Rehearsal Calendar: fall 2011

Below is the rehearsal calendar for the WMS fall play.

PLEASE NOTE:  This schedule could slightly change -- only in your favor.  As of now, these are the dates and times of rehearsals.  This may only slightly change with the release of a few rehearsals IF I feel that the students are ready to perform.  Not every student will be required to be at every rehearsal.  Specific roles will be called on certain nights; however, since we have only a short amount of time, the month of October will be very intense.  Every child should plan on being there every night two weeks before the show.  As of now, stage crew should plan on being there the week of the show.  If needed, stage crew may be asked to attend rehearsals during the last two weeks, but as of now, plan on attending the entire last week, as well as all show dates.

What do I need to bring to Auditions?

What do I Need to Bring to the Audition?

• Audition Form. A completed audition form, see below (forms also available at auditions).

• Resume. If your previous experience doesn't fit on the audition form, please also provide a resume (click for an example resume). Do not be discouraged if you don't have that much experience. In the past, I have cast all ranges of prior experience in principal roles as well as ensemble.

• Photo. Please note, this will not be returned. Providing a photo is critical as I expect to get several auditioners (don't let this discourage you), and we need to easily put a name with a face. Consequently, you will be at a disadvantage if you don't provide a recent, recognizable photo. This does not need to be a fancy head shot. A school picture or digital camera shot taken and printed out merely an hour before you head out for your audition is fine.

• Monologue. A prepared monologue of 1-2 minutes long that demonstrates your acting ability/range. (Note, you will be cut off mid-monologue if you are longer than 1-2 minutes. We won't be happy and you won't be happy with this).  Please keep in mind I am looking for  students to show great versatility in a role -- characters welcome!  Feel free to show your dramatic side.  Remember, this show is for Halloween weekend!

• Monologue Sources. Look to favorite scripts from other shows, or books containing collections of monologues as a resource in coming up with your audition monologue. Some example resources for young performers include: Monologues for Young Actors, Magnificent Monologues for Kids, Magnificent Monologues for Teens, and Audition Monologues: Power Pieces for Kids and Teens.

AUDITION FORM WILL BE POSTED SOON!  Check back no later than Wednesday, September 21st.

WMS FALL PLAY 2011

Please stay tuned for the unveiling of WMS Fall Play.  The play will be announced no later than Wednesday the 21st at midnight.  Think spooky, but not too scary.  It will certainly fit into the theme of Halloween weekend!

DON'T FORGET TO SIGN UP TO AUDITION!  The sign-up sheet is posted on the auditorium door.

Ready for Round 2!

What a great performance last night!  For our first time running through the show without stopping plus having an audience, you guys did a great job!  I am very proud of each of you!!

Here are a few notes for FRIDAY AND SATURDAY:

•  CALL TIME:  6:00pm for Act 1/6:30 for Act 2.  The doors out front should be unlocked.  Please proceed right to the green room/learning center to get ready.  Please know that at 6:30, NO ONE is allowed in the auditorium, on stage, or out in the upstairs hallway.  You must stay hidden in either the green room or learning center.
• SOUND CHECK:  If you have a mic in Act 1, please get your mic from Asa at the sound table before 6:30.  He may ask you to check your mic on stage.  Don't forget to turn your mic on before you go out on stage.  We can't control your sound levels from the back of the auditorium unless your mic is turned on.
• BANDS:  If you want to check the level of your amps and how they are plugged on, you will have to do so BEFORE the house opens at 6:30 - no exceptions.
• Please also tune your instruments before coming on stage.
• Let's make our transitions a bit quicker:  Whatever you use on stage for props/set, please take these with you when you leave the stage.  We had problems with set pieces being left on stage last night and getting in the way of other actors/actresses.  Please take your props with you and set up the stage like it was before you entered.  This will help us save time. This includes any props, chairs/stools, tables, and microphones.
• Please DO NOT walk behind the backdrop.  You need to go down and around.  Every time you walk behind the backdrop, we can see it from the audience.

ALL CAST & CREW:  Please listen to the parents backstage.  They are the equivalent of me, for I cannot be in two places at once.  Please show them respect.  If they tell you to do something, and you do not do it - you will have to face the consequences with me.  They are only there to help -- please show them respect.

JUST A REMINDER:  

•  Due to the space in the wings, you can only be upstairs waiting to go up on stage two acts before yours.  You will be sent downstairs if you are upstairs in the wings more than 2 acts before.  

• The stage right costume room and tech room are for fast changes -- they are not a room for you to hang out in.  Only the cast members who have checked with me earlier should be in these rooms.  Please make sure that you have something on underneath your clothes that is okay to change in front of mixed company.

