Some Miserable Thoughts

I just logged onto Blogger to finish this post while some music prints. This original post was started on May 1, while I was waiting for my oil to get changed at Jiffy Lube. That turned out to be one of the fastest changes I've ever gotten, which left a half-written post.

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I stink at keeping secrets. Let me clarify. If you confide in me, your secret is safe. No worries. But if I have exciting news, and I'm not supposed to share it, I feel like SNL's Sue, prepping for a surprise party.

So you can imagine how hard it was when I was asked to direct Les Misérables for SCERA MONTHS ago and asked to keep it a secret because MTI (the licensing company) put a restriction on it. I think the restriction was a little ridiculous, because MTI listed our production on their own website. Why is it not okay for us to advertise it, but fine for them?

I used birthday money and gift cards to buy all kinds of books for researching. Did you know that they make board books of Les Mis for kids? Lucy loves hers.

As much as I've been researching, I've been making discoveries that I've been dying to share. I've been watching movie versions. (But not THE movie version, because we save that for punishment purposes in our house. "You were caught lying, so now you have to hear Russell Crowe singing." That kind of thing.) I've learned more about the characters than I ever thought possible. I designed the set, with great help/input from Nat Reed and my amazing stage manager, Crysta Powell. I've been researching the actual true events that inspired the story, as well as French architecture, and the actual street where the barricade would have been built.

I've learned so much and haven't been able to share it until now. Phew! I've never wanted it to be May so fast.

Tonight is the final night of auditions, and it's going to be insane. The rumor got out months ago (it was actually a fun game trying to trace the origins - surprising how connected this community theatre world is), which turned out to be a good thing, because the first two nights of auditions were great - despite people not being absolutely sure what show they were auditioning for.

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That's where the original post ended.

The final night of auditions was INSANE. We were auditioning all night long. When all was said and done, it was probably not the highest number of auditioners I've ever had, but the overall quality was much higher than usual.

Callbacks were intense. I was at the theatre the entire day that Saturday. The show mostly cast itself. There were a few people that could have been used for multiple roles, but I'm happy with where they ended up. We cast around 80 people, expecting to lose around 10. By the time the show had opened, the cast was about 73 people.

I loved this cast. I still do. Overall, it was the greatest group of people I've ever directed. There was  much love and friendship. There was respect and support. Out of 70+ people, there was only ONE person by the end who I was genuinely ready to kill. One, rotten, stinking apple who was made to look even worse by all the people who were amazing. (Shall we call him Johnny Applestink?) One weed in a beautiful garden. He refused to learn his lyrics/melodies, he put down other cast members, he complained about having to come to rehearsal, he complained about having to get notes, he complained about everything, really. When the show started, my goal was to focus on love, since that's what the story is about. When Johnny started causing problems, that shifted a little. When I realized that he was never going to learn his part and do what I asked, I switched gears and started asking the cast to focus constantly on what they would do for others. The outcome was more than I ever could have hoped. The love among the cast grew even more, and it was amazing to watch them all forget about their own needs and focus on others. Unfortunately, Johnny never fixed anything, but by having everyone around him focus on how to help, they covered for the fact that he never knew his lyrics/blocking by closing night. As much as I dislike reviews, I loved the fact that the reviewers pointed out how strong the ensemble was. It was amazing to have them all receive recognition, and I truly understood why some directors refer to themselves as "proud parents." I wanted these people to succeed, and they did; and it was beautiful.

By the time the show closed, I felt like I had gained a family more than I had with any other show I've ever done. I really hope I get to work with these people again. Well, all but Johnny… Some of them have expressed interest in A Christmas Story, so I'm hoping they audition and there are roles for them. They've ruined me, and I don't know that I'll ever have such a great cast again.

The show itself was pretty good. It honestly wasn't the best thing I've ever done, which makes me feel like I let myself down, but it was good. I treated it as a grand opera and put the focus on the singing/acting rather than movement, and it was blocked as such. The singing was great. The set turned out beautifully. The lighting was amazing. The costumes were nearly perfect. It was well-received.

