Another warm-up this morning, which involved lots of passing of beanbags to a partner, and doing grand chains with beanbags rather than hands. Lots of beanbags dropped onto the floor, too!
Then we went into the rehearsal room and did a run over Dancin' Fool. After that, we had a go at setting the Opening. This is the other "big dance" that I shall be in - though only when I am "non-Tony". When I am Tony, I do very little, and everyone dances around me. Such are the privileges of being the principal :-)
After that, we set a couple of the principals' scenes - the dialogue between Steven and Samantha, and then the scene where Sam and his cronies sing of "Havana".
When we were not doing this, Julian (the other Tony/Rico), Aimee (Samantha/Lola) and I went over some lines, or at other times we did some Dancin' Fool practice. By the end of the day I was suitably sweaty, even though the day was cool. Then I did some exercises that I have been given by my physiotherapist and went straight to the bar, sweaty and smelly though I may have been. I chatted with Joe Burgh for a while, then went back to the room for a shower before dinner.
After dinner, it was The Quiz. I was part of a team that was dominated by the Norwich OS. We had a great time, and came in equal fifth. But it was a good night!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
Day three - how can it be going so quickly?
Wow - that's the third day gone already! It's amazing; I can feel the week slipping away and it's hardly even started.
So, today we started off with a warm-up which seemed very similar to a Scottish ceilidh dance. It was lovely to see so many English people trying to ceilidh!
After that we went on to our classes. In the morning and the first part of the afternoon, we did music. As well as chorus work, we also took some time out for the principals to do their numbers. And then... the dancing started.
We set "Dancing Fool". Now, I have seen a very good society do this purely as a sung number. Not so this time - it's choreographed from the first drum beat to the last note. And there's none of this "repeat to the left" stuff either - it's a completely danced through number.
When I'm playing Tony, I am right at the front centre. And when I'm Rico, I still get to dance the number (obviously not in Rico costume), but in the chorus at the back. What makes that even more challenging is that there are a number of places where Tony makes a move, and the chorus then copies it. It's hard enough to remember four minutes of dance set in about 90 minutes, without having to deal with two different sets of moves depending on whom you're playing.
The great thing about summer school, however, is the way that the students work together to help each other. A few of us got together in the rehearsal room after dinner and had a run over the first half before going on to our evening activities.
There were three evening sessions; the students are free to choose one or not attend any. The three were "Interactions - a study of the relationship between cast, MD and director", a dance session based around a number from Hairspray and a talk about auditioning by the school's director, Ray Jeffrey.
I went to the last one, where Ray spent an hour or so talking about what a director looks to get from an audition and how to play into what the director needs, how to prepare for an audition, and how to face the reality that you may not always get what you wanted. He raised some interesting points that made me think about my attitude to auditioning and how to do it better.
Finally a short session in the bar, and off to bed... Good night!
So, today we started off with a warm-up which seemed very similar to a Scottish ceilidh dance. It was lovely to see so many English people trying to ceilidh!
After that we went on to our classes. In the morning and the first part of the afternoon, we did music. As well as chorus work, we also took some time out for the principals to do their numbers. And then... the dancing started.
We set "Dancing Fool". Now, I have seen a very good society do this purely as a sung number. Not so this time - it's choreographed from the first drum beat to the last note. And there's none of this "repeat to the left" stuff either - it's a completely danced through number.
When I'm playing Tony, I am right at the front centre. And when I'm Rico, I still get to dance the number (obviously not in Rico costume), but in the chorus at the back. What makes that even more challenging is that there are a number of places where Tony makes a move, and the chorus then copies it. It's hard enough to remember four minutes of dance set in about 90 minutes, without having to deal with two different sets of moves depending on whom you're playing.
The great thing about summer school, however, is the way that the students work together to help each other. A few of us got together in the rehearsal room after dinner and had a run over the first half before going on to our evening activities.
There were three evening sessions; the students are free to choose one or not attend any. The three were "Interactions - a study of the relationship between cast, MD and director", a dance session based around a number from Hairspray and a talk about auditioning by the school's director, Ray Jeffrey.
I went to the last one, where Ray spent an hour or so talking about what a director looks to get from an audition and how to play into what the director needs, how to prepare for an audition, and how to face the reality that you may not always get what you wanted. He raised some interesting points that made me think about my attitude to auditioning and how to do it better.
Finally a short session in the bar, and off to bed... Good night!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Georgia
The issue of whether I can learn two sets of lines seems so trivial when Russia appears to be re-taking over Georgia. I suppose there is a certain cleverness to the idea of invading the country while the world is looking at the Olympic games, but even so...
All we can do is wait and see how it plays out, I guess. But it feels pretty awful being so powerless.
