March 29, 2012

March 29, 2012

Women	QUIETER moving house
Lee	In Joey scene – work on Herbert Hoover Work on accent at the beginning.
Grandpa	Diction was better
Sidney/Man Banks	In Farmer Banks scene, Banks holds his hat out for you to put money in and the man refuses.
Quinn and woman dancer	People noises
Quinn	Freeze in a comfortable position Sit up straight
Sidney/Toland	Speak out more to the audience. Bring me the coat to fix. Remember to get Dugan before he kills Irene Work on accent as Sidney – say forever, then sit down.
Moe	Great job in the beginning about being more in charge. Could hear you so much better in welfare scene.  Remember to be louder on $22.00 and at the beginning of the bar scene. Freeze whenever everyone does after the welfare scene. Work on accent at the beginning.
Everyone	Remember that we need to see the journey that each character is taking. Pop up at the beginning Richer and richer together Remember in the bank closing scene to wait for Lee to say Ma twice. American – pop up and out Blue – move Calcutta scene – need people noises Welfare scene – need manly murmurs. If we are behind time at the welfare scene, cut – Kapush Mobocracy – gimme, gimme, gimme, all they know. Ryan calls Patrick Dugan Irene The time had come to say brother. My husband  leave me with three small children.  No money, no work… I’s about ready to stick my head in the cookin stove.  Then the city marshal come and take my furniture and leave me sittin on an old orange crate. I start yellin and howlin like a real mean woman.  And the people crowd around the marshal truck, and  ‘fore you know it that marshal go on back downtown – empty-handed.  And that’s when I see the solidarity, and I start to preach solidarity
Fanny	Gloves, hat Lower register when yelling at Sidney – it might be funnier to use a man voice with almost clenched teeth.
Lee and Grandpa	Remember to move more left stage in the first scene.
Fanny and Sidney Doris and Sidney	Step on each other’s lines. Move chair from first Doris, Fanny, and Sidney scene.
Rose	Today is going to be a good day – Step on Robertson’s previous line. Don’t forget the mortgage man. Loved the fool.
Women	Pitcher, glasses, lunchbox – put all this in one crate.
Dugan	Don’t walk in front of Rian
Music & Lee	After Edie’s scene, - you’re not a good person – play #17
Needs	Purple shirt for Graham,  Bobby pins, Rubber bands, Rocking chair  If you have read this, tell me that you need a great test grade.

Schedule and Critique - March 26

March 26, 2012

SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK BEFORE CONTEST:

Tuesday in class – Rehearse the bank closing scene. Rehearse the welfare scene. Strike the set.

Wednesday in class – Work on diction in class.

Thursday  – Work on individual scenes.

Thursday Night – In costume – Run through the show with critiques.

Friday in class – Work on problem areas from Thursday’s rehearsal & strike the set.

Sunday -  Run through show. Rehearse the rehearsal.  I have jury duty Monday morning, so Greg will take you through the rehearsal process Monday morning.  Put spike tape on floor (okayed by contest mgr)

Monday  - Official rehearsal – Wear T Shirts. Rehearse on stage.  Go through the entire show.  Return to class at 10:30. Rehearsal Monday night in costume.  Run through the play once.  

Tuesday –  Come to my class at 8:30.  Parents are providing breakfast. The school districts will provide lunch (sandwiches). For the awards ceremony, you need to wear dressy clothes. No T shirts.  Everyone must stay for the critique.  This will be about 6 or 7. There is a district baseball game.  The critiques will be recorded, and Cody, Graham, and Cole will have access to those on Wednesday during class.

Monday, April 2, 2012 – Rehearsals

Play Rehearsals
Rehearsal Time		School
Time on stage	Clear and exit stage
9:00-10:15	10:15-10:30	Shallowater
10:30-11:45	11:45-12:00	Cooper
12:00-1:15	1:15-1:30	Lamesa
1:30-2:45	2:45-3:00	Estacado
3:00-4:15	4:15-4:30	Brownfield
4:30-5:45	5:45 -6:00	Levelland

Tuesday, April 3, 2012 – Performances

Directors’ Meeting:  10:00 A.M. Tuesday, April 3, 2012

OAP Judge _Terry Lewis, Stephan Crandall, Bill Doll__

Contest Manager Freida Attaway

Play Performances begin at 11:00 a.m. 

