Specific Ambiguity

A disappointment in a Children's Theatre Experience

2012-01-23T15:47:00.000-07:00

I was very excited to attend the Treehouse Troupe show on January 14th. The quality of the rest of the Treehouse Museum has been fantastic, which gave me very high expectations for the performing portion of the organization. Sadly, however, I was extremely disappointed with the quality of the experience that my daughter and I attended on that evening. My chief complaints, all of which can be relatively easily rectified, are listed below. Not all aspects of the production were poor, however, the things that were not well-done detracted significantly from the quality of the rest of the performance.

The idea of bringing lesser-known stories and fairy-tales to your audience is very admirable. Expanding a child's exposure to literature is very beneficial for the child and for those with whom that individual associates. The use of the technology in the production (video projections) was a great way to integrate different types of media into the performance. The costuming was very well done and added a sense of reality to the fantastical world of the play. The actor that played the king (Wes Whitby) was convincing, easily heard, and clear in his presence on stage. If the other characters/actors on stage could commit to what they are doing like he did, the quality of the performances would increase dramatically. A director that understands the basic principles of blocking, stage composition, and character motivation would also help the actors to bring their best performances forward.

The first thing that I took issue with (and the thing that took away from the performance the most) was that the scene changes were WAY too long. There is no reason for a scene change to take more than 30 seconds AT THE MOST in a normal theatrical environment. For a children's show there is no room for that kind of change to happen. Stops in the flow of the storytelling process kill pacing and pull the audience out of the world of the play. A child is very forgiving, however, in the theatrical environment, the potential to lose a child's focus and attention is compounded dramatically; and once a child's attention is lost it takes a lot to get that focus back. My child was not exception - after the first scene change she started to fidget and become distracted and by the time the second change happened she was out of her seat, more interested in the floor and the seat in front of her than in what was happening on stage. The scene changes that I saw at "The White Cat" averaged between one-and-a-half and two minutes! If a scene change needs to happen, there needs to be a way built into the flow of the show itself to keep things moving without stopping the show with a conventional scene change.

Approximately 40% of the performance seemed adlibbed and un-memorized. This is just unacceptable in a children's theatre environment. Children are extremely perceptive - the minute that something is not rehearsed and planned the way it should be, the child will know. Not only that, but it is unprofessional and demeaning to the child to give them anything less than what someone would expect form an "adult" performance. Acting begins when memorization ends. There is a time and a place for adlibbing and improvisation, and a children's show is not one of them. The script of the show must be well-written, tight, and memorized completely. The story and the child's understanding of that story should be paramount in the process. Once care is taken with these items and director, actors and all others involved take care to tell the story to the best of their ability THEN a successful production can happen. The director must get honest, organic, listening responses from the actors. The actors must be totally present on stage - in the moment of the scene taking place. Give the kids credit for what they are seeing and how they are interpreting what they see. Over-simplifying and hamming a performance for children is insulting and detrimental to a child's perception of what they are going to see at the theatre. Care must be taken to ensure that each participant desires to return to that space - to feel safe, encouraged, enlightened, and accepted.

There was not enough spectacle to hold a child's attention. Exposition, while an important part of the storytelling process, must be significantly truncated in order to hold a child's attention. Also, in the process of telling the story a general rule of "show me, don't tell me" should be implemented. If it is not, a phenomenon I like to call "talking heads" occurs in which nothing happens on stage - literally. The characters end up just existing on stage with little/no movement, just speaking lines for the sake of the plot. These "talking heads" become boring entities that no one cares about; and if you do not care about anyone on stage then you might as well not be doing the performance. My daughter was lost in the exposition of the story by the end of the boat wreck at the beginning of the story. By the time the audience was introduced to the White Cat the children in the audience were disconnected from the story and the events of the play. As I looked around the seats more than half of the children were looking other places than the stage at that point. Even adult audiences cannot abide a wordy, non-action oriented storytelling on stage. If they wanted that, they would read a book.

The total length of the production was too long for the target audience. Either a change needed to be made to the performances for different age groups with different attention spans or significantly shorten the length of the show to fit the target audience. Fixing the aforementioned scene change issues would significantly help a portion of this issue. However, an eight-year-old has a dramatically different attention span than a 3 year-old. For the sake of the children, whose parents have brought them to the event, do not bore them!

Who was the target audience? Parents? Kids? If not parents, then do not cater to them. Yes, they have to be there for the kids, but they do not need to have anything specifically designated for them - there is a reason it is called CHILDREN'S theatre. The production that I saw did not seem child-centered. The jokes, events, bits, scenery, and all other portions of the performance should be for the child! Letting a child's imagination take hold and giving them the opportunity to use their imagination in the viewing process will help them to desire to return and experience the theatre again. If they feel invested in the imagination and creation process (at least this is the case for my daughter) then the likelihood that they will want to return will increase dramatically.

There is a lot of potential for greatness in a program with such a sound, well-planned, and well executed children's museum backing it. I believe that Treehouse Museum could provide a much needed niche for the gaping hole that is children's theatre in the Ogden area. Placing solid talent and leadership in the Troupe along with people that have the right skills set to help it along will make a world of difference for the organization. It is unfortunate that this kind of work and quality is not in place already for such a solid organization otherwise.

An Election Year with the Wrong Focus

2012-01-11T09:44:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is an election year. Yes, I understand the everything that will get covered by the mainstream media will be GOP focused (unless the incumbent does something miraculous...). However, I find myself particularly uninterested in the GOP election. NONE of the candidates are people that I would feel comfortable running the country. There is too much fanaticism, too much complaining, too much "anti-Romney" bull$#!@ clouding the campaigns of EVERY candidate (Romney himself seems misguided, unfocused, and not genuine in any respect.) for me to get behind, much less consider, any Republican at this moment.
What about the incumbent? It seems to me that people keep saying that he has not lived up to his promises. To that, I say, how can you fault a man/his team for having set goals that would improve the country as a whole, the economy that needs help so badly, and tried to fix the awful quagmire of a mess that previous administrations have dumped in the lap of the American people? Yes, he has not met all the goals that he has set - but who does? I would like anyone to give me a President that actually DID live up to ALL his promises, met all his goals, and cured every ailment that the country had during his time in office.
Pres. Obama has done the best he can with what he had. He set goals, tried to achieve those goals, and when he saw that they may not be realistic or practical, he CHANGED his plan!! How can you fault a man for being adaptable and who looks forward to the consequences that may come from pursuing futile endeavors? You can't. He has been a proactive, conscientious, leader who wants the best for our country and the people who live in and make it what it is. How can I NOT support someone like that? Now, this was not meant to be a Pro-Obama plug by any means, but he has done an admirable job with what he has been given.
On a more basic level - I LIKE that the I have services like police, fire, and garbage disposal. I LIKE that we have people that, for the most part, are given stewardship over our basic rights (education, security, etc.) so that I do not have to worry about them. I like having organizations that defend and promote the self actualizing activities of art, music, theater, etc. I am fine paying taxes in order to support those people. I am willing to give up some of my own "liberty" so that the government can help to take care of my family and I. By virtue of having a government, it is expected that that is what the majority of the people desire as well. I dread the day that we get someone actually in control of those organizations that wants "less government control". What happens then? I shudder to think...

