Field Trip Week!!

woohoo for field trip week. Even if you aren't going anywhere (oh Italy people), at least there's *less* school than usual. OK, so it's a small thing. But having Friday off is nice, no matter what else is goin' on. ;-)


I will roll this week's blog comments into next week's blog grade (instead of holding field trip week against you). So enjoy the time off ... OR take the chance to get a super-great blog grade this time around to offset any nasty ones.


Remember you need play reviews! Not having 3 reviews will drop your final letter grade by 10 percentage points -- don't get caught in that spot. You can turn in a review anytime up till the very last day of school (Tues, May 23rd). And you might be able to buy tickets at the door on Monday night's SMART performance of Twelfth Night at BJU.... if you're planning to go to that. Call to make sure. But I doubt it's sold out.


Remember that your line memorization needs to be rock-solid by Monday the 8th. Don't give your dear directors a heart-attack by showing up with lines not memorized well. Or Sam & Bethany will make you do push ups AND chin ups. And suicides. And sprints. ;-)


One last note:
Dig out your rehearsal schedule and make sure you & your parents know what's going on during the month of May. (The NCS Times also included a helpful calendar of school events during May.) Things are scheduled pretty tightly -- rehearsals after school on M, W, Th; drama class rehearsals where possible; performances on a Thursday afternoon and Friday evening. You cannot miss a rehearsal -- work to reschedule any conflicts.


Rest is coming for all you weary souls!
And until then ... at least the weather is nice.

Ciao!

Addendum

A few PS's to the post below:

PS. Make sure you comment on the question I asked down there (at the very end)... and, of course, read the post. ;) Lots of important info

PPS. The photos for "The Landlady" will have to be on Wed after the reherasal.... they shouldn't take really long. Bethany, it's up to you whether the photos are first or the rehearsal.

PPPS: 8th & 9th graders -- I hope to get you out of class during 3rd hour on Wednesday to help the 7th graders run their dress rehearsal. Otherwise, their plays are looking pretty good.
Give them a look-see on Monday if you have time.
And give them lots of encouragement.... they've taken your direction well. Now help them feel like it won't fall apart when they get up there. =)



Some advice
yeah, we're all insanely busy. Sort of a train-wreck of projects combined with general end-of-year activities.
A couple of ideas to help you out:

• schedule your time ... plan to spend a certain block of time on a particular activity -- and then stick to it
• make sure you get enough sleep -- sounds impossible, I know. But without rest, you'll run yourself down ... and then you'll get sick. And THEN you won't get anything done.
• make time each day to do SOMETHING that's not work -- you gotta get rid of stress, so do something you enjoy
• let me (and other teachers) know when you're struggling -- we can often help take the pressure off. It's not a sign of weakness to say, "Hey, this is too much." None of us wants you to be massively stressed out.

And remember -- it WILL all get done.
And it'll go just fine.
and soon, very soon, comes

summer

An Encouraging Word... Reprise

methinks we're at *that* point in the semester again -- when it's good to hear someone say,
"Yes, you're doing fine.
Yes, you're going to survive till the end.
Yes, summer is coming!"

There. Do you feel better already? :-)


A few notes, and I'll leave you to your busy weekend:

Plays

• I'm really looking forward to the plays that Sam & Bethany are working on. For one thing, I've heard some of you come up with really cool ideas or hilarious character quirks. And I've already had one person -- who wasn't able to get MND tickets because she waited too long -- say she *definitely* wants to come to the plays in May. See? Your reputation preceeds you -- and it's an excellent one.
  

• I'm pulling double-duty as both an actor and head makeup artist. (Not sure which one I like better -- they're both a lot of fun!) Please be patient if I pull you aside to work on hair or makeup details. This magic doesn't just happen without some planning, and "making someone look old" isn' a skill I use on a daily basis.
  

• Therefore, let me just remind you all to be on time for rehearsals ... especially if you have a special call time due to costume/hair/makeup

Thursday's schedule (4/27) is as follows

• 12 noon: Call time for 7th grade actors
  
• 12:30: Cast meeting for the 7th grade plays. You need to attend 5th hour classes on Thursday UNLESS you hear otherwise from me. It depends on your backstage duties.
  
