June 17th 2010 - Rehearsals Continue

 

"40 is the New 15" Rehearsal

Dana Meller as Sarah rehearsing "Higher" and "Better Than This" with Cindy O'Connor, composer

The first week of rehearsals is in full swing, and it's an exciting time.  With 5 new songs, and several new scenes, we're smoothing out the new material and solving problems/answering questions as we go.  We've built a 'gap week' into the schedule, so that we can spend some time next week doing revisions and issuing a revised script, before we go back to work again.

I had a bit of a meltdown yesterday when we were exploring the new monologue and song for the character of Winter.  It's difficult sometimes, when working with some real pros, to maintain my ego and not get defensive in the face of criticism and tough questions.  I'm getting better at it, but I also need to remember that in the end, I have to trust my instincts and hold true to my vision, or I will regret it.  Sink or swim, this will have my name on it (and Cindy's!) and we have to be proud of the message and the impression it leaves on the audience.  So, it's all a balance. 

June 14 - Production Meeting Angst

Stage Manager Ernie Fimbres, Producer Scott Guy, Director Michele Spears

We had our first big production meeting, and things were a bit... tense.  The schedule is a bear, with 5 very busy cast members, and the desire to have plenty of time to explore and revise the script as necessary.  In the end, we were able to formulate a rehearsal schedule, after much wrestling.  Onward and upward! 

June 9, 2010 - A 'Beautiful' Reading

 

 Last night's reading of 'Beautiful' was a big success.  We had a nearly-full house, and the audience was very responsive and warm.  The show is so hard to define, tonally, and it took a while for the audience to really know what they were in for.  For the record... that was intentional on our parts, and it seems to have really worked.  There was extended applause for several songs, including 'People Never Change', 'Out of My Mind', 'A Man and His Gun', and 'Nothing Matters.'  Our favorite number, 'Miss Alabama and Mr. Redemption', gets theatrically cut off before the end, so there's is no chance for applause, but the audience seemed very engaged, and there was much laughter at things which we knew were funny, but were worried the audience would miss.There is a long road ahead for us to make this show a success.  But I think we are off to a good start, and all three of us are eager to keep working.  Our next step is to complete the score and schedule another reading.  Keep an eye out for future performances!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

'40 is the new 15' Daily Blog - Audition Day One

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Sorry to get started so late on this daily blog!  June 5 was our first official day of auditions for the new incarnation of '40 is the new 15' at the NoHo Arts Center in North Hollywood, CA.  Producer Scott Guy, Director Michele Spears, Composer Cindy O'Connor and I saw some very talented people and are very excited at the prospects.  Rules of decorum keep me from sharing more until the results are final, but it was a very exciting day.  We still need to see quite a few more people, for even though we open July 16, we are hoping to have the cast final next week, so we have time to tweak the script with our cast on its feet during the rehearsal process.  This is my favorite part of the process... so I'm making an effort to relax and enjoy!

'Beautiful' - a New Musical Adaptation of Hedda Gabler - June 9th

The first developmental reading of this new adaptation, with book by Adrian Bewley, music by Cindy O'Connor, and lyrics by Larry Todd Johnson will take place June 9, 2010, 8:30pm, at the Secret Rose Theatre in North Hollywood, CA. 

For reservations, go to:  http://www.facebook.com/?sk=events#!/event.php?eid=119078281463957