February 2010 Archives

Hi everyone! Great work on Saturday! Thank you for your focus and patience. That will be more important than ever as we go into tech rehearsals.

Here's what is coming up this week:

Monday night:
7:30: All Called (except Joe). Lights and tech cue to cue.

For those of you in class on Monday, please come after your class and a break.

Tuesday night:
7:15: actors get into costume and warm-up
7:45: tech, works with Carl, dance/fight call
9:30: run and notes
(Joe will arrive by 9:30 for this run -- he has a class until 9:00.)

Wednesday night:
7:15: actors get into costume and warm-up
7:45: tech, works with Carl, dance/fight call
8:30 or 9: invited dress run
10:30: notes, works and tech

Please note: if you invite friends to our dress, please make them aware that we will ask them to sit on the front row and on the aisle seats as part of our prep to make sure we are working safely in those areas. We will stop as we need to for that reason and tech reasons.

Thursday night:
6:30: space open for warm-ups
6:45: dance/fight call
7:00: half hour
7:30: opening performance
9:30: possible notes, works and tech

Friday night:
6:30: space open for warm-ups
6:45: dance/fight call
7:00: half hour
7:30: performance #2 and talk-back

Saturday night:
6:30: space open for warm-ups
6:45: dance/fight call
7:00: half hour
7:30: performance #3
9:00: break
9:30: dance/fight call as needed
10:00: performance #4

Sunday afternoon:
1:00: space open for warm-ups
1:15: dance/fight call
1:30: half hour
2:00: performance #5

Sunday evening:
6:00: warm-ups
6:15: dance/fight call
6:30: half hour
7:00: closing performance and strike

Strike for us will mean:

Putting only clothes that belong to the costume shop on the rack and bringing the rack to Deb's office.
Returning drums and other percussion that belong to the BFA program to Deb's office.
Returning bamboo poles and wooden staffs to Deb's ofice.
Bringing ropes and harness to Deb's office.
Pulling up floor tape from the seams if requested (Steve and Lucinda are in the process of deciding if they want us to leave it down for the sophomore Shakespeare projects).
Actors clear all personal items from the dressing room.

Note: Please continue to be responsible for setting your own props. I have asked Ross and Michael to do a prop check at the 10 minute call to support you in this. Ross and Michael will set the ropes during the curtain speech. Zach, please have the ropes ready and be standing at the dressing room door by the two minute call to hand the ropes off to them for placement.

Prop check list as I have it:
Creons to pick up catwalk key from the plastic box.
Eteolces and Polynieces bamboo staffs to be place onstage leaning against opposite pillars.
Eteocles to place Antigone harness on backstage table (behind Joe's vom).
Tiresias staff to be leaning behind downstage pillar.
Ropes to be handed off by Zach at the two minute call to be placed in the aisles by Michael or Ross.
(If we decide to use flashlights on the catwalk, Claire and Maura will set those where they need them.)
Antigone will have her blindfold set where she needs it.

Have fun seeing Love's Labor's and I'll see you all tomorrow night!

View image

Here's the plan...

11:00 ALL Called for costumes and warm up
11:30 fight call/dance call/work top of show and notes
1:30 Run #1
3:00 notes and break
3:30 Run #2 and notes

Hi everyone, here is the plan for Friday...

7:30 Dionysus chorus members and Josh

8:00 All Called in dressing room for costumes

8:30 Run, fixes and notes

Joe, please come at 8.

As the short film I worked on about the effect of war on children, Ana's Playground, has inspired us during this rehearsal period, I thought you might want information as to where you can see an upcoming screening:

Nobel Peace Prize Festival
Augsburg College
Saturday March 6th @ 3:15pm
Melby Hall
$10 for screening and closing ceremonies on Saturday
https://www.formsite.com/midwestconferences/PPF-Welcome/secure_index.html
http://www.peaceprizeforum.org/

WIFTI Short Film Showcase
Sunday March 14th @ 1pm
Walker Film Center
9 short films - 120 minutes
$8/$6 for Walker and WIFTI members

Hey there, I spoke to Carl as I think it's important we deepen scenework before we do another run. So, here's what's up for tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday, subject to change :

Note: Joe, we won't need you on Tuesday or Wednesday -- enjoy your nights off! Thursday will be a big night for drums.

Tuesday
7:30: Ismene (work final moments and etc.)
8:00: Ismene and Antigone (scene two)
8:30: Creons, Antigone, Ismene ("trial" scene and ropes scene without ropes)
9:30: Creons, Ismene, Antigone, Haemon, Chorus Leaders (final scene)
10:00: Creons
(NO CHORUS CALL -- PLEASE REVIEW YOUR TEXT AND MOVEMENT FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR INDIVIDUALLY.)

