CAST PHOTOS

Congratulations to the entire cast of Our Town for snagging the Contribution Through Character Award! As Tracy explained at our cast party on Sunday, nominations were given to numerous of you. So numerous, in fact, that no one received more than two a piece! With no clear "winner," it was decided to simply award it to all of you. This has happened at least once in the past, where an entire cast has essentially nominated each other.

Here's what one person wrote on a nomination form about our cast :

Everyone worked together to make this an exceptional show. Backstage was typically a fun place to hang out and everyone helped each other with lines or entertaining each other. This is likely the most diverse cast for a straight play we've ever had and we came together like family.

As winners, you should all be receiving a certificate redeemable for two tickets to another HFAC show this season.

Some of you asked about the photos of the cast which were screen savers on my monitor during the party. Here's a link so that you can download them for yourselves:

https://picasaweb.google.com/111524086662205692566/OurTownShow?authkey=Gv1sRgCMWszuOPntyKFw

I also have put together a small book of Our Town photos which I was going to give to each of you at the cast party. But they don't ship until Tuesday of this week, so I should have them for you by Friday's show. See you all then!

REVIEW IS OUT!

Here's a link to our review in The Houston Press. As usual, DL Groover spends more time reviewing the script than the performance.

But you can read it for yourself at:

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/artattack/2012/08/houston_family_arts_center_tac.php?ref=navigation

I will be out of town on Thursday, but Tracy will be there in my stead. Please be ready to place your T-shirt orders!

TALKBACK

We had our first talkback Sunday afternoon and about 20 people stayed. It couldn't have gone any better if I had scripted it myself. 

Mario, Whitney, Patrick, Doug, Jeff, and Peyton stayed to participate. I know Rita sat out in the house and I think LD was out there, too. The actors onstage regaled everyone with how they prepared for their roles, what kinds of research they had done, and so on. 

The audience was VERY complimentary of all of your performances. One woman, in the front row, kept saying that the show was a real eye opener. We discussed the setting of the show being in a small town and at first, everyone thought that small towns were inherently better. People are happier there.

I was able to point out that Grover's Corners inhabitants, as you guys portrayed them, are no happier than anyone else. Simon Stimson certainly isn't happy. Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Gibbs lead lives that are filled with unanswered yearnings and missed opportunities. I think Jeff's Mr. Webb is committed to staying married and raising his kids, but I think he sometimes wonders if he didn't make a mistake at the altar. And L.D. shows us a Mr. Gibbs that is saddled with a burden of grief in his later years.

The themes there are universal. Some people may prefer small towns over metroplexes. But even in complex urban communities, people tend to subdivide their lives into smaller groups of co-workers, school groups, or church friends. You created a community of very real people that the audience particularly liked.

An older lady, who looked like she was a grandma several times over, noted that the two moms in the play seemed to be too busy to always connect with their children. She said that she felt exactly the same way when she was raising her children. Now, from the vantage point of her senior years, she has loads of time. She offered encouragement to the younger parents and it made me wonder why Wilder wrote about such nuclear families in the 1930's. There are no grandparents portrayed or even mentioned in the Webb's or Gibb's households.

Someone else (I think it was Estus' mom) asked Whitney how she went from being a bustling mother in Act I to dead in Act III. Another man asked how the show has evolved or changed over the years. (Our show is obviously the best production of Our Town ever!) Another inquired if Our Town had ever been made into a movie.

The best comment came at the very end. As I was wrapping up, one woman in row three waved her hand frantically in the air saying that she had a comment. She said that she and her husband had lived in New Jersey for 15-20 years and had just moved back to the Houston area. They had seen shows on Broadway on a regular basis during that time. AND everything that had seen at HFAC was as good, if not better, than what she had seen in New York!

I think it was Patrick (or maybe Doug) who told her that her check would be in the lobby at the box office!

You guys should be very proud of the work that you have done. You obviously touched a lot of hearts over the weekend.

Check the blog over the next few days. If we get a review, I'll post it here.

Just a reminder, we have a pick up on Thursday. No lights, no sound, just lines. It would be best to do all of your blocking, but you needn't pull out all the stops emotionally. I am actually out of town that evening, but I'll see if Tracy can "baby sit." I'm very particular that pick ups NOT dissolve into an evening of who can say their line in the funniest manner. That simply wastes time and some of you drive quite a distance to get there.

One more thing, Rita will be appearing in The Nacirema Society opening on Sep 22  (previews) and running through Oct 21 at Ensemble Theatre. Why don't we all get together and go support our Mrs. Webb??? Right now, all of those dates work for me except Oct 6. Would anyone like to attend the Friday Oct 12 or Sat Oct 13 performances? Post a reply and we'll put together a Rita-night!

Correct call time...

I'm still in rehearsal mode, apparently. Call time tonight is 7:00 PM, not 6:00. Enjoy your dinner!

FRIDAY AUGUST 17 Opening night!