Thundercats - Updated and AWESOME!!!

2011-07-29T22:18:00.000-06:00

Tonight, the reboot of the classic 1985 Rankin/Bass Thundercats aired on Cartoon Network. The original cartoon was one of my favorites from that era (along with He-Man and Silverhawkes). I remember loving the characters and the awesome adventures that happened in the 30 minute spot. I was very excited to hear that the series was going to get a reboot, but I was nervous at the same time. If this series were to get the same quality (or lack thereof) treatment that the He-Man series received in 2002, I would be totally turned off. The total disregard for what the purpose and message of the original 1980's He-Man series and not so much as a wink at the original character design (the characters looked like Neanderthals!!) left a very bitter taste in my mouth that took me watching several of the original series episodes to clean out.
To my joy, none of the worries that I had were a problem with the new Thundercats. From the time that I saw the first previews for the new series I was pleasantly surprised. As I watched the 1 hour debut special and I saw each of the characters show up my immediate response was "Yes!" and occasionally, "Really?! They put Gruun in the first issue, too!?" The shocking moment of the evening, though, was when I said to myself "WHAT!!?? They killed off Panthro in the first episode?! We do not even get to see him?!" Each of the characters were very easily recognizable and each had the familiar feel of the original series.
The new series has done an excellent job of updating the plot and the relationships of the characters within that plot very seamlessly. Even the changes that were made from the original characters (like Tigra and Lion-O being brothers and Wilie-Kit and -Kat beign vagabonds) created a much more dynamic and interesting opportunity for conflict to surface. I also appreciated the simplification of the Thundera portion of the plot. Placing the Cats already on Third-Earth and having an already established conflict with the lizard mutants tightened up the plot and location greatly from the original space-travel idea. It is a refreshing change as well to have appropriate sexual tension between Lion-O and Cheetara (and if you think that it was not there, watch the episode again...) in the show.
Overall, I am very excited for the new series! There are still a lot of great characters to meet and the new conflicts and plot points show great promise for the this reboot!!

Light Plot Deconstructed Review

2011-02-18T21:54:00.000-07:00

Let me begin by saying that I was very excited for the opportunity to read and review this book. If there is one thing that an educator and freelance designer needs to understand, on all levels of production, whether you are a set, costume, properties or even sound designer, it is the light plot. What happens with and to each of the design elements when light is included can make or break an entire design or show! How to read, interpret, communicate about, and understand the fundamentals of this design communication tool should be a fundamental learning experience for EVERY theatre practitioner - from Artistic Directors to designers to directors and actors. If you can read, understand and communicate about what is happening in terms of light on the stage then your individual responsibility will be more clear and you can do that job more skillfully.

I was appreciative of the history lesson that Greg Hillmar gives the reader in Light Plot Deconstructed, but after 10 pages of history of hand drafting plots I started to wonder about the thesis and purpose of the manual, particularly since the entire manual is only 92 pages in length to begin with. I had picked up the book to hone my skills and hopefully learn some shortcuts that would speed up my workflow when it came to plotting. However, just like the long winded (albeit very interesting...) history lesson was not practical, I found most of the manual very general in nature. Specific Vectorworks Spotlight plotting did not begin until page 41 - up to that point the reader get a general "this is Vectorworks" introduction, however, a few preference modifications specific to plotting ARE included that are worth taking a look at. Even when the reader DOES get to Spotlight specifics the history narrative creeps back in to the book with "In Ye Olde Days..." speech that seems to bog down the purpose of the manual.

Now before you think I am totally discounting this book, let me explain from what perspective I am reading it. I have been teaching all aspects of theatre for years. I consider myself a director at heart and a designer by trade. I have worked on all sides of the theatre in many different capacities. My formal training is in education - which has forced me to become a jack-of-all-trades. When I have taken design classes, in college and out, they have always focused on theory or have been extremely basic in nature in order to reach a larger base. I have, at large, had to teach myself the technology (specifically software like Vectorworks) and software I needed to use beyond a very basic application. It would be my hope that a book that professes to focus on light plots would do that throughout, with minimal tangential trips down memory lane.

Once the book actually starts covering the specifics of a plot (pg. 49) the quality of the instruction significantly increases. Mr. Hillmar takes a very sequenced and logical approach to laying out lighting positions, focus areas, and instrumentation (this section was especially helpful, particularly when it comes to label legends and accessories). There is also a brief section on paperwork, however, the assumption that if you are using Vectorworks you are also using the additional program Lightwright makes this section less useful. As a teacher I am lucky to get an educational license for Vectorworks, however, Lightwright has no such option and dropping the serious cash for a full license of the program just is not at the top of the priorities list when Arts Ed. is being hacked to pieces as is...but that is a discussion for a whole separate review...

So, my overall review of this book would have to be pretty split. Fifty percent was less than useful review of the basic software coupled with a history lesson that felt rather like grandpa telling me about hiking uphill both ways in the snow to get to school. The other fifty percent I found useful and enlightening as a guide to the basic use of Vectorworks Spotlight to create easily readable plots to help communicate what needs to happen for productions. When Mr. Hillmar starts talking about the nitty-gritty work behind putting together plots, the manual becomes very easy to follow and allows the reader to create clear, concise, and professional light plots.

Light Plot Deconstructed by Gregg Hillmar is available for purchase from Nemetschek North America, the makers of Vectorworks at http://www.nemetschek.net/training/guides.php. More information about Mr. Hillmar can be found at www.hillmardesign.com.

Nick Hutchinson is currently a freelance director and designer in the Salt Lake City, UT area. You can find follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/nthutch, his handle is @nthutch.

A Major Change & Diving into the Unknown

2011-02-12T12:35:00.000-07:00

Things happen... Sometimes for the better, sometimes not. Well, for me and my little family one of those changes has taken place. I am no longer teaching. I probably will not be teaching for a while. I am currently looking for a new job in the hopes that I can keep my family afloat. I am doing some major soul searching, getting help, and trying to move forward. I know that the right thing will come up eventually, but right now it is a little rough feeling like I cannot/am not providing for my wife and children.
I am searching daily, praying constantly, and trying to better myself professionally and personally so that when the right job does show up I will be ready and able to proceed and progress. For those that read this and want to know what's going on - ask. I will tell you my little story.
I am looking for a job wherever I can find one at this point. Almost having a Masters Degree has opened some doors and made some other opportunities kind of difficult. I am also looking for a venue to finish my thesis project and produce the show that I have chosen and worked so hard to put together.

Trying to stay positive. Looking to the future & praying for the right things to fall into place for my family and me.

Glee - Unavoidable. Period.

