A little overwhelmed...

Well, here we are - less than a week before we open! It's hard to believe that we are at this point already. It's definitely gone by quickly.

I guess that as a part of this blog, I need to be honest about how I'm feeling. The title says it all right now - overwhelmed. It's at the point, where I feel like we just need one more week to wrap up everything and get it all in order before we open. We still have quite a bit to do on the technical side and I'm concerned that some of the things might throw the actors for a loop and alter their performances. It just turns out that this is one of those shows that relies heavily on the technical side and that it's taking longer than we expected to get it all in place. Today was our dry tech day and it was very different than any I've ever been involved with. We basically spent the day coordinating the backstage ballet of moving all of the set pieces. Our crew is definitely going to be working hard in several scenes to get it all where it's supposed to be as quickly as possible. When I left the Guild at 9:00, John (TD) was working on getting the lights focused so he could get the cues programmed. John not only has this on his shoulders, but their are several things that still need to be rigged and he's the one to do it. John doesn't quit - he keeps going and going. I truly feel that John doesn't view this is a job - it's a passion and I know he'll come through. His wife Marsha and trusty sidekick Jessi are definitely lifesavers as well. Bob (AD) has been their countless hours working on various set pieces and learning all kinds of new technical terms. Stage Manager Susan has been there numerous times. Our good friend Eldred comes and makes chicken coops, paints, and does whatever he can do. Ann and Steve Simonton are sewing and painting - sometimes until late in the evenings. It's volunteerism like this that makes the Guild tick. Now, even though I mentioned these people by name doesn't mean that I'm forgetting about others. We've had a lot of people stopping in to help - some driving an hour one way to work on the set.

So, I guess with all of this volunteering maybe I shouldn't feel so overwhelmed. I know things will get finished and I need to really practice my patience and put my trust in those who are doing the work. There's a lot of pressure for this show to do well. We're investing a lot of time and money into it and we want our audiences to be blown away. What we have to be careful of though is not pushing too hard and hitting a wall. Maybe that's what I'm feeling...hitting a wall.

OK...enough whining. Positive thinking will help overcome these crazy feelings and we'll get it all together.

Just over a week until we open!!

The last time I directed a show (Beauty and the Beast) I feel like I had a lot more time to keep the blog updated. This time around it's been a little more crazy for some reason. I think one of the big things is the amount of time being spent working on the set. Tonight we had a 'cast' work session in order to try to get some things wrapped up in that area. While we had about a third of the cast there, it would have been nice to see a few more. Still, we did get quite a bit finished but there is still a lot to do. I think tech week will be interesting to say the least. We're going to be adding set pieces and props all week in addition to lights, sound, and costumes.

This set is so involved in our little theater. The number of pieces that are being used is somewhat overwhelming. However, if they all work like they are supposed to and get put in the right places, I think the audiences will be blown away...no pun intended.

So, as we enter into this final phase, we're keeping our fingers crossed, saying a lot of prayers, and practicing the virtue of patience as we bring Oz to life.

Things Not On or Behind the Stage

The past few days have brought a lot of activity for this show - and a lot of it involves things that are not of a staging or technical matter. However, these things are necessary even though they can be tedious and time consuming.

First, we had to finalize our logo. My goal was to create an original logo for the show. I had an idea in my head for this and presented it to a couple of people and in the end I feel like we have a good logo. It should be 'catch the eye'. Now that we have that, we can proceed with posters, playbills, and publicity - oh my! :)

Bob, Debbie, and I had to kind of sort of fight to get large posters for this show. There's been a recent trend at the Guild to go with smaller posters but I believe that we still need some of the larger ones. We worry about not being visible, and the posters are one of our most visible tools - if they are used correctly. In the end, we settled for 50 large posters as well as some smaller ones. We'll also have marketing tools in several local restaurants, on pizza boxes, and bookmarks in the libraries. We now have a poster that should be sent off to the printers and then we can start getting them distributed.

We're also going to have press releases in several local papers - hopefully! That should be sent out this week.

T-shirts are going to be ordered soon now that we have a final workup of the logo. Originally I was told that we wouldn't have shirts before the show opens, but that's something that I just don't think is acceptable. However, it looks like now we can get them within a couple of weeks. (Yes, I know that we were a little slower on the logo.)

So, these are just a few of the 'other' things that are going on that don't seem like they'd take long, but they do. All I have to say, is that I am essentially grateful to whoever invented email! I think I'd be lost without it when trying to deal with some of these things!

ACT 1 BLOCKED...almost!!

Tonight we nearly finished blocking the rest of ACT 1 in a 3 1/2 hour rehearsal! This group is a definitely a working group and their efforts are going to be greatly appreciated by many. At our next rehearsal, we're going to attempt to run all of ACT 1. What is so impressive about this cast, is that they really seem to be having fun.

We're about 5 weeks away from technical rehearsals and there's still a lot to do. So much is going on at the Guild on the stage with the updating of the lighting system and such that it might be throwing off our build schedule a little. At our work session on Saturday, we accomplished some things but there is still so much to do. As a director, I just fear having to restage things once we hit the stage with the set. We don't have a lot of time built into our schedule for this so we'll just keep our fingers crossed.

AD Bob Heflin blocked/choreographed the Poppies number tonight. We had shared some ideas and he took it and ran with tonight along with Morgan. I think it's a fantastic ending to ACT 1 and it's something I haven't seen on our stage before.

