Home page for "Carousel" presented by the Old Town Playhouse April 8 and onward.

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Journals:

Richard Dawson, Chorus

I had waited for nearly a year, in order to try-out for this show, turned down a part in a semi-professional production in the process before Carousel try-outs. Well! try-outs appproached and I followed through, and landed  a part in this wonderful cast!!! Here we are now, on the cusp of Opening Night and a few of us were reminiscing about how it seemed that we just had finished auditions. Time does, indeed, move quickly when so involved in rehearsals, learning lines and songs and blocking and entrances and then......It's OPENING NIGHT...a NIGHT like no other....OPENING NIGHT....the Lights go up....the Orchestra begins the Overture....and you step onto the Stage!!!! It never changes...it's always so wonderfully consistent!!! Break A Leg!!!!

Carousel Journal May 1, 2005 - Sad that the show is finally over. Relieved to have some extra time to rest and recuperate. Anxious to move on to the next show. Thankful for all of the people who supported me throughout the show—the hugs backstage, the flowers, the words of encouragement. Glad that I attended those wonderful theatrical schools—the Brady’s School of Theatre with professors Kuehlhorn and Hunting and the Bonnie Deigh School for People Who Think They Can’t Sing But Really Can. Proud that I went from doubting that I could sing enough to audition for a non-singing role to actually singing and dancing on stage- no matter how little the role (or how bad or inaudible the singing). Happy to see some new faces and hope we’ll be seeing more of them. Glad to see some of them already doing work for the next show. Delighted to have such a wonderful place to play and people to play with- even if the pay always does stay the same.

Friday, April 8, 2005- Opening Night—finally the show is ready to go up. Trying hard to subdue any opening night gitters. Rehearsing my lines over and over. So afraid I’ll forget them anyway. Paying close attention to what’s going on. And singing and dancing and having fun while hopefully entertaining others. Even trying to use my little heavenly character to cheer up my friends backstage. Hoping it works. Thankful for all of the people who have helped get us this far—the props people who supplied needed props as well as catered to our little whims, the dress people who patiently do my hair since I’m a total klutz, and Kathy the Costume Master and all of her wonder elves who fix the hems I rip while trying to dance in heels and long skirts and not fall on my face. And the light and sound people. And the stage crew. Overjoyed that I get to do this 12 more times. Hoping I can improve my performance each time.

Thursday, April 7, 2005- Dress Rehearsal—rushing to get here after work. Tired from a long week of mini explosions there. Trying really hard to forget all of that and concentrate. Glad to be on stage. Thinking, as I stand on stage , that I am actually standing on stage in full costume singing- and I am actually singing at least most of the time now. Realizing that I never really thought I’d get this far (I was ready to quit early on). Also realizing that I need to pay attention to what’s going on onstage instead of marveling at small feats. Hoping that I have more physical and mental energy tomorrow to give to the audience.

Tuesday April 5, 2005- Starting to like my little heavenly character. “She” earned star merits today! (Not really, but that’s why I decided I didn’t have my apron on since it was still drying from the decoration). Starting to feel a little more comfortable singing some of the things and actually singing the last song even though my character really doesn’t have to. Determined to say my lines loud enough that I don’t have to wear a body mike.

Monday April 4, 2005- OUCH! So far able to dance in heels and a long skirt (although it is more challenging). Hurting from someone else landing their heel on top of my instep while we were dancing. Sure I’ll get over it. Thankful that I have a friend who actually listened to me during vocal warm ups to make sure I sang while she sat beside me and said “You can do this!”. Getting comfortable enough that I asked one of the other chorus members to let me know if I ever get off key, since we stand close to each other and interact with each other a lot on stage. Still embarrassed that I can’t sing the one high pitched part and hoping my dance partner doesn’t care if I don’t really sing that part.

Sunday April 3, 2005- “Tech Sunday”. Expected this day to be long, drawn-out, and tiring (being primarily a techie). Thankful that the tech crew got there 4 hours before us to iron out tech cues before we went up at 3. Excited to finally have some of our costumes. Hoping the costumes get everyone more “in character”. Thankful that we have such a hard working group of people to sew, iron, cut out, decorate, alter, and generally perform miracles on the costumes. Wondering how, now that I have danced in heels without killing myself, I’m going to dance in heels and a long skirt without killing myself. Glad I was able to find pants that fit and shoes for one of my costumes. Thrilled that I have such a cute apron to wear with it. Really happy and relieved that, since tech had already done their part, our tech Sunday was basically a run thru of the show with very few stops to fix things. Glad to be able to sit and eat and talk with my friends afterwards and still get home in plenty of time to start work tomorrow after a week off for spring break.