2010-06-09T21:06:00.002-06:00

How can I, as a theatre teacher, ignore a phenomenon that speaks to nearly every aspect of what I do on a daily basis? The characters of Glee, the situations, the performance aspect, and event the assignments for class speak so closely to my students, my assignments in class, and what my students need that I would be foolish to ignore this pop & popular series. Initially, I watched the first couple of episodes of the first season and thought it was fun, but I figured it would be a passing fad. It was fun, had some good music, but I did not think that it held a broad enough appeal to hold on for more than one season. As a result, I did not watch very many other episodes (that and the fact that my wife did not like the show at all... she does not like the relationship that exists between Matthew Morrison's character and the students - she feels like it is too informal and condones that kind of a relationship between teacher/student. I can see where she is coming from, but at the same time since it IS such a popular experience, how can I ignore it?). I did get the chance to watch a more recent episode, however that changed my whole view of the show.
I think the episode that gave me this epiphany would have to have been the Lady GaGa/KISS episode. When Matthew Morrison gave the assignment to be bigger than life and to get into the persona of the situation I was absolutely caught up by the whole experience. Now, yes, I understand that the show as a whole may not be phenomenal (face it - if you are not a main, recurring character in the show you do not even have to be able to act, let alone sing...and even then, there are a few of the regulars that could use some objective/obstacle classes), but the fact that Glee is SO accessible to such a diverse demographic makes it a show that should not be ignored by any educator - theatre or otherwise. I was totally captivated by and thought I need to adapt and use some of the assignments that get used in the show.
I am going to have to go back and watch at least this most recent season and get back into the whole show. I have to pay attention to this relevant, usable show in order to enhance my curriculum and further reach my students.

Realizations & Changes - Thesis Show

2010-05-23T14:39:00.003-06:00

I have just finished reading my thesis script, Dark of the Moon by Howard Richardson & William Berney again. It seems like every time I read it there is something new that comes out of it - a change that needs to happen, a realization about one or more of the characters, a new image that speaks to me about the show. There are some basic changes that I think need to happen in my original set design to help facilitate the story. 1. There really needs to be a large log that sits next to the house for the wood chopping scene. It really should live about center stage and run diagonally UL to DR. 2. The Rock where the Conjur Man & Conjur Woman live needs to be revamped. It needs clearer platform-like levels (I am thinking circular) that need to step up to the main platform with the cave. This will facilitate the look that I think is necessary for the end scene with Barbara laying on the rock, dead, at the end of the show.

There are some basic things that I know, however, that I do NOT want to change:

1. I want the show to be seen through the eyes of John. His world needs to be the one that is "normal" for us, the audience. It is his choices and his changes that drive our feelings for the rest of the town and the other characters (specifically Barbra) in the show. John and the witches need to be in their own little world that is normal for them - flying on eagles and playing in the fog, the magic, etc. all need to feel like that is what SHOULD be happening; however, the town needs to feel very foreign to John. The things that they do, the way they treat each other and outsiders, etc. needs to feel like it is very out of place in John's life.

2. The Conjur Man & Woman are the only ones that should seem like they are a part of both worlds. They need to seem like they could live in both worlds simultaneously, but if they were to live in just one world they would be out of place.

3. There has to be something that draws John to Barbra Allen and visa versa. I, at this point, am not sure what that something is, but it needs to be there.

4. EVERYONE in the show messes up at some point during the story. There is a point for those characters that are a part of John's personal life that feel remorse, regret, pain, suffering, or sorrow. It is what those characters do at that critical time of change that defines for us (the audience) who they are and how we should feel about them. The only characters that do not really feel that sorrow or regret are the townspeople. Their bigoted fanaticism, coupled with their closed-minded stubbornness make them impervious to the effects of such REAL emotion which, in turn, makes us unable to empathize with them at all during the course of the play.

5. I am toying around with the idea of leaving Barbara dead at the end of the show. She would effectively stay in the dead position on stage throughout the curtain call (she would not get one). I like the idea that the consequences of people's actions are going to affect those around them. This is no different. Dead is dead. She is not going to come back to life and I do not want the audience to have that option be available to them as they leave - if Barbara STAYS dead when they leave then she will STAY dead for them later.

Painful realizations...

2010-04-30T20:03:00.000-06:00

I am sitting in my auditorium cringing during a choir concert wondering - "where did I go wrong...?" and then realizing that I have not taken control of my technical staff the way I should have at the beginning of the year. I have let bad habits and cocky/controlling students run all over me. As a consequence, I have come to the painful realization that more than half of my crew does not know how to propperly set up & run a microphone or patch and write a basic cue in the light board... *(sheesh...)*
I can tell that it is now going to be a really hard thing to take control and remedy the issues that are currently plaguing me. I can also bet that I am going to get a lot of backlash from those students that I have let go this long that think they know everything there is to know. I am not sure how to approach the whole situation either... Do I go in and strongarm compliance out of them, or do I go in and tell them that major changes need to take place because of the things I have observed or what?! I was planning on making some pretty drastic changes next year as I lose the techs that have been here since before I got to my school leave (who happen to be the root of my issues at the moment...); but, the poor quality of all of their work and technical skill recently makes me think I need to nip it in the bud here and now. Some of the kids know a few things, but if we were to have a major issue we would be in major trouble. Most of my kids cannot even troubleshoot a simple mic on the fly...
So now I have to figure out how to take care of the issue and fix the festering sore that has become my tech crew...

Help...!

Costume Design Process Starts...

2010-04-18T14:02:00.003-06:00

I have finally started thinking about the specifics for the designs for the characters in Dark of the Moon. I did not expect to find this much difficulty in finding design ideas for the characters here since I have been thinking about this show for so long (I have been planning on doing the show since I STARTED my course work for grad school at CWU). My biggest issue is with the witches. I cannot find a balance between something I like and something that is appropriate/workable for the audience and students that will be in the show.
I want the audience to see the show through the eyes of John, the witch boy. For that reason, I want the witches to feel like they are the norm - that the people in the town need to be the one's that feel out of place. The only people that can seem at all "normal" in the sight of John should be Barbra and the Conjur Man & Woman. Barbra because she is the one that John loves; and the Conjur Man & Woman because they are the only characters that cross both planes and can feel semi-normal in both worlds.
The problem that I am having is that (especially with the witches) all of my research leads me back to witches that are more than half-naked. The historical plates and drawings that I come across are all of witches performing ceremonies in the full nude - particularly for the back-woods southern feel that I beleive that the show requires. I have seen a few production shots from other showings of Dark of the Moon, mostly college productions, that have witches in pretty much nothing but a unitard and some tulle - showing everything that they have (and in some cases accentuating those items). I need to find a way to combine the elements that I like while at the same time making it comfortable for my actors and accessible to my audiences. We are already doing a show that is going to push some boundaries and buttons, but I still want the show's message and themes to be accessible to my audiences and the students that participate.
I will just have to keep playing with some renderings and drawings until I find something that I like. I think I am going to try to get a hold of an Undergrad friend of mine that is a costume designer in Houston. I have talked with her about the show before (she loves it) and perhaps I can bounce some ideas off of her to see what we can come up with.

