Thesis Production Journal Musings

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...

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

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

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

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...

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

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...

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

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...

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...

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

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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!!