Public Meeting 2/2 @ 700pm

Attn: All parent/guardian/alumnus/supporters of the (SW)2 Company -

I'm calling together all of those folks who would like to be a part of the fine work at Wilson HS through our SouthWest StageWorks Theatre Company in the Theatre Lab/Drama Room on Thursday, February 2nd at 700pm.  

I'll be laying out a basic vision for our work, some ways people can get involved in the Company, ways to support (SW)2, and hopefully to open up a structure for building a strong network for enabling the fine and compelling work we're famous for.

Please bring your ideas and input!  I look forward to working with you as we take our Company and our work forward into 'The Secret Garden' and beyond!

J. Miller, Director

Secret Garden Tickets Now Onsale!

We are officially dialed in!

Dates for The Secret Garden are set and tickets are onsale! Go to southweststageworks.com to get yours now!

#SW2

Time to Band Together...

Well, nothing like a record-type cold/snow snap to test the best laid plans of people...

In case you've not seen the notices, PPS has closed all buildings, including WHS, until Tuesday, eliminating both the Sunday tech call, and Monday's rehearsal.  This makes the remaining schedule very tight, and will demand a lot out of all of us.  I believe we can do this...but we both have to want it, and be ready to make this show our primary concern over the next several weeks, along with Finals.  I'm allowing all of you a 24-hour window to comment on the schedule privately with me via email (mjamie@pps.net) before I finalize it.  I'll assume everyone I DON'T hear from is fine with it.

Some keys to making this work:

1) Communication to/with your families.  This is going to seem like a big ask, and to any new families to theatre, totally unreasonable...I know.  The reality is still, this is no more than most athletic teams ask of their people and families...we just usually try to accommodate more than the average organization.  What won't work is if you don't share the new schedule with them and then badger them with obligations and requests.  Share now!

2) Plan ahead.  There are rehearsals during Finals Week...there's no way around that.  Do not assume you'll be able to pull an 'I have a test tomorrow and really need to study' card, because it won't fly.  You will need to start that process now, as I won't be excusing students for study related needs...but I also won't be holding you for more than a standard rehearsal, and rehearsal will not begin until AFTER any Tutor Time periods each day.  You'll have time, if you use it thoughtfully.

3) Take care of yourself.  Get sufficient sleep, eat sufficient quality food, drink sufficient water, and don't let yourself fall behind on your obligations (and thus increase your stress and anxiety levels to an unhealthy place).  We're not going to be the most socially available people while we put this show together, and we're all going to have to accept that fact...myself very much included.  This is something with which we must all be ok.

4) Take care of your business on the show.  We will have very little time to go over things in rehearsal that we've said should be taken care of individually.  Work your music, memorize your lines, review the dramaturgical/table work items (once they're posted), have the necessary materials each day, and adhere to the three prior items on this list...it's a lot to ask, but anything worth doing always asks a lot of us.

5) Keep your chin up!  It's easy to get frustrated and angry when things keep piling up...but we'll get there.  The weather shows nothing in the 15-day forecast to suggest more stoppages/delays.  We'll get there, but we have to believe we can get there.  I do.

Again, look at the 'Revised Revised Schedule' tab and send me your thoughts via email by 100pm tomorrow...and be looking over music and lines, doing your homework/projects for class, hit the readings/basic dialect recordings once they're posted, and keep well!

Much love team...see you Tuesday.

j.

Tech Call - Cancelled (1/7)

Due to the likelihood of inclement weather, including 1-3 inches of snow and potential freezing rain, the Tech Call on 1/7 is cancelled.  We all know that Portland does a meh job of clearing streets, and safety of our people must come first.

The next Tech Call we have on the books is on 1/15 from 12-5pm...hope to see you there!

j.

Revised Show Schedule - Please Read

In consultation with our creative team, the (SW)2 T-Board, and your scheduled conflicts, and as a result both of days lost prior to Winter Break and the potential for more lost days in the next 2 weeks, I have built a new schedule for the production that accomplishes our goals of 1) Seeing the show through to performance, 2) Doing our best quality work, and 3) Wrapping our process in time for Spring Sports practices to begin.  The schedule is posted in detail on the linked Google Sheet Calendar

-The first key to reading the schedule is to know that every actor and management team member is now officially called every day there is rehearsal (tech calls are excluded).  Actors, when not actively involved in staging or music rehearsal should be working on memorization, dialect work, movement, individual music, or homework.  We need the flexibility to use our time in rehearsal efficiently, and we need to insure that actors are making measurable progress on show-related work (which has not yet been consistent).  SMs will be available to help and facilitate work.  **Note: all listed, posted, and communicated conflicts will be respected…new ones will be addressed as possible, but my first priority is the ensemble as a whole and the show.

-The second key is the show moving one week later into February.  We will be teching beginning February 6^th, with the show opening February 16^th, closing February 25^th, and striking February 26^th. This insures we have adequate time to make up for that we lost, and any future delays due to inclement weather.  This also insures we are still wrapped in time for tryouts for Spring Sports, Solo/Ensemble, etc.  All key dates have shifted, so make sure and check the calendar.

One of the ‘joys’ of collaborating on a piece of live theatre is the thrill of uncertainty…where any number of things can step in and potentially derail the entire project.  That is also why there is such a fulfilling reward when you overcome those variables and create a truly inspiring work of art with your peers and move an audience emotionally.  We took a number of curveballs up front, but I know we can still hit this one out of the park.  That work starts now.

See you all very soon!

j.

...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.