Work paying off

2010-03-08T21:41:00.001-07:00

We have opened and had a very successful run of The Diary of Anne Frank this past week! The show has been such a success (we literally have sold out EVERY night we have had) that we have had to hold the run over and add an additional performance for Monday!
I have never had to hold a show over due to popular demand, but since I have had a standby line at the door to the theatre every night it has just made sense to hold it over. All the kids are really excited that this is happening. No one can tell me the last time that they have had a show do this well in terms of audience response at Skyline. It is great to have this kind of response!

Faster than expected...

2010-01-14T20:13:00.002-07:00

By tomorrow we will have blocked the entire show AND have the main structure of the set completed. I was totally not expecting to be at this point this soon! It will be really great to be able to focus on the details of the show rather than the basic concepts and needs of the production. Most of the time it feels like I never get a chance to work on the specific acting and design items that I would like to. At some point, it always seems like I am scrambling to finish one or the other.
I am very excited to actually have a moment to work with the actors on their listening and responding to impulses. Being able to work at a level that I do not get to very often will be really great! I just hope my actors can handle being able to focus for long enough for it to do any good... Up to this point they have been doing well, but the material is really kind of heavy for anyone to have to focus on for a long time. If they can manage to do that, I think that this show has the potential to really knock people's socks off! (Now to just convince my technicians that if they can focus and do good work...)

Anne Frank - Just getting started is the hard part...

2010-01-11T21:31:00.003-07:00

We have been in rehearsal for The Diary of Anne Frank for about 2 weeks now and I have run into a pretty major snag. . . My Otto Frank (the father) told me that he has taken a role in a hockey movie and will no longer be able to do the show. I have now had to shuffle the cast around and have a couple of different kids take roles that they were not originally assigned. I even tried to give one role to a new student in order to minimize the impact of the change, but the student turned down the role (which is fine). So now I have moved an actor from a minor role to a major role with a lot of lines. I hope that making these changes will not slow everything down like crazy.
The set is coming along very well. My crew has done quite well with getting the main platforming finished for the show. It will be really nice to have the set all the way finished for most of the blocking process. The blocking process is proving to be rather difficult in such a tight space. I am having a tougher time getting people to focus and actually get what we need to done. I wonder if it is because of the tight quarters that the set provides... that or the content may end up being a little heavy for them. I want them to be able to keep the whole thing light, but I do not want them to make light of the whole situation.
It will interesting to see how things turn out once the new cast members settle in and everyone gets comfortable with the new changes.

Thesis Production Journal Musings

2009-12-26T22:22:00.003-07:00

For the next little while I will be posting some entries from my progress on my thesis project for my Masters in Theatre Production. I will be doing a production of Dark of the Moon by Howard Richardson & William Berney. I will be producing the show in the Spring of 2011 and will have a bunch of entries for my production journal that will be a part of the thesis paperwork that I will post here for everyone to follow my progress.
Here is the first one!

It happened! I received approval for my thesis show to be produced today!! I gave my principal a copy of the script of Dark of the Moon at the beginning of the year to read and give me some feedback. Well, I finally was able to get her to read it and have a meeting with me in order to determine whether or not it would be ok to do for my thesis show in 2011. When I met with her I had totally expected to get a rather negative response since the show is about witches, they burn a witch baby, and there is a rape staged in the show. I had prepared myself with a bunch of answers to those issues, but when I met with her I ran into no such issues. She actually seemed to be quite excited about the show. There were no issues that she could find with the script that would keep me from doing it. So she brought in her secretary to dictate a note to in order to provide me with documentation that it was alright for me to do the show. As she explained the show to her secretary and what needed to be in the note both the principal and I could tell that the secretary was questioning the decision... As a result, we decided that it would be a good idea to present the show to the school’s Community Council which was made up of parents and teachers from the community in order to get a response from them and see how they might perceive the show.

The next night I went to the Council meeting and presented the show – gave them the synopsis of the play and asked for their response and questions that they may have to the play. Initially, I did not get any feedback (which was really quite intimidating…). I presented the plot and the major things that I could see that might be issues and the council sat, straight faced, without any kind of a reaction or a response. Thank heavens I had a couple of teachers that were in attendance that were batting for me! They started the discussion and asked some really relevant questions regarding how I would present things like the rape and the baby witch being burned. After I had finished my presentation, I was asked to leave and told by the principal that she would let me know the results of their decision the following day.

The next day she showed up in the middle of one of my classes and informed me that the Council was very enthusiastic about the show. They had voted unanimously in favor of the show being produced. One parent said, “It is about time that Skyline do a show with some meat to it.” The principal informed me that the council was excited to have a show that would prompt and promote discussion on some of the issues that the show would address.

This was my biggest concern – that the community would not receive the show well. Now that I have the approval of my administration AND the community behind me, I think that this show will be very beneficial for the kids and the community to experience. I was so worried that it would not be received well and that I would have to choose another show, but YAY no need – Dark of the Moon in Spring 2011!!!

Lots to report...

2009-11-04T19:40:00.003-07:00

Since the last time I wrote I have opened and closed my musical for the year - Annie Get Your Gun. We decided to do the old original Irving Berlin version of the show instead of the newer revival version. The kids had a great time and our orchestra sounded AMAZING!! I will post pictures as soon as we get them from the photographer.

The next show that I am doing in February will be The Diary of Anne Frank. I am way excited! I love the show and I have some great (well, I think they are great) ideas for the design of the show. Most of the students seem like they are interested in the show. I am hoping I can get enough people so that I can have the option of double-casting the show. I already have a student that has composed a piano/cello piece that we will be using in the show. I think my season of shows for this year has the potential to turn out really great.

This is not the big news though, WE ARE HAVING A BABY BOY!!! Candace is due on March 11th. I am so excited to have a little boy! I think it will be great to have one of each! The adventure now will be to find a name for the little guy. There are no names so far that both of us like, so it will be interesting to see what we decide on. If anyone has any GOOD ideas - drop me a line!!

3D Modeling in Vectorworks 2009 Review

2009-08-22T13:28:00.003-06:00

When I decided to write a review on this book I was a little skeptical – I am in no way a Vectorworks power user. I am a high school theatre teacher. Up to this point I have used Vectorworks for very basic functions like simple light plots, drafting set plans, etc. I really never thought that I would use the program for its more advanced features. However, when I sat down with 3D Modeling in Vectorworks 2009 by Jonathan Pickup I was pleasantly surprised to experience a user friendly, effective experience – if you follow Jonathan’s instructions in the first few pages.

At first, I thought I was going to be way over my head; but from the first exercise (a very nice introduction to 3D extrusion) I found myself able to accomplish each of the tasks quite easily. This set up a nice precedence for the rest of the book. By the time I reached the middle and end of the book I noticed that each of the things that I had learned in the activities before, I was using without hesitation in the more complex projects. This scaffolding of basic concepts to achieve a proficiency in the end was very useful and it gave me a sense of accomplishing things that, in the beginning, I was skeptical about finishing. By the end of the text I was able to finish what I felt were some very advanced 3D models.