Sunday March 20, 2005    Thankful to be in a “community theater” and participate in the wonderful opportunities it provides. Happy to be able to play onstage, having recently seen what can happen to those who try to move on to “bigger and better” things. Comforted by the knowledge that those around me care about the show as well as each other.

Wed. March 16, 2005  Rehearsing steadily for several weeks now. Enjoying the dancing but still intimidated by the singing (everyone else sings so well). Nervous about actually having lines to learn now (I’m the “Heavenly Friend”- it’s a stretch I know but we’ll do our best). Exhausted from work. Stressed out when I barely leave work in time to get to rehearsal a few minutes late. Glad I have to leave work for rehearsal (work is very challenging and I would otherwise stay for who knows how long each day). Puzzled at times at what to “do” on stage but thankful that others around me seem to have a clue so I can feed off of them. Delighted that others have so much energy to feed off of after being exhausted by a long day.

02-16-05- First “chorusography” rehearsal. Movement. Feeling at last that this is something I can do. Wondering how gracefully I can do it but at least secure in knowing that I can sequence movements. Wondering if I will ever be able to sing and move. Wondering if I will ever feel comfortable singing. ( So far feeling totally intimidated and inferior when we sing) Exhilarated from the activity despite being exhausted from work and appointments. Psyched that we got out early.

02-08-05- First chorus rehearsal. Totally intimidated by all of the people around me who can actually sing. Afraid that I will not be good enough to be singing with them. Hoping my friends will help me get better and more confident.

02-03-05 First read through. Still disappointed and almost jealous of those with lead parts. Feeling really old sitting with all of the young actors in the chorus. Wondering how it all will develop. Too tired to worry about it having just spent the last week at a new job.

02-02-05 Cast announced. Disappointed I didn't get the part I wanted. Proud that I had the nerve to try- especially to sing publicly by myself for the first time. Knowing I wasn't the best selection for the part but disappointed anyway. Tired from past productions. Wondering if I have the energy to be a part of the show given my disappointment. Enticed by the thought of dancing and singing on stage for the first time. Wondering if I have enough merit to deserve it . Wondering if I can do it. Scared of failing if I try.

1-31-05- Auditions. Looking at the brightly lit black stage- odd because it was just our beautiful set for the last show(yesterday). Wondering what it will look like when the new set is built. What will need moved. How elaborate will it be. How will it be transformed. Wondering who will occupy it and how costumes will change them.. Wondering if I'll be “up there”.

 

 

Donald Kuehlhorn, Director

May 9 - I have returned from vacation, leaving from the playhouse after strike. I think that is the way to do it. I had no time to reminisce about the play that is gone. I just jumped in my truck and sped off to camp out side of Louisville then, the next day, visit my Aunt in Nashville. No tearful goodbyes. No "I wish i had done things better" Just clean and run. Come to think of it i am sorry that i have returned from vacation!

April 28 - The beginning of the end. Soon, today, the curtain will "rise" and the special smile will sneak upon my face as the Starkeeper begins her thing. Then the end and two nights to go. Before i can savor the moment it will be Sunday morning and our set  will be cleared and "Lend Me a Tenor" will own the stage. We must  live the stage to the fullest, it is gone all too soon. I guess every opening is the beginning of the end.

April 25 - Three more performances. Then we clean the stage and move on to the next project. I will go to a week's vacation then to nothing Well not exactly nothing, I am in the Gala and will begin the rehearsals for that soon but all i have to do there is sing. I need make no decisions! Happy!!! I will miss the show, as i do all the others, but only briefly. Too many other projects and interruptions to make me sad that it is passed. However, there is on memory that i will treasure forever. When i watch the show from the back of the house, I see the house go to half , then the pre-show speech sounds, next the house goes out and the overture begins. 50 measures into the overture the Starkeeper comes wheeling out of the backstage area and walks up the aisle, up the ramp to the stage. In a serendipitous moment, we hung a light instrument in such a way that as Starkeeper reaches the stage deck her face is illuminated. She smiles and we begin the show. I get goose bumps thinking about the whole entrance. I will only see it three more performances.

