Final Day: First Preview

This may be my last post from NYC - I really, really, cannot believe, A: I am here doing this, and B: that it is already over.  I will probably post again after tomorrow's first preview performance and if it is possible to be more emotional than tonight's, I may be in for it.  It hit me really hard during the second act that I was sitting in the St. James Theatre, and had been for the past 14 days working on a beautiful show with some of the most talented technicians, performers, designers, directors, musicians, and choreographers there are - and somehow, I was part of it.  If I didn't fully understand what it means to be humbled, I certainly learned it over the course of the past 4 weeks. 
This experience has been nothing short of life changing and how I look at the gifts I have been given to be able to be part of the theatre community - not just here, but at home on a wonderful campus as well. I really began to understand just how blessed we (show folk) are to get to do this for a career and I know there have been, and will probably be in the future, times when I've taken it for granted.  Being here has changed that. I cannot remember the last time I sat through 14 straight days where I was physically in the theatre for over 12 hours each day and really enjoyed my time. It was amazing.
I thanked Christine for allowing me to be a part of her family of creative artists and was barely able to keep my emotions in check - big surprise.  Well, it is almost midnight again and I need to be back at the theatre tomorrow for my official last day of work - it will be bittersweet, to say the least. . .

Official Playbill for First Preview

It may not be on the cover page, but it is in a Playbill!

Long First 10 out of 12

This is just an observation, but if the best smells in the world lie in that of a new born baby's head and fresh baked bread, than the odor and funk of the local A train at midnight is the polar opposite - enough said.  Also, I never thought I would miss the express train as much as I did last night trying to get back to 181st.  Twenty stops and 45 minutes later, I finally got back to the apartment.  I certainly slept well.

The rehearsal went very well again - there seems to be a rhythm that has been established and we've now come to the end of Act I and actually started into Act II.  We hope to have the entire show teched by Monday evening - if so, we may get costumes a day early (Tuesday). 

I was able to speak with a cast member yesterday - Sean Krill - who is another very talented actor who is the stand by for Harry Connick Jr.  We don't necessarily know each other, but I went to college with Guy Adkins, his long time partner who recently lost his battle with cancer at an age that, for lack of a better phrase, was way, way, too young.  I was so happy to finally get a chance to say hello.  This business, even here on Broadway, is so very, very, small and connected that it never ceases to amaze me. From a crew member here at the St. James that I went to college with some 20+ years ago, to a performer who's partner and I shared the stage in a production of A Chorus Line in 1988, I am constantly reminded that we are all part of a very intimate family of artists.

We begin today at 1:30ish with some more Dry Tech as the cast has their sitzbrobe.  They, the cast, will join us after dinner break to hopefully get a good start on Act II tech. 

I can't believe that I will be starting my final week in two days - this first three weeks has simply flown by. I have tried to absorb as much as I can so I can share the many similarities, and unique differences between what we do at the academic level and here at the St. James.  What I will take with me is the wonderful memories of the great people I've gotten to meet and work with. I hope it is not my last time to work in this wonderful city.

First Week of Tech: Coming to a Close

We've been teching for five full days at the close of tonight's rehearsal (at 11:45 pm) and this show is looking absolutely beautiful.  The lighting is incredibly vivid with all of the LEDs being used; and for this show, it is perfect and the sound is noticeably clean and full sounding.
 
The cast is helping out by wearing color coordinated t-shirts in the family of their primary costume colors to help set more accurate lighting levels and colors. Some costume pieces have hit the stage, but for the most part, we will see full costumes on Wednesday - three days before the first invited dress rehearsal!

The cast will have their sitzprobe on Saturday as the orchestra began their rehearsals yesterday.

The automation for all of the moving scenic units has fallen into a wonderful groove and it appears that everything seems to be running as smooth as to be expected with a show as involved (scenically) as this. The crew is amazing and should be commended for all of their work that they do (they all work from 8:00 am - 12:00 pm prior to the arrival of the cast) as without their endless hours, we wouldn't be able to move forward with the afternoon and evenings technical rehearsals.


I was able to meet a former student for dinner (Thanks Suzy!) and let her sit in on some of the rehearsal before she had to head back home.  It never get's boring listening to Harry Connick Jr. and the rest of this incredible cast sing these beautiful songs.  Well, finishing up some errands before heading back into Midtown for the start of rehearsal. 

No Detail Too Small. No Idea Too Large

Yesterday was day 2 of our full day of tech and things really began to go smoothly. There are many, many cues that feature automation, and as many of us know, any time there is moving scenery (or projections!) in a play or musical, those details tend to take time to make right, so patience is certainly a virtue.  Another one of the amazing aspects about a show this scale is the speed with which changes can, and are made.  A decision to alter a prop or a scenic unit can be made at 3:00 pm on day one, and by 12:00 pm on day two, the new item is often there.  There really is no time wasted when it comes to sharing and incorporating new ideas.

I've also noticed something yesterday that may be interesting and worth sharing. No detail is too small to be concerned with, and no idea is too large to consider.  What I mean is this.  We were working on a particularly short scene - 2 lines, in fact - and it featured a couple of chairs, a small cocktail table, two cocktails, and a practical lamp used in the scene. When the wagon carrying all of the set items arrived for the scene, (the first time all of us had seen the set piece) there was a discussion regarding the "look" of the set pieces all the way down to the cocktails that were going to be featured in the scene.

When the prop artist began to talk about the choices she made, they were all based on the dramaturgy of the show - everything discussed was based on the story and made to enhance and support the characters and that particular moment.  Eventually, some minor adjustments (trim details, new cocktails, and scaling down the chairs a bit) were made to help the set pieces "live" in the world of the moment better.  The changes were small, by most accounts, but absolutely necessary to bring them into the vocabulary of the rest of the design.

Seemingly every decision, no matter how big or small, seems to always go back to the script, the story, and the vocabulary that has been established for this exact environment. This may seem absolutely obvious, but all too often, decisions are made that are rooted in reasons other than "the story" or the agreed upon design vocabulary.

The other scary and exciting aspect is time. It may seem like 2 weeks to tech a show is a long time (compared to some regional theatres and most academic situations where one week is the norm) but, with everything that goes on in a show this size, every minute is being used - and used efficiently. 

Day three starts for the crew (who are amazing!) today at 8:00 am and we take the stage for more tech at 1:00 pm.  More to come. . .