Once again, I am sitting in an empty theatre. The time
has come. It is tech week, and we are ready! We had rehearsal at 6:00 on Sunday
night, the night of the storm. I ushered my lovely cast downstairs to the choir
room as we waited out the three warnings. It was very loud at the Furth, and we
could hear all the rain pouring down outside. I figured the basement at the
Furth was about as safe as we could be! Once the warnings were over, we headed
back upstairs. The cast already had their costumes on even though it was not
dress rehearsal! They absolutely love wearing them!
The bad news came after the rehearsal as out tech guru,
Seth, told us the surge from the storm when we lost power, knocked out our
microphones and sound effects. This was not good news. My stage manager,
Connor, has worked tirelessly on those sound effects and they are terrific. He
looked so defeated when he and Seth gave us the news. Of course, I am a very
positive person so I am sure it will be fixed by Thursday afternoon when 600
students come to our show. Yes, of course it will be fixed. Of course!
I am trying to think about what we might do without it,
but I am pushing that thought right out of my mind. However, we all know the
show goes one, no matter what.
Last night while waiting out the storm in the basement, I
told them the story of the power going out during Hitchcock. We were working on
the stage when there was a quick blink and then all the lights went out. It was
scary enough being in the Furth without lights but add Hitchcock to the mix! We
were still working on scripts then, so we got out our phones to read lines and
to see our way around the stage. It wasn’t long before the emergency lights
went out and I had to call the rehearsal. I sent them all scurrying although I
waited until all were gone. Jacob was working with me then, so I was glad to
have him as company as we navigated through the dark and into the parking lot.
Going home that night was a bit creepy wondering what I would find at home, but
all was well.
I was worried on Sunday night that everything would go
out, but after the storm we commenced with our rehearsal. We are so ready and
so excited to bring this show to you. “The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood” is
deliciously funny and very lively. As all the shows I do, it has consumed my
entire life for the past three months. Everything I do or think about has to do
with this show. To make the show more endearing for me, Muriel Mackey is
playing the lead role of Robin Hood. Muriel is a force. She is fun and lively
and everyone around her stays on their toes. She was in my very first show,
“Dracula,” and she played Dracula. Now a few years later she plays Robin Hood.
She has been in five of my productions, and seriously, I am not sure what I
will do without her. She is a friend to all the cast, a role model to the
younger actors and a great asset to me. I guess that is the worst part of
directing shows at a university or a high school. They leave. Luckily for me,
they come back and watch the shows, send notes or help out in other productions
if they live close enough. Last year’s graduate, Sean Carpenter, is a perfect
example of that. Whenever I need help, Sean shows up. Even though he is a
graduate and no longer in my theatre, the cast adores him and looks up to him
as a mentor. That is just as it should be. Hopefully Muriel will not move too
far away so she can come see us or offer advice to the younger thespians.
We are ready for all of you. This theatre has touched us
so deeply this semester that I hardly know what I will do when it is over.
Someone asked me that the other night. Oh, I have lots to do really.
Shakespeare night is coming. The Lions Club show is coming. Gardening and
playing my uke will get much more attention.
We can’t wait to see you this weekend.