WMS Evacuation DOES NOT affect our show tonight.  We are all set to go, and all students/parents should report to their designated areas at the times discussed.

Thank you for your hard work!  We have a great show on our hands, and I am proud of you!

TECH WEEK NOTES

As we are approaching our final dress rehearsal and opening night, here are a few general notes for ALL CAST AND CREW:

• STUDENTS: Stay where you need to be.  Your three minutes of fame on stage is pretty important.  However, before and after those three minutes is just as important!  You need to know where to be.  You have three options (and only three):  Learning Center, Green room, or in the wings ready to go on.  Remember, you should only be in the wings up to TWO ACTS before your act.  Wednesday's rehearsal: you will only be allowed to go the green room and wings due to lack of parent volunteers and a smaller size of the cast for Act 2.
• QUICKLY GET ON & OFF STAGE:  Most likely, there will be a blackout (the lights will go off) before and after your performance.  This gives you the change to easily slip on and off stage w/o really being seen.  This keeps to the "MAGIC" of the theater.  We don't want to see you set up your act or leave the stage - we want to be surprised!  Please enter and exit quietly and very quickly.  We need to keep the pace of the show going.
• SHORT & SWEET:  In order to make this show better for all, we DO NOT want this to go any longer than it needs to be.  Act 1 should be 45-50 minutes, intermission for 15 minutes, and Act 2 should be 45 minutes.  We don't want to add extra time before and after everyone's act, so do your thing on stage and leave.  Your time on stage to soak up the spotlight is when the light is literally on you.  In order to make this show a bit faster, please be prepared and know what act you follow and what you need to do before the lights come up on your act.
• NO TALKING IN THE WINGS:  We will have some live body mics for some actors, so DO NOT talk backstage.  DO NOT TALK in the staircase leading up to the wings.  All of the sound travels right up on the stage and into the audience.  We can hear you, and that ruins the magic of the theater!
• SIGHT LINES:  Remember, if you can see the audience, they can see you!  We have masked out an area backstage with glow tape.  Backstage volunteers and students, please stay behind these lines.  This will help the audience not see you.
• BRING A SNACK THURSDAY:  You will have a long day after school on Thursday, as that is also our opening night.  Remember, there is NO eating in the auditorium.  If you do eat in the green room and learning center, make sure to clean up after yourselves.

STAGE CREW:
*If you are not at rehearsal today, you will be asked to not help with the show.  The tech side of this show is really important, and you need to help.  Your rehearsals started Monday.  Everyone else has been working on this show for 3 weeks.  If you act like you are bored and are not doing the job the Stage Manager gave you, you may be asked to not be involved.  We have had several problems with stage crew goofing off and causing problems.  You are there to help, and we need you!  You are very important to the success of this show.  CAST:  Please listen to them, as they are there to help guide you.  If a stage crew or adult asks you to not talk, it is important that you respect them like you would me.  They are my eyes and ears right now, as I am out in the auditorium with lights and sound.  Please be respectful of each other -- if you have any questions or encounter problems, please see myself or another adult.



OPENING NIGHT:
Thursday - right after school, please come to the auditorium.  I need to quickly run the closing of the show when everyone comes out on stage at 3:15.  The house will open at 3:30.  You will then have half an hour to get ready.  Please be in the auditorium in the seats at 3:15 on THURSDAY, so we can quickly run this and open the auditorium.  Once the auditorium is open and people are coming to get seats, NO CHILD is to be seen.  You have to stay in the green room/learning center until the show opens.


PARENTS:
Please be aware of the no saving seats policy that is now in affect due to the administration.  Please see the previous blog post if you have any questions.


See you tonight!  We are going to try to run ACT 2 twice tonight.  Please be ready to go right at 4:30!

Thanks,
Miss Wilmes

THANK YOU!

Hello from your WAC director!

I just wanted to follow up to Amy's email to send out a big thank you in advance for all of you and your children's hard work.  From a director's standpoint, putting on a talent show is completely different than putting on a play or a musical.  I think each of you will not only LOVE your student's individual acts but also appreciate the entertainment value of other acts, as well as some of our Saturday Night Live references.  This show is a bit different than years past (and I promise, it will be shorter!), but I encourage you to come out and support your child, as well as lend a hand or two backstage.

How wonderful it has been to have over 120 students involved in this production!  But with that, there comes several responsibilities.  In order for me to interact with the kids from a director's standpoint, I need as many parents as possible to pull this off!  If you have been involved with the play or musical this year (or even were just an audience member), it is obvious that the only reason both of these shows were successful was due to the help we received from our parent volunteers.  Thank you in advance!

