The Climbers

On December 15th we all met back at the Dandenong Community Arts Centre for a after show get together. There was lots of food and laughter.

Larry and I made the announcement to the group that we had been successful in receiving significant financial assistance (in the form of return airfares) to get some members of Fusion Theatre to Hong Kong for the IDEA congress in July 2007. This announcment caused much excitement and many people immediately expressed their desire to be counted in on that! We talked about the requirements of participants in the Hong Kong experience as representatives of Fusion Theatre and explained that there will be a process of interview and audition before a panel of three. 

After the excitement and questions died down a little, I asked if anyone wanted to contribute any final thoughts to the blog.

Here is what people said:

Jean-Marie: We’ve had a great year and the 10th anniversary year will be even better (2007) and we’ll do even more than we’ve done before. Some of us are even going to China which is exciting and wonderful. I really hope to go!

Mandy: I hope everyone has a great Christmas and New Year and I hope we have a great year of drama. I hope I get to go to Hong Kong.

Andy: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I’m thinking about how good we all are and especially thank-you to my dad, Joe, for all the work. (Joe was our lighting tech.)

Andrew: Great year! Great show!  See you next year. As for Hong Kong! Thanks for a once in a lifetime opportunity. I’ll do my best and give it my best shot.

Vicki: I liked being pandora. I wish everyone a happy Christmas and New Year and I hope I get picked for Hong Kong.

Debbie: I liked the show. Merry Christmas.

Paul: The Deakin students are nice to work with. They are like a part of the drama group. And kate is fantastic.Everybody just did a fantastic job.

We also had some awards -presented to each person with some words about their development of skills over the year and their part in the performance. We looked at photos of the performances and rehearsals of Museum Mythica - everyone had some to take home.

So- it is over for 2006 but we all look forward to 2007 with a sense of excitement and anticipation.

Thats all from me for 2006.

Warm wishes to all,

Jo

 

Well, the performances went off well. Congratulations to everyone! we got a lot of great feedback from our audiences.

As I watched I wondered at how early in the year we began with nothing but a vague idea and then out of our workshops, experimentation, exploration, discussions, improvisations and all the work we did this performance gradually emerged and was shaped and polished… well, sort of polished!

I’ll post up some photos soon.

It will be good to see everyone at the after party on Wednesday.

Jo

We had our last rehearsal and first run through in the theatre at Chandler last night. The new space took a bit of getting used to but we had a decent run with some adjustments to the different space. it is a lovely theatre space to work in. I met with Andy’s dad Joe before the rehearsal to go over the lighting for the show - he is very efficient and learned what we needed quickly!

Alex, Jean-Marie and Mandy came early to rehearse their scenes tonight.

We had another Deakin student - Karen, join us and we threw her in the deep end! She and Emma can assist backstage - they are getting things organised. Kate and Amara looked great in costume and Adric did admirably on sound.

There may be some nerves tonight! It is hot as well - 33 degrees so some sweating! Wish us well as the season finally begins!

Jo

A press release for Fusion Theatre’s performance of Boxxed In has been added to the list of pages on the right. Click on it to read.

Jo

This was a rehearsal where I tried hard not to call out any instructions or reminders! Not easy but people have to think for themselves! On the whole it was pretty smooth - the few odd rough bits add a little character! We may manage to smooth them out on Monday!

Quick costume changes were causing some concerns - necks in arm holes and garments inside out -that kind of thing! A new Deakin uni student - Emma - joned the team for this rehearsal and will be helping stage manage and handle quick costume changes, props etc. YAY for Emma!

After the run through we had the famous tea break, I read the recent blog entries and asked for some final comments to go on the blog.

Here is what some people wanted me to write in the blog:

Debbie: It’s good!

Vicki: I’m feeling good about it. I haven’t performed since I was at school.

Andrew: Been there done that! I’m as cool as a cucumber! (Andrew is feeling great because of lots of performance experience.)

Pauline: I love everyone! People should come and see the performance. Especially people with disabilities.

Cheryl: I think families should come and watch our show.

Margot: I think Kevin is coming.

One more rehearsal and then the season! There is no turning back! Break a leg and all that!

Jo

Well, it was not the rehearsal we were expecting to have. The Deakin students had a big problem that kept them away but the cast pushed on without them! Well done guys! We love our Deakin students though and look forward to having them back with us!

We tried the costumes - a bit of work was involved in that and getting the changes right. It all just takes a bit of getting used to!

Lost of last minute details to attend to - as with any production - somehow it all comes together! Must go and make some props!

Jo

 

Dramability – Museum Mythica

Final rehearsal and performance schedule

*please arrive promptly – early if possible.