We’re here! You have all worked so hard against really bizarre sorts of casting challenges. But I think the cast that appeared onstage last night was absolutely perfect! 

You guys are ready!

Patrick, I think this is the best role you’ve ever done. You’re Stage Manager transcends the boundaries of vintage sentimentality and yet still presents a heart warming tale. That’s a tough job. And you also cover a variety of other characters from all walks of life and even different genders! Bravo!

L.D., Doc Gibbs is subtlety nuanced; he’s open and gregarious with folks on the street, but not nearly as gracious with his own wife. And you still make him a likeable, lovable character. I absolute get lost in the scenes you have with Whitney; they’re too real for words.

Whitney, your eyes communicate so much longing. You barely have to finish the line about Paris and I understand how much that dream means to Mrs. Gibbs. And the body language you use as you putz around your kitchen??? It’s transports a paper-bound Mrs. Gibbs to the depths of a real person with a soul.

Robert, wow! I can’t believe that you just stepped into this role two and a half weeks ago. You’ve had a baptism by fire. And you’re hitting your stride, right on time! The entire cast, me especially, owe you a huge debt of gratitude. Thank you for taking George from the awkward throes of teenage adolescence to a grieving husband who has had his life ripped apart. Very powerful performance.

Peyton, you’re absolutely adorable. Rebecca is a forthright and engaging little sister who has a sense of wonder about everything. You bring that out at EVERY rehearsal! And I have no doubt you’ll now do it at every show.

Jeff, I have seen you push Editor Webb all over that stage! I love the amount of experimentation that you did to capture a time pressed and weary husband who loves his family even though he is trapped in it. Great depth of character there.

Rita, playing Myrtle Webb is tough for any actress. The easy job is to simply make her a nit-picking shrew who nags her family and ignores their emotional needs. But I don’t think that that’s what Wilder was writing. You’ve given us a real woman who has issues and conflicts AND a great deal of love for her family.

Playing Emily Webb is certainly an accomplishment. But Sarah, you’ve created an Emily who is more than just a saccharine sort of ghost who warns us all to take time to smell the roses. You die and say good-bye to the world every single night. I love how you bravely take that plunge! Now you’ll have a chance to take an audience along with you on that journey.

Sam, you go from being an active, adorable boy scout to being dead- what a range! I’m so glad that you’re a part of this show. Keep those pants pulled up at the knee!

Shaun, you have only a few seconds to let the audience fall in love with you before they learn that your character dies before he has a chance to live. It takes a really fine actor to accomplish that. Thank you.

Mario, I just love Howie! You spent a lot of time working on this almost incidental character and made him so believable.  Howie doesn’t just recite lines, he embodies them. And that laugh fest you have with Reid every night about the drunken Poles in the snow? Priceless!

Matt, thank you for making Professor Willard such a character. There are so many ways to interpret this guy; you’ve made him into someone we’ve all known and encountered before, namely that nerdy science geek from chemistry class. The audience all knows someone like this, and they’re going to relate to that onstage.

J, like Robert, you’ve had to just jump into this whole hog. Stimson, as you play him, is a tortured man with demons chasing his soul. The easy way out is to simply play him for laughs as the town drunk. But you dig deeper than that. Thank you.

Michel, you bring Mrs. Soames to a wonderful level. She’s not just a simple gossip. Even though she loves to dish about the people in Grover’s Corners, she also is passionate about her cares and concerns. And she wants to be heard! You make her all of that.

Reid, you tackle two different roles with equanimity. You’ve made Constable Warren a self-important, swaggering cop who also manages to age before our eyes. And your Joe Stoddard is a delicate layering of polite funeral director and concerned clergy. Excellent!

Gia, you’re such a cutie! I love how you’ve learned to scale back your tremendous musical theatre skills into something more nuanced and reality-based. Keep up the good work!

Doug, your Sam Craig is a completely convincing businessman. In your performance, I see a man who parlays a business trip into possible new leads, and then into a home coming, and finally into a true episode of grief as he confronts his own mortality. All that in just two or three pages!

Emily, you’re a true ensemble member. You’ve read in for other actors who couldn’t make rehearsal, you’ve taken those small parts and made them perfectly real and genuine, and you’ve done it all consistently every night. I love listening to you ask about drinking every night. I hear the concern and just a little bit of self righteousness from this teetotaler who sits in the back every night!

Sophia, you’re also a trouper. You have a small role in this show, but you’ve shown that you have a real heart for theatre in making every small moment count. Continue making those small moments into much bigger ones.

Estus, you have graced our stage. And I mean that in all sincerity! Without you, our pack of baseball players would be immeasurably diminished and our school kids lacking that extra spark!

And Desi, I would like to have lunch with your Artistic-Lady-in-the-Box. Just that one line, and you’ve created someone who has life and depth and reality. 

This show would never have made it this level without the hard work and commitment of our AD, Katie. It has been a complete pleasure to partner with you on this show and I can't thank you enough for your innumerable contributions to the staging and directing of Our Town. 

