February 2010

It's a busy month at your community theatre!

THE WIZARD OF OZ, our 2010 opening musical, continues its run through early March. After a slow start to membership sales and tickets sales for WIZARD in January, things have picked up in February and we've even added some extra performances to the run. The cast has done a great job of producing a consistent show and we've had some outstanding crowds and great responses to the show. If you haven't seen it, we've tried to make it new and fresh - everything from pyrotechnics to projections and the song "The Jitterbug", which was cut from the original movie. If you haven't already gotten your 2010 membership or tickets to our musical, visit the website and join us at the theatre.

We recently cast our second production of the 2010 season - THE DIXIE SWIM CLUB. Director Jane Moore and her outstanding cast - Patrice Compton, Charlotte Dameron, Liz Koeninger, Gail Theobald and Jena Tumlin - are now in rehearsals for their March 12th opening. Box Office Manager Laura Abbott calls the show "Steel Magnolias" meets "Same Time, Next Year" and this new comedy is being produced by almost every theatre in the USA this year! Don't miss your chance to see this wonderful show and support our outstanding volunteers - watch for the Cue Card in your mailbox.

Finally, we have auditions coming up for THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK and THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW. ANNE FRANK is being produced by the Pickwick Players, and will be presented in Davis Theatre One from April 9-17, 2010. THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW is our spring 2010 Yucca musical, and will be presented at the Yucca from April 23-May 1, 2010. If you're interested in auditioning for THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, join us at the Cole Theater on Sunday, February 28th or Monday, March 1st at 6:30 p.m. If you're familiar with the movie, the musical is the original version and much more in the mode of "Rock 'n Roll" music. Join the fun and audition!

Opening Night - WIZARD

It's here - the sets are getting their last touch ups, the costumes are getting pressed and last minute repairs are being made, the lights and sound are getting their final adjustments, and the lobby is being cleaned for tonight's audience. Opening night for the first show of the season is very exciting - we're opening both a show and a season tonight. The cast and crew of THE WIZARD OF OZ have worked hard to prepare for this night, and we're excited to open it for an audience.

Last night was final dress rehearsal, and it reminded me of last year's final dress for LES MISERABLES. Last year, the final dress for LES MIS included set pieces coming in at the wrong time and missed actor entrances - the classic thought that a bad final dress rehearsal means a good opening night. Fortunately, it worked out great last year and we had a good opening weekend. Well, we had our share of problems last night at final dress rehearsal for WIZARD OF OZ - Katie (Dorothy) is getting over a bug, so she did not sing last night so that she could save her voice for opening night, and the fire alarm went off when we tried a little bit of extra powder in the smoke effects for the Wicked Witch. However, these are all part of getting a show opened, so we'll do our best to put on the best show possible tonight for our sold-out audience. The staff and volunteers have worked hard - we hope you'll come out and support their efforts.

Dress Rehearsal - WIZARD

Last night was the first night with costumes for THE WIZARD OF OZ. Fortunately, there were not many problems with costume changes - we have wonderful volunteer dressers - so that did not delay the show. In addition, adding the costumes usually adds some energy to the performance as the actors begin to feel that it's closer to opening night and their excitement rises. Tuesday night, we will be adding hair and makeup, and really get a feel for the overall look to the show.