Camping with a Purpose

Is your summer camp experience preparing your Scouts for their futures? Taking Scouts on campouts, for many of us, may be, by now, old hat. Every month going on an overnighter can get repetitive and parentheses dare I say it? Parenthesis tedious? Getting into a rut about camping can kill the fun for the youth and kill your vital enthusiasm for the program. Yes, we still go on these campouts; usually for a myriad of reasons until we hit winter.  Before you know it though, it is time to start thinking about summer camp. (What? Already?)

I would submit that your waning enthusiasm for the monthly campout is probably affected by summer camp in a couple of ways. First, it is the thing you worried about for months and months and then throw together at the last minute. Other Scout leaders, parents, and church leaders expected it to happen after all. Or, it becomes so dreaded that you're trying to find any activity other than summer camp to do with the boys (it's expensive after all, and time off work is hard…) Things do not have to be this way. Campouts, particularly the annual summer camp experience, can be a way to re-energize your camping batteries for the years to come.  Here is a strategy to help ensure your camping experience is beneficial, engaging, and fun! 

Go camping with a purpose planned by your youth. All too often we go camping just to go camping or to drill the basics.  And how often do we let the youth plan the campout? I mean, really plan it, not just in the motions, but actually affect the outcomes of the experience.  Do the boys go camping to have fun? Great! Add a purpose to their fun that they develop and the experience will be one they remember and grow from. Now, they may need some help with this part, but that does not give us license to do it for them.

You as their leader know what they need to learn, your church leaders have things they want the youth to learn by the time they go to college, on a mission, etc. (Don't believe me? Ask them, they really do!) They should be communicating those things with you. Guide your boys to make decisions and set goals for their outdoor experiences that align with their church leader’s goals for them and then get out of their way!

Allow the Deacons Quorum presidents to make real decisions and exercise his priesthood keys on behalf of the troop. Boys need an extended trip away from Mom and Dad? Work that into the goals. Need help making and keeping promises or following through? Nothing teaches better than first-hand experience that affects the entire group. (This might mean you eat oatmeal for every meal, or burn pancakes a lot…)

Summer camp is no exception to this suggestion. Go to summer camp with goals that aren’t merit badges are rank advancements. Go with a goal for team building, learning how to cook, or even getting away from Electronics (provided that this is what the boys decided their goal should be), and expect everyone to come on board with the benchmarks that you can measure after camp is over. If you can't measure it, how do you know how you did after all? Expect the youth leadership to guide, and encourage, and direct as they see a need. Allow them to do just that - lead. Explain that this is not a passive process, but an active one that will require help - from other youth leaders, parents, and the Lord. Expect revelation and act on it when it comes.

Then watch. Help them learn. Guide their decisions and the spiritual experiences will come – so will the badges and the advancements. Watch what they do in the process - most of it will line up with the other requirements. A true byproduct of this spiritual learning experience.

All of a sudden, the pressure is off of you to force a good camping experience and your boys can become invested. And when Mom asks about badges you can have a conversation about goals of church leaders, mission prep, and self-reliance – all things we know moms and dads care deeply about. 

I remember an activity that I participated in as a Varsity Scout (may it rest in peace…) that I will never forget. We had decided we wanted to go on a mountain biking activity that the team planned. So, we pulled out the map for an area we decided would be a good route and started looking where we would go, where we would rest, and where we would stop. Well, as the crow flies, it was about a 10-mile ride. We figured that if we started in the morning we could make it to the campsites at the top of the canyon by dinner time.  We planned the entire trip - from how to get there to making sure that we had enough leadership and that food and all our resources would be in place when we needed them.

One of our leaders had decided to go with us on the trip and the other one was going to the top of the canyon in the truck to set up camp (not ideal for today...). As we were dropped off at the bottom of the canyon and began our trip it seemed like everything was going to work out fine. We made our stops and kept biking up the canyon. However, once we hit our projected time of arrival at the campsite was when we started to think there might be a challenge. We started telling each other “it [the campsite] must be just over the next rise.” After saying this multiple times it was clear that we had made a pretty major miscalculation in the time that it would take for us to travel the almost sixteen-mile route that we estimated looking like ten on the map.