As I get older, and I feel the need to spend more time with my family, I don't feel the need/desire to be doing as many shows. I'm much more picky about how I choose to use my time now. Therefore, when I do a show, it HAS to be a great experience, or else I finish it and think "Why am I doing this?!" Les Mis was definitely an experience for which I'm grateful. I learned a lot. Even Johnny taught me things. God bless him.

On to Christmas!

Life and Stuff

I just logged onto Blogger to do some blogging while I'm waiting for some music to print, and found an unpublished blog! This was written on February 28, 2014, and it's very much like a journal entry.

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I'm trying to kill some time before rehearsal right now, and I figured I might as well blog, since I rarely do that anymore.

I'm currently sitting in my office. Friends is on my TV, and the horn books for Cinderella are open on my 2nd monitor. Outside my window, there is a Chevy Volt parked in a 30-minute visitor spot but over the line into the handicapped spot. (He was WAY over the line this morning, but I left a nasty note and he went and moved it. Now he's only 6 inches or so over the line.)

I moved my desk today, and from the angle I'm at now, the sensor for the light doesn't ever see me moving behind my giant monitor. It's stormy outside, so it's been pretty dark in here all day. Right now, It's so dark that I'm sure people walking by outside can see my floating head between my 2nd monitor and my TV.

I have rehearsal at the SCERA in less than an hour, but I've been at work for at least 9 hours today, and I can't bring myself to work on anything productive anymore. I've worked several extra hours in the last three weeks because it's such a waste to come to work, drive home and then turn around and drive back to rehearsal. So, I'm way ahead on all of my current work projects, and I can't force myself to do anymore tonight. Sorry, Cinderella.

I'm currently rehearsing The Drowsy Chaperone. Gosh, I love this show. I'm only the music director for the first time in 2 years, and I like it. It's nice to only have to worry about music. It's not nearly the responsibility of directing, and it doesn't consume my life as much.

This is great, because I already have 2 directing projects lined up which take me through the rest of the year.

The first is a show which I can't name, because the licensing company has us on a strict contract to not talk about it until May 1st. Apparently, it's a national restriction, although on their website, they list dozens of productions between now and then. They also list my production, which is funny. I can't advertise my show, but they can. Oh, well. It's worth it.

I've started prep for that show, and I'm pretty far into the research process. I need to get with a set designer soon, because I want to start going over blocking and visuals asap. My goal is to be far enough ahead that by the time I audition (a week after Drowsy closes), I will be able to use any free time I have to spend with Lauren and Lucy instead of working on a show.

When the unnamed show ends, I'll have about a month off, and then I'll audition for A Christmas Story: The Musical. I'm already working on that show, too. I'm probably going to design the set myself (something I haven't done for a long time) because I can already see how it needs to be in my head. It's going to be in a small space, which I love, because it will force the show to be more intimate. Don't get me wrong: there will still be a leg lamp kick line/production number. It will just be right in your face.

I've officially stalled enough time, so I'm going to head to rehearsal.

While the Merry Bells Keep Ringing

It's officially the holiday season.

Did you know that I love this time of year? Because I do. I started listening to Christmas music on Halloween night as we drove home from celebrating at my parents' house. I have close to 2000 Christmas songs on my iPod now, and I'm almost through them all. This is awesome, because I'll still have time to go back and listen to all of my favorites again before the season is over. Thank goodness for commute time and long flights.

We just finished decorating for our second year in our house. Our main floor is basically one big room, and when you first walk in the door, you can see around 20 Christmas trees. Some are just little foil things, some are Charlie Brown trees, but two are actual 6 1/2' lit-up extravaganzas. One is the fun tree, which has a lot of Disney stuff, Batman, Christmas Story, Gremlins, etc. The other is our "adult tree" (say it out loud), which is more classy (hehe). We tried to keep the front half of the room (the more formal space) a little less character-driven and more classic. The other half is all fun and games, though. And our big shelving unit/room divider from Ikea is bursting with fun Christmas things.

On the outside of the house, we bought two new strands of lights this year, so it's brighter than last. We still have our big Mickey wreath over our garage, but we didn't put out the deer that my mom loaned us last year. They led to too much deer fornication for my taste. Poor Rudolph.

