Coming Back From A Break...And Continuing Our Strong Run!!!

It is Gregory D. Hicks again, just checking in!

A lot has happened since I last blogged: all of our dress rehearsals, the opening of the show, etc. Time is moving SO fast! IT seems like only yesterday that we were all auditioning. Now, we are three shows into our run!

From an audience's standpoint, doing a show (especially with all the emotions that this show has) may look draining and monotonous but like Emily has said, we are still playing and discovering. Just because there is an audience (speaking of which, the playwright, Deborah Brevoort will be in the audience tonight!!!! But, no pressure!) present that does not mean we stop discovering. In order for this wonderful thing called theatre to work, we save the best for last: the audience!

I have been told and agree that the following are elements to any theatrical, staged performance: the first thing you need is a text. The text is where it all starts. There will be something in it that will draw people to it. So, in order to shape the text, you need a director. They will be the first one’s drawn to the script, because without the text to draw someone to do it, you do not have a show. Next, you have your design team/stage managers/crew. These are the ones who you (the director) trust to help create the world from the text and help keep everything flowing smoothly. Next, you get your actors. These are the (crazy, but fabulous people, lol) that embody the text. As the directors has done, the actor focuses specifically on their character making for a much richer interpretation on the text. This is because new ideas are bring brought to the characters by the actors AND the director can focus on the entire picture and help the actors along as they go. Now, you need a world for the actors to explore: the set. The set is a mixture of the director's vision, the necessary requirements from the text, and execution of the crew. With only two more components left, you are very close to having your show when your actors get into costume/makeup. At this point, you have a very solid foundation: a leader, officers with their specific assignments, a created world, the clothing that would be acceptable in your created world and the last ingredient to this perfect concoction is the audience. This makes everything complete because now there is live energy; an energy that can only be felt in the theatre. Actors feed off of this energy and it allows us to really be in the moment, whatever that moment may be, and share it with someone that is not on stage. This is where the all the sharpened tools are ready to make the best “concoction”. We are then ready to have fun, make more discoveries, focus on the other, raise the stakes, and live in the moment as the people we have created throughout the rehearsal process.

It may seem like doing a show several times, with the same lines, same set, same people may be boring but it is just the opposite! It is exhilarating! When you have all the right tools: a wonderful cast, crew, (all the crews: costume, set, sound, light, etc.) and director everything just falls into place. It is just like cooking a good chili: when it is first done (and if you put in the proper work into) it is great. But, just you let those spices set. Let the chili powder really soak into the beans and the meat. Let the cumin really mix in with the salt and peppers. And when you reheat up your well-made chili, you are amazing that something that was already great just became extraordinary!!!

Deborah Brevoort is here!

Hi all,
I just had dinner with the Playwright Deborah Brevoort and she is AWESOME! She has such amazing stories to tell about how the show came to be and some really interesting experiences she has had with different productions. I hope you can all come see her speak tomorrow! She will be at Milner Library at 10:00 AM then in the CPA at 12:00 and is attending the show tomorrow night and will be doing a talkback after the show. ALL ARE WELCOME TO ALL EVENTS!

The run of the show is going very well too. The actors are still out there making new discoveries and they are thrilling to watch each night. Hope you all get to see their beautiful work. Also, the designs on this show are particularly lovely and really brought the show together to be a whole work.

Best,
Emily Gill
Director, The Women of Lockerbie

A day off?

So we officially made it through Tech weekend and also our First Dress Rehearsal. What a relief. The show is truly coming together and its wonderful knowing that we are so close to opening night. The show is about 98% ready, we just have those final little tweaks to make to give it that little extra edge. The cast is excited, the Designers are exhausted but excited, and you couldn't ask for a better spot to be in.

Today is the first day off for me from the show in ten days. That type of time is exhausting and today my body has realized that it's a day off, so I'm stuck home sick. It's been a long week but rather enjoyable as we see the show piece together. Tech was great! It was slower than we originally expected but it allowed us to make those ever so slight changes that we needed to lights and sound.

So here we go, two more shots before we have an audience! This show really has been a treat. As Jessie mentioned, the way that the cast & designers have been able to work together has never been experienced by myself. It truly is a wonderful experience of a show!

