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...
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.
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.
