...So Now What?

Good afternoon, team...hopefully this finds you well and resting in your extended Winter Break!

At this point, we as a company, have some decisions to make about how to proceed forward with the show.  We have lost a full week of rehearsal time and opening on time on Feburary 9th with the quality of show that we have come to expect from the (SW)2 brand is not feasible without significant adjustment to the schedule.  By this stage we were to have learned the music and worked it several times from beginning to end with the entire performance ensemble.  This has not happened.

I am looking at options within the schedule, including, but not limited to:

-Calling all actors all rehearsal days, and when they are not staging they are working on show-related business (memorization, small group work, etc) or homework...this will make commitment to the show resemble that asked of athletics

-Extending the rehearsal day 30 minutes so we are going from 330pm-630pm each day

-Adding/Expanding a weekend call to facilitate missed work and further rehearsal

-Pushing the show back a week, to open on Feb. 16th and run through Feb. 26th

This is what I need from each of you, Actors and Management alike: A comprehensive list of your *currently scheduled* conflicts between 1/2/2017 and 2/26/2017 - Afterschool, Evenings, Weekends...leave nothing out.  This is due to my email at mjamie@pps.net no later than 12/24/2016.  I will take that information, communicate with Jon, Caldwell, and any other creative staff it may affect, and build our adjusted schedule.

My focus, as it should be for every member of our company, is to build the very best show we are capable of building with the resources (time, money, people) at our disposal, and to make it the very best learning environment it can be...and so it shall.  That said, I can't do it with no information...so get your job done, so I can do mine by you!

I apologize for the radio silence, but I've been trying to get our ducks in a row on this end before coming to you...and I hope you've been balancing having some wonderful downtime with keeping on top of our work!

Have a lovely Winter Break!  I look forward to hearing from you all soon...

j.

Rehearsal Cancelled: 12/14

And I'm making it official: Rehearsal is cancelled for 12/14.  Too many inexperienced (read: dangerously freaked out) drivers, too much weather uncertainty, and actual snowflakes falling.

Be safe, get well, and keep your eyes on the blog for further information tomorrow about the status of rehearsal for 12/15.

j.

So...About Those Projected Schedule Changes

...well, I said the schedule changes would be at an absolute minimum.  Mother Nature intervened...

Please check the Google Calendar for the latest on calls for this week.  I've had to do some cutting and pasting, which means that pretty much everyone's calls have changed.  If it butts into a previously listed conflict, my apologies, but we're at the mercy of many intersecting needs.

Now, all of this assumes we're in school all week.  As of now, there are snow showers with accumulation predicted for Wednesday afternoon through late Thursday night.  What that means, goodness knows, but, at this point, there is a real possibility we lose Wednesday and Thursday's rehearsals.  At this point, we'll have made it through the show's music, but had zero time to review and refine.  This puts the onus on each and every member of the cast to go through their music, their notes, the show recording, their part recordings, and prepare for each rehearsal we have with thoughtfulness and professionalism.

Short version: Be Prepared.

Catch many of you tomorrow, and the rest on Tuesday.

j.

Illness/Calendar Revisions

Though there are only a couple, and only affecting 3-4 cast members, please check the rehearsal calendar for a couple of illness-driven changes.

Following up on something we spoke on during rehearsal, the hope is that you'll do your very best to be a part of rehearsal unless you're either contagious or incapacitated.  The time we spend working music is simply time we can't get back, and this is a very difficult show.  Even if you can't sing (and I expect you to sit out the music in order to maintain vocal health) listening to the music, the blend, and the instructions from Jon and I is beyond helpful to prevent reteaching.  Please make the time and energy...I hate to ask it, but every minute we spend backtracking and redoing work we've already done takes away from the end goal of the very best show we're capable of.

Again, know thyself...truly, if you should not be around other human beings, don't come in.  If you're just trying to rest up and get back on track, know that there are dozens of other people counting on you to hold up your end of this commitment.  Be very thoughtful about our time.

Doing anything in the winter is prone to interruptions like this...always is.  Be the person that works to minimize it for all of us by taking care of yourself where you know how, pushing where you can, and resting where you must.

Thanks team!

j.