• 1pm: 7th play performances. No drama class!
  
• 2pm: Most of you go to chapel. Rebekah -- come for makeup
• 2:15pm: Nate, Alicia--come for hair/makeup
• 2:45pm: Check with your director about your call time for rehearsal or changing into costume. **Do NOT wander around the building causing trouble....
  
• 3:00pm: Bettina & Sara -- come for makeup stuff
• 3:30pm: Probably a rehearsal
  
• 4:00pm: Simple cast photos and costume parade.
  

Anyone wearing stage makeup MUST wash it off before leaving the building. Sorry, folks. No sharing the surprise until opening night. :)
If you're "old" or "middle aged" you need to bring a washcloth, facial cleanser, shampoo. Anyone who needs/wants to come to my house to wash up or shower is welcome.... keep that in mind over the next several weeks.

Don't whine about (or during) the photo shoot or about the photographer.
This is part of theater productions -- without good photos, we have no great posters, no great publicity.
And you don't want to do all this work just to act in front of an empty hall.
Suck it up. =)
_____________________________
Twelfth Night
People interested in attending BJU's Twelfth Night (runs during "field trip week") need to buy tickets NOW or you won't get them. The BJ students probably started picking up their tickets today ... they're grabbing up the rest of the good seats.

The Wed night and Friday afternoon performances are a good bet if you are trying to get decent seats this late in the game. Also consider the $3 SMART performance on Monday night if you don't mind a rowdy crowd.

____________________________________________________

Remember that I'm still grading you for blog participation. This is pretty much the only place I can make announcements so everyone hears them ... you've GOT to keep up with the blog.

____________________________________________________
7th grade plays
Keep up with your 7th graders. They appreciate your help very much.

Are you keeping a log? Dude, that's an easy part of the grade -- don't screw it up. :)

YOU are supposed to help them figure out backstage stuff-- props, costumes, signs, staging. Next week, we'll have dress rehearsals on Wednesday. Expect to work with the 7th graders during recess on both Monday and Wednesday.






Hey ... come to the formal on May 9th, OK?
Please.
We want lotsa folks so everyone has a good time dancing with friends, laughing at the dancers, or generally just enjoying a spring event -- the first ever at NCS.



and that's all folks!! =)



What do you most like about the character you're playing (or the job you're doing) for the drama plays?
What do you like least?

Play to Review

**Make sure you read the post below this one**

Couple of plays for your reviewing pleasure. If you still need play reviews, buy tickets NOW.... don't wait till the last minute.

The Living Gallery at BJU this weekend counts as a theater performance if you want to review it.

________________________________________
BJU
Twelfth Night
Monday, 5/1--SMART performance
Full performances on Wed, Thurs, and Friday of that week (which is also "field trip week").

Student tickets are $10

_________________________________________
Oconee Community Theater
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Directed by Warren Sampson
May 12, 13, 19, 20, 21, 26, & 27, 2006

Tickets are $8 for students.
___________________________________

**Cast List** & Notes

All right . . . looks like we've finally gotten the ball rolling on the 7th grade play projects as well as the short plays.

A couple of notes, and then I'll leave you in peace for your weekend off. :-D

7th grade play project

• Yes, you are being graded on your assistance to the 7th graders. You know far more than they do about acting, and they definitely need your help. ;) Take them under your wing and give of yourself . . . you'll be amazed at what they can do!
  
• I've told the 7th graders to treat you with respect and to listen to what you have to say. Now you need to earn that respect by treating them professionally. Don't ever belittle one of your young actors
• Take it slow, but be insistant that the 7th graders actually improve. They just got off-book a day or two ago, and they can't work on lines and acting at the same time. Give them a chance to grow into character . . . but don't let them continue in bad habits (or boring acting).
  
