That's not to say that Opening Night was dull or bad, but really, aside from "The show went well!" and "People loved it!" and "We ate fruit, cheese, and sandwiches!" and "The floral arrangement looked kinda like it was vomiting tulips!" there's just not a lot to talk about. I think I mentioned yesterday how proud I am of everybody, and how much I like this show. I'm ready to not have to watch it anymore, though. I've seen it every night for the past two weeks (and parts of it most afternoons as well). I'm ready for a Fox-break.
Those of you who see or have seen the show, I'd love to talk about it sometime. And I'll try to make sure you've seen the whole thing before I call you and ask for your opinion! *embarrassed*
Fantastic day for hockey games. Three games, all of them tight, all of them featuring third-period comebacks and lead changes, and two of them featuring overtimes. Two of them saw teams going home, and even though one of the teams golfing tomorrow is my Avs, I have to be pretty happy with the way they played this year. I mean come on, they were supposed to royally suck. See my season preview. Just about every expert on the continent had them finishing 13th-15th in the conference. To take the #1 seed to six games, no matter how bizarre the circumstances, showed a ton of heart and quite a bit of promise for the future.
Also, this is the second straight year the Pens came back from down 3-0 in game six to win their first round series on the road. Quirky little stat.
Hope you all enjoyed the beautiful weather. It's starting to get warm again in Houston.
Finally, I totally trust the Texans' scouting staff. I'm pretty crazy about our picks this year. I'm a little puzzled as to why we picked up TWO tight ends, but I'm sure it'll all make sense in the end.
That, or we really just don't care what we do with our seventh round pick.
Showing posts with label Little Foxes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Little Foxes. Show all posts
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
v2, d45: And we're.......back!
Whew. Okay.
Hi again.
It's good that I didn't blog the last two weeks. For one thing, I was really, really, really tired. Almost all the time. Up until earlier this week, when Alice opened, and I wasn't trying to get to work right at 8:30 a.m. any more. (You wouldn't think changing my ETA from 8:30 to 9:00 would make that much of a difference, but it totally has!) For another thing, well, things were just really taking a pretty sharp downturn when I shut the blog down last week. I knew this was going to be a rough month, and it certainly lived up to expectations. After the overnight in the emergency room with Robbie (once again, he's fine), things across the board just got worse. Work became uncannily stressful and, at times, downright discouraging. I spent a lot of time wavering between glum, fatigued, and just plain angry.
Would have made for some crappy blogging, and a couple of you would just have worried about me, and that wouldn't have done at all ;-)
Now, there were definitely pockets of joy in that time. It's not like I was depressed. My folks came down for an awesome visit last weekend and gave Kim and I a much-needed night out. Rehearsals for Alice were always a bright spot, and I think we did a lot of great work during that time, which was energizing. Then, there were my once-a-week dinners with my wife and child between rehearsals. Those were nice. But on the whole, not a "good" time.
So, Alice Now! opened Wednesday morning. We had final dress rehearsal and preview performance Tuesday afternoon and evening, and between the cast sat in the courtyard with our dinners and enjoyed one of the most beautiful days we'll see all year. That was a really good day. I'm pleased with the show. It faced some really interesting difficulties throughout the process, from script changes to rehearsal limitations to actors' illness to my getting pulled out of rehearsals occasionally for meetings with the boss. On top of that, it was a musical adaptation of a fairly disjointed story in the first place, so we were already a bit short on rehearsal time. Also, our production department was set back a couple of weeks due to late casting (another something that was out of my hands), so we were adding pieces all the way up to the preview performance. Lots to contend with. But I'm really pleased with the work my cast (and everybody else who touched this production) did, and I think we've got a solid show, especially considering the hand we were dealt this time around.
About halfway through the week, the most stressful of the circumstances that were making evening rehearsals so stressful started to improve. That cast finally got a chance to run the show a few times and work to find their own continuity, and I think they've put together a very solid show. It's hard to be objective after watching something every night for the past five weeks, but I think the reactions from our two preview audiences justify my claim. I'm thrilled that this team is going to have such a solid run.
I don't think I'll volunteer for this sort of workload again. Directing one show in the morning and assistant directing w/ the boss at night definitely took a lot out of me, physically, mentally, and emotionally. I pray to God that I was helpful and effective in both roles, though, and I have learned a lot from the experience. I'm actually already a little sad that I don't have another directing project lined up. It seems like I need a weekend to recover, and then I can get back with it. That's probably not true, but that's what it feels like. Opening nights energize me.
Bah. I need to be a writer again for awhile. And a husband/father/friend. And that means dinner out this evening, a night at home with my son on Wednesday, Outgehangen at the first opportunity.
