Thursday, May 7, 2015

Kaleidoscope Movement Ensemble Notes
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.

Alena:
            Crossing to Applegate
Check in with Emma to find out what your cue is to cross back to Applegate for the meteor swarm.

Killing Stone
Step onto the step behind Stone  on Hollis’ line “There you go home in the dark, Lespere.” (near the top of her monologue).

Turn ON her Red Light and Turn OFF her white light on Hollis’ line “dragging their bats and scuffling their shoes” (near the end of that monologue)

Turn OFF her Red Light  when Stone says “So Long.”

Lauren:
            Killing Lespere
Step onto the step behind  Lespere  on Hollis’ line “There you go home in the dark, Lespere” (near the top of her monologue)

Turn ON her Red Light and Turn OFF her white light on Stone’s line “Don’t let anybody say otherwise.”

Turn OFF her Red Light when Lespere says “Nothing.”

Gwyn:
Meteor Arm
You are in charge of pulling Applegate’s sleeve over his left hand when it is hit off by a meteor.

Step into position on the step behind him on his line “Maybe that’s why I’ve grown mean in my middle years”

Pull his sleeve down as smoothly as you can on his line “I don’t know, isn’ t that funny.”

After Applegate
After you kill Applegate and go off stage to take his light, turn the RED light back on and shine it  in that black hallway. Keep it on until Hollis says “Can you see any of us?” Then turn it off and return to your usual spot. Essentially you are creating the meteor swarm for Hollis to see in the distance.

Emma:
            Crossing to Applegate
I don’t have written down the cue for when you  go back to Applegate’s corner from your previous corner. I need you to tell Alena when that is.

After Applegate
Quinland is going to continue shining her light into that corner a while longer, so take your time on that cross back to your corner so we don’t have a traffic collision.

Quinland:
            Meteor Swarm Light
Keep your Meteor Swarm red light on until Hollis says “Can you see any of us?” then turn it off. Essentially you are creating the meteor swarm for Hollis to see in the distance. Emma’s probably going to be in your way, but that actually might look cool.

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Veldt Notes 5/6

Hey friends,

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

Veldt Notes 5/4

Overall: I'm SUPER proud of you all and so excited for your work! You guys are doing great. The piece as a whole (and as one of a triptych of amazing work) really stands up and punches aggressively, and I like it a lot. These notes begin the process of fine-tuning and calibrating, building on the strong foundations that you all bring. So don't stop bringing it! Stay energized and keep your eyes and ears open for fresh discoveries always!

Electrician and George-- get in place in the blackout ahead of lights up. Do your best to get their efficiently and ahead of the cue.

Gracie: Slow your speech introducing the room. 

George--When you press invisible buttons (for the buzzer, the radio, etc), do a little more work to show how easy/hard it is to press the button... this is purely a physical technique note. I want you to visualize what that button looks like, whether it's reliable or not, what color it is. This doesn't need to take time, it just needs to be specific.

Thundercats: During the Paris moment, was it just me or were you all backstage right? Or maybe the acoustics were weird? If you are all backstage right, distribute evenly to the four sides of the stage. If not, disregard this note.

Peter and Wendy: Look for ways to cheat 360 degrees at the top of the Loon Lake sequence. Yes, the boat needs to be visualized downstage center beyond the audience; but establish that Loon Lake is all around you, too.

Gracie: Change to your blocking--during Loon Lake, enter USR but join the DSR corner. Be US of Lauren.

Wendy and Peter: Once the boat disappears, during your lines, look for the boat 360 degrees around you as well as DS.

Lauren and Gwyneth: Excellent Poise throughout the Loon Lake sequence. Other Thundercats: Don't mirror exactly what they're doing, but what can you do physically that's in the same world as what they do? Essentially, their spines are exactly poised as if to say, "I'm ready for anything, but I'm also perfectly still, but filled with dynamic tension and energy" or something like that. What does that look like in your individual bodies?

Everyone: The avalanche moment can be bigger for all of you: Wendy, Peter, Thundercats all inclusive. While you're furiously pounding the floor, I want your backs to be radiating overwhelming destructive rage. Peter and Wendy, look above for falling debris: Peter with delight, Wendy with dismay.

London Bridge: Thundercats practice exiting quickly and with as much efficient quiet as possible. Not absolute silence, but deliberate, precise like (thunder)cats.

George: Be a little surprised that you don't see Lydia waiting for you at the door when you enter at the top of Beat 3. Play it like she usually hears the helicopter and runs out with lemonade or something, but this time she didn't, what the hell? 

Lydia: Adjust your blocking to be in the middle of the grid squares instead of the extreme edge, this is to keep you fully lit.

Thundercats: First Africa sequence: Gracie is making a really strong choice of keeping her head down for a big chunk of that Beat. No one else gets to put their head down the way she does, but how else can you activate your head/torso to indicate that the room is aggressively transformed? Keep your limbs tight, but heads tilted, reared back--think of coiled springs, cocked guns, the ready pose from the stick routine we learned ages ago. Life in stillness, burning tension.

Ensemble: You gathered into Voltron just a hair too early. Break down the process a little bit. It should go as follows:
   George: "...Pride. Isn't that a fine word?..." gather SR, but Don't Unite yet. Be feeding on things.
   George: "No... lunch is over..." Peter and Wendy exit. Lions Unite into One Lion.
   George: ..."Lions with teeth like daggers..." Thundercats listen to this speech. Start physicalizing/embodying one Voltron Lion, but with distinct bits; teeth, slavering, purring, rumbling, tails twitching, claws flexing, mane bristling. Start breathing together. Life in your faces. 

Andrew, find an aggressive "ready" stance that activates your whole body at your position.
Gracie, find a moment before the "pounce" in which you start rising higher. Everyone, this will cue you into starting to get ready to truly pounce.

Lydia, give it two breaths before you start to exit after "They can't come out, can they? They can't?"

George and Lydia, find more ways to break out of being straight-on in configuration with one another. Always be off-center so both sides of the stage can see at least one of you full-on.

George: If I ever do have you staying onstage during a blackout but you have to move to another position, travel along the lines of the grid on the deck, don't move in diagonals.

George: don't point at the crescent moon in the Veldt Night Room. See it with your eyes.

George: Slow the litany of places you want the room to be instead of the Veldt when the Jackals are laughing at you. Be panicked and fearful, but be clear and still trying to assert your authority.

Lydia: More fear as you resort to candles in your candle speech.

Emma: Use the metal spheres during the Apple Valley / Loon Lake 2 sequence

All: After Lydia says "So Lovely" in the dark, take a breath before you all move to exit

Peter: don't be squared in the same plane as Maclean. You have to place yourself off of her since you're entering into the scene. Whenever you face off directly, be in two different planes.

Everyone: Vocal Support. Think of clarity, think of specificity in what you say. Don't let the acting choice of panic muddy your vocal technique.

Maclean: Build the urgency earlier in your speech beginning, "Machines make your bed..." Let each thought rush into each other, as the inner anxiety and dismay that you feel bleeds into the things you're saying.

George: Reference the guts of the Room that you're holding in your hand as you ask whether the Room is dead.

Everyone: The pace from when George and Lydia enter the Room for the final time, should be rolling quick, like rushing water just before the waterfall.

Tech Notes:

Prop: Can the guts of the computer be bloody in some way?

Lights: I was wrong, please shorten the final fadeout from an 8 count to a five count

I love you all!

pjs
Kaleidoscope 5/4 Tech Run Notes

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.

Mvmt Ensemble: When you move in on Hollis at the end remember: total stillness. No bobbing or floating.

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)