Tower Stories- where were you?

This season, we're doing a different type of staged reading. While normally our readings are small cast plays, this year, in honor of 10 year anniversary of September 11, 2001 I decided to do a reading of a book I found called Tower Stories. The book is a series of interviews with paramedics, firefighters, police officers, volunteers, office workers and bystanders who all experienced September 11 and its aftermath up close.

When I first began to think of this project, I immediately knew I wanted to include people from the community who we might not necessarily see on our stage on a regular basis. As I asked more and more people to be a part of honoring this anniversary, I became more and more grateful for the enthusiasm I encountered. I am particularly grateful to Chief Hahn (WPD), who immediately agreed to find me a police officer to take part. I have also enlisted the services of Father Kevin (Borgia), Reverend Mike (Zion UCC), Mr. Carter (PHS Middle School), Greg Myer (Pacific), Dave Sutton, Cheryl Pecka, Tim Bucheit (Borgia), Tara Steffens and many others.

The show will be a multimedia performance- there will be video, audio and imagery from that terrible day that redefined our world. It is a hard show- but it is also a celebration of how far we've come.

I have never done a show like this before- I'm excited (and a bit scared) to do something so different. I'll keep you updated as we make choices about the reading.

Please join us for our tribute to September 11th...where were you?
Grace Austin
ECC Theatre

NEW SEASON!!

ECC Theatre is proud to announce its 42nd season- check it out!

Summer time!

Summer is a slightly quieter time around ECC Theatre- we have a musical that goes up in July, a few dance recitals...and a lot of cleaning and organizing to do! It's also a time to get quite a bit of tech stuff done- hence the picture.

Our season for next year is up at www.ecctheatre.com- we have a lot in store so we're taking this time to rest up and recharge.
As always, if you have questions or would like to be involved in the theatre- please email theatre@eastcentral.edu!

Backstage Voices- Episode 1

Cassie and Carter came to me after their first guest blog and asked if they could add a video component. After a few false starts (there will be a gag reel...) here is the first episode!

Show and Tell

One of the drawbacks of being in the shows is that you rarely get to actually see the work of your fellow performers- you're usually changing costumes, dashing around backstage to find props or set pieces, or making sure that everything is going smoothly backstage.
So one of the best things about a show like Broadway and Beyond is that since each performer is only in 3 or 4 of our 20 songs, they get to actually enjoy each other's performances. I set aside one day from the rehearsal period to do something called Show and Tell, where each song is performed for the cast.
Well, Show and Tell is coming up this Monday- we'll be seeing about 12 of our 20 songs (the rest need a bit more rehearsal before they're put up). I'm chosing the songs that are ready from rehearsal thsi week- so far, The Actuary Song (from I Love You Because...), Therapy (from Tick, Tick...Boom), You Should Be In That (from The Battery's Down) and I Know It's Today (from Shrek) have all made the list. I still have 3 more days of rehearsal thsi week to figure out what I want to put up- our lighting designer Natalie Smith will also be here to start viewing the songs so she can design the light plot.
Chosing what goes up for Show and Tell is always interestng- sometimes songs I thought were going to be completey ready are...not...and songs I thought would need a lot more time are polished and good to go. We'll see how the next 3 days goes...

Guest Bloggers Cassie and Ryan!

I'm trying something new this posting- guest bloggers! Cassie Burris and Ryan Carter have been w my program for 2 years and will both be leaving after this year- I asked them to write a joint blog giving some insight into what they've learned at ECCTheatre (in the picture you can faintly see the car that they talk about!):

ECC Theatre has not only been one of the best things we have ever done but has become our family over the past two years. We came from two different schools (Washington and Pacific) with two very different theatre programs .ECC theatre gave us the opportunity to not only become friends with each other but with people varying in age, major, school and profession. One of our favorite things about this program is that you don’t have to be a theatre major to enjoy or be a part of the family. Ryan is an education major wanting to move on and one day become a gym teacher. Cassie is a communications major wanting to direct or stage manage in a theatre. Even though we have different majors this theatre has brought us together. We have come to love our family members very much and will miss them when we move on to different schools next semester. Looking back at the shows we have done we laugh at some of the pranks we have pulled on our friends or the incredibly hard things Grace pushed us to do during a performance and compare injuries we have acquired during the shows here . One story that sticks out in our minds is the story of the car in Crazy for You. This car was huge and bulky; the backstage area is not very big and we had about 15 cast members on that side waiting to go on. To hide the car we had to manipulate three different flats and push it out at a specific moment only halfway and then push it all the way out for a song then loop it around split it in half and send both halves all the way out the doors to the hallway. All of this while people are running on and off stage and three flats are moving and an entire set change. It was a challenge to say the least, our crew for Crazy for You was very small and Cassie was the only techie on the side the car came on. Ryan and the other actors pitched in and we dominated. It was tough and we ran that change about fifteen times to perfect it but the audience only saw what we wanted them to which is the ultimate goal in theatre. This bridged the gap between the tech crew and the cast which is always a challenge in every show. We have learned that it takes everyone on the tech, directorial, and cast side to pull off a truly fantastic show. We have learned much more than that not only about theatre but about teamwork, cooperation, commitment and ownership. This program gave us a break from the hustle and bustle most college student endure and gave us time to step out of our lives and step into a wonderful family with amazing people who have passion for what they do inside and out of the theatre. *Jazz Hands*

Dirty Little Secret...

...so...I have a confession. When I'm directing a show, sometimes Youtube is my best friend. People post TONS of videos of shows/musical numbers, etc on there- it's AMAZING since videoing a show is illegal.

However...I am always interested in the choices people make in their directing/acting. I learn quite about about what does not work for numbers/scenes from watching people's videos. I am also willing to admit that I 'borrow' cool things that I see...steal from the best! A great example is our closing number for Broadway and Beyond 4- That Smile from a show called It's Only Life. I would never have even discovered this show if I hadn't seen clips online. The number is originally written for 5 people (and that's how the video is) but I loved it so much I took the number and made it our big group closer. After watching the video 10 times I just knew that I could take the original idea and retranslate it to work in a different way.

Youtube is a great resource for directors- we have our own Youtube Channel for ECCTheatre (look under ga40456) and I think it's an excellent way to share what we do. I also post rehearsal videos for actors to learn choreography and audition combinations as well as short promotional clips.

We had our first B4 rehearsal last night- I'll keep you updated on how it goes!!