I woke up with this tune in my head; watch and enjoy. See you all at 6:00.

T-Shirts and other fun stuff

Congratulations on a fantastic show!  I know our audiences will love what you and the production team have created.  There's a lot of information below, but it's all important, so please make sure you read carefully and completely, and ask Lisa, Katie or me if you have any questions.

T-SHIRTS:
Each shirt is $10, and you can order as many as you like.  All sizes are available.  If you want to order more than one shirt, you can mix sizes - just make sure to let me know exactly what you want on the order form, which will be backstage starting tomorrow.  I have found that the shirts seem to run just a hair small, so if you want a loosely fitting shirt, order a size larger than normal, especially if you've got a little "extra" around the middle or a large neck like I do.

As I mentioned last night, the shirts will have the show logo and performance dates as well as the HFAC logo on the front, and will have all of the names of the cast and production team on the back.

All you need to do is fill out the indicated information on the form and give me (or Lisa or Katie) your payment.  We can accept cash or checks made to HFAC.  If you need to pay with a credit card, let me know, and I'll figure out a way to run that through the box office credit card machine for you.  We'd like to get a final count by the end of this Sunday's matinee show so that we have a chance to get the shirts printed and distributed no later than the cast party.  We'll accept your order prior to payment, but you must pay before you can receive your shirt.  Duh.  :-)

PARKING:
In addition to the earlier note about where to park, please note that for tomorrow and Saturday that the Academy has a show PRIOR to our show, so the parking lot is likely to be full of parent's cars when you arrive at call time.  Your best bet is to park in the lot at the park across the street.  Their show today runs concurrently with ours, so parking shouldn't be as much of an issue since you'll be arriving before most of the Academy parents.  VITALLY IMPORTANT: Near the far east end of the parking lot there are often two spaces with reserved parking signs for one of the other tenants.  If the signs are posted (they are portable), and you park there, you WILL be towed.  Consider yourself warned.  If the signs are not posted, then you can park in those spaces.

CIRCLE:
As Lisa wrote yesterday, circle is mandatory for all actors and crew.  However, the prayer near the end of circle is voluntary.  While we'd love for everyone to stay for this short prayer, we certainly respect the wishes of anyone who desires not to participate.  Note that the motto recital, "Touching hearts, touching lives, in a dramatic way" is spoken immediately after the prayer ends, so if you skip the prayer, you may not get back to the circle quickly enough for that fun part of our routine.

POST-SHOW:
Again, as Lisa wrote yesterday, our patrons enjoy meeting the cast in the lobby after the show.  If you choose to participate in this HFAC tradition, you have the option of going to the lobby immediately after bows, or changing into your street clothes first.  We also understand if you choose not to participate or if you need to skip this from time to time as we know there are often other demands on your time other than this production.

CAST PARTY:
It looks like it will be on Sunday, September 2nd after our matinee.  That would put it at about 6:30 or 7:00.  Since the next day is Labor Day, hopefully most of you won't have to worry about making it an early night.  The party will be at Lisa and Mario's house, which is near Goodson Middle School in Cypress (about 20 minutes north/northwest of HFAC).  Her cast parties are always great fun, and you won't want to miss it.  We'll let you know by next weekend if we will have enough room for you to bring a guest (obviously the kids can have a parent present), and if you need to bring anything (if so, it's typically a dessert).  They do have a nice pool, so bring a suit and towel if you think you might want to swim.

Have a great final dress rehearsal tonight, and I'll see all of you at opening night tomorrow!

Tracy

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 15

Robert is out tonight; Doug, you've become the go-to guy to read in parts. Would you mind reading his part in again?

Here's some notes and reminders of what to do on show days:

• Call time is always 1 hour before curtain: 7:00 PM for Fridays and Saturdays and 2:00 PM for Sunday matinees.
• Please do not park right next to the doors of the theatre. Save those primo parking spots for your audience, some of whom might be arriving late. Park further down, at the ends of the parking lot, preferably facing Grant Rd, so that head in spots can be saved for the audience. You can also park across the street at Matzke Park.
• When you arrive, SIGN IN!
• LD will be giving you count downs to 3 different times, first to circle, next to house, and finally to curtain or places. Here's what happens during each:

1. 7:15 (2:15) is mandatory cast circle. Since our cast is relatively large, we'll do this onstage. (LD, can you leave the rollup door open until after circle?) We'll have a few brief announcements and last minute notes, followed by a brief prayer, and our traditional HFAC chant which is "touching hearts, touching lives, in a dramatic way." Please check props, if you have any. You are free to move about the stage or house. In respect for actors who are preparing for roles, please keep it quiet. You can certainly carry on a conversation, but be mindful that some actors are working very diligently to prepare for the performance.
2. 7:30 (2:30) The rollup door will be closed and the house is open. You can no longer go out on stage and must be quiet backstage. Get into costume and makeup.
3. 8:00 (3:00) Places. 

