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.