March 2009 Archives

Here we go, folks, the post you've all been waiting for!!! This weekend, we had our first preview of Hello, Dolly! at the 5th Ave Theatre in Seattle, with me starring (okay, maybe not starring...exactly...) as a Performance Intern! On Saturday morning, we had our first dress rehearsal. It was really useful because I got a good estimate as to how long I have to get ready. The interns' wig call is during It Takes a Woman (Reprise), so I had to do my pincurls and young girl make-up (lots of rosy cheeks!) before this song. I also started watching the show from the television in the green room upstairs, since the house wasn't available to us anymore.

After the dress rehearsal, we staged the bows. The interns have the first (and best, teehee!) bow, so make sure you cheer super loud if/when you come see the show right when the curtain comes up at the end!!! Hopefully during rehearsals before previews we'll be able to incorporate the entire Finale Ultimo (Hello, Dolly! megamix) during the bows. But right now it's just the "Hello Dolly" part of the medley when Jenifer comes out after her incredibly quick change into a white dress...

Over dinner break, my parents took me to Taste (one of my favorite restaurants, if you hadn't figured it out ;D), and then it was back to the theatre for our first preview!! I already had all my make-up and pincurls on/in, so all I had to do were a few touch-ups before the interns swarmed into the booth. When the orchestra started playing, it finally hit me: this was going to be amazing. I was quick to get into my wig and costume, and it seemed like the act was going on super speed. Before I knew it we were singing Sunday Clothes!! NOTE: We had our first walk-on this night!

I watched some of the show from the television in the green room. The funniest thing I saw would probably have to be that the door to the hat shop was broken/locked, so actors had to go through the invisible walls of the hat shop to get to the scene. Ah, the theatre!

Soon enough, Dancing was going, and it was time for me to grab my flag and wait backstage for my entrance! I focused up and calmed myself, and then I was walking on in the dark behind the scrim...and the lights came up!!! When I turned around to sing the ensemble's first lyric, I was overwhelmed by the full house!! By what I can remember, I did everything well, and with more enthusiasm and energy than ever before! The confetti cannons went off, and the audience burst into applause, and it was over. I walked offstage with the best feeling in the world. I could do this all day!!

The rest of the show went well, and I couldn't stop smiling during the bows. Once the curtain came down, it was a mad rush to the dressing rooms, but even so, I was still the last one out... :P It was one of the most exciting nights of my life, for I'd achieved a dream I'd had ever since I saw Camelot at the 5th during my first visit to Seattle.

Sunday brought the same kind of exhilaration during my performance, although I was able to relax a bit easier during the second act and do some homework. However, I did go to get my wig on a tad late, and had to interrupt it by running to the booth to sing Sunday Clothes just in time. Then I went back to finish the process of turning me into a blonde :)

After the show, we had our dinner break (which included some of the interns, including me, walking all the way to the end of PIke Place Market, only to decide to eat at the Subway at the beginning of the strip...sigh! :P), and then it was back to DAT5 for rehearsal! While the hat shop scene(s) were being worked onstage, the ensemble went down to the rehearsal studios to work dancing, staging, and music. We had cake at one of our breaks to celebrate Krystle and Bojohn's birthdays (cast members), and we had to say goodbye to our beloved assistant choreographer, Stephen Reed! We miss you!

It was a very long day, but full of fun and totally worth it! I made my premiere performance at the 5th Ave Theatre, and I basically lived at the theatre for an entire weekend! Stay tuned for more updates on rehearsals and an upcoming month of performances!!!

FOR TICKETS: Visit this website, call (206) 625.1900, or go to the Box Office at the theatre between Union and University...on 5th Ave. =D

TOTAL (goal=150): 114 HOURS

Shows may change, but tech remains the same: a long process that is critical to the show's success, but highlights the well-known saying "Hurry up and wait."

On Tuesday, the two main sections of the show that we "tech"-ed were Put on Your Sunday Clothes and the hat shop scene(s). The interns were called later in the day, since they are not required for the majority of the morning work. Once at the theatre, I did some more watching! One of my favorite parts of the show would have to be Suzanne Bouchard singing Ribbons Down My Back. She has such an amazing voice and presence on stage that I could watch her for HOURS! I also learned about "comedy door" today. Comedy door is when you open the door and do a full rotation to close it... Makes the simple act of entering a hat shop way funnier! =D

On Wednesday, we "tech"-ed MY SCENE!!!! Also commonly known as Before the Parade Passes By. I got fully dressed and made up, with my wig on and my glasses off. I grabbed my flag and proceeded to watch the beautifully dressed parade go back and forth across the stage! Considering I couldn't really see anything (I don't have contacts), I think I did a pretty good job of not getting run over by a lamp post... :P At the end of the number, the "Spirit of 14th Street" float comes onto the stage with a couple of strategically placed confetti cannons! Yes, that's right, CONFETTI CANNONS. Don't miss this show.