April 18 - Halfway through and the show is changing. When i gave my "Director" good-bye speech i asked the cast to keep the energy in their character. This means to constantly revisit the ideas and motivations of the character and make it fresh each performance. We have run the show two weekends and the cast has kept to the promise and the characters, for the most part, are fresh and new. In fact, some have even become more "real". Once up and running, the interactions of characters becomes comfortable and things take on a new look. The show gets better and better. Of course, there are those situations that go over board. Little things that were cute become obnoxious. I will deal with some though others have to be left alone. If i stop everything the energy will drop off for the second half of the run. This is tough work, to keep everything new when it has been done 6 times already.  We have 7 performances left so we are halfway through. Hope it doesn't change too much more!

April 11 - Our opening week end is history. We had our share of goofs both technical and stage wise, but overall it went well. The audiences seemed to enjoy the show. I, finally, got some reasonable sleep. Now that i don't have a job i wander the halls of the playhouse during performance just to keep busy. I must look like some lost puppy, down and out. Oh well, I know another performance opportunity is coming around the corner. Rumor has it the cast list for the Gala performance will be published soon. I hope i get more work. The summer is coming. "All play and no bay makes donnie irritable!"  Soon the '05 season will begin and i will be back at work ....somewhere But for now the opening weekend has come and gone and it was a success.

April 8 - My job is done! I had the task of forming our players into a production we could be proud of. The job entailed co-ordination of all the various parts of  a play to become one play.  Making sure all the elements were right for our show..and delivered on time. We had our problems with missing cast members, wounded costumers, partial orhcestras, one wedding and various inconveniences.We lived through all and last night we performed our dress rehearsal. The cast must be proud of their work, i am. The work done to date has paid off in a wonderful show which was well received by the audience. Now that we are up and running, i have accepted a position as assistant to the assistant stage manager so that i can stay around the show. I have nothing else to do as director. We have to keep a consistent show for the run so all can see the some fun, energized show. Since i can't change anything now, my job is done.

April 2 - It is tech sunday and we are ready to run the show. Last week was very productive. We worked with the orchestra and found it very different from the recording and the electric piano. It sounds great but very different. We added more of the stage decorations and we added props. Each addition presents challenges to the actors which, I am happy to say, they have met. Now , on this Sunday, we add lights and body mics. Another distraction.  By 6 tonight we will know all that we need to know about the problems we face or the successes we have. But the is Tech Sunday.

March 26 - Happy Easter! Two weeks to go. Two weeks of hard, hard work. We have laid a ground work lines and blocking and set design. Now we must add the orchestra, lights and sound. We sang once, last week with the orchestra. It showed how different the sound from a live orchestra is from the Cd or the electronic piano. We heard many different tempos and we heard new instruments, very different. We have gelled our lights and focused them, for now. After we work on stage and refine our stage movements and blocking then we will focus them permanently. Just another change that will challenge the cast. Sound will surprise everyone the most though.  Since this is a musical we will not have preshow music or recorded scene change music but we will have body microphones. We need the help getting over the orchestra. When we turn on the "mics" for the first time, the actors will hear themselves in the house, very very distracting. We have two weeks to get over these new additions to our show. Two weeks of hard work. Or, if you like challenges...... fun!

March 18 - We finished a hectic week last week. We ran the entire show, first act Monday and the second act Tuesday. We have learned a lesson. We still have a ways to go. We saw that act one has just a few places to tighten up but act two has some huge scenes not really blocked. I learned to break the show up into logical blocks of scenes to make it easier to visualize moving the cast. These blocks don't necessarily match the show scenes. It uses the entrances and exits of actors to define the blocks. When we rehearse a show we don't need all the actors there just to sit on their thumbs. We only invite those in the particular scene. We call this process, "French Scening". Most of the time it works very well. It works for this show except that i conveniently forgot to block some of my scenes. Not to worry though, with three weeks left we are in great shape. Monday,  the books do not come on stage and we will see who  has committed their roles to memory and who haven't!  Some actors will have to Carrie us until the rest get on board. If we thought we had a hectic week last week... watch out for next week.

