I worked the afternoon serging cut pieces of material. The photos show all the little bits of cloth that get cut off by the serger. My productivity for the day is reduced to small strips of material piled beside the machine. Lots of nice colors!!! Wait til you see the finished costumes in The King & I.

There were over 70 people in attendance who gave a warm applause to the performers (singers, pianist, violinist), cooks, servers and organizers at the conclusion of the evening. Don’t miss next year’s – the Saturday before Valentine’s Day!

Putting on a show is not just about the singing, dancing and acting of the cast. It is also the enduring efforts of set builders, costume creators and just plain cleaning up. Each cast member is expected to contribute to the backstage production for each show. Last Sunday was a designated day to help out.

There were so many people who turned out. You could feel the energy and enthusiasm as they flicked paint around or sorted and designed accessories for costumes.  These activities build the type of community spirit that Suzart aspires to… and they are a lot of fun too.

The dinner is a three course spaghetti meal with your choice of meat or vegetarian sauce.

In the spirit of The King & I, let’s see if you can find “Who? Who? Who?” is the King of Siam in this cast photo. It was taken just before rehearsal started. Answer is at the end of the blog.

First rehearsals are always fun. The directing team introduces themselves and each member chats about how they envision the show. The costume team did a little show and tell. They all wore some of the fabrics that will be used in the show. The Thai setting for the show gives the creative team a lively array of colors to choose from.

The cast get to introduce themselves as well. We discover who who who will play which characters. So here is the cast photo introducing our King of Siam!

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 8,300 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 3 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Casting and Crew waiting on stage for next direction from the Stage Manager

The stage manager will call out the cue in the show that they want mapped out and sets are moved, placed and marked on stage based on the directors input.

Director examines closely what the stage looks like.

Set being placed and 'spiked'

Meanwhile a flurry of activity is taking place all around the theatre. Sound quality and mics are being checked.

Checking sound quality

Assigning body mics to actors

The lighting plot is being programmed into the computer.

Costumes are checked for a final fitting.

And sets are secured or given a final touch up of paint.

There is a sense of urgency to get things done. But there is still time for some kidding around.

As the saying goes – the show must go on. Friday night the curtain goes up and all must be ready. Break a leg folks.

Hairspray will play

December 9-10, 2011 7:00 p.m.
December 10-11, 2011 2:00 p.m.

Venue
St Paul High School
2675 Draper Ave
Ottawa, ON
(near the northwest corner of Baseline and Greenbank)

Empty Stage

Already on deck were the lighting folks (including me), hauling lighting ‘instruments’ and putting together the lighting design.

Rearranging the lights for the show

While the lights were worked on, the set pieces were carried in.

After a couple of hours, most of the set was in place. It took many hands to assemble everything.

Near the end, there was one item to hang from a fly rig.

All there was left was to clean up. It is amazing to see everything take shape in five hours. Many cast members were present before rehearsal to help in the carrying and assembly work. It was a whole company effort that builds not just a set, but a community.

Cleaning up

Full show run throughs were the order of the day. All the last minute details and touch ups to the music, acting and dancing were attended to. With each rehearsal, the show is improving and getting smoother as the cast is feeling how the show is put together. Their enthusiasm and energy seems to grow with every practice.

Sunday is move-in to the theatre and marks the beginning of what is termed ‘Hell Week’. All elements must be ready for opening night and the pressure is on. Break a leg folks!

Show dates are:

December 9-10, 2011 7:00 p.m.
December 10-11, 2011 2:00 p.m.

Venue:
St Paul High School
2675 Draper Ave
Ottawa, ON

How to Enter:

Send us an email with your contact information to contact@suzart.ca

Contest closes on Midnight November 25th.

A draw from the entries will be held and the winner will be contacted.

Eligibility:

The contest is open to anyone except for cast members and their families.

Singing, Acting and Dancing numbers are coming together!