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