Also on Wednesday, there was a Meet & Greet hosted by Rock Bottom in the lobby of the theatre for board members, cast and crew, etc. This actor can't refuse a free meal, so during the dinner break I grabbed some pasta and introduced myself to the room when we all lined up along the edge of the balcony lobby. It really opened my eyes as to the fact that this theatre community is truly one big family that needs so many people to work properly. No one is unimportant in this business; we are all a part of the puzzle that is Hello, Dolly!

When Thursday came around, they had to re-do some parts of the Harmonia Gardens scenes. I was SO excited to see these, because the set is totally amazing and the Waiter's Gallop occurs at this point in the show... I love dancing and these guys are AMAZING. Also, the classic number Hello, Dolly! is part of this mega-scene, and Jenifer looks, sounds, and IS fantastic!! The audience is going to go crazy for this number.

The interns have also started finding ways to fill their free time. These include decorating our dressing room with the theme "Neverland," buying loaves of bread, stretching/working out, napping, and doing homework! We are also available for emergency Specialty's cookie runs and parking validation!

On Friday, we finished "tech"-ing the show!!!! That was what we did in the morning, at least. After dinner break, we came back, got into mics, and started our Wanderprobe. In a Wanderprobe, you sing the songs of the show with blocking, but skip all the scenes and don't use costumes or scenery. It was also our first time with the orchestra, which can only be described as heavenly. This is probably one of the best orchestras in musical theatre that I have ever heard, no joke. With the large ensemble that this production has and the abundance of talent on this stage, we sound ridiculously good if I don't say so myself. ;-) It was pretty exciting to be on the 5th Ave stage, singing Before the Parade Passes By to a full orchestra. Living the dream. :)

I'm going to make a separate post for the weekend, in which we had our first preview and some great times! ;) Keep reading!

FOR TICKETS: Visit this website, call (206) 625.1900, or go to the Box Office at the theatre between Union and University...on 5th Ave. =D

TOTAL (goal=150): 90 HOURS

It's been a very busy week, but today I'm going to catch up on all my posts!! :)

So, Saturday of last week (February 28) marked the beginning of Hello, Dolly! tech week at the 5th Ave Theatre! However, they started with the hardest part of the show: the Harmonia Gardens scene(s), which do not include the female ensemble until the very end (polka!). Therefore, the girls had a music rehearsal in DAT5, conveniently located just below the theatre. We learned the Finale Ultimo, aka the awesome megamix for the end of the show!! :P This was my last day of storing my belongings in the cubbies in this wonderful rehearsal space, and I couldn't believe we were already one week away from our first preview!!!

Also, earlier that day, I had my costume fitting! I am one of the two female interns who are not in the marching band in Before the Parade Passes By, so I get to be a "little" girl -- black Mary Jane shoes, a pink ankle-length skirt, a detailed cream blouse, and a pink and light green "capelet"! I am really really excited about this costume, especially since it is kind of the first "period" costume I've ever worn...

Sunday was my first official day of hardcore tech rehearsal. We started from the top of the show, so the interns all gathered in the booth (pictured above) to sing the opening number. In the booth, we have a "recording studio" microphone to sing into which is fed and mixed into the house. We also have a small TV which shows our conductor, Joel, so we can stay with the music. There's a little space heater by the door, as well as a speaker above the door so we can hear David and...sometimes...Joel. :D

After they moved on to the next part of the show (I Put My Hand in There), most of the interns made their way down to the house to watch rehearsal. The seats are nice and comfortable, and it's really cool to watch Jenifer Lewis have fun up on the stage. Also, the 5th Ave auditorium is BEAUTIFUL, and such a pleasure to be in. Then, the female interns made their way to the hair department to take a look at our wigs... All but two of us have boy wigs, for the marching band, and I am...wait for it...BLONDE!!!! I have two blonde braids, and I look like a completely different person! I also learned how to do pincurls today... :S They will need practice.

It was a long but fun weekend!! Stay tuned for more backstage blogging on my life as a Performance Intern!!

FOR TICKETS: Visit this website, call (206) 625.1900, or go to the Box Office at the theatre between Union and University...on 5th Ave. =D

TOTAL (goal=150): 52 HOURS