All we can do is wait and see how it plays out, I guess. But it feels pretty awful being so powerless.
Day 2
12:10
After a fantastic breakfast, that's the auditions now over. We started with the Class C girls at 9am, then Class C boys, Class B girls and so on. The range of audition quality was from performance standard downwards, with me somewhere in the middle. But it did make me feel that I really do need to get myself a vocal tutor.
It's been a long time since I last had an audition - I couldn't believe how nervous I was!
1800
Oh my goodness. I have been cast as both Steven/Tony and as Rico! How is this possible? Well, at the end of the week there are two performances - afternoon and evening. In one, I shall be Steven/Tony and in the other, Rico.
This will inevitably involve a lot of learning. I'm mostly on top of the Steven/Tony dialogue, but haven't learned any of Rico's.
It's going to be really weird for the girl that's playing Samantha/Lola, as she will be playing the part in both performances!
Oh, and just to add the icing to the cake, I've been asked to help out in a different class by coming in and standing, menacingly, as an agent of the Inquisition!
I'm going to be very busy!
2150
This evening we had a "singalong" with some songs from Joseph. We had great fun playing with a few of the songs, as well as singing them straight, before the big finale. Then it was off to the bar for a few drinks.
I've decided on quite an early bed, both to go over my chorus harmonies and to try to learn some lines. It appears that in the show where I am playing Rico, I shall also be involved in as many chorus numbers as timing permits. So I am going to have to learn Dancin' Fool as both Tony and as a regular chorus member - the same goes for the opening number. So there will be a lot of dancing, and I also have to try my best to look after my voice.
Oh well, if it were easy they'd call it football...
After a fantastic breakfast, that's the auditions now over. We started with the Class C girls at 9am, then Class C boys, Class B girls and so on. The range of audition quality was from performance standard downwards, with me somewhere in the middle. But it did make me feel that I really do need to get myself a vocal tutor.
It's been a long time since I last had an audition - I couldn't believe how nervous I was!
1800
Oh my goodness. I have been cast as both Steven/Tony and as Rico! How is this possible? Well, at the end of the week there are two performances - afternoon and evening. In one, I shall be Steven/Tony and in the other, Rico.
This will inevitably involve a lot of learning. I'm mostly on top of the Steven/Tony dialogue, but haven't learned any of Rico's.
It's going to be really weird for the girl that's playing Samantha/Lola, as she will be playing the part in both performances!
Oh, and just to add the icing to the cake, I've been asked to help out in a different class by coming in and standing, menacingly, as an agent of the Inquisition!
I'm going to be very busy!
2150
This evening we had a "singalong" with some songs from Joseph. We had great fun playing with a few of the songs, as well as singing them straight, before the big finale. Then it was off to the bar for a few drinks.
I've decided on quite an early bed, both to go over my chorus harmonies and to try to learn some lines. It appears that in the show where I am playing Rico, I shall also be involved in as many chorus numbers as timing permits. So I am going to have to learn Dancin' Fool as both Tony and as a regular chorus member - the same goes for the opening number. So there will be a lot of dancing, and I also have to try my best to look after my voice.
Oh well, if it were easy they'd call it football...
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Summer School Day 1
Left home in the most apalling weather. The rain was lashing down, bouncing off the ground. Truly dreadful weather - what has happened to summer?
Drove down, stopping for a McDonalds on the way. The journey statistics were
Distance: 236 miles
Average speed: 49mph (this includes a 15 minute stop at McDonalds)
Time: 4hr 51 minutes (again includes the stop for lunch)
Fuel consumption: 47.6miles per gallon
By the time I arrived, the rain was mostly off and I was able to get my stuff moved into my room quite easily. The room is okay - having the en suite makes such a difference - and then I went down to go to the "new students" meeting. I don't really count as a new student, but it's been many years since I was last here so I turned up anyway.
After that, dinner.
Then we went to the official welcome from the Principal of the school. He explained that over the course of a week, each class will put on a forty to fifty minute extract from a show. Class A is "Man Of La Mancha", Class B is "Kiss Me Kate" and Class C, "Copacabana". I am in Class C
After that we split up into our classes. It was pretty scary to see that we number four girls and four boys. We are promised another girl will join us; she is travelling just now but will be with us tomorrow.
I put my name down to audition for the part of Steven / Tony. I have been learning the lines for the past week or two, but had completely failed to learn the musical audtition. I have got a lot of learning to do tonight.
While we were at the introductory Class C meeting, the director said that he was still convinced that we could put on a good extract. We should be expecting to work very hard over the next week, however. With only nine people on stage it will be hard to cover for any mistakes. And with six male roles, the casting will be interesting too!
