Notes: Dress 1, 4/29

Hi all -

I have been called to a district meeting this afternoon and will be late to Dress.  Annika is in charge, and Dressing Rooms/Costume will be open as will the Stage Area.  Please read over the notes below at call, and begin going through your normal preshow routine, with the exception of getting into costume.  I'll be in right around 530pm and want everyone involved with the end sequence of the show (Last Song through the Curtain Call, minus the musicians) to meet there at that time to revisit the last moments of the show...which needs some help.  That part's on me...

Thanks for your flexibility, all...see you soon!  You're killing it!

j.

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Notes: Dress 1 (also posted on the callboard)

-Act I: Start Time - 731p/Stop Time - 814p
-Me: Check the fire flicker
-Awesome timing early
-Tay: Great corrections getting Matt on track when he gets distracted
-All: The whomp whomps were awesome
-Tay: Watch fading under the ‘Court Case’ lines
-Good job trying to get each other on track on line flubs…also good job keeping the energy up here
-Will: Watch being too aggressive with Gibson…startled, cautious, not aggressive
-Watch losing vocal energy when Gibson comes in, guys
-Lucy: *reminder only* aim the flashlight low or away from audience…you’re doing great
-Will: keep the Stamford reaction authentic…watch getting too staged
-JP: great job with the note on cutting off Maria’s California line…was great tonight
-All: *reminder only* remember your shoulder alignments when talking to someone
-SMs: As part of preshow we need two ‘No Entry - Show in Progress’ signs
-Lucy: Good job with Becca Wright…can go just a step farther with the lines that Colleen is intended to hear
-Lets really get the pacing up after the Ritual of the Names
-Tay: Running about 70/30 on volume…big leap, keep it up
-JP: Try not to clink the bottles together, or we’ll need to fill them with something
-Watch over drinking your beer bottles…there’s only a finite amount in them
-Should we fill the bottles? Are you all ok with apple juice?
-Tay: Really ask the question about ‘Is this how you know?’ Find her need to know…
-Will: Take just a beat longer to realize the connection to the line…snapped out a bit too early
-Good job getting back on after the page jump. 
-You can jump ahead to the next thing you know sooner…don’t spend quite so much time trying to get the exact right spot
-Take the pitch pipe out of the box during the show…don’t need the box, except between shows
-Kieran: You can project the song a bit more
-Me: Slow the fade down by 4 seconds going out of Act I

-Act II: Start Time - 827p/Stop Time - 909p
-Tighten Cues at the start of Act II…all
-Tay: Good vocal energy during Interrogation…that’s the energy throughout, even if mood quality changes
-Good change out of the interrogation
-Good energy in the commercial early
-Nailed the food references, Milo…nice! Likewise, Kieran!
-Lucy: Great entry into the Diet Coke section
-Great response to the 2 Lithium Batteries lines
-Will: Like the hammering stage left between the ‘Nobody knows’
-Tay: Watch downplaying the ‘Gay Men’ lines…you get super quiet here
-Great finish timing-wise to the end of the Diet Coke section
-Fantastic timing at the top of the Heretic Homer argument
-JP: Keep strong eye contact when shutting down Gibson…defuse him
-Tay/Zoe: Watch getting too quiet post-meltdown
-Tay: Hit the pg 74 ‘We decided…we really did’ to shut him down
-Tay: ‘Muskogee’
-Watch the harmony volume during Chart Hits 2…overpowering Milo
-Milo: Remember the rake
-Great energy and timing post-Chart Hits
-*Dating partners: look for a couple of places to show affection during the act

-Act III: Start Time - ?/Stop Time -
-Sound: I’d like the thunder cue as the actors strike their poses going into the act
-Lights: I’d like the light cue on that same cue…see sound note above
-Props: Grab a fourth rake for Willy in Act III
-Tay: Rap not nearly loud enough…what happened? 2nd was better at the start, but you gotta throw it strong.
-Kieran: Don’t sit on the light!
-Ensemble: Hear Edna on her initial slate of names…if you can’t, your harmony is too loud
-All: make sure to get those chins high, shoulders back, and clean, confident movements; Lots of body energy throughout, as well…you should be physically tired at the end of Act III
-No running backstage…lots of extra noise.  Do we need carpet runners?
-Me: Need to mask the DS Corners…can see movement
-Ensemble: Enter as Bart leaves…turn on your lanterns with the thunder
-Piano is pretty hot, volume-wise, underscoring stuff going into Messing with the Simpsons
-Milo: Check the gag a little earlier in the tying process
-Kieran: Watch your hand placement when you come back to Taylor at the end of the Love/Hate speech…got a little unintentionally, uh, uncomfortable from where I sat
-JP/Milo: You don’t need to roll Taylor if she lands in the right spot
-Me: Run Carpet tomorrow
-Ensemble: As formal as you can make those movements during Edna’s solo, the better
-Ensemble: Place your lanterns at the base of the stairs onstage of the tunnels, but not on the ship
-SMs: Spike the placement of the globe lanterns
-Zoe: What happened?  You haven’t lost that moment before during I Stand On The Deck
-Kieran: Don’t untuck the shirt…losing the coat = ok
-Zoe: Really build through pg 121, the lead in monologue to the fight
-Zoe: Keep his head up and strong after defeating Burns.
-All: Be very quiet and focused backstage…every extraneous sound pulls us out of the play
-Add a reference to the band after Simpsons bow

**We are going to look at restaging the last couple of moments of the show…they’re wonky and it’s my fault**