Our leader, Brother Beck, kept us moving, though. Encouraging us along the way and even taking time with a few of us to stop and offer water or food. As I got to the point that I felt that I would not be able to continue, Brother Beck stopped with me and not only encouraged me to continue, but also asked a simple question “Have you prayed for help from Heavenly Father?” Nothing more. As I knelt and prayed I knew that this would be an experience that I would never forget.

Similar experiences can be had by every youth that attends camp! My challenge to you is to create opportunities that will allow for growth and then take advantage of those opportunities to their fullest potential. Scout camp is the perfect venue for such opportunities, if planning and preparation are done well and the focus is where it should be!

Be Prepared by Learning Who We Are as Scouts and Sons of God – Integrity

One of the most important things a young man can learn today is how to determine right from wrong. In a world of so many opportunities, for good and not, it is imperative that our youth have ample opportunity to exercise their decision-making powers to learn to choose those things that will improve themselves and those around them. The world is ever-changing. People change. Standards are continually in flux. However, integrity cannot change with them.

The author John D. MacDonald has said “Integrity is not a conditional word. It doesn’t blow in the wind or change with the weather. It is your inner image of yourself, and if you look in there and see a man who won’t cheat, then you know he never will.” The youth today, particularly our young men, need to learn to find that integrity within themselves. Integrity, in all that we do, can become the center of an effective youth that has the chance to learn through doing. Scouting can provide those opportunities in an environment that is safe, effective and meaningful.

Scouting was able to help me find a great deal of that inner image John MacDonald mentioned. Through watching effective, trained leaders who cared about each youth in their circle of care and who allowed those youth to make decisions that would build integrity for themselves, I was able to gain a fundamental understanding of what having integrity means to me. In everything they did, from their interactions with us as Scouts to the way they treated others at church functions and in their own professional lives, I was very fortunate to have leaders that exuded what integrity meant to them. I could see that the things they talked about in troop meetings were not just for Scouting. They were for every day, all time. Those experiences, as well as lessons, provided by loving parents, other life missteps, and my own personal growth have given me a perspective and understanding that will, I believe, help me better understand how to instill integrity in my own children.

It is imperative that we give our youth an opportunity to see and experience what growing integrity is like. Mistakes happen; amazing opportunities are around every corner; it is the fundamental integrity and self-image that every youth needs that will help them to make the most of those opportunities.

This was an article I wrote in Dec. 2014 for the blog The Boy Scout, a blog for the Utah National Parks Council, Boy Scouts of America. 

4 things that working in the Theatre has taught me about working in Non-Profits

There are so many volunteer and activism opportunities available today that many non-profits might struggle getting and keeping volunteers and donors engaged in their cause. Working in the theatre, both non-profit and professional, has shed some light on how non-profits can keep those individuals engaged long after they come to the show.

1. Know your audience

It does not make sense from a business perspective in the theatre to produce a show that no one is going to come and see. Particularly in the non-profit theatre world, if you do not have butts in seats you do not have money and resources to fund future projects. It is the same with any other organization. You MUST know your audience – who they are, what makes them tick, what inspires them, what turns them off. Most of the non-profits that have a direct influence in the community have one thing in common – they are trying to fix a problem that they see in the community. More than anything that we do in the non-profit world, resonating with people and their direct connection to that communal pain is among the most paramount missions we can have.

2. Never bore that audience

In the theatre, particularly children’s theatre, there is one benchmark that you can utilize to tell whether or not the production is interesting and engaging - children. If the production can grab the kids attention and keep them engaged you know that you have something special. The gauge of success is the amount of rustling that you hear in the seats. The minute that there is something that is not engaging in the production those kids will begin to wiggle, chat, whisper, and look for something more interesting that what is happening in front of them. Donors and volunteers are much the same. Unless what they are seeing from you as a non-profit is engaging, interesting, and important those individuals will go to find the thing that is engaging, interesting, and important FOR THEM. The things that are important for you and your non-profit may not be the things that are important to the donors and the volunteers. it is key to align your objectives with the expectations and interests of your base.