We've also added a performance! We're going to do a special benefit performance of the show for Habitat for Humanity and tie in with "There's No Place Like Home." I think this will be a very special evening.

More updates later.

Just a quick update

I haven't had a chance to jump on here and update the blog since before auditions...and tonight it's late so I'm going to make this brief and will update more later.

First - we made it through auditions and we have a fantastic cast! WOW!!
Second - rehearsals are progressing nicely. Tonight the ensemble rehearsed the Munchkin Musical Sequence and the Poppies and both sound really good. We finally had almost all of the ensemble at one rehearsal! It makes such a difference!

Third - Technically, we have a rough plan for the set. It's going to be a monster!!

Fourth - My staff is amazing! Each one is so full of enthusiasm and energy for this show. I only hope I can keep up with them!!

OK - definitely more later and I'll fill in the details.

RW

One Week Before Auditions

This has been a busy couple of weeks - not only trying to get ready for auditions, but all of life's other commitments as well! However, our team is getting there.

Last week, our production team met again on Monday to finalize some audition plans and to look ahead into the actual rehearsal process and putting this show together. Unfortunately, the lead choreographer that I had contacted has had to decline due to some family matters. (Family ALWAYS COMES FIRST!) But, Bob's daughter Morgan is going to work on at least part of the choreography. I think she's pretty excited to tackle the Jitterbug. I'm sure we'll pick up some help along the way with this area as well.

On the Music Director front, Debbie is still our 'resident' director - and jokingly I told her last week that she couldn't opt out at this point. Debbie is a wonderful spirit and I have full confidence in her abilities to music direct this show. As we progress, I have a good feeling that we'll pick up some help in this area too.

This brings me to my next point...I'm not allowing myself to get stressed about this show. I know that it's a HUGE undertaking and that there is a lot to do but I can't let being stressed out about it control what we do with it. My 'gut' reaction/feeling/instinct is that it will come together and that we will have a great time putting it together. (OKAY, someone remind me of my own words about half way through the summer!)

Other areas are coming together and we are getting questions about auditions. Unfortunately though, our press releases didn't make it into the local papers on the timeline I had hoped. The Guild's new marketing team is working out some things - but they'll get it together soon. Hopefully the details about auditions will appear in the local paper next week so that there's not too much confusion going into them. John Gradwohl said there's been quite a few phone calls coming into the Guild regarding auditions.

Donna Riley has now joined our team as lead props mistress and she'll be working closely with both John and Bob whom I've delegated this responsibility. I like that word...delegated! And, I'm going to gush...because I think Bob is going to be fantastic asset to this team. He will be the 'steady' behind the chaos...if there is chaos!

For those of you coming to audition let me express this thought. If we have the anticipated turnout, the decision in casting will be difficult and our team plans to make the process as fair as we can. Yes, there may be hurt feelings for those not cast and for that we can apologize, but realize also that we are looking for some specifics to bring Oz to life. If you are not cast in this show, we'll hopefully see you soon at another audition!!

And lastly for this posting, I don't want anyone to think that this is a "ROBIN WHITE SHOW". It's a show being staged by the Actors Guild of Parkersburg and I'm just the glutton who decided to tackle it as director. I would love to see our Guild really come together with this show. I may do some things a little differently than others but my goal is to bring quality entertainment to our patrons and to give them a positive experience that they will walk away with and that they will want to come back to the Guild again and again.

OK...must get ready for auditions!

First Production Meeting...Here we go!

Last night our production crew came together for the official 'first meeting' for the Actors Guild of Parkersburg's production of The Wizard of Oz. It was interesting as each of us took a moment to share what our vision of the show was. Some reflected on seeing the classic movie for the first time while others shared what they hoped to be able to get to the stage. Combined, I think we came together with a lot of ideas and hopefully a shared vision to make this a unique event at the AGP.



Our production crew consists of the following:

Robin White - director

Bob Heflin - assistant director

Debbie DeWeiss - music director*

Dave Argabrite - production assistant

Susan Schuchts - stage manager

John Gradwohl - technical director



*The music director scenario has been quite interesting! Our original music director had to withdraw due to a health issue. Debbie DeWeiss agreed to help out, but is not available the last weekend of the show. Therefore, we've been eagerly searching for someone to Co-Direct with her. While we think we have this secured, we need to make sure it's going to work out before we post it! We know it will all work out!



One of our main topics during the meeting was the audition process for this show. Going on the assumption that we will have a large turnout for auditions, our team has decided to break up the auditions into groups. First up with be all those interested in the role of Dorothy. We're going to narrow these down by the end of that first audition. This audition will be at 2:30 on Sunday, May 18th. At 7:00 that evening, we will invite the finalists back for the role of Dorothy along with those men interested in the roles of the Scarecrow, TinMan, and Lion. Again, we will narrow those folks down as well. On Monday, May 19 we will invite those finalists back with anyone else who is interested in ensemble work or other principal roles. We plan to also narrow the field by the end of this audition and then have a call back on the 20th. Whew...that's going to be rough! Our challenge is to be fair, but diplomatic in our decisions while making the most of everyone's time.



In other areas, we are starting planning in costumes and set design and it feels like we are developing a good 'look' for the show. There's a lot to do in a lot of areas and we hope that many hands will make light work. (Yes, I love a good cliche!)



Check back often for updates as we continue down the yellow brick road!