• During the show, keep it quiet backstage. Kids, bring some sedate activity to keep yourself occupied. A game with the sound turned off, e readers, comic books, knitting, embroidery, yoga- these are all quiet things that don't disturb others. Performance time is NOT a good time to play a group game or run around. If you really want to be a good performer, practice being a good actor backstage.
• Each intermission is 10 minutes long. 
• After the performance, you may exit to the lobby to greet your audience. This is not required, but we have found that out audience loves to meet and congratulate you.

Katie and I can't repeat this often enough: stay focused, keep up the pace and sell your audience the best performance that you have!

UPDATE ON PHOTOS

Picture day will be tomorrow, Wednesday the 15th.

Once again, Emily is photographing the entire show from start to finish. Just do what you normally do and don't worry about getting in her way. She's very good at being unobtrusive.

We'll take the cast photo immediately after the Act II wedding scene. Everyone is all together at the same place, same time, and you're all dressed nicely. Simply exit as you normally do, but troop back onstage. Between Reid, Mario, Matt, and Doug, could we get the ladders back onstage for the photo?

Tomorrow, I'll go over our typical pre-show routine at HFAC from call to curtain.

Reminders: Everyone sign in when you get there tonight and no one in the house after we start unless you've been blocked to be there.

TUESDAY AUGUST 14

Great job on your first tech rehearsal. We had a lot of ground to cover last night and you guys did it; we finished all three acts! Tonight will go much smoother, and faster.

One change for tonight- no photographs yet! I apparently didn't book the photographer when I thought I had. So please wear costumes, but we won't get pictures done tonight. I'm hoping for Wednesday. Will keep you posted.

One last thing, for Family and Friends night on Thursday, you can tell your peeps that we'll probably start between 7:15 and 7:30. I want to give our outliers time to get into costume and makeup before we begin.

Thanks again for being patient and (mostly) focused for a grueling tech rehearsal. The end is so close I can smell it!

SUNDAY AUGUST 12 The home stretch!

Lots of info today! And no fun fact at all. Sigh.

 TALKBACKS

I’m in the process of scheduling talkbacks with the audience after all of our Sunday matinees. Depending on the audience, the talkback might last 20 to 30 minutes.

I’d like to know if any of you have an interest in participating. It would be too much for all 21 of you to stay every time, but I’d also like to give all of you a chance to entertain questions from the audience and share your thoughts on the show. I’ll have a sign up sheet posted backstage if you’d like to be included in a talkback. You have four different opportunities to sign up. This is completely optional!

FLOOR

After looking at all those stripes that I painted, I’ve decided that discretion is the better part of valor and have staged a retreat. The lines are going! I will still paint the house “blueprint,” but in a much more subdued color. The back wall now has a lovely texture on it that hides a lot of the seam lines.

LIGHTS

John was in the theater half a day Friday and almost all day Saturday setting lights. "Amazing" doesn't even begin to cut it. He has taken the lighting at HFAC to a whole 'nother level, and you guys are going to look like professionals at The Alley. If you see him around, be sure to thank him for his artistic endeavors.

BOWS

After much consideration, I have decided to alter bows a bit.

The beauty of an ensemble bow is that it gives the audience one huge picture all at once and they’re usually so overwhelmed, that they instantly rise to their feet. And I want you guys to get a standing ovation EVERY NIGHT! But I do want to also give you all a moment of glory, particularly since some of your parts don’t give you lots of stage time.

Let’s see if we can accomplish this right out of the shoot on Monday night. It has to go quickly, beofre the audience tires of slapping their hands together.

Step 1: Everyone enters the stage, just as before and bows a single time. Stay in this same position until it’s time for your second bow; don’t shuffle around.

Step 2: All kids trot forward in a single line and bow. Please put taller kids on ends and shorter ones in the middle. So Desi and Emily should be on the outside, next should be either Peyton or Shaun, with Samuel, Gia, Estus and Sophia in the middle. Split center and move to the sides and upstage. Patrick, you should be at the back of the pack by now.

Step 3: Adult roles move forward and bow: Matt, Mario, Michel, J., Reid, and Doug. Michel is in the middle, but all bow at the same time. If you can sort by height, great. If not, don't sweat it. Split center and move SL and SR. Kids should be upstage of you.

Step 4: LD, Whitney, Rita and Jeff move to center and bow; ladies first, then gentlemen. Move SL or SR.

Step 4: Sarah and Robert move to center, bow individually, move SR.

Step 5: Patrick takes center and bows.

Step 6: Now comes the tricky part. I really don’t like the curve, so I want to see if we can make two  straight lines. All kids from step 2 move to the front, with all other actors in a line behind them. One more company bow, recognition of tech crew with the right hand, one final bow, and lights.

Whew! Remember, don’t clap for each other. I do think it would be a nice gesture for you to show your appreciation of the tech crew by applauding them a few times, right after you extend your hand to them.

SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK

On Monday and Tuesday, I’ll be focusing almost exclusively on tech. Katie will be taking notes for you. If we have time, she can give them at the end of rehearsal. If not, she will probably be happy to post them on the blog for you. (Thanks, Katie!)