• Keep a log of your work with the 7th graders. I'll give you a sheet . . . keep one per group. This log should describe the work you do with the 7th grade plays. It's a major chunk of your grade. Don't forget it, lose it, or pretend it doesn't matter. ;)

Your responsibilities:
--help the 7th graders improve their acting and characterization
--make blocking suggestions. (They'll need lots of advice here.)
--push them to get off book and get their lines down
--run warm ups (vocal, character)
--demand that they speak up and slow down
--keep the book for them when they rehearse
--work out backstage details
--be the backstage crew for their dress rehearsals and performance the last week of April

Requirements
You *must* meet with your 7th graders. ;-) Yes, it's a requirement.

I hope you watched your group rehearse once already. Write it on your log sheet if you did and be happy that your grade, so far, is a good one.

Next week, watch the 7th graders rehearse on at least two different days. Try to space them out (like a Tuesday and a Friday).

The following week is dress rehearsal & performance week. Expct to be at their dress rehearsal to work backstage and help out. You can sit in the audience for the performance if you aren't actually working backstage (and you'll work backstage for only one of the three plays, so plan on watching the other two from the audience).

Performance day is Thursday, April 27th, at 1pm. I'll talk to your teachers about getting you out of class as needed.


Short Plays

**Cast List!!**

The Landlady (Directed by Bethany)

Assistant Director: Alicia
Billy: Aaron
Landlady: Mrs. R
Station Attendant: Casey

*****

You Can't Take It With You (Directed by Sam)

Assistant Director: Claire
Uncle Basil: Nate
Maud: Sara
Percival: Ryan
Letitia: Taylor
Clotilda: Rebekah
Verner: Christian
Carpenter: Mr. R
Lawyer: Abigail
Housekeeper: Bettina

• The student directors will run the show here. I'll assist them in any way that they request, but ultimately, I'm letting them fly "solo" as much as possible.
• Scripts will be in your hands early next week, Lord willing. I'll finish them up this weekend and let the directors edit them before they're finalized.
• You'll get a rehearsal schedule from your director soon. Expect some after-school rehearsals in May (if not before). Also expect basic reading rehearsals and blocking rehearsals next week wherever your director can fit them in.
• It's going to be interesting to juggle yearbook and play rehearsals, but I think we can bump along with a lighter schedule for the next two weeks while everyone memorizes lines . . . and then hit it hard after field trip week (and yearbook is over).
• Expect your off-book date to fall in late April, but ultimately it's up to your director. As actors, you're also responsible for doing character research and thinking through the objectives and subtext. Do that as soon as you get your script.
• Help your director find costumes, set items, and props.
• Your grade for these comes primarily from 1) effort; 2) analysis (of the script and subtext); and 3) characterization.
• HAVE FUN! These two stories are real gems.
  

The final performances are Thursday afternoon, May 18, and Friday night, May 19. Start telling people now so they mark their calendars. Your friends and family are welcome to attend either performance. We might use tickets for the Friday night performance just to get an idea of how many people are coming, but admission (if we charge at all) would be only $1.



I love the excitement of embarking on a new play.
I realize you guys are tired (of school and in general).... believe me, SO AM I.

But don't let the weariness rob you of the joy of working with this cast one last time. Some people are moving on next year to new adventures. Relish this opportunity to work with such awesome follks!



PS> I'll be getting those drama CDs and posters done ASAP. Just had to get myself dug out from under a massive pile of work first ... and I'm still digging. But I'm not quite as buried as I was earlier... not quite.

Happy Easter!
He is risen indeed.

7th Grade Plays

Greetings, earthlings.

THIS earthling is weary of the school year, of the workload, and of her stress level. I'm glad Friday of this week is a day off ... although in my case it will be absorbed by doing taxes. yippee

I am also quite tired of being "absent" from school due to the masters' degree stuff. I hope my experience hasn't terrified any of you out of going to college. ;) [It's a lot easier if you're not working a full time job at the same time as you're trying to carry a full course load.]

