Well folks, not going to lie... it was a rough one today. Blocking a show is a long and tedious job, made only more tedious when stuff is not written down and directions need to be repeated. We began the morning with finishing the blocking that did not get done yesterday and then proceeded to run the show cue by cue, interjecting in dance number rehearsals and whatnot when needed. Progress was stalled when cues were forgotten and people were not where they needed to be, as well as when dance moves were forgotten or songs were not sung. On the upside, the kids dressed how they imagined their characters would dress, which ended up largely being successful. There was a lot of neon, crazy 80's prints, and a stunningly bedazzled white glove seen. Our costumer, Luke, got to see every clique in their full glory and added little touches to make the outfits even better. We hope that over the weekend the kids practice their lines, songs, dances, and cues... making Monday run smoothly and allowing us to accomplish a lot of items that are in need of some work. There does seem to be a general illness going around, consisting of a sore throat, fever, etc so please take care of yourselves and rest up for the LAST WEEK of Camp!!!!!
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For weeks now we have been working on song and dance numbers for our production, as well as acting for the various scenes throughout. But today we began to take all of these loose puzzle pieces and build them into one, unified final product. This process can be tedious, but it's quite the reward to see the show finally coming together. Check out the photos of the process below! We were pleasantly surprised today when many of the campers began to work on some of their dance numbers before rehearsal began--without even being asked to. Our choreographer, Connie, stepped in to offer some additional help. At 10:00, staging began. Here, we try to make the best pictures we can on the stage in order to tell our story.
Our Fearless Leader, who was having an all-denim day, addresses us all just before the end of rehearsal. It was a long day, but these are the rehearsals that really count. Everyone worked hard today, and we appreciate it very much!
Today was crunch time for dances that needed the most work. We split up girls for "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and guys for "Footloose." After a slow start to the morning, the girls eventually brought their A-game with the song and let loose with the dancing, having a fun time and getting really into it! Awesome progress there. As for the guys, "Footloose" took some work, but they did get sharper with the moves! Post-lunch, they cranked out "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now," "I've Had the Time of My Life," and "Man in the Mirror." Connie's husband Clint showed up with their three adorable daughters; they watched rehearsal while he helped out David constructing our set. J.D. wore Chacos. Lawrence still has some minor form of the plague, but is persevering. If all goes to plan, by Friday we will do a stumble-thru of the entire show. Hang in there. The day began as Brian welcomed the campers and asked for their hard work in completing the staging of the rest of the show over the next few days. He also asked the campers to come Friday dressed up as the characters they will play in Back to the 80's. Some of these choices may be incorporated into the show itself. The day then kicked off with vocal and dance warm ups led by Lawrence and Connie. David with a little help from Dana began converting the set from Pajama Game. Lawrence then taught the music for Centerfold to everyone after which Connie staged the 500 Mile choreography while Brian did scenework with Kiley, Connor and India. Kelsey, Dana and Shaun ran lines and lyrics with the rest of the cast. After lunch Brian took the cast outside with Lawrence, Kelsey, Dana, and Shaun to build teamwork and trust amidst the cast with trust circle. The remainder of the afternoon was spent learning and staging two big production numbers: The Time of My Life used in the prom scene and Mony-Mony which will be the bow/ finale song. Two highlights of the day were the trust exercise and learning Mony-Mony when Brian encouraged free-spirited movement expression which led to a spontaneous conga line around the classroom. Campers were reminded to fill out costume forms and to complete their 50 word program bio's. Camp was dismissed at 3.
Today, we split up into groups to get the most work done. Following warmups, we reviewed some numbers we already knew, and learned some new ones. Brian attacked some scene work while others were working on music with Lawrence/Kelsey or dance with Connie. Other campers who weren't in the scenes being worked spent time with Dana practicing monologues. Above, you can see a sneak peek at the dance moves for "Video Killed The Radio Star" and below, you can see us learning "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" in the afternoon. At the end of the day, we all got together to work on the dance for "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now". Keep reviewing material at home! If we keep focusing on our hard work, we'll be able to have a smooth run through by the end of the week!On this misty eve
The bold actor concedes The hard task ahead #thoughtfulhaiku Camp was extra campy today because of all the wonderful superhero costumes we wore! Under their spectacular disguises, the heroes of the camp battled one injustice after another, including the villainous dance moves of Miss Connie Del Muerto, the dastardly ditties of Lawrence "The Pianomusicianator," and the labyrinthine acting riddles and games of the Dana "The Hawaiian Ukelele Guy," Codenamed "The HUG." After breaking for lunch, our heroes went to test their mettle in a training game of capture the flag. Both sides were evenly matched: Kapow! Bam! Zap! Sadly, there were casualties: Jennifer was injured during her passionate pursuit of justice, but a speedy and full recovery is hoped and expected - please send your thoughts and well wishes. Will evil triumph? Do the do-gooders have enough power to continue? Can we crank out a show in the next two weeks? Stay tuned: same camp time, same camp channel! Rehearsal can sometimes be frustrating for the actor. It is an experience of constant learning and discovering that can most certainly be taxing on the mind, body, and soul. But as we come into the second half of our rehearsal process, we are powering through and continuing the hard work we set out to do. Today we reviewed most of our dance numbers in an attempt to make them even better than they already are. We managed to learn two new songs (Man in the Mirror and You Give Love a Bad Name) too! Check out the photos below from today's rehearsal, and DON'T FORGET: Tomorrow is Superhero Day! Create a superhero (or villain) for yourself and come dressed as such. Music rehearsal for Man in the Mirror. India and Paola caught me trying to sneak a picture of music rehearsal. Madison was a crab today. It was #totallyawesome. J.D. attempts to practice his dancing inconspicuously in the corner. Reviewing some of the dances. Our fearless director stands in Director Pose.
On this fine Wednesday, focus was on individual groups during rehearsal in the afternoon. The morning activities went quite well, especially for the youngest group as all their flats were finished today. Yay!!!!!!! Really enjoying the enthusiasm from all the campers. With focus on individual groups acting, singing and dancing, many areas were covered at once to use our time efficiently during rehearsal today. Connie warming up the campers this morning Working on Flats Individual Sections during Rehearsal
With this being Day 2 of Week 3 and all, it's about high time to get cracking on dance moves, songs, blocking, and lines!! While camp is a fun and educational experience, there is definitely something to be said about making good use of time in rehearsal. This week we've been emphasizing keeping chatter to a minimum between rehearsing songs and dances, staying quiet and respectful in the TrueNorth building when transporting from room to room, and of course staying focused!! The kids can get distracted at times, but all seem very excited. We know they are capable of being committed and getting the ball rolling for this show. "Love Shack" dance especially is really coming along, as well as the singing for "I've Had the Time of My Life" and "Kids in America"! Keep up the good work so far, everrrrrrrryone! We are going to crank out every song, dance, and scene over the next week or so we have left before we open. GET PUMPED!!
Today was definitely a working day here at Theatre Camp! We worked on some more acting and production skills like keeping your body tension free, set building skills, and accents & vocalizations. The exercises that we did, allowed the campers to explore communication skills using their bodies, something that was a bit of a challenging at first for everyone. It is not an easy thing, to communicate a name or idea, without using words! But eventually everyone got it and it was a learning experience with life lessons. After lunch we tackled Love Shack, learning the singing and dancing- super fun! This is one musical number that will get the audience excited! It is a really tricky dance to sing to though so we know that everyone will be practicing on their own at home tonight. Reminder: Friday is Create Your Own Superhero Day, with fun themed activities in store. Make sure campers, that you wear closed toed shoes if you are in shop with David. And practice all the dances that you have notes for so far!! |
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