 

Please note:

·        Actors will need to wear black or dark coloured long pants for final rehearsal and performances. We have purchased T-shirts for all so that the chorus will have the same basic costume. Other costume to be added over the top for different characters is provided.

·        We will be using some theatrical make-up so please let Jo know if there are any concerns about this.

·        Actors are encouraged to bring a water bottle and possibly a light healthy snack and for performance sessions as they will be at the theatre for around 4 hours.

 

Most of the costumes are now made and we’ll be using them during rehearsal this week to see how they go and to practice getting them on and off during the performance. There will be some quick changes.

Last week we had Adric doing the sound and he did a great job! Amara and Kate were in fine form having rehearsed that morning. We did a little demonstration for of what not to do and what to do. Trouble was some people thought our ‘what not to do’ was quite funny - but we said it’s not funny when you’re not meaning to muck up!

After the break we were able to spend some time with a few individual actors. The performance is getting a little faster but still needs a lot of sharpening up. I’m looking forward to a productive rehearsal!

Jo

Well, tonight will be one of only three more Wednesday rehearsals to go - we have a dress rehearsal on the Monday 4th and then the performances on the 5th and 6th December.

Now our rehearsals involve trying to get the performance running smoothly. We need to get the transitions working well. There is a lot of refining to do. Some people are still struggling to remember their lines and action but it is beginning to sink in! Some actors have to be reminded not to introduce too many new ideas at this stage.

On Friday my friend Lisa and I spent the day working on costumes and props. The ensemble/chorus all have charcoal grey T-shirts now and will be asked to wear black pants. We were making the outer garments and robes for the various characters in the story scenes. These have to be easy to put on over the basic pants and shirt and easy to remove. Props are coming together and we are on mark II of the Icarus and Daedalus wings! Amara is going to make her own costume and one for Kate too. We’ll have to have all the costumes ready to rehearse with next week as getting them on and off will require some practice.
Last week Adric popped in to meet the gang. Adric is another Deakin Uni Drama Ed student and he has offered his assistance in the technical area. We are really happy to have him on board! Stay tuned for other Deakin students who will be helping out.

Now that uni assignments and assessments are out of the way, Amara, Kate and I found time to meet for a special rehearsal at Deakin today. We went through the script and made special annotations to it and generally rehearsed their roles as the mischievious little gods they are! As many actors don’t read, the script  sometimes serves as a structure and exists mainly for the purpose of cues. We are looking forward to the whole group rehearsal tonight.

Its a cold and blustery day but I hope everyone will be focussed tonight so we can have a smooth run through.

Byee

Jo

Well, I haven’t blogged the process in a little while because of being flat out with the doing of it all. It is great to see how actors in the group are really rising to the challenge now - like Icarus they are soaring - hopefully not too close to the sun…because you know what happens!
We have really created quite an epic with a play that involves magic, mystery and mythology, time shifts of thousands of years as well as theatrical styles that range from naturalism to stylised, movement, sound image and even puppetry. In doing all this have we opened Pandora’s Box? Ah well, if so… remember… there is always HOPE!

Last week I handed out the details of rehearsals and performances etc.- the contents of the note are below in case people have lost their copy.

Publicity material is on its way and  pretty soon tickets will be on sale so lets get back to rehearsals!

25th October, 2006

Dear Dramability actors, families and carers,

Fusion Theatre presents
Boxxed In

This year we have been fortunate to book the Chandler Theatre as our performance venue. Once again we will be performing a double bill with Dramatts. Dramability’s production Museum Mythica will be the second part of the program.

The dates for the performances are:

Tuesday, December 5th at 7.00pm
Wednesday, December 6th at 1.00pm and at 7.00pm.

Actors will be advised how much earlier they will need to be at the theatre on the performance days.

In addition to our regular rehearsals at Dandenong Community Art centre on Wednesdays, we have also organised for a rehearsals at Chandler Theatre on Wednesday November 29th and Monday, December 4th from 5-7pm. We also have an option for a dress rehearsal in the Chandler Theatre on Tuesday the 5th before the performance at a time to be confirmed.

It is imperative that actors attend all the rehearsals leading up to the performance as well as the three performances. If anyone has concerns about doing this please speak to Jo Raphael.

Costumes, props and make-up are being organised but we ask that actors wear basic black pants and black shirt (long or short sleeve) for the performance. Other costume pieces will be added to this. If anyone has difficulty getting black pants and shirt for themselves please speak to Jo about it soon.

Publicity material and information about ticket sales and bookings will be provided soon.

Here’s looking forward to a great show!

Jo Raphael

Check out our production blog at:
http://dramability.vineblogs.net