Play Performances on the hour as voted via district schools
11:00	Levelland
12:00	Shallowater
1:00	Cooper
2:00	Brownfield
3:00	Lamesa
4:00	Estacado

         

Performance Critiques

Everyone	Dr. George Sorenson was at our performance last night – thanks to Fanny.  He is at the pinnacle of Texas Theatre people. He enjoyed the show.  If he told you that you did a good job, treasure that.  Thousands of theatre people in Texas long to hear those words from a master director. It is important for everyone to warm up. For those who didn’t, it took about half way through the play to regain your part. I’m not crazy about it, but it works. So trust me. Look at your watches. Calcutta - We need people gathered around the barrel, but we also need people walking and doing something.  Bending over to talk to a friend.  It needs to look like a community – Hooverville. People were late entering the welfare scene. That made it drag. SOMEONE MOVE THE CHAIR IF IT IS IN FRONT OF ABBEY – before the welfare scene.
Lee	Your first monologue could not be understood. You rushed through it. Remember that each “believe” needs to be different. Remember that during the bank scene, you need to wait a little, weave through the bank closing people, then enter your home. Reinsert the line - “ Any girl with an apartment of her own was beautiful. Edie was one of the dialogue writers for the Superman comic strip.” Louder on I really wonder if there is going to be…..to save this country from itself.” Your last monologue needs to touch our hearts. This is the last speech that the judges will hear.
Grandpa	You need a tie in each scene. Men during those times were formal, even at home.  People who had not seen the show had difficulty understanding you as Grandpa.
Moe	We need you a little bigger in the first scene. Be louder throughout the play, especially the first line in the bar scene and in the welfare scene. Loved you looking at your watch during crosses. We need you louder in the welfare scene – why not show us your sense of humor – I don’t like you and you don’t like me – do a little punching with your hands like a fighter. Make Lee forget he is impatient with you.
Fanny	No screeching at Sidney. When you become upset, you scream.  Be more threatening and lower your register.
Robertson	Board of directors and soft shoe lines need diction. Take your time going through “Calcutta” and let us see you shake hands and talk to people.
Lights	Need red light in the barrel and orange and orange lights on Calcutta.
Women’s scene	The scene was better last night BUT – Fanny, we need to see you get up and wait on Rose.  Leave the water glasses where they are in the cabinet and the pitcher.  Serve people as you are talking.   Lucille, be sure that you do not speak upstage.  It was better, but we need to see the stage business. Slow down on lines involving mortgage man and evict.

March 25 - Sunday's performance

Sunday’s Performance – March 25, 2012

Music	On the 3rd song, fade in and be sure that we can hear Rose.
Lee	Believed you aged through the show. Tilt hat back. Move more seductively when you ask if you can sleep in her bed.
Rose	Great stage presence at the beginning. Great reaction to Cornell or Brown. Great monologues throughout play.
EVERYONE	Energy was great at the beginning. Stay in the light unless you are the accessory in the scenes. The lights need to come on when Grandpa says, “Man don’t even know………..” We need to have a little time to absorb the bank scene.  Half of the people need to enter left stage and half right -  We need to build, then gradually go down when Lee rushes through. We need to see him see the bank. We need levels at the bank scene. Great job in welfare scene – Fanny and child move by the trunk.  Child can sit on the floor. Overall, Sunday’s performance was great.  It is the little things that will kill us. Several in the audience could not understand actors.  The dialect was not consistent.
Sidney and Fanny	Great relationship.
Moe and Lee	Wonderful heartfelt moment – empathy for Moe and affection for Lee.
Doris	Cut year of
Irene	Great job with first monologue – heartfelt. Slow down on speech with pots and pans.
Toland	Great job at welfare scene – characters are truly different.
Moe and Molly	We need to establish your relationship in the first scene.
Moe	Thanks for working with the hat so we could see your face. He don’t believe in anything – more finality in tone – drive it home. We need you louder in first line in bar scene (deeper) and in the welfare scene, especially $22. Line. Command the stage in your first family scene.
Lights & Everyone	Do we want more light on Lee during the Mississippi scene? The lights need to come on when Grandpa says, “Man don’t even know………..” We need to have a little time to absorb the bank scene.  Half of the people need to enter left stage and half right -  We need to build, then gradually go down when Lee rushes through. We need to see him see the bank. We need levels at the bank scene. After Sidney says, “Gee, you’re really terrific at that, Doris.” Bring lights up in Calcutta. Robertson, we need to see you walk among the people.   We need more purple wash on the dancers. If you have read this, tell me how you think more humor or heart needs to be injected in scenes.
Robertson & Clarence	What is your relationship?  How often do you see each other? How often are your shoes shined?  How many shoe shine jobs have you had that day? Were the tips good? Figure this out so it shows onstage.
Fanny	Change the phone out in the Baum house. Move the phone and stand behind the couch but still seen.
Quinn and Robertson	Slow down.
Fowler	Slow down
Boy and Doris	Great job.  Make sure you are in the light and come in early enough.
Women’s scene	This really didn’t work Sunday. It was too fast. There was not much sentiment.  We need for Fanny and Lucille to get up. Lucille, your lines about window open and ask his mother are said upstage. We have to hear and understand the lines.  Leave water glasses and pitcher on cabinet and go to it to bring glasses, etc to the table. Someone needs to check on grandpa.  He is too infirmed to move around much. Lucille, when you go to cool off your underarm pits, you could feel grandpa’s forehead because he is wearing a sweater.  Fanny, we have to see you care about Rose. This scene needs the most work.
Fanny	Watch screeching at Sidney.  Control your voice.