FMHS IB Theatre

Well, I suppose I should start by saying that this year has been FLYING by!  I can’t believe that Christmas is so close, or that it’s been 85 degrees.  For a guy from Joisey, that’s a big deal.  I don’t miss the cold or snow at all….well, maybe the first snowfall.

Sweeney Todd is over, and I have many thoughts on it.  I could go on forever about it, but I’ll try not to.

I started thinking about Sweeney last April after Grease was finished.  This director I worked with in NJ wanted to do the show and I told him it was too dificult.  Riis wanted to do the show and I told him it was too difficult.  Then, while browsing the MTI website, I noticed they had released a School Edition.  Sondheim actually worked on it, so all of the changes were approved by him.  The changes really are minor….a few key changes here and there.  One obvious one was Pirelli’s material.  It was made much lower so that a high school tenor could really sing it.  One that most don’t realize is that the entire first song and many of the “ballads” were transposed, too, but higher.  This was because the bass lines would be too low for high school basses.  The school edition also came with CD tracks for performance.  This is an excellent tool since the score really is extremely difficult to play.

I actually worked quite a bit on the piece over the summer.  Christian and I would listen to it on the way to his filming for Letters to God, and I took the score and script and analyzed it while he was working.  When we got back to school, I was hit with a lot of “we don’t want to do this show” type comments.  Many people that I expected to audition did not.  I actually thought that because of the movie, more people would audition.  In the end, the movie may have been a deterrent.

So Riis and I held auditions.  When I think back on the audition process, I realize that there could be some minor changes.  Most of the time I can tell if someone can sing and which part the should have within 2 measures of hearing them.  With Sondheim, I need to listen more closely, and watch more closely.  I was listening for pitch and diction, but looking for character – a certain spark in the eye.  This character, though, had to be something that could be moulded….some students were very set in how they thought certain characters should be portrayed.  Riis and I tried to work with them, but it was almost impossible to get them to change.  Therefore, we spent more time working with those who we could see change in.  These were the students we cast – the ones who responded to direction.

Right after auditions, Kelsey, Riis and I held a production meeting.  These are usually held in order to discuss overall vision, schedule, and budget.  It was good that we did this.  We actually stayed close to our initial budget, but not to our timelines.  This was because our preliminary timelines were unreasonable.  We (I) were trying to get too much done too quickly.  It did, however, make us work harder and faster.  The show was completely done two weeks before we opened.

Our biggest error was in costuming.  Costumes are not something that I know a ton about, but I’m learning more with each show I do.  Kelsey was originally going to be the set designer/painter, but she also volunteered to take on costumes as well.  I think this proved to be an overwhelming task for her.  Riis and I should have known better than to allow her to take on that much responsibility.  When we had our costume “parade”, we had to tell her that most of the costumes we didn’t like.  That was painful for me to say and for her to hear.  She spent a lot of time either making or gathering these costumes, and we just told her they weren’t good. (some were…..)  This was a very expensive mistake too, as the costume rental store charged us over $1000.00 for costumes that we could have made for under $300.00.  What have I learned?  That costuming needs to be addressed in the first few weeks of production, and that parents are an enormous asset to any high school production.  We had several moms come in and help with wardrobe, and I am extremely grateful to them for this.

I will improve in this area by:

1.  Starting costuming in the first few weeks of production.

2.  Creating a costume plot, if needed.

3.  Assign students to be in charge of “wardrobe” and not just costumes.

4.  Find moms to help from the beginning.

We also discussed the set at the initial production meeting.  We all agreed on what we wanted from the Pie Shop.  What we didn’t agree on was the rest of the set.  Riis wanted large platforms upstage center (like a bridge) and two platforms downstage left and right.  I thought this was too much.  I also didn’t like the symmetry.  Symmetrical stage designs drive me crazy….maybe it’s because so many directors I’ve worked for have used them pretty much constantly.  Don’t get me wrong, they definitely have their place in certain shows….I’m just tired of them.  With this set, though, I think I was wrong.  I did enjoy how we used it, and Riis had many good ideas of how to use the set almost as a character – it was great to watch the ensemble sneaking in and out of hidden doorways.

Then we have microphones.  Whoa.  We just need a new sound system.  And light system.  Ours stink.  They really ruin the shows.  It’s a shame that we have such great performances with terrible technical issues.  ’nuff said.

Now onto the performances.

It’s one of my greatest joys to coach young artists into finding something inside of themselves they didn’t know was there.  I’m not going to discuss everyone here, but I will address a few.  Remember, I am brutally honest.  :)

Ian was cast as Anthony.  I knew this role would be a stretch for him.  I knew it would be difficult to coach him on it vocally and theatrically.  I believe that Ian is afraid to take chances on stage.  He needs to be able to let go and “play”.  When I was working with him, I felt like there was this wall of tension that he had built up in his chest.  I probably should have done some breathing exercises to loosen him up – I should have done this with the whole cast, but time just flies away so quickly.  I was concerned about Ian up until the last week of rehearsals.  At this point, he started to break down some of the walls (and the birdcage).  In the end, Ian delivered a fine performance.  We felt Anthony’s honesty and love.  We understood what he was singing.  We recognized the opposite nature that he had from Todd.  I’m very proud of Ian for starting to let go.  This will be an area of theatre he needs to focus on, though.

Morgan was really stunning as the Beggar Woman.  The role is so strange……who is this woman?  The audience doesn’t know her as anything more than an annoyance to the rest of the cast until the end of the show.  At that point we learn that the show is really about her.  At any rate, Morgan delivered a stellar performance.  I knew that she had the character needed, but what a voice!  Morgan could major in vocal performance – easy.  I believe she could have a career as a classical singer if she wanted to.  This is all without voice lessons.  WTH?  LOL.

Nicole played Mrs. Lovett.  In all of my wildest dreams, I never imagined she would have been as good as she was.  As a matter of fact, I haven’t seen a performance of that caliber in a high school student since Eric Schneider played Jekyll, or Joey Tierno played the Emcee in Cabaret.   It was performed at a level much much higher than that of a “typical” high school student.  How did she do it?  She constantly questioned herself.  She always tried new things.  She was completely committed to the character and the show.  Nicole was, I believe, the inspiration for the entire cast.  Because she worked so hard at developing her character, it drove everyone else to do the same.  They may not consciously have been aware of it, but I’m sure it’s true.  It’s very rare that a performance takes my breath away.  Hers did.  I can’t say enough……so I’ll stop.

Now putting on a show is a full time job.  Many other things got put on the back burner as we approached opening night.  IB Theatre worked mainly on the set and practiced roles during class.  It was indeed convenient to have a majority of the leads in this class.  I don’t believe this was time wasted.  It was not what I had originally planned for this class, but the students learned about the many aspects of set construction and design, sound design, and lighting.  If I could change anything, I would have assigned independent projects to the juniors on different aspects of the show.  As they read this, they’re probably very glad I didn’t!

I’m getting drowsy now….I should have written an outline for this blog. haha

When I work on a show that I’m passionate about, I really obsess over it….not in a bad way, though.  I am always reading, researching, and questioning myself and my artistic decisions.  I’m also always willing to admit that my ideas may not be the best…..this makes for a very open learning experience, and keeps my mind open to new things.

I’m going to stop here for now, but I’m sure I’ve got a few more things to reflect on…..maybe I’ll do it later, maybe I won’t.

cheers.

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