I feel like I owe you guys an apology for how loose & unstructured this quarter in drama has been so far. I would have rather handed you scripts in mid-March and gotten the student directors rolling a month ago. That's not the way it turned out. *sighs* Failure is always a bitter pill to swallow, no matter how old you are.

So two things, before I bury myself in a thesis project for (hopefully) the last major workday:

Short Plays
Being an eternal optimist (although my optimism has come under severe attack in recent days and has retreated somewhat) ... this is still on the table. I have asked Coart to bail me out by heading up some of the details at the moment ... we're definitely tag-teaming the drama class right now. He'll be talking to directors about potential scripts on Monday ... that's the last hurdle before auditions.

We'll have auditions for the roles on either Wed or Thurs. If you are leaving early on Thursday, I need to know that NOW. I have to schedule the auditions for when everyone is here... and they need to happen this week.


7th Grade Plays
I am assigning most of you to a particular 7th grade play to help out with. I've left the 11th graders off this list for 2 reasons: They are the prime candidates for directing and assistant directing the short plays. They're also trying to plan the spring formal, which is a chunk of work.

Of course, any 11th graders who want to help out with the 7th grade plays are more than welcome to volunteer. But I'm not demanding it of you.

For the rest of you:
Helping the 7th graders won't take much of your time ... possibly one or two recess sessions in the next few weeks just to check in on their rehearsal progress, then some work with them during their dress rehearsal/ performance week.
If you want to help out more than that, please do. You are all more than qualified to coach them as they try to act out these stories.



What you should help the 7th graders with:

• Work on characterization, projection, and general acting skills. Some of them are better naturally than others. Work with all kinds, both the ones who love acting and the ones who struggle.
  
• Be an encourager. Always point out something they did well before moving on to stuff they need to fix.
  
• But be honest ... NONE of these students are so good that you can't give them something to work on!
• Make suggestions about blocking. They don't know how to block a scene. ;)
  
• Get them to think about what kinds of gestures or stage movement is suggested by the script. Don't let them just sit/stand there during the scene.
• Remind them that acting is REACTING... no one can passively exist on stage; you're always acting.
• Don't tell them a specific way to read a line if you can help it. Ask them questions instead or get them to imagine how they would feel in that circumstance....
• Hound them about being LOUD ENOUGH and SLOWING DOWN.
  

Your official responsibilities:

1. Get together with the others in your play group to watch the play all the way through as soon as you can this week. You drama students need to give unified advice to the 7th graders, not a mishmash of conflicting opinions. So watch the play and put your heads together to decide how it should go.
   
2. Divide up the actors in your group among yourselves. Pick a particular 7th grader to "coach" that day. Feel free to switch around from day to day so you work with different kids. Don't forget to coach for volume, body movement, gestures, acting . . .
   
3. Watch at least one rehearsal of your assigned play this week and one or two rehearsals next week. The more you watch, the easier your life will be -- you won't have to make them un-learn bad habits that they picked up by rehearsing when you weren't around. ;)
   
4. Stay through the entire rehearsal when you watch.
5. Coach the actors in building a believable, well-rounded character on stage. It's OK if the kids don't act a role the way YOU would act it ... as long as they are creating a believable, consistent character
6. Take the lead in figuring out staging, set design (mostly chairs or small tables -- no backdrops), prop lists, costumes, makeup, etc.
   
7. Keep a group log of your work with the play. That will form part of your grade for this assignment, so don't forget to do it. Assign a group secretary if you have to....
   

When we get to the last week of April, you'll serve as backstage crew as needed for their dress rehearsals and performances. These plays are REALLY short, so don't get stressed -- not a big demand on your time.

I expect the final performance to be in C-108 (where we did Midsummer) on Thursday, April 27th. They'll do one performance of all 3 plays in the same day, with the upper school and interested parents in attendance. Might invite the 4th grade too ... we'll see.


Play Assignments:
If you have an allergic reaction to where I assign you, find someone who's willing to switch with you AND ask me about it first.

In the Fog
Nate
Aaron
Sara

When the Rattlesnake Sounds
Ryan
Casey
Abigail

The Governess
Bettina
Taylor



I hope your week goes well.
The end of all burdens is near.
Hang in there!

