Hydee-ho!

This is the blog site for the Roundtown Player's children's production.
Read, enjoy, and comment!

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Week Three: Night Three...





Tonight was great.
We went through the entire second act, and everyone was such a trooper.
Some people were still out due to illness, so hopefully they will get better soon.
We got a really great show in the makings...
We're going to rock the pirating world and Circleville with this production.
Everyone has done such a great job, and James and I are so proud of all the efforts set forth by all.

Set building Saturday will be very constructive, by the looks of things.
A lot of people will be there, which is amazing.
For those who don't really wanna do the whole building thing, we're going to have cleaning projects all over the place in preparation for our using the theatre in its entirety.
I'm totally stoked.
I can't wait!

Week Three: Night two



(Brandon as Long John Silver and Luke as Capt. Smollett)
We finished blocking the play last night!
YAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!!!
Oh, James and I were so estatic to have reached this point.
Tonight's rehearsal will be to go over ALL of Act II.
YAY!
Saturday is our set building day!
That is going to be an adventure in and of itself.
lol

Monday, February 23, 2009

Week Three: Night one....

Tonight went well, except for the fact that the theatre was FREEEEEEEZING.
All of the poor actors were in their coats, shivering.
We worked on the first half of the second act, and blocked it out.
We still have to work on the gun fighting and attack scenes and whatnot, but it's getting there.
At one point, I was trying to position poor Flynn, and I pulled on his feet in such a way that he tumbled backwards.
It was hilarious and everyone laughed, but I kept stuttering apologies between my laughter.
(Sorry Flynn.)
Brandon continues to amaze me as Long John Silver, being able to pin his poor leg up in such a way that we have abandoned my first idea for changing it to a "wooden leg."
I just pray he can walk by the time the show is over.
lol
As far as I can tell, everyone is really enjoying the chance to be a pirate.
James and I are having a blast.

I sent everyone an email tonight regarding this Saturday, AKA SET BUILDING SATURDAY!!
Instead of dining on pizza and pop, I opted for a pot luck setup.
Someone may still decide to bring a pizza to share with all, which is cool.
I just personally think each family bringing stuff for everyone will make for a better time.
Plus, better food choices lead to a more productive and less lethargic construction crew.
I figured we will all get there between 11:30 and 12, and start working.
Break around 3 for food, then start back up til we have nothing more to do.
At that point, James and I are going to paint the stage once everyone has cleared the stage and left.

Ah....
It's all starting to come together......
A month from now, we will be on day two of tech week....

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Week two: night two...

Another night of tedious UGHness...
I officially learned my lesson tonight.
I am now going through the script and will try and block out the big pirate group scenes ahead of time....
UGH.
I apologize again for how loooooooooooooooooooooooooong tonight seemed.
Another reason why blocking SO is my least favorite part of theatre.
:0/
Thank goodness Flynn is flexible and small enough in stature to fit in the barrel we already had there at the theatre.
Unfortunately he has to cram in there for a good 10 minutes.
LOL
Thus far, he's been grabbed, yanked, tossed across the stage, almost off the stage, had his arm twisted around, practically beaten, and now crammed into a barrel.
Somehow we've gotta keep him together until April 5th....
:O)
Tomorrow, we're PERFECTING the first Act!!!
YAY!!!!!!
hopefully....

Monday:Week two...

Last night we ventured into the second half of the first Act, all of which takes place on the deck of the Hispaniola.
I think it is safe to say a good majority of our time last night was spent staging the pirates loading of the ship.
ugh....
I could see some of the actors' faces were less than enthused as James and I fumbled through who was doing what and when.
For that, I apologize.
"Tedious" was the word....
In the end, everyone was a good sport, and we got it all sorted out.
It's going to look really cool once everyone has some sort of package to carry and actually looks like a pirate.
Which will start to happen very soon....
:o)
After everyone left, James and I went through the costume rooms and started pulling gobs of stuff for different ideas.
Get ready guys....

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Week TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO......

Whoo...
Week One is ooooover.
Onto Week Two.
This week, we are focusing on pages 28-51.
This is the transition from the Inn to on the deck of the Hispaniola.
Wednesday, we shall go through pages 1-51, fixing trouble spots and perfecting blocking.
This week, just about everyone is going to be a pirate.
YAY!