The only way that I was able to understand each of the activities, however, was to read AND watch the videos that Jonathan provides in the manual and the CD that accompanies it. I found that the times that I thought to myself “Oh, I can do THAT…” were the times that I found myself scratching my head in the end and having to restart the exercise from the beginning. Once I read the instructions and then watched the videos (done step-by-step to follow the instructions in the manual by Jonathan, who rewords and, in some cases shows some useful shortcuts) I went from scratching my head to having an “Ah hah!” moment when the images and objects turned out the way they were meant to.

As I now look at all the things that I will be doing with Vectorworks I find that the things that I have learned in 3D Modeling in Vectorworks 2009 will change my basic workflow and everyday use of the program. I look forward to giving the skills I have acquired a try to create my next set design elevations. I would recommend this manual to anyone who has an acute need/interest in the power of the Vectorworks 2009 rendering platform. It is an excellent way to delve into the program that otherwise has a rather steep learning curve. I would also recommend it to those basic users, like myself, for an excellent way to expand your skill set, proficiency and speed in using the program for your creative needs. Either way, 3D Modeling in Vectorworks 2009 by Jonathan Pickup is an excellent tool for anyone who uses this power and effective modeling and drafting program.

3D Modeling in Vectorworks 2009 by Jonathan Pickup is available for purchase from Nemetschek North America, the makers of Vecotrworks 2009 at http://www.nemetschek.net/training/guides.php

More information on Jonathan Pickup and his other Vectorworks related materials can be found at his website: http://www.archoncad.co.nz/ . You can also follow Jonathan on Twitter – his handle is @archoncad or you can find him at www.twitter.com/archoncad

Nick Hutchinson is the theatre and film teacher at Skyline High School in Salt Lake City, UT. You can follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/nthutch , his handle is @nthutch.

Fantastic Video on Arts in Ed

2009-07-06T09:40:00.004-06:00

I found this video online and was instantly drawn to it. I love his outlook - it aligns very nicely with Aristotle's view of the "whole man." We need to teach students to be a whole person instead of a college professor focused on nothing but the cerebral.

Counting Down

2009-06-14T22:56:00.002-06:00

I am, once again, preparing for another fun filled summer of grad school work. 5 weeks of intense classwork and play! I am very excited for many of the classes - Shakespeare, Advanced Lighting, Voice & Dialects. However, there is one class that is looming over my head as the one that may end up kick my butt - Analysis and Criticism (all the students end up calling it Anal Crit by the end of the class...). I am especially excited to see some of my good buddies from last summer and to have a blast with some new people!
I am going to end up reading a lot over the next few days - YAY for the mind turning to mush from reading heady books.....

A little time to do a lot...

2009-05-28T21:04:00.002-06:00

Everything that I am doing lately seems to have a relatively short time in which to get it finished. The end of the year for school is coming next week and there is a LOT of cleaning that needs done before I leave for the summer. Grad school is coming up in the middle of June and there is a lot of reading and prep that I am going to have to do in order to get ready for it.

This week we have been having auditions for Annie Get Your Gun, so it has been pretty intense and stressful. However, the whole audition process has gone pretty well! Casting this show has been the easiest to cast of all the shows that I have done yet. I think that we are going to have a really solid cast and a lot of really great talent to work with. We had a relatively small casting pool, but the people that came out really did an excellent job! Thus far, there has been no "drama" with the whole process (knock on wood...). Have to wait and see if it will be that way after we post the list tomorrow.

I am really glad that my department has created a new website for all our events and just stuff in general. I will be able to post our cast list online and not have to deal with the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth that happens so often after casting a show. If you want to see how it turns out take a look here.

It has been a real pleasure to start this process with my colleagues in our department. I am really excited to do a show with them! I have worked with Adam, the orchestra director, before - and it was great. Jay, the choir director, had some health issues this year that made it impossible for him to work on the show. I am cannot wait to work with everyone in-house for this new year to give another killer show!!

Another Opening

2009-03-31T22:41:00.001-06:00

I am sitting in the audience at my theatre having a final dress rehearsal for "Fools" thinking that these kids really need an audience. They need real reactions and real bodies to take the show to the next level. They are all so used to hearing MY reactions and my obligitory laughter. They need the change in order to find the humor in the story again.
We run April 1st - 4th at 7pm in the Skyline High Auditorium. "Fools" is a comic fable by Neil Simon. It is a really fun show with endearing characters and a wonderful moral! Come see the silly antics of these loveable characters!

Out with the old...

2009-03-29T18:38:00.001-06:00

I find myself sitting at the. DMV in a line that will have me sitting here for at least an hour ... The transmission in the old Pathfinder gave up the ghost (won't go in reverse...) just as we are ready to pay it off.
Now we have found a 2000 Subaru Outback that is on really nice shape! We found it for a steal as well. I just feel really lucky and blessed that we were able to find something so quickly in the price range that we wanted to pay in the condition that it is in. We have talked about how nice it would be to have one for a long time, but I really did not think we would get into one anytime soon since they are so popular. Now I am way excited to drive it! Yay for 4 wheel drive!

Student Produced Short Plays

2009-02-22T21:31:00.002-07:00

Tomorrow I open an evening of 10 minute shows - "Student Produced Short Plays." They are all show that are totally produced by my drama classes. My Theatre 1 students wrote all the shows, Theatre 3 is directing them, Theatre 1 & 2 are acting in it, and my technicians designed the set, lights and sound for each of the shows. I am very proud of all of my students! They have worked their guts out to get these things ready (well...most of them have...).
We go up tomorrow at 7pm at the Skyline High Auditorium. If you have a little time, come by and have an entertaining evening!!

Changes - again...

2009-01-23T22:09:00.001-07:00

Well, I have had to change my show from Picnic. I had an actress decide to audition for another show that goes up the same weekend that our show does - and she got a part and decided to take it. So, I have changed the show to Fools by Neil Simon. It is not in the same league as Picnic, but it is good; funny, with a good moral and great characters to play.
The cast has done their initial read-through and they seem to like the show. The humor and timing in the show are borderline melodrama and that will be a stretch for some of the cast, but it will be a good growing experience for them.
Candace and Shiloh visited me in class today. My students said that I could not stop smiling for 20 minutes solid after they left. How could I? They both are just too cute for words! I love them more than anything!

A lot in 2 weeks...