Wednesday
7:30 Haemon, Eteocles, Polyneices, Antigone, Isemene, Eurydice, Creons (opening scene, no chorus)
8:30 Creons and Haemon
also at 8:30: chorus meets in pit or hallway to run through all words of chorus and review movement as possible
9:30 Creons, Tiresias, Boy (no chorus)
10:00: Creons

Thursday
7:30-11:00: Chorus review/drum add-in and rehearsal. All called to work from top of show.

Hi everyone, great work last night.

Here is today's call. Carl is with us from 12 to 2.

12:00: Dionysus Chorus (Jen, Christina, Anna, Ashley, Breanna)

12:45: Polyneices, Eteocles, Antigone, Isemene to stage final moments of play.

(Joe, feel free to listen in for ideas during the above sessions, or come in at 1:45 -- whatever is best for you.)

1:45 - 5:00: ALL CALLED (please enter quietly as the final moments may still be in rehearsal). Final scene, work notes, Run-through.

Please remember to bring any costume pieces you think might work.

Wow -- it was terrific to see the play put-together last night. Thank you for leaping forward.

Tonight's schedule:

6:30: Elisa meets with Ian, lighting designer. If you enter the space before 7:30, please be as quiet as possible until this meeting is finished.

7:30: All called.

On stage at 7:30: Soldier celebration chorus members. We will use the time at 7:30 to review text for this chorus. Carl will arrive by 8 to begin working movement, especially lifts/climbs for Miles.

Also at 7:30 in the dressing rooms:
Creons/Hameon: review your scene
Antigone/Isemene: review your scenes

8:30: Finish work on Tiresias scene with Carl.

9:00: Create Dionysus choral movement with Carl.

NOTE: Good work with the Ropes last night, everyone! We will review this scene with Carl on Saturday.

Hi everyone,

Thank you to all the rope handlers and Christian for a tough and inspiring rehearsal tonight. That scene is going to be unforgettable. Thanks also to Tiresias, Boy, Creon and chorus for hanging in so late to work. We'll resume some work on that tomorrow and especially Friday with Carl.

Thursday night we'll do a work/review from the top of the show all the way through the Tiresias scene, skipping the Dionysus chorus (to be worked Friday), and staging the messenger scene. Everyone is called at 7:30.

Hi everyone,

Thank you for your flexibility last night. Even though we missed having Carl with us, a lot was achieved. If his family is better and he is able to be back with us tonight, we will start with the ropes scene and move forward into Tiresias and possibly the Dionysus chorus.

If not, we will start from the top of the show and do a work-through/review up to the Messenger scene which we will then stage. All are called at 7:30.

If you need to reach me, please know that I'm at the Mayo Clinic with my daughter all day and will not be able to answer my phone for most of that time. I will try to check email and messages whenever possible.

Hey everyone, here's the scoop for Tuesday.

Carl will be with us for the whole rehearsal time.

7:30: All called except Antigone, Ismene, Haemon and Creons to run lifts (especially Eteocles walk up choral shoulders) in the first choral ode and review of "Love" chorus we learned on Saturday.

8:15 ADD Antigone, Ismene, Creons to work Antigone in ropes scene.

If possible, at 9:30 or 10:00 we will move on to Tiresias scene.

Andrew, you are not called. Please review your scenes.

Memorization assignments:
All: Please take time daily to review and refine your memorization. I will ask Ross and Michael to start giving line notes by the weekend.
Women: please have Dionysus chorus memorized for Wednesday night's rehearsal.
Eurydice and Messenger: please be off-book with your text for Thursday night's rehearsal.
Creons/Chorus Leaders/Chorus/Ismene: please be off-book for the final scene of the play by Saturday.

Great work tonight, everyone!!

All are called for rehearsal tomorrow at 12:00. I may be letting some of you go as the day progresses. See you then!

Hi everyone, thank you for a great rehearsal tonight. I'm so proud of the work you all are doing.

I would like to give our hard-working Chorus a night off tomorrow, Thursday. Please review (mark through) your physical work individually and deepen your understanding and feeling for your text. And do something fun. Be good to yourselves.

Looking ahead, Men, please have the fourth choral ode, pages 45-46, memorized for Saturday's rehearsal with Carl. This may be just one of you speaking (Ernest), or may be broken up, depending on where we go with the choreography, but it's short and I think it would be best if you all knew it. Josh and Ben, you will be in this one. Worked into this choreography will be getting several of the men offstage to then bring in Antigone in ropes.

Women, look to the fifth choral ode and begin memorizing (page 55). I expect us to get to that ode in the middle of next week.