I do want everyone to think about who their character is and how they relate to the other characters.
Think about your character's background.
How long have you known some of the other characters?
Why does your character act a certain way?
What is your character's main motivation throughout this story?
What is your character's inner monologue throughout the duration of your presence in the story?
Think about it....

Little Johnny Jones ended today which means we can start dragging out props and costumes and start figuring out what we have at RTP vs what we need for our production.
I know exactly what I want as far as set design so we just have to pull down flats and figure out what paint we need which won't be hard.
This week starts an interesting phase of the rehearsal process....
Everyone, get ready...

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Argh! First week be complete......

Last night was terrific.
Despite the wind storm, most of the cast showed up.
James, however, was stuck in his house.
No power.
Not fun.
Those who did come last night were all greeted with something that made them all smile a bit.
Every year for the past four years, I've given the cast of the children's production Valentines of sorts on or before Valentine's Day.
:o)
After everyone arrived, we traveled from page 1 to page 29, stopping every once in a while to try something new, change a direction or motivation, or, of course, laugh at a hilarious blunder.
Always fun.
Like I said last night, if this week's rehearsals are any indication of how the rest of our time together is going to go, we're going to have a great time.
I'm proud of everyone and I can't wait for Monday, when we will begin the second half of Act I.
Thank you guys!

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Thoughts on last night....

Last night brought new twists and turns along with more members of our scurvy cast.
We added Blind Pew, Black Dog, part of the pirate crew (they are going to be so cool), Squire Trelawney, Redruth, and Hunter.
AND, we got to kill off our first two victims of this production, Bill and Blind Pew.
YAY!
:o)
I found it amusing how many of the kids kept asking me, "Do I get to die?" or "When do I get to kill someone???"
I love it.
Everyone needs to keep in mind that March 4th and 9th, we will be blocking the combat scenes.
This means the brawl between Black Dog and Bill and the fight scenes in Act II.
I'm pretty sure that's it, but James and I will flip through the script and let everyone involved know who will be needed for what.

One thing I hope to instill in all of our cast members is the fact that there are NO unimportant roles in this production.
Just because you don't have a bunch of lines, or we don't see you onstage very often does not mean you are not important.
We sat down and chose each actor for each character very carefully and the end result was a scurvy cast of which we are very proud.
I hope everyone knows that, or quickly learns that.
The saying goes, "There are no small parts, just small actors."
MY saying goes "There are no unimportant part or actors."

Tonight, we are going to touch up 13-29, then run through 1-29.
I gave some individual notes last night so I'm excited to see how those individuals interpret and apply....
After tonight, we won't see these scenes til next Wednesday, when we'll add pages
29-51 to the mix....

Monday, February 9, 2009

Day one....

I really don't like blocking.
I don't think anyone does.
It's tedious.
BUT, everyone was a trooper.
I've never really paid attention the scheduling ways of others, so I'm not quite sure what the norm really is...
For me, I memorize by repetition.
When memorizing lines, I study one part, we'll title A.
I study it til I've memorized it, then I move to part B.
Once I've memorized B, I go back and go over A and B together, then move onto part C.
Then I do A, B, and C...
So continues the pattern.
That's how I've scheduled things.
We did pages 1-13 tonight.
We're going to go over 1-13 again tomorrow, then slap on 13-29.
Then Wednesday we're going to fine tune 1-29.
Over and over and over again.
Hopefully it won't annoy too many folks...
That's just how I role...
:o)

Everyone received their scripts tonight.
EVERYONE will notice that some folks are gettting an actual script and others are getting partial scripts.
The scripts were $20 a pop.
Multiply that by 32 cast members...
Yeah, that = NO more money in Tahrea's budget for ANYTHING else...
ugh.
We only got 11 actual scripts...
SO, I am making copies for those folks who aren't in the entire show.
Ben Gunn is only through the second half of the show.
Mrs. Hawkins is only in the first 29 pages.
Bill dies on page 16.
So, that's what I copied for them.
Please don't be offended or hurt by this.
It's not a matter of importance.
It's conservation of paper and ink costs in a crappy economy.
:o)

Sunday, February 8, 2009

It starts.....

