Off Book (the two most terrifying words in theater)

Actors and parents: At some point in the past I believe I set the off-book date for Monday, April 29th. If not, let me now set that date as our off book date. But let me also say that for next week, before we get to our last week, it's okay if you are still wrestling with your lines, and it's totally okay to call for a line when we are rehearsing. So give it a go, try to get the lines down by 4/29, and I too, as your Wizard, will try to get my lines down. Yikes!

Rehearsal Update

We are now at 4 weeks to go before we open and I wanted to share a few things with everyone:

-first, hooray, congrats to several of the actors who are already working towards getting off book. some of you were off book last night and it made such a big difference-thanks!

-second, parents: please try and get your actors to rehearsal on time, and to the right location. i know we have shifted from the church to my room and back, and we've had to make last minute adjustments, so i understand the challenge. please read over all emails and check out the calendar (and this blog) regularly so we all know where we have to be. as for being on time, please be aware that i tried to set up a friendly rehearsal schedule that allowed kids to do their homework, visit with family, and have a meal. but if we have a 2 hour rehearsal and lose as much as 30 minutes due to late actors, that affects the show. so, please be on time! (and with scripts- an actor w/o a script impacts their own work, and the other actors with whom they end up sharing a script)

-a parent asked what kind of help could be provided at home and the best thing you can do is help your son/daughter run their lines! it can be fun, it should be fun, get siblings involved, anyone! it helps the actor, helps the show, and gives you a chance to powerfully share in the process.

-okay, thanks everyone! -gene

Costumes, Costumes, Costumes

A note from our costumer, Fran Kahane:

If actors have any costume items listed below, please bring them on Saturday.


Notes

1. Please do not purchase a costume item without prior approval (if you are expecting reimbursement).

2. Items selected as costume pieces must remain at theater for the full run of tech rehearsals and performances.

3. Costume items are sometimes lost or damaged so please do not volunteer items that are valuable to you.

Desired Items
Auntie Em--Old, floral or plain dress, apron

Glinda--fancy, glittery dress

Farm Hands--Old/Dirty jeans or Dickies or painters pants; Faded denim or chamois shirt -or- Coveralls (dark green, navy, white); Old/Dirty work gloves

Uncle Henry--Old/Dirty denim overalls (not coveralls); OLD flannel shirt, old hat, work gloves

Dorothy #1 -- Confirm mom will sew blue gingham jumper; short sleeved white blouse

Dorothy #2 -- Short sleeved white blouse

Oz Entrance Guard--Black pants, white shirt

Lion--Brown cat or lion costume if available

Scarecrow--Dark, baggy sweatpants, long sleeved tshirt

TinMan--Grey pants and long sleeved Tshirt or sweatshirt

Miss Gulch and W.Witch of West--black tights, navy or black knee length skirt

Lullaby League--leotard & tights, yellow, white or other light colored matching top/bottom

Lollipop Guild--Tan/brown shorts and plaid or other "cowboy" style shirt, short or long sleeved, baseball cap (NOT MLB)

Mayor, Coroner and Barrister--Black or yellow long pants, Yellow or white dress shirt (men’s style)

Other munchkins--Tan/brown or yellow pants, skirt or shorts; white or yellow top (any kind), Prints are OK

Emerald City Girls--Green print or solid long or formal dresses (prom ok, not princess-type). Green or black shoes

Emerald City Boys--suit coats & pants (green or black); white or green shirts, black shoes

Tornados--black pants and long sleeved black shirt

Trees--Brown/tan pants


Thanks All!

the work of the weeks ahead

actors/parents;

i hope everyone is wrapping up a wonderful spring break, complete with egg hunts, passover seders, sleeping in, having fun, and maybe even catching a movie or two. as we near the end of our break, a few things:

1. a reminder that our upcoming rehearsal on tuesday will be in my room at ehs, room 216, at 6:30

2. while we've not yet set a date for being off book (having your lines memorized), let me hint that it will probably be something like saturday, may 4th-our tech weekend.

3. i also want to say thanks to the actors and their families for being patient with the many changes we've had to make. hopefully we are all set, but who knows, things happen in theater, and we may need to be creative and flexible to solve whatever problems we may encounter.

okay, that's all for now, see many of you tomorrow, some of you tuesday, and then everyone wednesday! -gene

Optional Costume Fitting on April 6

Hello Actors and Parents:

I hope all of you are enjoying your spring break, and hopefully spending a little bit of time working on your lines! many of you are eager to learn about your costumes, so we are going to start working on them by having a short meeting this coming saturday in my room at Encinal High School.

The purpose will be to see what works from my costume collection and to give our costumers (my wife and two of her friends) a chance to see you and get your measurements. Since this was a planned week off, if you are out of town, or busy with other activities, do not worry as we will catch up with you at a later date. we will also be sending out a wish list of costumes pieces that you might have for yourself and/or for others. that will be coming out soon. hope to see many of you on Saturday. Thanks.

Date:         Saturday, April 6 2013
Time:         2:00 -- 3:00 PM
Location:    Room 216, Encinal High, Alameda CA

Welcome to the Home on the Web of ACMT's Spring 2013 Production, Wizard of Oz.

This blog will be used to communicate to the parents and staff of Wizard of Oz as well as to share fun stuff, like photos of the kids. Gene Kahane as well as the ACMT board will periodically publish information to this blog.

What Can I Do On This Blog?
1. Submit a parent statement to the actor (printed in the program)
2. Submit an actor's bio (Displayed with headshot on the bio board)
3. View the Rehearsal Calendar
4. View/update the prop and sponsor lists
5. See information updates for the parents

What Does ACMT Need From Me?
ACMT is a volunteer organization with a limited budget. To keep costs low, we appreciate help and participation from all show parents. Specifically, ACMT needs:

• Help assembling props. If you can provide a prop, please update the prop list
• Help obtaining sponsors. Please update the sponsor list as you contact potential sponsors.

Andrew