I'll provide some more opening night details for Little Foxes tomorrow. This has been a crazy journey, and I'm probably better for having done it. I appreciate all the prayer and comments and other support I've received over the past month. Those of you who know my family well know that work schedules weren't the only burdens we've been bearing lately. This has been a good exercise in remembering that God is faithful.
So those of you whose lives I kind of dropped out of to some degree, it looks like I'm back. Gimme a call sometime.
Oh, and I know you all missed my NHL playoff preview in my absence. Don't worry, I made my predictions. (One is already completely wrong, but who knew the Flyers would bounce the Devils so quickly with Boucher in net and without two of their top forwards? I mean really??) I sent them to Sherri so there would be recorded proof that I made them before the playoffs started. I'll let you know what they were before round 2 starts. Because I know you missed my playoff hockey coverage.
I think that covers most everything. Expect a new RNGOTM soon. Enjoy your weekend. It's beautiful outside, so go for a walk or something.
Hi again.
It's good that I didn't blog the last two weeks. For one thing, I was really, really, really tired. Almost all the time. Up until earlier this week, when Alice opened, and I wasn't trying to get to work right at 8:30 a.m. any more. (You wouldn't think changing my ETA from 8:30 to 9:00 would make that much of a difference, but it totally has!) For another thing, well, things were just really taking a pretty sharp downturn when I shut the blog down last week. I knew this was going to be a rough month, and it certainly lived up to expectations. After the overnight in the emergency room with Robbie (once again, he's fine), things across the board just got worse. Work became uncannily stressful and, at times, downright discouraging. I spent a lot of time wavering between glum, fatigued, and just plain angry.
Would have made for some crappy blogging, and a couple of you would just have worried about me, and that wouldn't have done at all ;-)
Now, there were definitely pockets of joy in that time. It's not like I was depressed. My folks came down for an awesome visit last weekend and gave Kim and I a much-needed night out. Rehearsals for Alice were always a bright spot, and I think we did a lot of great work during that time, which was energizing. Then, there were my once-a-week dinners with my wife and child between rehearsals. Those were nice. But on the whole, not a "good" time.
So, Alice Now! opened Wednesday morning. We had final dress rehearsal and preview performance Tuesday afternoon and evening, and between the cast sat in the courtyard with our dinners and enjoyed one of the most beautiful days we'll see all year. That was a really good day. I'm pleased with the show. It faced some really interesting difficulties throughout the process, from script changes to rehearsal limitations to actors' illness to my getting pulled out of rehearsals occasionally for meetings with the boss. On top of that, it was a musical adaptation of a fairly disjointed story in the first place, so we were already a bit short on rehearsal time. Also, our production department was set back a couple of weeks due to late casting (another something that was out of my hands), so we were adding pieces all the way up to the preview performance. Lots to contend with. But I'm really pleased with the work my cast (and everybody else who touched this production) did, and I think we've got a solid show, especially considering the hand we were dealt this time around.
About halfway through the week, the most stressful of the circumstances that were making evening rehearsals so stressful started to improve. That cast finally got a chance to run the show a few times and work to find their own continuity, and I think they've put together a very solid show. It's hard to be objective after watching something every night for the past five weeks, but I think the reactions from our two preview audiences justify my claim. I'm thrilled that this team is going to have such a solid run.
I don't think I'll volunteer for this sort of workload again. Directing one show in the morning and assistant directing w/ the boss at night definitely took a lot out of me, physically, mentally, and emotionally. I pray to God that I was helpful and effective in both roles, though, and I have learned a lot from the experience. I'm actually already a little sad that I don't have another directing project lined up. It seems like I need a weekend to recover, and then I can get back with it. That's probably not true, but that's what it feels like. Opening nights energize me.
Bah. I need to be a writer again for awhile. And a husband/father/friend. And that means dinner out this evening, a night at home with my son on Wednesday, Outgehangen at the first opportunity.
I'll provide some more opening night details for Little Foxes tomorrow. This has been a crazy journey, and I'm probably better for having done it. I appreciate all the prayer and comments and other support I've received over the past month. Those of you who know my family well know that work schedules weren't the only burdens we've been bearing lately. This has been a good exercise in remembering that God is faithful.
So those of you whose lives I kind of dropped out of to some degree, it looks like I'm back. Gimme a call sometime.
Oh, and I know you all missed my NHL playoff preview in my absence. Don't worry, I made my predictions. (One is already completely wrong, but who knew the Flyers would bounce the Devils so quickly with Boucher in net and without two of their top forwards? I mean really??) I sent them to Sherri so there would be recorded proof that I made them before the playoffs started. I'll let you know what they were before round 2 starts. Because I know you missed my playoff hockey coverage.