OK, I've been just shelled by this week, as Coart would say.

give me a day or two to catch up ... we'll move the auditions to early next week. I need to catch up with the directors and talk script stuff with them first anyway.

... I'll keep you posted.


Until then, a question for y'all to answer (so you can keep your blog grade high & happy):

Anyone planning on doing any theater stuff over the summer? (Drama camps, audition for a local theater's play, write your own script of a favorite short story, direct VBS skits for your church ... ?)


In case you're interested, summer drama camps in our area:

Christian Youth Theater (Anderson)
Greenville Little Theatre -- several camps, different focus and ages for each
BJU
Furman U (focuses on how to design theater lighting)
SC Children's Theater -- you'll have to call for information; they don't have their summer class list up yet... but they offer satellite classes at the Anderson Arts Center



PS
CYT is running "Narnia" at Anderson U in late April if you need a play to review.

Any Jeffrey Archer fans in the group?

just an update on the whole 4th Q script / play thing....

I'm still "fishing" for information from you guys, but I think I have enough to push us toward getting directors and scripts together this week. I hope to have enough scripts to be able to give the directors actual choices (instead of just "do you want to do THIS one?" LOL), although we work within pretty tight constraints (size of our stage, lack of technical whiz-bang effects, and ratio of guys to girls).

In addition to scripts already mentioned and some possibilities you guys thought of this afternoon, I'm also looking at Jeffrey Archer's short stories. He's famous for his "twist in the tale" endings.


Tentative Schedule

week of April 3rd: I'll talk to the potential directors and assistant directors and get them to narrow down their script choices. (Note that scripts could still be unfinished when I talk to you, but I won't stray far from the original short stories.)

Monday, April 3: I'll post the final "script options" list so everyone can read the short stories (or at least summaries). You need to be informed for auditions.

Friday, April 7: I'd like to hold basic auditions on this day during drama class. We all know each other's abilities pretty well by this point, but this will be your chance to make your interests and preferences clear. I'd like all the non-directing drama students to audition for at least one role, even if your preference is backstage work. And be prepared to audition for whatever you're asked to read, whether you would choose it or not. Sometimes auditions reveal new possibilities. =)

I'll open up the auditions to the 8th graders who are in study hall during our drama hour if we're short on actors. Mr Ramey & I are available as well if we're needed to fill roles (or if the directors think we "fit" a particular role well .. hahaha that could be a dangerous question to ask .... ) ;)

Weeks of April 10 and 17: Actors memorize lines. Directors and ADs will nail down production design and interpretation decisions.

April 20: Off-book date.
Also, we'll start using drama class entirely for rehearsal.
It's up to your director to schedule other rehearsals as needed.

Remember that the week of May 1-5 is field trip week -- no regular school, so no rehearsals.

Thursday & Friday, May 18 & 19: Tentative performance days. (Thursday afternoon, Friday evening)
Alternative performance day: Tuesday, May 16

After the massive workload of MND, these plays will seem simple. =)
We've got 6 weeks. Most acting companies take a full-length play from first reading to performance in that amount of time .... I am positive that you guys are up to this final task.



One last thing:
This is the LAST TIME I hope to request prayer for this...
Pray for us over the next week to 10 days:
If we're going to graduate from Covenant this May, we must turn in our final projects within the next few days (because professors have to turn in all grades by April 15 for us to graduate).
To me, the time I spent on MND and the Italy trip (and everything else going on this year) has been well-worth it. I wouldn't do anything differently if I had the chance to do it all over. But choices have consequences .... and right now, it means I have more to do than I have time for (not to mention my 3rd quarter grades aren't done yet).
So pray for us both to be dilligent, to work quickly and efficiently, and to get this stuff DONE and out of our hair!!!

A literature review, a research project, and a thesis.
No sweat, right?
:-D


"Now unto Him who is able to do exceeedingly above anything we can even ask or think...." (Eph 3:21)