Rehearsals start tomorrow at 6:30.
After that, it's Monday- Wednesday, 6:30- 8:30 pm.
YAY!

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Little Johnny Jones














Remember, LITTLE JOHNNY JONES is this weekend and next weekend.


WHAT: A Musical show dedicated to the American

Service men and women



WHERE: The RoundTown Players 165 ½ e. Main St .



WHEN: February 6, 7, 13, 14 at 8:00 PM

February 8, 15 at 2:30 PM



CALL: 740-474-5856 for Tickets.



SPECIAL: Bring a gift for a serviceman or woman and receive

a ticket discount of $1.00

Here is a list of items that can be exchanged for $1.00 off your admission price.




COLD WEATHER NEEDS: hand and foot warmers, black knitted hats, gloves, hot chocolate, blankets

WARM WEATHER NEEDS: fly swatters, sticky fly paper, insect repellent w/DEET, sunscreen w/high SPF, lip balm w/SPF, Cortisone Cream (anti itch cream), medicated body powder (for heat rash), misting fans.

TROOP MAIL: Letters/Cards of appreciation, sent to the Chaplain c/o Troop Mail for those sailors/soldiers who get little mail. Please do not seal the envelops.

HYGIENE ETC: (male and female): Q-tips, mouthwash, hair conditioner, shampoo, razors, baby wipes, foot care products, skin moisturizer, lip balm w/SPF, hand sanitizer, Feminine products, dark hair restraints, Ziploc bags (Qt. & Gal. sizes), shower shoes, nail clippers, black Du Rag men wave caps, battery operated hair clippers, Thorlo Brand Boot socks (army green/tan only)

FOOD/BEVERAGE: Gatorade powder, powdered drink mix singles, protein/energy drinks/powder, gourmet/flavored coffee, single serve sugar/creamer, Pringles, prepackaged cookies, cheese crackers, power bars, granola bars, Nature Valley and trail mix bars, beef jerky, Honey Wheat Thins, Cup of Noodle soups (chicken or beef flavored), Tuna fish cracker snack packs, cereal, gummy bears, gum, cashews, nuts, sunflower seeds, pop tarts, cans of fruit, trail mixes (individual servings).

ENTERTAINMENT: DVD movies, recorded TV/Sports shows on DVD, books (thrillers, spy, Sci-Fi, Western), magazines (sports, fitness etc., newspapers, Army Times, ladies), crosswords, word search, Sudoku, travel size games, stationery, card games, pens, all occasion cards/holiday cards to mail home, AT&T Prepaid Calling cards.

RoundTown Players

165 1/2 E. Main St.

Circleville, Ohio 43113

740-474-5856

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Update... (rehearsals start on MONDAY!!!!)

I am currently in the process of copying scripts and putting everything together.
As the scripts were $20 a pop, I'm doing a little bit of surgical work so that everyone has a copy of whatever part of the production in which they are involved.
I only have 11 copies of the actual script, and I'm going to assign those to the characters that are throughout the production.
This isn't so much about who's more important or better.
NONE of that, because EVERYONE is important.
It's all a matter of scheming and saving trees.
So, this week's main mode of insanity is, indeed, the scripts.
Bleh.
There are things about which others don't tell you when you start out on your first directing gig.
I imagine this is what it's like when you first bring home your baby or when you first get married.
You always learn things about yourself and the situation that you never saw coming...
BUT, it's fabulous.

Our first rehearsal is Monday....
I am totally pumped!!!!
We're going to need Jim, Mrs. H, Bill, the CUSTOMERS, and Dr. L on Monday.
Then, Tuesday, Jim, Bill, Mrs. H, Dr. L, Black Dog, Blind Pew, Morgan, Merry, Squire, Redruth, Hunter, Joyce, and the PIRATES group.
Wednesday, we're going over pages 1-29, which means EVERYONE from Monday and Tuesday.

YAY!