Also, looking ahead, we will get to the Tiresias scene by the end of the day on Saturday and Antigone's last scene (scene 5). Ashley and Christian, please be very familiar with your text, one step away from off-book.

Thursday's call:
Haemon/Creons: 7:30-9:30, scene four pages 39-45 (Brendan and Christina you are not called).
Creons: 9:30-10:30, speeches and character work through the play

for Friday:
7:30 ALL CALLED: put-in rehearsal for drums/work through from the top of the show

To get a sense of where the text we're working on would have originally been performed, check out these photos:

Theatre of Dionysus in Athens: seats slope up the bank of the Acropolis. Note the seats for priests around the edge, and remnants of an altar in the front.

http://academic.reed.edu/humanities/110tech/graphics/thdionysus2.JPG

Ancient Theater in Delphi, high in the mountains:

http://lib.lbcc.edu/handouts/images/greece/delphitheatre.jpg

Dream on the size and scope of the vocal work these theaters demand, and make possible...

Hi everyone! Tonight we add Joe on drums!!

As such, I'd like to review from the top of the show at 7:30 for him, and then we'll add Carl at 8:30 to continue on with chorus work. I may be letting those of you who are not involved in the choruses we are working go at some point after we do a check in.

So, 7:30 Wednesday: ALL CALLED

Looking ahead to Thursday: Creons and Haemon, off book for your scene. Review of Creon's entrance, Sentries scene, and work the Creons/Haemon scene.

Friday: Tiresias scene/Messenger scene

Saturday, with Carl: review of show/Antigone-in-ropes scene/more chorus work

Hi everyone, and thank you for your tremendous focus and creativity on Saturday! I had a great meeting with Carl this morning to continue dreaming up the chorus and movement work...also had a meeting with Joe, our drummer, who joins us on Wednesday...exciting stuff going on!!

Here is Tuesday's call:

NOTE: If you are in Rarig before your call, please do not enter the space until the time you are called.

7:30: Elisa works with Claire
8:00 Elisa works with Andrew

8:30: ALL CALLED except: Claire and Christian

8:30: Chorus work with Carl, review of 1st soldiers chorus and work on "waterfall" chorus.

also 8:30-9:30: Creons and Haemon work on text and memorization in the dressing room.

10:30 or 11:00: end of day

Hi everyone, here's an outline for today:

12:00: ALL called for work/review from top of show through Scene Three.

2:00: Individual Scenework TBA

5:00 End of day

Thank you for an energized and productive rehearsal last night. Thanks especially to Josh and Anna for taking us safely and slowly through the difficult choral passages you are learning. They look and sound amazing!

Tonight's schedule:

7:30 ALL called, except Andrew, for a work through/review of the soldiers chorus through the first Sentries scene, pages 15-26. Andrew please use the time for text work and memorization.

9:00 Begin work on scene three, pages 28-37. ADD: Andrew (I may have Haemon witness some of the scene).

Memorization assignments:

Antigone/Ismene/Creons/Chorus Leaders/Sentries:
Off-book through page 37 by Saturday's rehearsal.

Chorus of Men and Women:
Off-book for second choral ode, pages 26-27, and off book for third choral ode, pages 37-38, for Tuesday's rehearsal with Carl.

Haemon/Creons: Strong familiarity pages 39-44, to be worked Saturday or Tuesday TBD.

Looking ahead for Saturday, I will do individual scene work, and then call all for a review/work session from the top of the play.

Hey everyone,

Thank you for your great work last night! We'll meet at 7:30 to gently review the men's chorus on page 16 and then move on with scene work beginning on page 17. My goal is to stage/work the first Sentries scene, work how Josh is brought into and out of the chorus work on pages 26-27, and possibly move into Scene Three with the Sentires/Creon/Antigone. All are called for the night.

So thrilled to have Joe on board to lead the percussion work with us! He'll be here next Tuesday to begin scoring work.

Carl and I made lots of little changes/fixes/additions to the first scene last night. Please be sure to write them down, and work them on your own.

Hi everyone, good work last night! This is just a reminder that we'll meet tonight at 7:30 to review the whole first scene of the play (though Creon's line "such is the fate authority decrees"). After that, Carl will be in to work the first men's chorus until around 10, and then we'll stage Creon and the Sentries. See you all at 7:30!

Also -- Antigone and Ismene, I will bring your line additions with me at 7:30.

Hi everyone! Here's the schedule for Tuesday night:

7:30: Polyneices and Antigone

8:00: Antigone, Ismene, Polyneices, Eteocles, Haemon, Eurydice, Creons (keening)

8:30 - 10:00: ALL CALLED for first women's chorus work with Carl

10:00 - 11:00: ALL CALLED for staging through Creon's "such is the fate authority decrees" (end of scene one)