We've already put a good dent in our Christmas movie collection as well. And with Thanksgiving out of the way, we've already started the holiday cooking/baking season.

We spent Thanksgiving at my parents' house, and it was great. Very calm, lots of good food, and family. I made stuffing from homemade focaccia with Italian sausage. It may have been the best stuffing ever, even though I accidentally put in too much broth and it was a little mushy (stupid test-run was too dry).

Just over a week ago, I had to go on a last-minute work trip to New York, and while I was there, I had one night to go see a show. I decided to see A Christmas Story: The Musical, because why not? Also, I love being there at Christmas and seeing limited shows that aren't necessarily going to be there the next time I go. Unless the show is Elf. I NEVER want to see Elf. Not The Grinch, either. But White Christmas was amazing, so I hoped for the same in A Christmas Story. It didn't disappoint. I had a hard time getting into the adaptation at first, but by the end, I was loving it. I felt like a kid again, seeing the story for the first time. And the dad from The Wonder Years was in it, so I REALLY felt like a kid again. Even though I got my ticket only a couple days before I went, I was able to score the best seat in the house. Row H (that's the 8th row) and dead center. I could see the spit flying from the actors' mouths. I could see every bead of sweat on the Old Man's face as he danced with a chorus of leg lamps.  It was fantastic. I bought the soundtrack while I was sitting in JFK, waiting for my flight home, and I've already listened to it a handful of times.

I was also able to get some new Hanukkah decorations in New York. They're hard to find in Utah, but not so much in New York.

We started a tradition a couple years ago of going to the Festival of Lights in Spanish Fork with Teri and Bristol. We haven't planned our outing for this year yet, but I'm excited. I can't imagine the holidays without them. They've also been our Walking Dead buddies lately. Well, Teri has been. Bristol comes sometimes and plays his DS the whole time as he slyly peeks at the screen until he gets too scared. I love that show, and having others that yell at the TV with me is pretty fun. Stupid winter hiatus. Fun fact: by the time the season resumes after this Sunday's mid-season finale, we'll have a baby. Unless she's really late. But she won't be.

We also have a tradition of having an annual Christmas Piano Party. This year is going to be great, because we'll have an ACTUAL PIANO. Well, that is if the movers get it to us in time. It was supposed to arrive last night, and the mover was late to pick it up from the shop, so nobody was there. It will now supposedly be delivered later this week. I'll be on another short business trip, so I'll hopefully come home to a piano. It's an antique - from 1929. That's older than BOTH my parents. I had it completely refurbished. The insides are all fixed up, all new keys (the old ones were all chipped and some were missing), the pedals will work better...it'll be like new but will have the great sound of the antique soundboard. Nothing beats old pianos. Someday, I'll get the woodwork restored as well. It was black at one point, but a previous owner painted an ugly oak color over it. It needs to be black again.

In prep for getting the piano, we finally painted over the hideous brown wall on our main floor. That thing was awful. The previous homeowners sponged it themselves (pretty sure) and they didn't tape off around the edges, so it was really messy. There are still traces of brown all around the edges. Blech. But it's now a nice, calming gray. A black piano would look really good next to it.

The next home improvement project we have, which will need to be done during the holiday season, is prepping the nursery. We've already refinished an old dresser that my sister gave us, so now we need to paint the walls and do some decorations. Little girls need Batman posters, right?

We have just over 2 months left. Possibly less, if she's as early as I expect. This is our last Christmas without kids. We're already making a stocking for the baby, because we're making new ones for ourselves this year, and we figured it would be a waste to not just get it done now. The dorkies need stockings, too. They're like kids, but they're not KIDS. It's going to be really fun/crazy/awesome to actually have a little human to celebrate with next holiday season. She'll be almost a year old at that time. She'll hopefully be walking. We're going to have to put gates up around the trees, because she's going to try to play with the ornaments. Hopefully she's as good at listening as the dogs are. So far, they've been pretty good about it.

In case I don't blog again before Christmas, which I won't, merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Have the best Boxing Day! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving, an amazing Halloween, and I hope your New Year is full of awesome resolutions that you don't intend to keep!

Happy holiday to you!