So, Class C got to the bar first, and eventually the other classes arrived. We scored one minor victory in that a girl in one of the other classes decided to move over to Class C. I am told that she is a terrific dancer - great! I like the idea of another person to hide behind :-)
Drove down, stopping for a McDonalds on the way. The journey statistics were
Distance: 236 miles
Average speed: 49mph (this includes a 15 minute stop at McDonalds)
Time: 4hr 51 minutes (again includes the stop for lunch)
Fuel consumption: 47.6miles per gallon
By the time I arrived, the rain was mostly off and I was able to get my stuff moved into my room quite easily. The room is okay - having the en suite makes such a difference - and then I went down to go to the "new students" meeting. I don't really count as a new student, but it's been many years since I was last here so I turned up anyway.
After that, dinner.
Then we went to the official welcome from the Principal of the school. He explained that over the course of a week, each class will put on a forty to fifty minute extract from a show. Class A is "Man Of La Mancha", Class B is "Kiss Me Kate" and Class C, "Copacabana". I am in Class C
After that we split up into our classes. It was pretty scary to see that we number four girls and four boys. We are promised another girl will join us; she is travelling just now but will be with us tomorrow.
I put my name down to audition for the part of Steven / Tony. I have been learning the lines for the past week or two, but had completely failed to learn the musical audtition. I have got a lot of learning to do tonight.
While we were at the introductory Class C meeting, the director said that he was still convinced that we could put on a good extract. We should be expecting to work very hard over the next week, however. With only nine people on stage it will be hard to cover for any mistakes. And with six male roles, the casting will be interesting too!
So, Class C got to the bar first, and eventually the other classes arrived. We scored one minor victory in that a girl in one of the other classes decided to move over to Class C. I am told that she is a terrific dancer - great! I like the idea of another person to hide behind :-)
Monday, August 4, 2008
Car service and mobile Internet
My car needed serviced today. I can't complain too much; that's 34,000 miles on the clock and it's only the second service. Perhaps surprisingly, there were some ways in which the old Vectra was more refined than the Passat, but the 9,000 mile service interval of the Vectra is something I certainly shall not miss.
Anyway, I find myself with a few hours to kill at the VW dealership. They do have a WLAN, but it is secured and not available for use. So out comes my mobile phone. Yes, I am in a "Three" 3G area. I can connect my laptop to the phone via Bluetooth, and use the phone as a modem. And amazingly, I am connected to the internet.
Dig out the VPN and I even able to log in to work. Now, I don't think I'd want to do a lot of work using this setup, but I can at least answer email. Which is pretty impressive, all told!
Anyway, I find myself with a few hours to kill at the VW dealership. They do have a WLAN, but it is secured and not available for use. So out comes my mobile phone. Yes, I am in a "Three" 3G area. I can connect my laptop to the phone via Bluetooth, and use the phone as a modem. And amazingly, I am connected to the internet.
Dig out the VPN and I even able to log in to work. Now, I don't think I'd want to do a lot of work using this setup, but I can at least answer email. Which is pretty impressive, all told!
Friday, August 1, 2008
Photo storage
Every time that something seems to be coming together, it just gets more complicated.
My wife has managed to book some accommodation for the week that I shall be at summer school. That means that she and the kids can be on holiday and I shall not be feeling guilty that I'm away enjoying myself while they're doing normal things. So that's all good.
However, that means that she'll want to have the laptop. It's great for entertaining the kids when the weather's inclement. But I want it too! I need it to store photographs, and free up my memory cards. I forsee difficulties here...
Options include buying a new laptop (it'll have to happen soon enough anyway), an "Image Tank" type of solution (I'd rather have a laptop, even though the ImageTank is small and light) or buying lots of CF cards.
I'm also hoping to get to the NODA Summer School presentations. I sent email yesterday checking that it would be okay, and have had no reply. So unless anything comes back in the next few days I shall assume that that means "no problem", and shall toddle down. Maybe I'll even get some decent photographs from the presentation.
My wife has managed to book some accommodation for the week that I shall be at summer school. That means that she and the kids can be on holiday and I shall not be feeling guilty that I'm away enjoying myself while they're doing normal things. So that's all good.
However, that means that she'll want to have the laptop. It's great for entertaining the kids when the weather's inclement. But I want it too! I need it to store photographs, and free up my memory cards. I forsee difficulties here...
Options include buying a new laptop (it'll have to happen soon enough anyway), an "Image Tank" type of solution (I'd rather have a laptop, even though the ImageTank is small and light) or buying lots of CF cards.
I'm also hoping to get to the NODA Summer School presentations. I sent email yesterday checking that it would be okay, and have had no reply. So unless anything comes back in the next few days I shall assume that that means "no problem", and shall toddle down. Maybe I'll even get some decent photographs from the presentation.
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