2009-01-04T22:23:00.000-07:00

Well here is the whirlwind that has been my holiday break (ok not so much a whirlwind as a light breeze but still...)-

I have finally figured out which show I am going to do for the Spring – Picnic by William Inge. It took many hours of reading scripts, at least 2 trips to the library, and much conversing with colleagues, but now that I have it I love it! The more I read the script the more I get into it. I was skeptical at first, especially after watching the movie starring William Holden and Kim Novak; I was worried that the show was too slow and about nothing to be engaging to a high school/parent audience. However, I really like the playscript. It is written much better than the movie and has a much clearer message. I think that everyone will get into the show once we get it started.
I spent a blissful 2 weeks with Shiloh! She is the cutest thing on earth! I love playing with her, watching her grow, teaching her new things, listening to her sing to herself, and talk in sentences that she can understand 100% and we can only get 45% of. It has been really refreshing to be with her for this time.
I turned 28. I feel like I am in the ambivalent stage of life where I have not reached a benchmark in my age, but I apparently am still the age where others seem to think that it is ok to call me “old”. (Look at yourselves before you say that please – and the fact that I am 9 years older than you does not give you license to call me that either...). I do not mean to sound bitter about the whole thing. I am enjoying myself immensely! I could not ask for a better time in my life.
I made a resolution to get myself in a shape that I feel good about. That is physically in a shape that I feel good about. I am sick of looking at my body and hating most of what I see and knowing that it is in my power to fix it, but I don't. It has been my long-standing opinion that physical pain is NOT a good thing – even if it is self-inflicted through exercise or other means. I have decided that I need to get over that outlook and take control of the thing that has been driving me crazy for who knows how long. YAY me!!

Daycare+Scissors+Baby=Trip to the InstaCare

2008-12-16T21:42:00.004-07:00

I think we are all pretty ready for the Christmas Break to be here. Lots of grumpy people grumping around the halls and making life miserable for everyone else... Oh well, only 3 more days and we will all be fine.
Tonight I had the intention of attending the choir/orchestra concert at the school, but ended up playing in an InstaCare instead. Baby Shiloh cut her finger with a pair of scissors at daycare today and it ended up bleeding. Got it stopped, but when she got home the band aide came off and started bleeding again - a bunch. So, I ended up sitting on the couch with baby's hand wrapped in tissue until mom got home so we could go to the doctor.
We ended up going to the InstaCare and having her finger glued and bandaged (which did not stay on for more than 10 minutes). The while time Shiloh watched the nurses do their dirty work on her finger. She was really interested in the whole process. She had to watch what they were doing the whole time. We did not have to hold her down or anything like that. So, instead of having a cultural evening - we had an eventful evening with Shiloh's first trip to the InstaCare.

Beauty and the Beast Pics

2008-12-09T17:50:00.004-07:00

Here are just a few production shots from Beauty and the Beast. If you want to see more, go check out the tons that I have here. There are quite a few! Let me know what you think.

Crazy busy = fruitful results.

2008-11-27T18:14:00.002-07:00

For the past 2 months my life has been consumed by another production. Now it is closed. I must say that Beauty and the Beast went quite well (pictures to come soon). The pit orchestra was amazing, the actors are the best students that I have ever worked with (honestly), parents have said it is the largest audience they have seen in the space since time immemorial, and now other schools want to rent our set from the show. This has turned out to be a very good experience to begin my time at Skyline High.
I was very skeptical about doing such a large show for my first one in a new school with students I did not know and a space I was not familiar with. While there were some pretty big snags in the entire process (i.e. - music director finding out he has cancer just being one of them...) everyone in the process pulled together to make a fantastic show.
Now it is time to choose another show, but somehow I find myself less than motivated to finalize a decision about the show. I am very excited to spend some time with Candace and Shiloh. To take some much needed time away from the production cycle.
For now, I have to focus on trying to get the aftermath cleaned up from this giant show. While it takes months on end to create a show of this magnitude, I love that other people think that it can all go away in a week. Thank heavens I am surrounded by helpful, caring, concerned, loving people that can help me accomplish what seems to be an impossible task....!

My little flower girl

2008-09-30T19:38:00.003-06:00

So I finally got the pictures that we had taken of Shiloh (indirectly I might add . . . I never even got the originals) a while back. I must say that she is the cutest thing and what a HAM for the camera. My favorites are the ones that she is not posing in though:

Specifically Ambiguous

2008-09-26T22:34:00.002-06:00

As I sat and watched the Presidential Debates this evening I wondered - will anyone ever answer a question that is posed? The answer was a resounding "No." Not only would it be nice to hear what the candidates actually think, but it would also be really nice to have a debate that does not result in juvenile name-calling and a bunch of he-said-he-said stupidity. I was hoping that something that I heard tonight would sway me in way way or the other regarding the upcoming election. However, the only thing that was confirmed to me was that Obama is a much more eloquent and intellectually appealing individual than McCain.
McCain seemed almost arcane in his mentality toward every topic that was discussed. He also, on more than one occasion, reverted to name calling and pointing out small faults in order to divert attention away from obvious shortcomings of his own. Obama seemed to have a much more concrete regimen for the things that need to be done; and he has the means and the vocabulary to see those things come to fruition. McCain seemed to rely (for me at any rate) too much on past experience that had little direct correlation to the current situations facing the nation. While Obama is somewhat less experienced in the world of politics and government when compared to McCain it did not seem to be something that was detrimental to his persona and presence. In fact, it seems that this plays to his advantage - not being as "jaded" and corrupted in the ways of governmental process and influence.

At this moment in time it looks like I am swaying toward the "Vote for Change."

I want more... HELP!

2008-09-14T11:25:00.003-06:00

Well, I have started rehearsals for Beauty and the Beast now, but with a couple of snags... I currently do not have a music director or a pit director! They both are out sick - the music director in particular does not know when or IF he will be able to help with the show at all! Now, I would normally be very supportive (I mean, having to have a section of your small colon removed is a major deal), but in this case - IT WAS NOT EVEN MY SHOW TO BEGIN WITH!! I did not pick this monster of a show. In fact, I had no part in the whole decision-making process. So now, I am stuck with a show that I didn't really want to do in the first place, without a music director (who pushed the show choice on the administration) and I am not getting the help that I really need to make the show actually work!! It just makes me want to scream!
I do not know how they expect me to pull off a show of this magnitude without the staff that is necessary to make it happen. I am stuck teaching music to the entire cast while I should be taking care of costumes, props, and a gargantuan set that I have to build myself! I just don't have any clue what to do at the moment. I am new to the area, so, I do not know who to ask for help even if they could. I do have a parent support group, but they are in shambles because their president resigned since her daughter did not get the lead (good grief...!), but that is a whole other story...
All I feel like I can say right now is - HELP!!

Casting Completed

2008-09-07T22:05:00.002-06:00

Well, I have finally cast my first show of the season for Skyline High - Beauty and the Beast. The whole process went relatively smoothly (thank heavens!). While the students were freaked out by an audition with a monologue, we still had around 65 people audition for the show. I thought a really respectable number considering that I am the new guy and people were skeptical about what I may do with the show.
I did have to deal with small political issues (who doesn't really) by making sure I give auditioners ample consideration before making casting choices - just to make sure that there are no irate parents or distraught students.
I posted the cast list on Friday at 5:00pm and then promptly left. It will be very interesting to see what kind of reactions I get on Monday. I really do not look forward to justifying my decisions to anyone... We will just have to wait and see though...

Done. Now the count down starts...