Here's what else is going on this week:

  

Monday

Julie Montgomery, from HFAC Marketing Committee, will be on hand to videotape interviews with actors. These will be posted on HFAC’s FB page to generate interest and buzz about the show. In the past, these videos have tended towards the why-should-someone-buy-a-ticket-to-this-show kind of format. And by “interview,” I mean a short, two or three question kind of thing.

Since our cast is so large, it’s not necessary that she videotape everyone. Even if she did, she wouldn’t be able to use all the footage. But I did want to make leads available to her in a timely fashion. She will set up around 7:30 (not sure just where; she may rove around some.) Towards the end of Act I, as soon as you have exited, I’d like Julie to see Rita, Whitney, and LD. At the end of Act I, she can see Jeff, Sarah, and Robert. Julie will snag other adults and kids as she can. I’m not sure Patrick has much free time to be interviewed at all. L

On Monday, you may wear costumes or street clothes tonight, whichever is easier for you. I recommend practicing costume changes, but there will likely be a number of restarts as sound and lights finish their programming, so you may gain a false sense of security as to how much time exists between cues, so be careful.

Tuesday

Tonight is photo night so full costumes and makeup for everyone!

Emily Talbot, our photographer, will take pictures of the entire show from start to finish. She doesn’t use a flash and her camera is very quiet. She’ll be all over the stage; just pretend she’s not there. She’s the same photographer that took the stunning publicity photos of some of our leads a few weeks ago.

She’ll also take the official cast photo. The best time to stage this is between Act II and Act III, immediately after the wedding. You’ll all have on your wedding finery, so immediately after exiting backstage, troop right on through the backstage area and re-enter from SL.  I’d like both ladders in the picture to give us some levels, plus all the chairs from the wedding will be there.  (Picture includes tech crew!)

It’s important for everyone to be serious about the photograph. There’s just no time for clowning around and silliness.

Our sound design and board operator Jean will not be here tonight; Tracy will be running sound, so there may be some missed cues. Please be patient!

Wednesday

Straight run through tonight. I’d recommend that you do all costume changes tonight, particularly if you’re concerned about making everything work.

Robert, who will be going back to college at Baylor in Waco, needs to move back into his dorm today in order to prepare for classes beginning again. That’s a 3 or 4 hour drive, one way. I don’t want him doing that all in one day PLUS moving, so he won’t be at rehearsal tonight. In his absence, Doug, could you read Robert’s lines tonight? You needn’t do all his blocking, just have your script handy and stand on stage.

  

Thursday

This is Family and Friend night. If you have family or friends who have already purchased tickets, they may come and see tonight’s show. You’re ready for an audience!  We need to run through the entire show without stopping, from opening to bows.

We're almost there, folks. I'm so proud of all of you! See you on Monday.

MONDAY AUGUST 6

Only 4 more rehearsals before tech week. And tonight will be the first rehearsal for J. Blanchard (Simon Stimson.) Please welcome J and help him with entrances and exits, please!

Tech week belongs to the tech crew: John Wind on light design, Jean Furter on sound design, and Sedric Willis our light board op. (Be sure to thank these guys!) I’d like everyone to be pretty much picture perfect by next Monday so that focus can be given to the tech crew. They are the ones who make you look good on stage.

Speaking of looking good, some of you have asked about costumes for the wedding and funeral scenes. I’d like to keep the overall feel simple and neutral. Sarah wore her “wedding gown” last Thursday; it’s a simple white sundress in a very flattering cut. She doesn’t carry a bouquet, but I may try a small, wedding veil on her this week.  It communicates that she is a bride and it looks good on her. That’s all it needs to do.

Howie Newsome is wearing cargo pants and a nicer corduroy shirt. He’s not the kind of man who would own or wear a suit. It keeps his look outdoorsy, but it’s a few levels nicer than his work clothes.

The baseball players should wear trousers and perhaps a polo or other short sleeved shirt to the wedding. Their taunting scene with George wouldn’t make sense if they wore nick slacks or, for the girls, dresses. I'll have four identical baseball caps for you to wear this week.

The Webb’s and Gibb’s families would wear semi formal clothing- nice dresses for the ladies; slacks and long sleeved shirts for the men. They’d probably also wear a tie and a jacket.

Mrs. Soames would certainly be in a dress. Sam Craig would likely wear a suit. The key is to keep it simple and in a neutral palette. Likewise, accessories like necklaces or earrings should be simple and flattering. Pearls or simple chains would be good choices.

With the exception of the baseball players, you can all probably wear nearly the same outfits for the funeral scene. If some of you can switch to a black dress or black jacket, great. If not, that’s OK. I usually wind up attending two or three funerals a year, and believe me, I’ve never been to one yet where EVERYONE wore black.

Let’s keep up the pacing tonight; the show in its final form simply cannot run three hours! (And we haven’t even been taking intermissions.)