I also wanted to encourage you to encourage your students to have fun on stage!  Everyone needs to come towards the audience on stage and soak up this limelight.  It is their three minutes of fame!!  The  issues that we have had with kids not cleaning up and/or not being where they need to be have been minimal; however, the severity of this needed to be addressed.  The majority of the students involved know where they need to be and do a great job -- thank you for your dedication.  Please just be conscious of your surroundings and make sure to show your WMS pride and character regardless of where you are in the building.  WMS has some great students, and I am thankful to have had the opportunity to spend the last few weeks with your children.

Please continue to check the blog, as another email will not be sent out.  Also, don't forget to buy your I LOVE WY t-shirts!  Please encourage your child to wear these tomorrow -- our opening night!!

I will see all of the Act 2 kids tonight, ready to go at 4:30.

Thank you,
Miss Cindy Wilmes

T-Shirts/Saving Seats/Volunteer Help/Roaming Children

 A few things you should know from our Parent Coordinator:

1.  T-Shirts:  Please have your child bring $10 to rehearsal tommorrow to buy the "I heart WY" t-shirts that Lisa Maisel had made.  All the kids are going to wear them for Spirit Week Team Jersey day on Thursday.  Tech Crew is required to purchase one to participate.  Other students are simply encouraged to purchase one.

2.  NEW THIS SHOW:  There will be NO "saving of seats"  for the shows.  During the musical there were complaints expressed to the administration regarding the excessive number of seats that had coats, purses, and paper on them prior to the doors being opened to the ticket holding public.  Mr. Barre has told us directly that this is NOT TO HAPPEN AGAIN.  NO persons will be permitted to enter the theater early for any reason aside of an emergency.  Tech Crew has been asked to block the doors, and I would hope all parents will understand this new policy.  This is coming from the adminstration - not the director - so please respect this as it is a direct reflection of the drama program if we fail to honor this.  Please have your group at the doors 30 minutes prior to the production to be seated in a traditional "first come - first seated" process.  Thanks for your understanding of this policy in advance.

3.  ROAMING CHILDREN:  Monday night at rehearsal kids were told to ONLY go the Learning Center, the Green Room or on stage as they wait for their act to perform (the only places with volunteer supervision).  I understand it was a crazy evening that did not go according to anyone's plan, but unfortunately one group of children decided to enter a teacher's room.  When found by a staff member they claimed they were allowed to be there (they most definitely were not).  This was made worse by the fact that tours of the building were being given at this time as the Facilities Community Meeting was taking place in the gym.  I am ONLY sharing this because Cindy Wilmes is going to tell the kids at Dress Rehearsals that if any kids are found outside of the Learning Center, the Green Room, or on stage during the shows or rehearsals that that child - and possibly their entire act -  will removed from the Variety Show.  This is a serious issue, and with 122 children it is impossible to watch them all of the time with our limited volunteer resources so PLEASE remind your children of this as the consequences are real and dire. 

4.  LEARNING CENTER:  Karen Reiber from the Learning Center has been incredibly helpful setting up the live video feed to the Green Room and the Learning Center.  However, she was disappointed about the condition in which the Learning Center was left on Monday night.  She asked Cindy (who asked me) to ask the parents to remind their children that school rules apply when in the Learning Center - even if it is not school hours.  IF this situation is not improved on Thursday, the kids run the risk of losing access to the space for the next two shows.  Sitting in the hallway won't be very fun so please remind your children to be respectful of school property.

5.  VOLUNTEERS:  Especially in light of #3 and #4 above we are in DESPERATE NEED FOR LEARNING CENTER VOLUNTEERS (it sounds really fun, doesn't it?).  We need adults in the Learning Center during FRIDAY AND SATURDAY shows.  Please, please, please if you have not fulfilled your volunteer requirement of two shifts, we really need your help.  If enough adults are present it makes the job easy - with the possibility of being able to sneak out for the 3 minutes to watch your child from the back of the theater.  We also are in need of 2 Backstage parents on Saturday night.  Please help us by responding to this email.

6.  LASTLY - I promise -  Please have your child bring a snack, all costumes and all props to school on Thursday.  They will need to be fed, dressed, and ready at 3:15 Thursday and in the auditorium.  There is the possibility that some kids will be let out of class a few minutes early, but the doors to the auditorium open at 3:30 (ish) to the ticket holders so kids involved need to be prompt.  All backpacks, etc. can either go in their personal prop bins (if they have them) OR in the Learning Center.  The Green Room should ONLY be for props and costumes.  Call time for Friday and Saturday night is 6 p.m. for Act 1 and 6:30 p.m. for Act 2.