2008-08-03T21:53:00.002-06:00

Well, my first summer of graduate school is over! I have now finished 1/3 of my graduate degree. There were some extremely frustrating times as well as some very enlightening times and classes and people as well. This summer I took a bunch of Technical theatre classes - Lighting, Design Methods, Creative Costuming, Makeup, Directing, and Dramatic Lit. I was really glad to have the opportunity to meet a ton of wonderful people and make some great friends! I was also very glad to have a lot of my current teaching practices confirmed as well as learned a lot of new techniques to take back to my kids.
I was also very pleased to learn some new techniques in the areas of lighting and makeup that have been particularly difficult for me. Since I am colorblind lighting and makeup have always been a much more difficult practice for me to master. I was pleasantly surprised to have an instructor that was able to cater to my disability - and show me how to attain the same results as everyone else AND have it make sense to me at the same time. Saturation charts and the color wheel are fastly turning in to my best friends.
I think that the best part of the whole experience, however, has been meeting some great new people that are in the same boat that I am. That they are one-man-bands or just starting drama programs and go through the exact same trials and issues that I do. It will be great to be able to contact some different resources that know what I am talking about and what I need. I am very excited for the next two summers! In fact, that has turned into the highlight of my year thus far!!

Into the Fire!

2008-07-05T19:17:00.002-06:00

Well, I am now in the full swing of my Graduate program at Central Washington University! The first 2 sessions were great. Hella stressful, but really great. Papers that are 5 - 10 pages due in 2 days. Entire design projects for large-scale shows due in a week - CRAZY!

However, I am loving getting to know all the new people and getting the chance to network. The other thing that has been really nice is the confirmation that I have been teaching the right things in my classes thus far AND getting new ideas for teaching from a different set of professors and educators. I think that I got so used to the way that I learned things in my undergrad that having the ability to get a new perspective is VERY refreshing.

I love the people! All the "first years", as we call ourselves (kinda a la Harry Potter) have been really good to work with. There is a wide knowledge base and a very diverse variety of teachers at the program. Since this is the case, a lot of what we are covering is a review, of sorts. Many of the teachers do not have theatre backgrounds, so they have the need for really basic skill that someone like me, who graduated in theatre earlier, already has. However, I like the opportunity of watching different professors than who I had in my undergrad teach some of the same things. It gives a new perspective to the subject and it gives me a chance to look at the way that they teach that subject.

I am really stoked for the rest of the summer!!

Yay - the addiction returns!

2008-06-08T16:11:00.003-06:00

My top 3!!

It is back! My drug - as it were - So You Think You Can Dance is back! For some reason watching all of these people do what I wish I could is mesmerizing. The more I watch, the more I want to watch. Is it that I miss being on stage so much that just watching others do it is very satisfying? I am not sure. All I know is that I love it! Yay for the DV-R and watching it over and over.

Wow...

2008-05-28T23:42:00.000-06:00

It is like comparing night and day. I have now had the opportunity to work with the students that I will be teaching at Skyline High School. It is unbelievable the difference that I saw in the focus and quality of work that I saw from these students when compared to all the others that I have taught to this point. Now, I understand that I only had one day to compare, but even then, the feeling of yearning for understanding and improvement that I received from these students was great! I truly got the impression that the vast majority of these kids wanted to be in a real drama class and to learn new techniques and methods - including both acting and technical theatre students.

This is not to say that the students that I have had at other places did not want the same things, but they definitely were not as focused and motivated to accomplish anything near what I experienced with this new set of students. Starting with this kind of base and motivation excites me very much! The quality of work that can come from this kind of experience is unbelievable! I am way more excited about this new opportunity than I dreamed possible!

Motivation?

2008-04-20T23:01:00.000-06:00

This is going to be a little weird. chicken butt. <--- Candace's two bits.

The rest of this year is going to be weird. It is the first time I will move from one place to another because of my job. I do not know why, but the whole concept of finishing out the year in a place that I know I will not be coming back to will be interesting to say the least. It also makes further interactions with the other teachers kind of awkward. Especially since they also know that I am not sticking around. Makes me kinda feel like I am abandoning both the teachers and the students who I interact with on a daily basis.

The prospect of going to a bigger school with an already established program just makes the current situation seem bleak and unproductive. It will be a challenge to stay motivated - but even that will hopefully help me stay on top of things.

Yay! Time for a change.

2008-04-18T23:14:00.000-06:00

I have accepted a position to teach Drama at Skyline High School in Salt Lake! I will be moving into a full Drama program (yay no more Speech!) where I will teach Drama 1, Drama 2, Drama 3, Technical Theatre, & Film Studies. The theatre is HUGE - about 2,000 seats - and there is also a black box theatre to do smaller shows.
That is all I know at the moment. I will be going down to sign contracts and get all the details taken care of soon. I will post more as I learn more.

Another closing.

2008-03-29T22:54:00.000-06:00

My students and I have just closed Once Upon a Mattress. The response to the show was very positive! Everyone seems to have had an enjoyable experience. All of the comments that I have heard have been positive.

Here are some production shots from the show!!

Yet again...

2008-01-27T00:52:00.000-07:00

Here I am at the beginning of another production and I am STILL dealing with the same issues that I had last year - people throwing a fit over content in a show they know nothing about. This year, however, I get to have the immense joy of dealing with the "why didn't my daughter get a lead in your play?" issue. I am so tired of dealing with bigoted conservativism that I could scream!
What ever happened to understanding the art form for what it is worth and accepting author intent? It is written that way for a reason people!! Just because you don't agree with it does not give you the right to hack it to pieces to make your little moral self fell better about it. DEAL!

On the up side - we are all moved into the new house in Preston. Yay for no more driving to work! Now have to work on making new place feel like home...

I miss it...

2007-11-10T22:17:00.000-07:00

I have been fortunate to see some good theatre performances lately (it has been quite a while since I could say I had). Watching each of the shows that I did, I noticed an overwhelming feeling of longing - I want to be back on stage! I miss that experience so much... I have moved into a stage in my life that makes it very difficult for me to be on stage. I have been directing a lot, but the sensation and experience is not the same. I am seriously considering auditioning for the summer theatre in town again. (I have auditioned for them before to no avail, but I figure it is time to try again.) Even watching my students on stage in the show that they are running now gives me the pangs and longing to be back on stage for myself. Ah, my drug... too bad it has been to long since I have taken a hit...

I stand corrected

2007-08-09T08:48:00.000-06:00

Earlier I posted a blog about the news reporting on things other than So You Think You Can Dance... I was wrong by saying that there must be something other than that that the news could report on. After last night's showing there is nothing more important than that show at this moment! I am totally addicted...

I am torn between whether I want Niel or Lauren to win...

(Yes, Annie, I am talking to you!)

I don't understand...

