The model is here!

First of all, apologies for the blurry Iphone photo!
The start of any musical is always exciting- but this week is proving to be a bit of a let down with all the snow. We had to cancel rehearsal for Monday and our schedule has been a bit thrown off with Campus Orientation on Thursday- so I thought I'd write about the biggest thing for this week...THE MODEL IS HERE!
Vince (our Technical Director) and I usually start talking about the set design for the show in the fall (in between my directing a staged reading and him directing a full length show!) and I'm usually able to give him a rough idea of what I'm thinking I'll need. We usually 'walk the stage', which means we stand on the stage floor and discuss how big the set will be, how tall, other technical issues, etc. After things are solid, Vince draws a scale groundplan and tapes it out on the floor for me. I'm a very visual director, meaning that I have a tough time visualizing how things will look unless I have an actual visual representation (like tape on the floor where walls and stairs will be!). Once that is done, he builds a scale model. Things usually change quite a bit in that process- what is taped on the floor initally ends up being different from what the model looks like, which necessitates some changes in blocking, etc. It keeps me on my toes, that's for sure.
The set for Joseph is partially moveable (the platforms move, as well as the top part of the set) and it has LOTS of levels, which is also a requirement for me as a director. Building the set falls to our Theatre Practicum class, a group of dedicated students who use power tools, paint, tape, nail and in every way make things happen.
I'll keep you updated on the building process- the stage is totally bare right now...you'll be amazed at how much goes on in three months!
Grace

Bootcamp for JOSEPH

Four years ago, I started working at the Center of Creative Arts in St Louis (COCA). I had been hired to stage manage their summer musical and I was asked to step in and direct when the director suddenly left the production. I met a lot of really great people at COCA, but little did I know how much influence those people would have on my students at ECC.

One of the most important people I met at COCA was Christopher Page, the choreographer of that first summer production (and of the three subsequent shows I've directed at COCA). Chris was a dance major at UMKC that first year and when I decided to direct One on this Island at ECC, I asked him to choreograph the show. He gladly came down and worked with my students and community members on the show which featured African dance, a brand new style for all of us. Chris made a huge impression on everyone and the cast had a great time working with him.

Chris graduated from UMKC and joined the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Company, based out of Denver. As a professional dancer, he has an incredibly busy schedule, but he still made time to join the creative team at ECC.

The next year, I asked Chris to choreograph Crazy for You, our 2010 musical. While he and I were working at COCA, he came to ECC and choreographed some numbers and also came over Christmas break to finish up.

This past summer, Chris and I worked on a production of Aida at COCA and I asked him to join my Joseph team for 2011. He agreed to join us for a week for what I started calling a 'Joseph Bootcamp'.

I knew that I was asking my cast for quite a bit- they would be working 14 hour days, dancing until their feet fell off! I was honestly a little unsure as to how they would react- I was asking for a lot! They stepped up and rocked it- we got over 1/2 the show choreographed and done and had a GREAT time doing it.

I think this is closest cast we've had in quite a while- everyone ate lunch and dinner together and bonded over the endless situps and pushups Chris had them do! They also shared a love of Motrin- dancing that much makes you hurt!

We still have 3 months until Joseph open- and I can safely say this is the best Joseph you'll ever see. This cast is amazing, the choreography is incredible and the energy is through the roof- and its all thanks to Chris!