March 13: -  Only four weeks until we open. We begin the crunch time. The time when we want to perform the show and see all the pieces come together. We are still a ways away from making it work as a whole piece. We have all the tech to add to the show. There are lights to add to enhance the show. Sound , of course, will show towards the end of the rehearsal run. Most of the set pieces have arrived but the properties still need to make their appearance. Coming this week costumes come to our show. With all this still coming we can get a little tense. I can only see a way out of the tension. This is  to concentrate. It can only get more confusing as the other pieces are added. We concentrate and in four weeks we have a play. If we don't concentrate.... well we only have four weeks before we open. That is guaranteed.

March 9 - I just don't know what to write about. Too many things have transpired between the last entry on now. We have lost no one from the show! The Studio show has gone through many character changes and they open within days! I have had many people out sick. They just come back when some one else goes out but they don't have to be replaced, thank you very much.
With all the flurry of people not there and the attempts at blocking, I have gotten befuddled. That is i have lost the vision of the show. Let us put it past tense now. I had lost the vision and, with it, some enthusiasm but all is changed now. I had a visit from my Muse, the spirit that gives me the artisitc bent that i have. I, suddenly, found the answers, well at least a method, to break out of my befuddlement. A bright light shorn down from above and gave me direction. I must remember the way this evening or become mired in befuddlement again.
You may ask what is "the way"? Well, easily enough it is not using the music to frame the action of a scene but letting it fill the hall while we move performers to a different beat. Above all, trying not to do what i have seen elsewhere and attempting to make it fit our stage and actors' talent. This "muse" visit came in part when my Assisstant Director finally returned from other business. Sometimes you need a different point of view if you are too close to the forest.
There are other things going on in the show that require attention. They may make a journal entry someday as well. But we have our health and a vision. I guess i did know what to write about.

February 23 - This just makes me sick! Well, to be honest, it makes all of us sick. When you get 30 people in a room for an extended period of time, and then do it Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday for weeks at a time, you are bound to spread colds and the flu. I have received call after call of cast members not wanting to attend rehearsal because they have caught a "Bug". Makes sense because they will infect others and then after they get well, come back and acquire the same "Bug" from someone else in the cast. It is a thing we live with in the theater. Unfortunately, this phenomenon happens more often in the spring and fall when the temperatures fluctuate wildly. When i get a call i just tell them to take two aspirin, drink lots of fluids and nap like crazy. We will all be immune to the normal stuff soon and rehearsals will come back to full strength. Still and all.... it makes me sick.

February 17 - I awoke, yesterday, at 5:00am. My job requires that i visit an office in Cheboygan two days a week. The two hour drive means that i leave my house at 6am to be there at 8am. Then i work until i leave and try my best to be at rehearsal at 6:30pm. I don't speed but do drive with all haste.
The long day makes for a tired director. Two days worth of long day make for a very tired director. However...... when i start the process of being director, walking around making sure the actors are doing their rehearsals fine or actually starting some actor blocking and character building, i forget that i am tired. The energy goes up a few notches and soon i am buzzed with the excitment of the theater. 9:00pm comes too soon and i find myself locking up the playhouse looking for some one to talk theater with. Denni, my assistant director, is right there to fill that conversation void and all too soon, i find it midnight.
Gotta go 5:00am is almost here.

February 10 - We have a cast and we are on our way. Finally a week after auditoins, we found a Billy. Turns out he thought he had work/performance conflicts but things changed and he is free the month of April. Thank goodness! Now on to the next step, rehearsals. We started the first week with a small rehearsal schedule just to test the needs of the cast. We found that we have a steep hill to climb. Many of the cast have never heard of "Carousel". I must be old since it was one of my fond memories of youth. Well, we have rescheduled the rehearsals to offer more time to learn the music. Interleaved with the musical, we will introduce the "Chorusography". This dance form moves the chorus as a whole and doesn't present the traditional group dances so often seen in musicals. You will see the "chorusography" in many of the chorus numbers. Interleaved inside these rehearsals will be preliminary blocking of the leads and shaping their characters. Denni, the assisstant director will work with the chorus to make them a character in the play. Too often we miss paying attention to the chorus because the leads need the work. Well, the chorus is going to work this one as well. We have our cast and we are on our way.