 Fun fact #11

On p 30, Mrs. Gibbs says “Myrtle Webb! Look at that moon will you! Potato weather for sure.”

What, you may ask, does the moon have to do with potatoes?

There is a great deal of folklore about the four phases of the moon, the varying rate of gravitational pull, tides, and gardening. Just as the moon pulls the oceans into high and low tides, so the moon also pulls moisture up or down from the soil.

In the first quarter, the new moon, water is pulled up high in the soil. Seeds swell and sprout more easily and the increasing light makes leaves grow faster. Crops that grow above ground and produce seed outside the fruit do best when planted in this phase. Examples: lettuce, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and grains.

In the second quarter, the gravitational pull is less but there is even more moonlight. Types of crops that prefer to be planted in this phase of the moon are ones that produce above ground but have seeds inside their fruit. Examples: beans, melons, peas, peppers, squash, tomatoes.

In the third quarter, after the full moon, the gravitational pull is once again strong resulting in increased soil moisture. But the light is waning. This is the best time to plant root crops. Examples: beets, carrots, onions, peanuts, and, of course, potatoes.

In the fourth quarter, gravitational pull is decreased and light is at a minimum. This is a time of rest.

So the full moon that sparks romantic thoughts for George and Emily makes Mrs. Gibbs think of planting potatoes.

This circa 1900 farmer appears to have planted a bumper crop of root vegetables.

THURSDAY AUGUST 1

I’m very disappointed to tell you that Mike Hudson (Simon Stimson) came to me last night to let me know that he’s dropping the show. He accepted a part at a theatre whose rehearsal calendar conflicts with our show dates.

I’m pleased when an actor gets an equity gig, but not when it happens at the expense of another show. I now have to start looking for yet ANOTHER actor who can fill a role. Not someone who auditioned, who both wanted to be in and earned a spot in our show, but rather someone who is available and is doing me a favor. And I have to spend valuable rehearsal time going over back to basic blocking and motivations with this new person, things that have already been done weeks earlier, instead of focusing my attention on your more finessed performances.

I will endeavor, for your sake, to find the best possible actor to play Simon Stimson.

Please look at this as a lesson in why and how you should commit to a show. Decide when you audition if you truly want to be in a production, regardless of the size of the role. Don’t entertain second thoughts a few weeks before opening. Be open and above board when noting rehearsal conflicts. Be extremely careful when you’re cast in one show and then decide to audition for someone else.

I loved watching every minute of last night’s rehearsal. Robert, you’re doing a great job as George and I’m pleased that you’re ramping up so quickly. Whitney, LD, Rita and Jeff, you’re fascinating to watch; it feels like I’m looking in the window of someone’s house and surreptitiously observing what’s going on there. Sarah, last night when you said good-bye to the world, the sadness and loss in your face was palpable. And it was all the more powerful because you simply stood there and experienced letting go of everything that you loved. 

Show posters should be coming in tonight and more promotional materials for you to have on Monday. Take them to work or, when school starts up again, to your classes. You have taken on a sometimes stodgy American classic and given it new dramatic depth. I’m very proud of you all.

Research and Reminders

Hi gang!


Program bios are due this week! It never hurts to get them in early!

**Please check yourselves on your mime work. We really need to be conscious of the space required for everything. This video is a silly take on what we're actually doing while we mime.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkxFbz1a3As

*Keep working on your lines. If Lisa hasn't given you license to ad lib please avoid all paraphrasing. 

I saw this painting at the Chicago Art Institute. It made me think of our kitchens. This image has so much life.

Take a second to listen to Handel's Largo. Mr. Webb mentions it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq1Iv3DkwVs

Robinson Crusoe-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robinson_Crusoe

Whistler's Mother-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistler%27s_Mother

WEDNESDAY JULY 29

Lots of news today!

First, welcome Robert Lewis! Thank you for stepping in to fill the role of George. I want to encourage everyone to not only welcome Robert, but help him find his place. He has a lot of ground to cover, but we’re an ensemble; we all work together to make this show the best that it can possibly be.

Second, it’s time to start bringing in costume pieces. Some of you already have; this helps you define your character even more because you move differently when you wear different clothing. Try to wear something that you would wear to do the same activity that your character does. What would you wear to attend school or to fix breakfast? How about addressing a meeting? Leading a cart horse around outside? Attending a wedding?

Overall the rules are simple. 

• Keep colors in a neutral palette. See July 8 blog entry for color swatches.
• Keep options simple. Most of you should be able to manage just fine with a pair of trousers, two shirts, a jacket and overcoat, for instance. You don’t need a completely new outfit every time you set foot onstage. Try and use pieces for more than one scene.
• Dress for the weather. Act I is a mild spring day and evening. Act II is rainy until the drug store scene. Act III starts off rainy and mild but during Emily’s regression, it’s bitterly cold.
• Try to avoid a major shopping spree. That is, unless you just like to buy new clothes. 

