Move In

[tedwords]

Wednesday was move in, which was a terrible hectic day. Starting at four, we started loading the set into the theater, and also worked out the sound and lighting plot. So it was a combination move in and tech run, as we only had two rehearsals at the theater before the show went up Friday.

We also had the added complication of also having all 70 performers in the theater for a full review of what we put together. This had not happened yet because the Unlikely Strummers were rehearsing on their own, and as it was, they weren't even all there Wednesdsay night. We wouldn't have all 30 members of the uke group until opening night. 

Things did get a bit tense during the middle of rehearsal, as Tina, my SM, had to tape down places for various numbers. This slowed down rehearsal time but was necessary. It also resulted in some folks losing focus and some sloppy lines. I had to snap one time and be rather stern, but that brought everyone back into focus and helped.

The biggest challenge came at the end of the show, actually. I had arranged it so that most numbers did not include everyone, but there was no getting around it for the final number, and then the curtain call and three subsequent songs after the curtain call (a medley for the encore). 

The problem was, how to move everyone into the curtain call elegantly, with creating a train wreck? The first challenge came during the end of the number, as the Strummers were singing Your Song and my cast of 40 joined in. One of the performers, Fiona, suggested having my A and B lines enter from the auditorium and it was a brilliant suggestion, since they could also encourage the audience to sing along. I immediately knew how to handle that and blocked them on the spot. It also made the curtain call far easier to block and reduced traffic jams between the Strummers and the cast.

One challenge did come during the Encore. In the interest of unity, I decided that night to integrate the Strummers with the Ensemble, but received some feedback after the rehearsal that what this resulted in was the C line being pushed to the very back of the theater, pressed up against the band. They felt (and understandably so) somewhat deflated and ignored. 

That had to change. When I went home that night, I had ideas on how to fix it, which I could implement the next day. 

Our photographer also came in that night and was taking photos like crazy. 

Everything was falling into place.