3. It is always easier to scale back from going full out rather than trying to pull more out of anyone/anything

Working as a theatre director one of the most frustrating things that I would run into would be actors who would come to a rehearsal and not be “present” in the rehearsal process or those that would “mark” their performances. I, as a director, cannot pull good acting out of an actor (shocker, I know!). It is much easier for me to tell an actor to scale back what they are doing on stage in a rehearsal than it is to pull acting out of an individual. The same applies for non-profits. Stop approaching projects (fundraising, special events, community outreach) half-heartedly!! It is much easier for an organization to ask for something to be scaled back slightly than to hem and haw over not getting what they needed to begin with. Think BIG. Act BIG. Set goals that seem like they are OUTRAGEOUS. Then, get some perspective, scale the project into manageable steps and GO GET THE OUTRAGEOUS!!

4. Always leave them wanting more!!

“Remember, our production in March is coming and you do not want to miss it!!” There needs to be something that keeps your audience engaged after they have done something for you; whether that is attend a production of donate to your current giving campaign. There is nothing more dangerous than a volunteer or donor who thinks that they are done with your organization simply by giving a couple of hours or a couple of dollars. Keeping your volunteer base engaged after your major event can increase the retention rates for future interactions with those individuals. Now, this has been used to a point in the traditional non-profit fundraising scene for some time, but only in a limited way. A post-event email/letter/card is not enough. Period. Personal interaction with donors and volunteers after events, donations, etc. with a further call to action are imperative. That means having something for them to DO after they have already done something else. Planning is key. Commitment to further activities, planned giving, corporate partnerships - all of these might work to an organizations advantage in this regard. Communication of further need and an apreciation of the good work that has already been done can keep your organization in the forefront of their activism and volunteer calendar.

Don’t let those engaged, willing volunteers and donors slip into inactivity. Keep them engaged. Ask them to do hard things. These things can help non-profits help to get and keep those key players engaged for longer in their causes.

Outside Only Friends

Vlogging from my car (again...). My kids have "outside only" friends. Do yours?

Vlog - Let's try this thing!!

Let's talk about STUFF!!

Here is my first attempt at a Vlog. I hope to have a weekly installment. My goal is to have something up every Friday. Theatre Projects, Non-profit World, Geeky Stuff!!

Personal Heraldic Achievement

This is something I have been working on for quite some time. Now I have it finished for myself - my own personal Coat of Arms, Badge, and Standard. I have finished one for dad and am working on one for each of the brothers as well, but it was sure nice to have mine completed.

Here is the Blazon:
Blazon: Per pale raguly argent and sable, dexter in pale a fleur-de-lis azure and a rose gules, barbed and seeded proper, sinister a griffin segreant argent, beaked and membered or, armed and langued gules. 
Mantling: Argent doubled Sable
Crest: A demi sun gules. 
Motto: Family Is Our Strength
Badge: A male demi-griffin segreant Sable, beaked Or, langued Gules, rayed and armed Argent, holding in the dexter claw a rose Gules barbed, seeded, slipped and leaved proper.
Standard: In the hoist, the arms of Nicholas Hutchinson; in the fly Argent divided into three compartments by two transverse bands Sable bearing the motto FAMILY IS OUR STRENGTH in letters Argent, in the first and third compartments his badge and in the second his crest; fringed compony Argent and Sable. 

Work in progress...

Also Working on...

Coat of Arms

I have been playing around with the Arms that I designed for the family a while ago and have made some revisions. The blazoning is as follows:

Upon a helm with a wreath azure and sanguine:
Per pale argent and vert in dexter chief a fleur de lis azure in dexter base a heraldic rose proper Sinister a griffin sergeant argent lounged azure.
Crest: Issuant from a torse azure and sanguine a sun in its splendor.
Motto: in familia est vires

A disappointment in a Children's Theatre Experience

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

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!!!

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

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

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.

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

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...

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.

Work paying off

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...

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...

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.