 Mario has brought in some great weather related pieces if you want to get an idea. He wears a raincoat in Act II but changes to a coat, gloves and knit cap for Emily’s 12^th birthday. Jeff did the same about a week ago. Thanks, guys!

Note: There is now a costume rack backstage for you to keep things on. I'll add individual dividers to separate your stuff from everyone else's. If you hang it up correctly, you should have no trouble finding it again later. Put smaller things, like gloves, into the pockets of your coat. If at all possible, label the all small stuff!

Third, I’ve made an executive decision: We won’t be recording the song “Blest Be the Tie.” I know you all sound lovely and we’ve already devoted a few hours to working on it. But Robert needs the rehearsal time more than I think you guys need to hear yourselves sing during the show. (Did you know that our Robert actually recorded our ASTB tracks? He’s apparently an amazing music director also! Please thank him for doing that, particularly since we won’t be using them now.)

Lastly, I’m seeing absolute gold onstage. The Webbs and Gibbs spouses look so real, so MARRIED. I can see the longing and frustration in your faces even as you go through the motions of your day. Doug, your Sam Craig has a whole range of subtle feelings going on during your one scene in the cemetery. Patrick, you communicate that you care very deeply about the people in Grover’s Corners. And that care is going to be translated to the audience in a very short time.

Kids in the show, I would suggest that you watch these actors every night; you can a learn an awful lot.

Fun fact # 10

This man cared about his congregation so much!

"Blest Be the Tie That Binds" was written by John Fawcett (1740-1817.) He was a preacher at the small Baptist church in Wainsgate, England in 1772 when he received a call to move to a much larger, more prestigious church in London. He preached his farewell sermon, then loaded his family and belongings on a wagon for the move. As his tearful parishioners surrounded him to say their goodbyes, he made a snap decision to stay with these people whom he loved. He wrote “Blest Be the Tie” to commemorate that event.

It’s fitting that Wilder chose this song, which speaks to community life in such a poignant way, to frame his play.

The touching melody that you guys learned was written by someone else, a Swiss composer named Hans Georg Nageli.

TUESDAY JULY 31

It is with sadness and regret that I inform you that Matt Elliott (George) has to drop his role. His manager at Half Price Books initially agreed to be flexible for the run of the show, but is now requiring Matt to work evenings. Matt cannot guarantee, from one evening to the next, that he’ll be able to attend rehearsals or performances.

I have some feelers out for a replacement, but have yet to reach everyone I’m trying to contact. I hope to have an answer by tonight. It’s difficult to rehearse scenes when Matt isn’t there, so it’s imperative that a replacement is found soon.

Which leads me to the second of today’s weighty topics: absenteeism. I hate to harp on you guys, but it’s really critical that you be at every rehearsal. You all made a commitment to the show. And the bulk of you have been really diligent about attending rehearsals. I believe the problem lies with the conception that some of the smaller parts will not be missed.

The truth is YOU ARE MISSED! It’s increasingly difficult to finesse scenes if there are always three or four actors missing. Believe it or not, we’ve been rehearsing since the end of June and we have yet to have a single rehearsal with the entire cast present. I realize that some of your parts seem to be insignificant in terms of lines. But you’re a part of this cast, and when you’re gone, everyone around you is affected by it.

Please make every effort to attend all rehearsals (and performances!) from here out!

Tonight I'll have a seating chart for the wedding, since that proved problematic last night. Everyone have a good day!

The wedding always looks nicer when EVERYONE is there!

MONDAY JULY 30

Quick reminders:

• We're doing ALL ACTS tonight!
• Try and wear the right shoes for rehearsal. I don't mind if you wear flip flops all day long, but bring some rehearsal shoes and change when you arrive.
• No scripts on stage. You can call for lines all you want.
• We should only be missing Rita and Michel tonight, so Desi and Emily, you may have scripts to read in Mrs. Gibbs and Mrs. Soames.

See everybody at 7:00!

FRIDAY JULY 27

Now that you are off book for the entire show, or very nearly so, I’m anxious to start delving deeper into what’s happening with your character.

Everything that your character does in Our Town is important. These people care very deeply about their lives and they want to communicate something to the audience. As an example, let’s look at Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Gibbs.

Mrs. Gibbs is pleasant and easy going. She cares deeply for her husband and she worries that he overworks himself. Her house is reasonably clean and her children well mannered and of average intelligence. Son George is gifted athletically. But she has a dream. She longs to see Paris and has even found a way to make this dream happen: she can easily sell a clunky antique and have enough money to make her dream come true.

What happens when she broaches the subject with her husband? As she relates the story to Myrtle, he makes a joke about it, doesn’t treat it seriously. She later tells Frank that it’s her “duty” to see that he gets a rest. What does he say? He tells her that there’s “no sense in going over that again.” Doc Gibbs gets to see his Civil War battlefields every other year. She’s never been to Paris even once, and is shot down if she brings up the subject. How does this make her feel? Is she angry? Resigned? Disappointed? All of the above?