I think that covers most everything. Expect a new RNGOTM soon. Enjoy your weekend. It's beautiful outside, so go for a walk or something.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
v2, d28: Review/preview/Newsies clip post
Was scheduled to work strike for the last mainstage show (which meant I didn't actually get a day off this week, which fits in pretty perfectly with my schedule lately ;-). I always enjoy strike, though, and tonight was no exception.
Strike always makes me think of Newsies, though, so here's some Newsies for y'all.
Another long, long, long week ahead. 9 a.m.-10 p.m. every day again, this time working on three shows instead of two. (Welcome back, Teammates!) Also, a wedding on Saturday that I'm in, and I severely hope that I don't forget about it in the midst of everything else.
If you see me this week, especially toward the weekend, please remind me about that.
Also, if you're available to pick up a rental tux for me on Thursday, let me know, since I'll be in rehearsal all day long. Plus, I don't have a car anyway, so it wouldn't matter if I were in rehearsal or not.
In three and a half weeks, Alice will open, and two days later Foxes will be up as well. Weeks should be getting progressively more exhausting up to that point, though I think I should be able to get my Sundays off from here until there. Of course, if I get called in early to do sound system setup at church, that may not really be true.
It is good, though, to feel so in demand ;-)
In other news, the NHL Playoffs are going to start at some point in the next month. I'm going to miss the first round, more than likely, which will be a bummer because it means I'm probably going to miss all four Avalanche playoff games this year.
Oh well. Here's high hopes the Pens can get it all put back together between now and then. I think they'll be fine.
Strike always makes me think of Newsies, though, so here's some Newsies for y'all.
Another long, long, long week ahead. 9 a.m.-10 p.m. every day again, this time working on three shows instead of two. (Welcome back, Teammates!) Also, a wedding on Saturday that I'm in, and I severely hope that I don't forget about it in the midst of everything else.
If you see me this week, especially toward the weekend, please remind me about that.
Also, if you're available to pick up a rental tux for me on Thursday, let me know, since I'll be in rehearsal all day long. Plus, I don't have a car anyway, so it wouldn't matter if I were in rehearsal or not.
In three and a half weeks, Alice will open, and two days later Foxes will be up as well. Weeks should be getting progressively more exhausting up to that point, though I think I should be able to get my Sundays off from here until there. Of course, if I get called in early to do sound system setup at church, that may not really be true.
It is good, though, to feel so in demand ;-)
In other news, the NHL Playoffs are going to start at some point in the next month. I'm going to miss the first round, more than likely, which will be a bummer because it means I'm probably going to miss all four Avalanche playoff games this year.
Oh well. Here's high hopes the Pens can get it all put back together between now and then. I think they'll be fine.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
v2, d23: "It's a post that ends with 'D'OH' oh oh oh..."
Today, my wife, son, and sister-in-law brought me a lemon-berry slush from Sonic after work. It was a little too heavy on the syrup (never thought I'd be saying that about a slush) but was fantastic nonetheless. We've really cut back on the fast food this past month, and while I wish I could say it's because we're suddenly health conscious, really it's just because it's been getting too expensive.
Anyway, Robbie ran around Saint Street for awhile, up and down the stairs, running in circles in the rehearsal space, climbing through and hiding under chairs. Then everybody had to leave so I could have dinner and get ready for the evening's rehearsal. Robbie started to fuss and then cry when he had to leave, echoing that heartbreaking "I want my daddy to come!" That kinda sucked. But we let him take one of the nice smooth rocks from outside back with him, and that seemed to ease the immediate burden.
Probably a lot of those heart-breakers in the next four and a half weeks, unfortunately. This'll be a fantastic test to remind myself whether or not I think what I'm doing for a living is actually worth doing for a living.
Rehearsals are going really well, I think. Tho, to be fair, there've only been three rehearsals for Foxes and one for Alice. (Notes: Alice and the Foxes is a fun title for a play. Or a girl-fronted 1950s rock or jazz band. Ooh, or surf music. Very underappreciated, surf music) The next three days will be chocked full, so hopefully I don't get behind on my day job stuff. (Also, apparently I now have 1-3 p.m. office hours at Grace. So, stop by and say hello, Grace groupies!)
Good news: I'm actually pretty tired at bedtime when I get home. Bad news: I'll never get through my library books if that holds steady.
I'm starting to get rambly. I'ma cut this off before I tell you about how I smelled someone's canned pasta today and got all nostalgic for Spaghetti-O's.
Wait...D'OH!
