through The List once and Applegate isn't impressed and wants more that's a moment that you can slide in a beat of confusion- i.e. you don't need to plow into the next line.
Applegate: Nice vulnerability, when we see his softer side- we need that or no one's going to care that you get your dream death. You can go even further with it. And thank you for taking that note about the "meaner in my middle years" bit before the meteor- that was solid. And nice pain. You've been working on that and trying different things, the way it was last night was great.
Applegate and Jenna: Something was weird with the timing of the meteor swarm speeches and music last night. I think the sound jumped and Churchill was speaking before the bit where Applegate and company listen to him and the others. We'll take a look at that and make sure we're all on the same page. Also Tristan, the music will be at that level but the stuff that was too loud will be brought down, FYI.
Hollis: The summer monologue was much stronger. It found its feet midway through. This is a moment in which you can take a brief beat before going into it to really respond to Lespere's despair and make the decision to give her comfort.
Hollis: Good work on that last monologue. The sound will get that loud but not so fast or early. If you could find a moment to time yourself doing that monologue before this evening and let me know so I can set the time of that fade in that would be rad.
Hollis: You standing alone in the dim dark is great. Do it for just a be a longer.
Daniel and Grace: Wait a bit longer before you enter, wait for Hollis to step off the platform, hopefully you will be able to see that. And of course we did not have a flash last night but make sure that you take your cue to speak off that and point/look at the flash itself.
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Company Meeting, 5/4
Senior (and other interested Company members) meeting in the Drama Room at lunch, 5/4. Please make plans to attend and to bring lunch.
j.
Costume Reminders
The following people are reminded to bring the following items for Costume Parade to Monday's Tech Rehearsal -
Quinland: Ensemble outfit (yoga capris + long sleeve shirt)
Andrew: Black long sleeve ensemble top
Fiona: Black combat boots
Kendall: Black tee shirt, black jeans, converse
Thanks!
McFadden and the Costume Team
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Our Schedule for the Remaining Production Process
Notes on the Schedule:
-There are very few changes from the audition packet you received in March…this is the calendar we all signed on for!
-All days listed below are mandatory attendance for all Actors, Management, and Run Crew, unless otherwise noted; No Conflicts/Absences accepted that are not already known
-5/10 is Mother’s Day…Call times remain in effect and mandatory for all. Any family celebrations should account for your prior commitment to the team here, as times have been posted since March.
-5/17 is Strike…Call times remain in effect and mandatory for all. Illness is not a reason for a Strike absence; your ability to contribute will be accounted for in your Strike assignment. Failure to attend Strike will result in exclusion from (SW)2/Wilson Drama events until time is made up. This is also the date we will extend our run, if the situation calls for it, so your presence is important!
-The Build Call on 5/2 is optional…but we can definitely use your help to get your show ready for your audiences!
-The Call time for each Dress/Performance day will be at the discretion of your director. Your director may choose to call you later than the posted time, if prep doesn’t require arrival at the posted time, but will not be earlier except in the most dire of emergencies.
The Schedule:
April 30
-Tech Rehearsal/Kaleidscope: 600p-900p
May 1
-Tech Rehearsal/The Veldt: 330p-530p
-Rehearsal/Chicago Abyss: 530p-730p
May 2
-Optional Build Call: 1000a-500p (See Notes re: Build Call)
May 3
-Dark: No Call
May 4
-Tech Run/Full Show: 500p-1000p
-Includes Costume Parade, Photo Call, Run of Show, and Notes
May 5
-Dress Rehearsal 1: 500p-1000p (See Notes re: Call times)
May 6
-Dress Rehearsal 2: 500p-1000p
May 7
-Preview/Dress Rehearsal 3: 500p-1000p
May 8
-Performance 1: 500p-1000p
May 9
-Performance 2: 500p-1000p
May 10
-Performance 3/Matinee: 1200p-500p (See Notes re: Mother’s Day Matinee)
May 11 & 12
-Dark: No Call
May 13
-Pickup Rehearsal: 500p-1000p
-Includes Archival Filming
May 14
-Performance 4: 500p-1000p
May 15
-Performance 5: 500p-1000p
May 16
-Performance 6: 500p-1000p
May 17
-Strike: 1000a-300p (See Notes re: Strike)