Rehearsal Schedule
February (Rehearsals are 6:30-8:30, unless otherwise noted)
Week 1-9 Blocking pages 1-13 (Jim, Mrs. Hawkins, Bill, Customers, Livesey)
10 Go over 1- 13, Block Pages 13-29 (Jim, Mrs. Hawkins, Bill, Livesey, Black Dog, Pew,
Morgan, Merry, Job, Trelawney, Redruth, Hunter,Joyce)
11 Go Over 1-29
Wk. 2- 16 Blocking pages 28-37 (Squire, Livesy, Smollett, Silver, (Squire, Livesey, Smollett, Silver, Redruth, Hunter, Joyce, Jim, Black Dog Dog,
Arrow, Merry, Dick, Morgan, Hands, O'Brien )
17 Go over 28-37, Block pages 37-51 (Squire, Livesey, Smollett, Silver, Jim, Redruth, Hunter, Joyce,
Arrow, Merry, Dick, Morgan, Hands, O'Brien )
18 Go Over pages 1-51
Wk.3-23 Blocking Pages 52-69 (Jim, Livesey, Joyce, Hunter, Redruth, Squire, Smollett, Pirates, Ben Gunn)
24 Go over 52-69, Block Pages 69-94 (Jim, Livesey, Squire, Smollett, Pirates, Ben Gunn)
25 Go over 52-94
March
Wk. 4- 2 Go over Act 2
3 Go Over Act 1
4 Go Over Combat scenes (Actors TBA)
Wk. 5- 9 Go Over Combat scenes (Actors TBA)
10 Run Act 1
11 Run Act 2
Wk. 6-16 Run Show Practice Curtain Call
17 Run Show
18 Run Show
Wk. 7-22 Tech Rehearsal- 4:30-TBA (depending on show runtime)
23 Run Play Call time at 6 pm. Curtain at 7 pm
24 Run Play Call time at 6 pm. Curtain at 7 pm
25 Run Play Call time at 6 pm. Curtain at 7 pm
26 Run Play Call time at 6 pm. Curtain at 7 pm
27 Play Call time at 6 pm Curtain at 7:30 pm
28 Play Call time at 6pm Curtain at 7:30 pm
29 Play Call time at 1 pm Curtain at 2:30 pm
April
1 Brush Up
3 Play Call time at 6 pm Curtain at 7:30
4 Play Call time at 6 pm Curtain at 7:30
5 play and strike set Call time at 1 pm Curtain at 2:30

Monday, February 2, 2009

Update...

As of right now, everyone I cast is all in and excited.
WHOOOOOT!!!!

I went ahead and cancelled the read through.
It would be too maddening to cope with staying out of the way of the LJJ folks.
Plus, some of our cast is in LJJ, so we wouldn't even have everyone together.
BUT, we start in a week....
And I am so pumped!!

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Auditions- The final Frontier....

Aaaaaaaaaahhhh.
Another successful night.
We had over 30 people show up to audition, and it was so wonderful.
The hard part was the 30+ minutes it took deliberating over who to cast and in what character.
We finally came to an agreement on our fabulous cast.....
(Listed in order of appearance)
Bill- John Rankin
Jim- Flynn Shannon
Mrs. Hawkins- Miranda Fein
Dr. Livesey- Jake Anderson
Black Dog- Miracle Higginbotham
Blind Pew- Jessica Rippetoe
George Merry- Kayla Theis
Tom Morgan- Heather Bennett
Squire Trelawney- Isaac Oberer
Redruth- Ethan Warner
Hunter- Chase Euton
Joyce- Kasey Derexson
Capt. Smollett- Luke Bowman
Long John Silver- Brandon Richardson
Mr. Arrow- Jackie Richardson
Dick- Tate Shannon
Israel Hands- Wally Higgins
O’Brien- Stevie Houser
Alan- Sarah Arni
Abraham Gray- Robert Neal
Ben Gunn- Tracy Kawasaki
Customers/Pirates- Olivia Bowman, Trixie Kawasaki, Lili Kawasaki, Faith Arni, Hannah Mogan, Hannah Utt, Tabitha Clifton, Katie Warner, Richard Wilson, Jake Six, Nathan Arni

Thank you to everyone who came out and auditioned!