Andrew Blevins
Stage Manager

The Lockerbie FAMILY

Hey there! This is Jessie Swiech and I’m playing Hattie in ‘The Women of Lockerbie.’ Whenever you’re cast in a show (or work on one in any capacity), you always hope that you will be working with a really good group of people. It’s especially important if you’re working on a show which deals with such heavy subject matter as ‘Lockerbie’ does. As an actor, you not only have to do hours of research about the events surrounding the disaster, but also spend a lot of time in the headspace of the people who went through the event. …It can be rough. Really rough. But that, my friends, is where we got lucky. No – luck probably didn’t have much to do with it, actually. Let’s just say that we are very, very fortunate. The cast, production team, director and designers all seemed to click almost immediately. Being surrounded by the kind of trust and mutual respect which we have built up makes an absolute world of difference. The cast is not just a group of people who are collaborating on a play. We became – in a very short period of time – a family. If she just nails a moment, we’ll give her a huge, “WOW! That was awesome!” when we get backstage. If he forgets the blocking and goes back to an old pattern, we’ll adjust and laugh about it later. If we need a pep talk before we go onstage, we’ll boost each other up. If I work and work on my monologue until it really gets to me and I just start to sob, I suddenly will find myself in the middle of a cast sandwich while someone softly sings “We Go Together” from ‘Grease’ as a ballad until I laugh. (…Hypothetically speaking…) This play is such an ensemble piece, that I cannot imagine what it would be like trying to perform it any other way. I’d like to think that in some small way, we’re embodying one of the messages of the show. Telling of the story of an act of hate turning into an act of love, has made us – the actors, the stage managers, the assistant director, the director – into a family. I will never forget this show or the wonderful memories it has given me. The experience of working with a group of insanely talented, yet humble individuals has been almost an awe-inspiring one. Thank you everyone. You are all fabulous and I cannot wait to begin the final stretch together. Into the breach, my friends! It’s almost show time!

10/12 completed

Yesterday was the rehearsal we call Ten of Twelve. This means that we rehearse 10 hours of a 12 hour period. It is a LONG day but yesterdays 10/12 rehearsal was productive, thoughtful, fun, and exciting. I was simply one of the best ones I have ever been a part of. We spent the first two sections of the day (we break twice so the day is made of up three work sessions) doing a stop-and-go. This basically means that we ran the show, stopping and fixing tech elements (lights, sound, props, and set....no costumes until Monday) as we went and re-running sections as needed. Since the show is only about 95 mins long, we (Andrew Blevins and I) assumed that we would fly through this stop-and-go. As it turned out things t0ok much longer than we expected. We found out that a show as delicate as Lockerbie needs delicacy and patience when incorporating technical elements. Crazy or sudden shifts and lights or sound simply do not work in this world. JM (Lighting designer) and Mark (sound designer) along with Eric (props) and John and Chad (Set) worked hard to elevate the story the actors are telling on stage in a way that helped move the action and the story along but not overwhelm it.

After we finished our stop-and-go we moved on to a full run. I expected since we were all tired that the run would be a bit low energy but I was WRONG! The actors took the show to a whole new level and not only incorporated the tech elements but used them to elevate and focus their work on stage. And let me tell you....you all are going to have your jaws HIT THE FLOOR when you watch the final sequence of the play...it is a truly thrilling thing to watch!

Side note: there was no shortage of laughter yesterday as usual. The cast and crew pulled one over on me when instead of the hearing the show music during on shot at the final sequence they played The Circle of Life from the Lion King and proceeded to pull a stuffed animal from the clothing bag and dance around like wild animals from the Lion King. Someone got it all on film and I am sure it will be on facebook soon enough. It was VERY FUNNY!

Best,
Emily Gill
Director, The Women of Lockerbie

Prep Prep Prep

So here we are, Crew View Eve. Tomorrow is the first day that we will have the crews reporting for duty. This is awesome and terrifying. A lot has to be done prior to their arrival and due to many other things having to be done during rehearsal, Tech Prep is not always on the top of the list. This whole week, my assistants and myself have spent time during rehearsals prepping the necessary paperwork that we use frequently during tech. Whether its charting entrances/exits of actors, or locating where every prop is during the show at any given moment. Lucky for us, this show has no more than 20 props....if you don't count the clothes.

This weekend that we are heading into can be extremely exhausting considering we are putting in over 18 hours of rehearsal for Tech in 3 days...and then we begin dress rehearsals with costumes!

No matter how crazy and ridiculous this whole process sounds, it's exactly why I do Theatre. It is an insane amount of work, but the amount of gratification that I receive when I call that first cue on opening night is worth every moment, good or bad. It's hard for some people to understand what we do and why we do it, but it certainly is a lifestyle that we all have chosen for some reason. In the end, we all do it because it's what we love and are passionate about. I wish expressing these feelings through type did it justice, but it really doesn't. I invite you sometime, whether it's helping a local high school or a community theatre, to get involved with a production. Just see what it's like.

It seems to be the perfect fit for all of us involved in this production atleast.

Andrew Blevins
Stage Manager

New Discoveries

This past week has been a good one....stressful and full of work but still good. Very productive. We have been in the CPA on our set since Sunday night. It is so nice to be able to settle into the world of Lockerbie. Lights and sound have been working over top of rehearsals so we have had a sneak peak at the loveliness to come when we fully integrate lights and sound and costumes.

We are now only ONE rehearsal away from tech....and I made profound discoveries at rehearsal tonight! It is amazing and thrilling to me that the team can be this close to tech and still willing to make discoveries and PLAY. The cast reminded me tonight that even though I tell them to continue to play and make new discoveries about the play all the time, that it is JUST as important for me to practice what I have been reminding them. I needed them to remind me of that tonight. They needed me to be reminded of that too. Though we are very close to tech and dress rehearsals, we STILL HAVE TIME TO PLAY & DISCOVER NEW THINGS ABOUT THIS SHOW! What a gift I was given to be reminded of that tonight.

Emily Gill
Director, The Women of Lockerbie