I think Whitney hit on something on Tuesday (24th) during the green bean scene. As she talks about their biennial trip to Civil War battlefields, she becomes almost comically sarcastic about it. I don’t think Julia Gibbs is a shrew and regularly tears her husband down, but she is clearly disappointed that her dream is never going to be realized and her husband doesn’t particularly care. Then she can’t even get Myrtle to listen to her!

Now let’s look at Myrtle Webb. Like Julia, Myrtle has two children. Her daughter Emily is blessed with a wonderful mind. Son Wally, not so much. Her relationship with her husband is a bit more strained; there’s probably more tension at their dinner table than across the way at the Gibbs. Why is it, though, that Myrtle finds it so difficult to pay her daughter a simple compliment? Did she come from a family that tended to close themselves off from one another emotionally? Is her marriage to Charles so dead that she is depressed and loses herself in her work? Is she embarrassed by any show of emotional delight that she can’t bring herself to say things?

All of the answers to these questions inform everything that Whitney and Rita do on stage. As both of these ladies lay out breakfast, what are they thinking? They surely don’t have to concentrate on how to set a table; they’ve done it thousands of times. But as each woman catches a glance out her window, what does she see? What does she long to see? What thoughts go through her mind? 

This sort of analysis is critical for everyone in the show. Even the school children. You guys have to cross the stage three different times. It shouldn’t look exactly the same every time, should it? Sometimes you’re late or you’ve forgotten something. Sometimes you’ve had a tiring day and walk slowly. You may be the best of friends with someone in the morning but by the afternoon, you’ve quarreled and aren’t on speaking terms. Perhaps you’ve gotten a good grade on an exam and can’t wait to get home and show your mom.

Let all of these things help you build a character that is so complex the audience can't help but be mesmerized by you!

Fun Fact about Our Town #9

On p 8, Howie tells Doc Gibbs that Bessie is going on 17.

Horses typically celebrate their birthdays on Jan 1, and Act I happens in May. So either Bessie turned 16 in January 1901, or, more likely since Howie appears to knows her exact age, she was born on Howie’s farm and is in fact almost 17. She might have been foaled in June or even as late as July.

Horses nowadays live to be 20 to 30. But their working life is considerably shorter, depending on the type of work that they do. Since Bessie lived in an era before antibiotics and routine surgery for large animals, she is probably nearing the end of her life. At the very least, she is late middle age. Since she puts in an appearance in Act II, which happens on July 7, 1904, we know that Bessie lives to be nearly 20.

So along with the morning star that gets wonderful bright just before it goes out on p 2, Mrs. Gibbs death foretold on p 4 and Joe Crowell on p 7, here's yet ANOTHER reference to the end of life in Wilder's Our Town.

A horse pulling a milk cart. Notice how tall the back of the wagon is? You almost need a step ladder to access it.

THURSDAY JULY 26 (PIX)

Tonight, there is a Guys and Dolls pickup on the mainstage (their last one) so we'll be in the red room. Acts II and III tonight.

Take a look at the publicity pictures that were taken last Tuesday! See everyone tonight!

WEDNESDAY JULY 24

Wow! Two Acts in one night! IT was a push, but you got through it! Tonight will be more of the same: Act III followed by Act I.

You’re all doing a great job staying off book. I noticed that Act II was shakier than Act I, but this is to be expected. Keep pushing memorization. Did anyone else notice how much more polished Act I looked? This is because no one is really struggling for words. When you have a command of the words, you can gain a command of the emotions.

Beginning on Thursday, both Michel (Mrs. Soames) and Rita (Mrs. Webb) have travel plans that were made before they were cast. Desi, could you read in for Mrs. Soames? And Emily (Morris, not Webb), could you read in for Mrs. Webb? If the two of you are comfortable with blocking, you can cover their parts on stage. Otherwise, you can simply read it from the house.

HFAC’s Artistic Advisor Rob Urbinati saw your rehearsal last night and he was very complimentary of you all. Thanks for making such a good impression on him! I'm meeting with Rob tonight for dinner and he'll give me more detailed notes on the show. Katy will be guiding you through tonight's rehearsal.  

Fun fact #8: Chickens in Our Town

The Philo System is still available;
Amazon sells it for $14.99 plus shipping!

On p 48, Editor Webb mentions the Philo System for raising chickens. The Philo System of Progressive Poultry Keeping is a real book written by Edgar Philo and   published in 1908. As far as I can tell, as I have yet to find a concise summary, he seemed to advocate improved chicken management by informing readers of precise details of chicken management. He advocated, for instance, that chickens be kept in small flocks of 10 instead of large flocks of sixty. He noted that 10 hens would lay 60 eggs in 7 days, or one egg a day per week per hen with one day off. But a large coop of 100 chickens would not lay 600 eggs a week; they were too stressed. Dividing them back into small groups increased egg production to the fabled 600 eggs per week.

Perhaps this is what Julia Gibbs looked like when she fed her flock of chickens.