2007-08-03T09:38:00.000-06:00

I am in the process of choosing a new play and writing new curriculum for the upcoming school year and I do not understand one thing - why do people in the educational industry refuse to trust the teachers that make it up? Teachers are the front lines of the teaching profession. They are the ones that are responsible for the learning and achievement of the hundreds and thousands of students that they have in a classroom over any period of time. However, it seems to me that they are the least trusted entity in the entire process. Is it so difficult to trust a teacher that is with your student every day to make smart and informed decisions? that is in a classroom in the business of teaching every day who knows the pedagogical and practical processes that are common practice today?

NCLB particularly has made it very difficult for a teacher to feel like he/she is being allowed to help all the students that they need to reach. Each teacher in the school system (particularly in secondary schools) should have been hired to a specific position because they are qualified and knowledgeable in their content area, but in every instance that I have seen and in every content area I have observed I have seen doubt - doubt from administration, department heads (usually the older veteran teachers who are so set in their ways that change is seen as a challenge to usurp), and parents. Each of those parties should at the very least be willing to trust the decisions that have been made that put a teacher where they are.

I am very fortunate to have a supportive administration that are willing to work with me instead of against me. The fact that I am a relatively new teacher makes my job difficult at times, but as I learn and grow that will improve. I am glad that I can go to my administration with questions and concerns and not feel that it will adversely affect me in any way. I am glad for the opportunities that I have to grow a program with little interference from others (specific colleagues excluded).

The concept that is difficult for many of my colleagues and others to understand is - even though I am a relatively new teacher I DO KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT/DOING!! When I choose a show for my drama season, I have done the research and thought through the possible repercussions that may come from doing the show. I DO know what it takes to create a learning environment in the production process. I DO know what sounds good - while it might not be what you are used to (many of the people where I am have been tainted to believe that all music must sound the same...), but it is the right kind of sound and technique for the kind of show we are doing. Trust me! Just once!

The end of another chapter

2007-07-19T16:08:00.000-06:00

Tonight I open another show. For the past 6 weeks I have been directing The King and I for Franklin County Arts Council (Preston, Idaho). We were forced to put the show up on a very truncated time table, but it has turned out quite well. It is a small community in a little theatre, but I think they have come up to a level they haven't seen for a long time. There were many times when I was ready to pull my hair out, but there must be stress to create growth.

Now, for the next few weeks I have to change my focus to getting school ready. I have been focussed on this show so much that I have not gotten ANY curriculum ready for the coming year. I have to teach 3 new classes that I don't have anything prepared for. It will be interresting to see how things pan out. I have some really good resources and a good network of excellent teachers that I can pull from, so not too worried.

How about something of consequence?!

2007-06-13T20:34:00.000-06:00

I sit here watching the news and I cannot help but wonder - isn't there something of more consequence that you could be telling me instead of talking about who is on So You Think You Can Dance? I am sure, in fact, that there are other things that are more important that are happening in the world that I could be learning about. Is it not the job of the broadcast news to report the things that are of the most important to us?

Sorry - just a bunch of hypothetical questions, but what was on my mind.

Let me make one thing perfectly clear...

2007-06-09T22:25:00.000-06:00

I will not compromise my best teaching practices in order to accommodate a student, teacher or parent that wants to be pampered or because they do not agree with the decisions that I am making on behalf of my students.

I am and will always be the first to say that I do not know all that there is to know about what I teach – there will always be something that I will need to learn. I also realize and understand that I am a young/new teacher that has to “prove” himself; however, I do know that I have a talent and ability to teach theatre and speech in the most current and accurate method that is available now.

I have a responsibility to teach my students the skills and trends that are current in the industry. If I do not teach them the most current practices and information I will be doing them a great disservice – especially if they have a desire to pursue further education in, or want to find a job in the industry. If they do not know the current practices in theatre there will be no way that they can succeed in a college or a professional setting.

I want to make it perfectly clear that I will sacrifice the happiness and acceptance of a few students in order to keep the integrity of my program – for I know that if I do not compromise on these principles that my program will only grow and become better than it has ever been. If you do not like the show that is being done - don’t audition. It is that simple. This is the way that it has been for a very long time. If the show does not fit you, or you don’t like the show, no matter what the venue or the situation, you choose whether you participate or not. The show will go on without you – don’t think that it won’t. There will always be someone to take your place – always! No matter where you go there are a ton of people that are better than you.

If there is one thing that I want to teach my students, and by so doing teach their parents, it is theatre etiquette. Where ever you go to in the theatre world if you do not abide by the rules, manners, and protocols that are in place you may offend someone or, at the extreme, not get a job.

“You are always auditioning!” – my motto posted in my classroom.

How things change in an instant...

2007-06-06T14:08:00.001-06:00

Ok - so this is the way that things are starting:

1. I was supposed to be directing a show for the community theatre in the town where I work, but they didn't have the neccessary materials (scripts & music) ordered in time for me to start the production. I am a little worried now that I am still going to be expected to put the show up even though there really isn't the time to make it a decent show.

2. FUN - I get to stay home with my 3 month old daughter for the summer!! The perks of being a teacher - spending time with your new little one and watching her grow and change on a daily basis. She is so much fun - a handful at times, yes - but fun nonetheless.

3. I am planning on going on a 50 mile hike with dad and the brothers in July. Getting ready for this is going to be an adventure in and of itself. I have been on plenty of hikes before just not one of this magnitude. My sife seems to think I am jusmping the gun a little bit, but I am getting all my gear and stuff rounded up for the hike already. I don't know if it is me being excited or a little nervous/paranoid or both. I am sure, however, that this hike is going to kick my butt in the end. (Can't be any worse than the Grand Canyon, can it?)

Cheers!!

A rant from earlier...

2007-06-06T13:59:00.000-06:00

This is a blog I posted previously when I was having a rough time with my first attempt at a show:

Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Damn the Right... Current mood: frustrated
Yesterday, I had to cancel my first show...I had 3 actors quit, one mother who was less than pleased (because she was stuck "betwen a rock and a hard place" due to her OWN moral dillema), and I had no one show up to the rehearsal that they had signed a contract to be at for the day! GRRR!! Now, I know that I am in UBER conservative Idaho town, but when I send the script for the play home with the kid along with the contract saying that it is OK for my kid to be in this show, I EXPECT THE PARENT TO READ THE SHOW BEFORE THEY SEND THE CONTRACT BACK!!! Is that too much to ask? I expect each of my students to be informed participants of the theatre - you would think that the parents would be too!

GRRRR!!

Let the Summer Frivolities Begin...

2007-06-06T13:53:00.000-06:00

Well, the school year has almost come to an end - and I have survived!! Now comes the fun of becoming a stay-at-home dad for the summer. Not only that, but I also just found out I will be directing another show for the summer. Preston Arts Council has asked me to direct The King and I for their summer show.

Everything for the show is having to come together very quickly. I have to do auditions by the end of the week and get rehearsals started the following week. The Wormcreek Opera House is a tiny venue. This show is a rather large one. It will be very interresting to see how things pan out.

I am excited to be at home with my cute daughter. I can tell that it is going to a lot of work, but I cannot wait to watch her grow more. She keeps getting bigger and she is doing new things every day it seems (giggling and smiling the most recent).