Although we have just started rehearsal for bye-bye Birdie

... It is also about this time that I and the creative team start thinking about our season next year. Every year, students graduate and go off four-year colleges or two jobs and new people come to fill their spots. I think we are extremely lucky to have both community members and students in our shows. I will admit - it is a very unusual arrangement. In fact, I have never been to school nor have I ever worked at a school that had a similar set up. However, now that I have experienced the amazing talent that a community can bring to the school, I cannot imagine working under different circumstances. Some of our community members have been with us for over 20 years, and I hope that they will continue to be with us for a long time. Many of our "mature" actors often tell me that the energy and excitement of the young students is what keeps Drawing them back to our stage. I always look at who I have in my current show when I'm thinking about my next show. Of course, there are no guarantees that people will be back. People move away, have children, decide they need a break, etc. But like I said, new people always seem to show up just when we need them. Next year will present some interesting challenges to our department. Our long time departmental chair, Vince Niehaus, is retiring and we will be hiring a new scenic designer. I also have yet to choose the season. Choosing a season is always a fun yet scary prospect. You want something that balances the needs of students with the needs of the community. It also looks like, due to several different factors, we will have an extremely short season next year with only two shows during the school year as opposed to our normal four. There are several different factors that have gone into this decision which I'll try to discuss in a later blog, but we will try to go back to our standard five show season as soon as we can. We also have a couple of other big announcements we will hopefully be making in regards to the season. A lot of people are putting a lot of effort into making sure that we can always do the best shows that are possible. I will say that no matter what shows are chosen, next season will definitely be phenomenal as usual. Everyone who works here that shows with us takes a great deal of pride in what we do. I said it before and I'll say it again, Theatre at ECC is an amazing thing.


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First look

Today we had our first rehearsal for Bye-bye Birdie. We started with music, as we always do and I also did some costume fittings. Our costume closet is filled with wonderful vintage costumes that people donate to us and I always love to find a way to share something that someone has so generously given to us. Here's a photo of Danielle Clapper, who will be playing our female lead Rosie, in a vintage costume from the costume closet.


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Radio voices

Today, 4 students and I went to KPLW to record holiday announcements for local businesses. We recorded 12 different announcements with 4 different voices. We had a great time- so listen for us on KPLW. Here's a shot of Zach Zerna recording for a local small business.



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THE ACTOR'S SHOWCASE

Every fall, the talented performers of the Beginning Acting class perform their scenes for the public in a showcase- and this year is no exception. This is the 6th version of The Actor's Showcase that has been shown to the public- and I am very proud of the great work this group has done. Come join us Thursday, December 6th at 7pm for a (FREE!) showing of scenes from Rounding Third, Laundry and Bourbon, Matterhorn, Pvt Wars and much more. See www.ecctheatre.com for a preview trailer featuring clips, gags and much more!!

Ushers

One of the many groups of people who work behind the scenes to keep a show running are our ushers. Ushers hand out programs, assist patrons, take tickets and a host of other duties. All of our ushers are volunteers. Some of them come from my classes that I teach, some of them come from student groups, some of the come from the community. Ushering is a great way to get involved and to see the show for free. If you're interested in ushering, please see our website at www.ecctheatre.com for more information on how to join us'


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One week until opening night.

PROOF opens in exactly one week. Here's a quick shot that I took the set this morning. It's looking extraordinary. Thanks to the hard work of the theater appreciation and theater practicum classes, we are going to have a beautifully painted and constructed set for Vince Niehaus 's last show- come join us!


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Happy to say...

PROOF Is going so well. Since Vince is retiring, this'll be the last show that he directs at ECC. I know that PROOF has been on his list for a very long time, it's always very gratifying to see a director get to work on a script that they have long held a special place in their heart for. We're also looking at doing some brand-new technical things during the show that we have never done on our stage before. You'll have to come to a performance to see what they are!
In other news, the first piece of furniture for BYE BYE BIRDIE has been purchased. I found this 1950s telephone chair at the antique mall on highway 100 and I thought it was perfect. I can't wait to see it on our stage and to get started. Auditions are in a little over three weeks and the show opens in a little over four months- come join us!



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