Two shows in rehearsal

I know I haven't posted anything recently, but I have a good excuse - I've been in rehearsals for two shows since January 2nd:

GUYS AND DOLLS, our 2012 opening musical, has been rehearsing six days a week in preparation for our opening on Friday, February 3, 2012, and RED WHITE AND TUNA has been rehearsing weekends and Tuesdays/Thursdays until GUYS AND DOLLS opens in order to be ready to open on Friday, February 24, 2012.

Both shows are blocked and rehearsals are going well - we have great casts who are hard working and dedicated. It's a pleasure to work with volunteers who want to do a great show, and are willing to put the time and effort into the rehearsal process. I hope you'll come see the fruits of their labor and attend our two opening productions for the new season!

National Community Theatre Director's Conference

Although it's opening weekend of THE SOUND OF MUSIC, I had to leave Midland on Friday to attend AACT Board meetings and the National Community Theatre Director's Conference in Madison, WI. Arrived in Madison on Friday afternoon, and had dinner with AACT friends. Saturday, we had six hours of AACT meetings, and the board made several important decisions. Conference attendees arrived for a Saturday night reception, and the conference has started on Sunday morning. We'll be meeting through 10 p.m. on Sunday night, and then all day Monday and Tuesday morning. Planning to return to Midland late Tuesday night as long as the flights arrive on time.

I'm very proud of the cast and crew of THE SOUND OF MUSIC. We have had three shows on opening weekend and we have four more weekends of performances. If you can't get tickets for the night you want to come, just show up - we'll work really hard to get you in.

The Sound of Music - Tech Week

Opening night is near, and we're getting ready to open the show on Friday night. The cast has been working hard for the past five weeks, and they have a couple of dress rehearsals to get ready for opening night. The set crew has been working on moving sets between scenes over the tech weekend, and the staff and volunteers are working on painting and finishing these items before opening night. The costume crew has worked on beautiful costumes for the show, and tonight is the first time the cast will be wearing these costumes. Lights and sound have been arranged, and the Stage Manager, ASMs, Light Board operators and Sound operators are working on learning the show in the technical rehearsals. Overall, it's amazing to watch this process of the final 10-12 days of rehearsals for a show at your community theatre. MCT continues to produce the finest in quality live theatrical productions in the Permian Basin due to our amazing volunteers - onstage actors, backstage volunteers and front of house volunteers. If you attend our 2011 holiday production, say "thank you" to our wonderful volunteers - without them, the show could not go on!

November at MCT

Several fall events are now behind us, including the great production of AND THEN THERE WERE NONE in Davis Theatre I, the fall Improv at the Yucca, the HamHock Halloween Howl and our recent fundraiser The Sizzle King. However, that does not mean that we've scaled back for the upcoming holiday season. In Mabee Theatre II, our final 2011 show in the small theatre has two more weekend. The cast and crew of CHARLIE COX RUNS WITH SCISSORS has done an amazing job with this great script, and I hope you'll support them and come out and enjoy this wonderful show. Meanwhile, I've been in the basement for the past three weeks with the cast of THE SOUND OF MUSIC, working on choreography, blocking and music. We're one week away from moving upstairs and getting ready for tech weekend. The Box Office was filling orders all weekend long for our 2011 holiday production, and we hope that you and your family will share the end of the year with some time at your community theatre.

MCT has recently announced our 2012 membership season: GUYS AND DOLLS, RED WHITE AND TUNA, LITTLE WOMEN, LARRY'S BEST FRIEND (2011 McLaren winner), ANYTHING GOES, A CLOSER WALK WITH PATSY CLINE, THE 39 STEPS and A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Membership renewal letters have been mailed to 2011 members, and brochures will be mailed in mid-November to everyone on our mailing list. We feel that we have a great lineup of shows for next season, and we hope you'll agree and purchase a 2012 membership. Thank you for your support of our community theatre!!

Busy Fall at MCT

As we prepare to turn the page to October, the theatre continues to be a very busy place. Our Mabee Theatre II production of THE DINNER PARTY finishes performances this weekend, and I congratulate this talented cast on their outstanding run. As this show wraps up, our Davis Theatre I production of AND THEN THERE WERE NONE opens tonight with an incredibly talented cast led by the skilled direction of Carl Moore. This Agatha Christie mystery - based on the nursery poem "Ten Little Indians" - is a tour de force of acting and technical elements. While these shows are in performance, three shows are preparing for their eventual runs. CHARLIE COX RUNS WITH SCISSORS is in rehearsal in the basement and waiting for THE DINNER PARTY to clear out of Mabee Theatre II so they can move upstairs and get ready for their opening in mid-October. THE HUNDRED DRESSES - the fall Pickwick show - is currently in rehearsals in preparation for their public run on October 21-23 followed by performances for MISD students the next week. Finally, our 2011 holiday musical THE SOUND OF MUSIC will have auditions this weekend - youth on Saturday (October 1st) and adults on Sunday and Monday (October 2nd and 3rd) - and will start rehearsals on October 10th in preparation for their opening in mid-November. Needless to say, there's always so much happening at your community theatre!!

DINNER WITH FRIENDS

Tonight is the opening of the Neil Simon comedy DINNER WITH FRIENDS in Mabee Theatre II. Director Jane Moore and her strong cast have done a wonderful job with this later work of Mr. Simon - it's really more of a drama with comedic parts - that deals with divorced couples who are forced to face their former partners. Kudos also to Scenic Designer Brian Baillif, who challenged me to allow him to put this play "in the round" in Mabee Theatre II and build the platforms and seating areas that can be used again in future Theatre II productions. We hope our audience will enjoy the new seating option - it's not permanent, just an option for future Mabee Theatre II shows - as well as the production. Cast members Andy Salcedo, Joe Thomason, Paul Mangum, Missy Hulen, Stephanie Rivas-Guevara and Samatha Spencer have done a great job with this play - support their hard work and come on down as we resume our 2011 membership season with this Neil Simon play.

McLaren Festival

This past Saturday was the 2011 version of the McLaren festival - a reader's theatre version of the three finalists. This past Saturday was one of the better festivals we've had - the audience was large and responsive, and actors and directors were well-prepared and presented each script in a positive manner, and the voting was very close. The finalists were MARFA, TEXAS, LARRY'S BEST FRIEND and WANDA JOHNSON AND THE KINGDOM OF HAIR. The audience selected LARRY'S BEST FRIEND as the winning production, and the members of the 2012 Play Selection committee are discussing which production to produce in our 2012 membership season. McLaren chair Mary Lou Cassidy and her volunteer directors and actors should be very proud of their hard work on this competition and festival - also, special thanks to staff members Eddie Taylor, Laura Abott and especially Tracy Alexander for their extra work on this event.