A New World...is Over!

Okay, so this week I am on Spring Break, and Songs for a New World has been over for a little over a week. I really enjoyed this stage managing experience. I always learn something to take on to the next show. This time I learned that if I relax more, stay calmer, and trust more, I can get cues down much faster. For some reason, I was really...well I am always really nervous about cues. They ended up being fine though. It was wonderful to have a great co-pilot (light board operator). It makes a world of difference when you have someone on the lights who does not hate you, even greater if they like you and respect you as a person. lol I was grateful to have someone like that this time. (Yeah, I have had exactly the opposite of all of that, and it was horrible.) I was also very pleased with my ASM's and the set and costume crew. Everyone was so helpful and respectful. There were a couple of issues:

Someone decided it would be good to pop some popcorn backstage, during intermission. They burned it. For anyone wondering, no that was not a smart idea even if it does not burn.

An audience member sat on the set during intermission. I was really annoyed . So was my co-pilot. I had to restrain her from yelling through the mesh screen. I love her for that. It was remedied quickly, I asked the house manager (another wonderful person who I love very much) to take care of it. (We had an on stage arena style show, which does not in anyway excuse sitting on the set.) Because of the crowd it was taking a while for her to get through the people, but my ASM sent one of the crew out to ask them to move. I am sure they asked really nicely, and the young ladies seemed very flippant and not at all ashamed of themselves. Part of me, a large part, wishes she had told them in a kind way that also made them understand that they should be embarrassed or apologetic. It's not that big of a deal, but that is just something that you don't do. It's like sitting on someone's car even though you don't know them. I hate that. It's completely rude and disrespectful. I despise disrespectful. Okay, gonna step down off this soap box now. :)

I think those are the two main annoyances that stood out, so that means we had a very blessed show. :D

Here are some of the pictures from ORU Theatre's Production of Jason Robert Brown's Songs for a New World:

Songs Rehearsal 3

Tonight the cast is having a music rehearsal, learning the harmonies for a song called Steam Train. So far things are going well. Courtneay, our director, assigned certain lines to certain actors, so ever so often I have to interrupt to clarify who should be singing which lines. The music director is very gracious. I enjoy working with him. I have two ASM's for this show. They are sitting with me on the second row behind the cast. They all have their music stands and scores. I am reminded of band practices long ago.

Tonight will be my first time doing a report on the new rehearsal report form. It will be a cinch because I don't have any notes yet. Except for the one that I just added which is just a simple question for my director about Monday's rehearsal. As we go farther into the rehearsal schedule I am expecting, of course to have a lot more to do. I am truly excited about this show, working with this director, these assistants and our cast.

Songs for a New World

Auditions Tonight!

Tonight we are holding auditions our first show of the Spring '10 season. It is called Songs for a New World by Jason Robert Brown. I managed to finish getting the prompt books ready for my director and myself. So yay for that. I am very excited about the auditions. This is my fourth time stage managing, and my second time stage managing a musical. That is all for now.