Key Information/Calls for Tech/Dress

This a bit of a long one, so go with me for a minute...lots to share and lots to know:

We are beginning the home stretch on the show...integrating a lot of new elements, a lot of new people. We are at a point where people are both tired and excited, anxious and energized. Let's talk about things in order.

1) Calls, Week of 11/3-11/10 (updated currently on the Production Calendar)

ACTORS/MGMT. - ALL are called for 11/4-11/8 & 11/10 (Saturday, 11/9, off)
RUN/MAKEUP CREW - ALL are called for 11/8 to watch run of show...this is required for all Run Crew members
COSTUME BUILDERS - No calls until Wet Tech on Sunday, 11/10

LIGHTING/SOUND TEAMS - 11/6 and 11/7 starting at 700pm, and going until 1000pm
HOUSE CREW - NONE (you don't start until the week of 11/11)
SET BUILDERS - ALL are asked to help on 11/9
INSTRUMENTALISTS - 11/4 Sitzprobe, and 11/10 Wet Tech

*If I've missed you and your role in any way in terms of scheduling, please email me at mjamie@pps.net*

2) The following folks have not yet, according to my most recent information, taken care of their production fees yet. Production fees are required for any position (actor, SMs, run crew, house crew, hair/makeup/costume run crews, instrumentalists, designated by a **) working the run, as their Crew Shirts or costumes are required wear. For any other positions, you'll need this if you're to receive a Cast/Crew T Shirt...

Crew ($25)

-Adrian W
-Alex Q
-Almond H
-Amelia M*
-Ana W
-Ani H**
-Axel S
-Basil D**
-Baxter E**
-Brendan R**
-Brooklyn H
-Calder B
-Danielle P**
-Desmond BS
-Eliana W**
-Ellen M**
-Finn J
-Fiona D**
-Gianna C**
-Helena S**
-Jackson U
-Jane H**
-Jazmen S
-Karys B**
-Koji T**
-Lily BP**
-Lucy L**
-Maddie B
-Maia TW
-Max R
-Nico F**
-Sabina M**
-Sunnie H
-Elsa Weber-Violin**
-Ruby Parr-Violin**
-Isaac Fisher-Cello**
-Declan Keenan-Guitar**
-Salem Silke-Piano**
-Jessie Ginsberg-Bass**
-Michael Sage-Percussion**

Cast ($200)**

-Arlo A
-Daphne B
-Ella M
-Etta L
-Josh O
-Kale R
-Melia R
-Savy C
-Shaelyn G

Please get on SchoolPay or go to the IBWHS Bookkeeper, Ana Curtis, to take care of this, as we are nearing the end of our process.

3) If you are called for a rehearsal, a tech, a build, or a dress, you are called for the duration of the event...beginning to end. Please make plans to have sufficient food, hydration, and the appropriate materials to make your call a success!

4) There are many points for folks to remember as we enter this busy time. Remember, your health, physical, mental, emotional, and academic, are super important right now as things get busy:

-Hydrate...lots of water
-Eat...real food, not 76 food
-Sleep...minimum of 6-8 hours a night
-Homework...you have time during calls and off-days. Don't fall behind
-Communicate...teachers are usually understanding if you talk to them in advance; talk to them after, not so much; also, every assigned member of this team is important to the run of this complex production...you need to let us know about ANYTHING out of the ordinary with you
-Prepare...rehearsal is time for us to bring together and polish stuff on the show; it is your job to get your part ready on your own
-Ask Questions...with the number of people we have on this show, there's no way to know who knows what when. If you don't know, or are unsure, ASK!

5) We have certain Agreements that I'd like to remind EVERYONE about as we enter this, again, hectic and stressful time:

-I am here to work. The social aspects of theatre are some of the key reasons we do this, but they are side effects of the mindsets that make good theatre: Creativity, Trust, Empathy, Discipline. We get those from doing the work with the best we can give.

-I will make this our best performance yet. The point of rehearsal, of the hours of dedication, is to get better. If your goal is to do one step better than last time (or more!), your work will reflect that, and the audience will appreciate it.

-I won’t speak ill of ANY member of our team. Beef will happen; frustrations will happen; we’ll be tired, stressed, and overwhelmed. There are appropriate ways to deal with disagreements and frustrations…venting about them to our friends about others in the group is not one of them. Take your concerns to the person with whom you’re in conflict, or take them to Stage Management or Miller…no one else.

-I will leave my stressors at the ‘door’. Theatre requires presence and focus to work. Whether it’s attention in a fight scene preventing injury, fully listening to a partner doing their work, moving with purpose and safety in a low-light backstage environment…all of these things are infinitely harder, or impossible, if your mind is elsewhere. Meditation, Deep Breathing, Physical Stretching, Exercise…any of these things are ways to focus your attention on the here and now. Do the work to be here.

Miller's Epilogue -

We have a bunch to do, and a short time to do it.  There's no way around this fact.  In the good news column...this show is very exciting, we are doing it well, and we are going to have super special to share with the audience!

This process from now through Opening (and into Performances, of course) is going to take a lot out of us.  There will be things we don't get to do, people we don't get to see, experiences we miss out on; such is the nature of what we do...the equivalent of an entire athletic season jammed into 3-ish weeks.  This is a big reason why theatre folks are like a family, why there are certain things we know and understand that few others do.  Almost nothing else at this level asks for 14 hour days, literal weeks of being on campus without a day off, and this shared experience bonds us in ways few folk will ever get.  Again, on the good news front, we learn the strategies we can employ to make this time a success for ourselves, our team, and our audiences...and achieve things others think are impossible.

Focus on your role.  Focus on doing the things it takes to do it to the best of your ability.  Ask for help when you need it.  Take your rest when you can get it.  Remember, you can do anything for three weeks...but the memories will literally last you for the rest of your days!

Away we go...

- jm