RENT Update

Last night was first dress rehearsal at the Yucca Theatre. All weekend, the cast had been working on the scenery, lighting, sound and prop issues, but they added the element of costumes last night. In my experience, this is a somewhat stressful night for the actors - certainly, it's not the first time they have seen their individual costume (they saw them in their costume fittings) but it's the first time they've seen the other costumes and they also have to work through all of the costume changes that take place throughout the show. Fortunately, we have a wonderful crew of Dressers who patiently work with the actors to make these changes work. Overall, the cast did a good job this past weekend adjusting to the technical elements, and they are working very hard to put on a great show starting on Friday night.

Since we are in tech week of RENT, let me also tell you about the work of our designers. We've been talking about costumes, and Rebecca Crow has been a fantastic Costume Designer for our community theatre. She's extemely talented, organized and hard working while also understanding the complexities of a volunteer actor - she's very good at soothing their egos while following through on her vision. Her costumes reflect the characters and the original feel of the Broadway production, but are unique for our particular actors. Eddie Taylor, our Lighting and Sound Designer for many years who has also taken on the role of Technical Director, is a talented and tireless worker. His lighting and sound designs are great within the confines of our limitations (space, budget, instruments) but he's also worked to make sure that all of the scenery for this show is completed in a professional manner and within our budget. Finally, this is the final production at MCT for our Scenic Designer - Eric Beeck. From his initial model, we knew that Eric had a great idea for this show, and it's working very well at the Yucca Theatre. In his two years, Eric has done many great sets for us, and we will miss him and wish him all the best.

RENT tickets - call 570-4111 or visit www.mctmidland.org