Anyway, Robbie ran around Saint Street for awhile, up and down the stairs, running in circles in the rehearsal space, climbing through and hiding under chairs. Then everybody had to leave so I could have dinner and get ready for the evening's rehearsal. Robbie started to fuss and then cry when he had to leave, echoing that heartbreaking "I want my daddy to come!" That kinda sucked. But we let him take one of the nice smooth rocks from outside back with him, and that seemed to ease the immediate burden.
Probably a lot of those heart-breakers in the next four and a half weeks, unfortunately. This'll be a fantastic test to remind myself whether or not I think what I'm doing for a living is actually worth doing for a living.
Rehearsals are going really well, I think. Tho, to be fair, there've only been three rehearsals for Foxes and one for Alice. (Notes: Alice and the Foxes is a fun title for a play. Or a girl-fronted 1950s rock or jazz band. Ooh, or surf music. Very underappreciated, surf music) The next three days will be chocked full, so hopefully I don't get behind on my day job stuff. (Also, apparently I now have 1-3 p.m. office hours at Grace. So, stop by and say hello, Grace groupies!)
Good news: I'm actually pretty tired at bedtime when I get home. Bad news: I'll never get through my library books if that holds steady.
I'm starting to get rambly. I'ma cut this off before I tell you about how I smelled someone's canned pasta today and got all nostalgic for Spaghetti-O's.
Wait...D'OH!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
v2, d4: A beautiful three-bedroom post
First, new stuff over at the secret blog tonight. Really, something different and intimidating for me, so I don't know if it's going to turn out or not. Also posted to my reading blog this morning. I think this may be the first day I've posted to all three blogs in the same day.
Second, I want to thank everybody that reads this who's been in for Little Foxes auditions this past week (and that includes a good number of my reading audience). I know they've been unusual, and I know there's been some frustration and some complaining, but they've actually been really, really productive. I've had a lot of fun watching the readings and having casting discussions with JCG. I think this has potential to be one of the most dynamic shows we've done since I've been with the company. I am really excited about getting into rehearsals for it, even though I know they'll move slower than any of us are comfortable with and may get frustrating from time to time.
Finally, I'm pretty sure I met a direct descendant of the Godfather tonight. After the performance of Ret., a tall bald man in a heavy overcoat was talking to our house manager, asking questions about our upcoming Easter programming. The HM didn't really know anything about the show, but I'd just recently read the script, so he directed the man to me. The man speaks in a fairly high-pitched, awfully scratchy voice with a heavy New Jersey accent. Says he's got some friends coming in from Cleveland, and he was wonderin' if maybe this was the sorta thing his associates might enjoy. (Okay, he didn't use the word associates. But still) So I told him what I knew of the plot (his hands never left his pockets the entire time), and when I was finished, the tall man nodded his bald head casually and said "Sounds like it might be interestin'," then he turned to his lady friend and thanked me as he walked off.
There's a good chance the guy just pretends to be a stereotypical mobster when he goes out in public to see how people react to him. Or maybe he just knows where Jimmy Hoffa is.
Guess I'll let you know if he shows up with a few of his friends from Cleveland at the Easter show.
Second, I want to thank everybody that reads this who's been in for Little Foxes auditions this past week (and that includes a good number of my reading audience). I know they've been unusual, and I know there's been some frustration and some complaining, but they've actually been really, really productive. I've had a lot of fun watching the readings and having casting discussions with JCG. I think this has potential to be one of the most dynamic shows we've done since I've been with the company. I am really excited about getting into rehearsals for it, even though I know they'll move slower than any of us are comfortable with and may get frustrating from time to time.
Finally, I'm pretty sure I met a direct descendant of the Godfather tonight. After the performance of Ret., a tall bald man in a heavy overcoat was talking to our house manager, asking questions about our upcoming Easter programming. The HM didn't really know anything about the show, but I'd just recently read the script, so he directed the man to me. The man speaks in a fairly high-pitched, awfully scratchy voice with a heavy New Jersey accent. Says he's got some friends coming in from Cleveland, and he was wonderin' if maybe this was the sorta thing his associates might enjoy. (Okay, he didn't use the word associates. But still) So I told him what I knew of the plot (his hands never left his pockets the entire time), and when I was finished, the tall man nodded his bald head casually and said "Sounds like it might be interestin'," then he turned to his lady friend and thanked me as he walked off.
There's a good chance the guy just pretends to be a stereotypical mobster when he goes out in public to see how people react to him. Or maybe he just knows where Jimmy Hoffa is.
Guess I'll let you know if he shows up with a few of his friends from Cleveland at the Easter show.
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