February 4 - The play must go on! And it will. We had our auditions and came up wanting, not for talent but for bodies. As usual the male side of the cast is slim. Men just don't come out for plays the way women do. Also, we did not see anyone for the title role of Billy Bigelow. This is a difficult situation. We need a Billy to present the play. If we don't get one in a week or so we must reconsider the play and decide how to work with the cast. We have 25+ people who want to do a play and will be angry if we don't give them a vehicle. That begs the question of the crew. Someof us have worked for the past 6 months to begin this process. We all want to do this play. The play will go on!

January 27 - The auditions are just 5 days away. I have auditioned one person already, since she will be out of town for auditions. I have heard that many have taken scripts out and many more are talking about the show. The fear any director has is that no one will show up to play. It happened to me once. It wasn't fun.
This was a studio show and we needed 9 players. I think we had 5 show up. Weather wasn't a factor, unfortunately. You may ask, "what do you do then,cancel?". The short answer is "Punt". We cast those that showed and started looking for more. We cast a couple who came several days later and fired one that just wasn't working. Oh yes, if you audition you must commit to line memorization, director blocking, and a host of other things. If you don't follow the rules, you are out.
We, finally, got a full cast two weeks before we opened. Two weeks was a struggle to make the show work but those who came late worked very hard. We had a very good show.
A lot of things go into making a show. Casting, of course is a large part but not the end of the world. I, certainly hope we don't start our rehearsal short-handed..
We have 5 days til the auditions.

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Preliminary Announcement:

Old Town Playhouse announces auditions for "Carousel".
January 31 and February 1, 7:00pm in the main stage auditorium.

Please consult the calendar for rehearsal dates and play dates.
Please list as many conflicts as possible that you may have during the auditions.
You must be available for all play dates.
The calendar is tentative until we cast the show and compare with the actors' schedule.
We expect life to horn in on our rehearsals and will work with everyone to make all rehearsals convenient.

The Children's chorus will participate in all chorus numbers and may include multiple costume changes. Children will not have lines.
Children auditions are Monday promptly at 7:00pm. 9 years of age through 15ish.
We will ask all to sing the same song and make decisions on performance as a group. Because we feel we will have many more children then roles(6-7 roles) we will be as fair yet expedient as possible.

After the childrens chorus is auditioned the adults will be auditioned. Please be prepared to sing a selection of no more then two minutes, preferably less. An excerpt is fine. Memorization not required. Please come prepared to sing when your name is called. We will have a pianist available

For those trying out for the following roles, you must sing a selection from the show. Please feel free to sing from the show if you are not trying out for one of these as well.

Carrie Pipperidge
Mr. Snow
Billie Bigelow
Julie Jordan
Nettie Fowler

In addition to a song, we will teach a small dance number and read from the script. Auditions will last until all have had a chance to read once, more readings as time permits.

I hope that we have many auditioners, please be patient and attentive to the staff for directions.

Tuesday auditions will begin at 7:00pm. If we have NEW children we will audition them first and then the NEW adults. Time permitting, we will audition all that return from Monday's audition. If we can't re-audition all that return than we will not re-audition any.

It is unnecessary to be at both nights' auditions. You are invited to attend both as audience.

We reserve the right to have a call back on Wednesday night. It will only be for select individuals. Our hope is to announce the cast on Tuesday evening, posting it on the web site and on the bulletin board in the studio space. The first read-through could be as soon as Wednesday evening, Feb. 3.

If you have any questions please contact me, Don Kuehlhorn, or any member of the "Carousel" production team.

Please audition, we will have a great time!

Tentative calendar for "Carousel"

February 7 - 10 Vocal rehearsals Chorus and Principles 14-15 Vocal rehearsals Chorus and Principles - dance 21-22 Vocal rehearsals Chorus and Principles - dance 28 Blocking -- scenes

March 7-10 Blocking -- scenes and dance 15-17 Blocking -- scenes and dance 21 - 25 run acts 28 -31 Run show

April 3 -4 tech rehearsals 5 dark 6-7 dress rehearsal 8-9 Performance 14-17 Performance 20 - 24 Performance 28-30 Closing Weekend