The Orchestra

Live musicians accompanied by masterful music add an irreplaceable energy to Trueheart Productions’ Rejected No More.

Ms. Barclay has masterfully created a number of truly memorable songs, filled with dramatic tension and artfully-crafted emotional pacing that is well matched to the lyrics. The applause she is receiving after each major song is well-deserved, and is one of the real treasures of witnessing new music at a live premiere. The orchestra consists of some of Portland’s finest young musical talent, and I am fortunate to be working with an unusually enthusiastic ensemble. We are all looking forward to another successful weekend of performances.

-John Carter, conductor

Costumes: Fabric Shopping & Sewing

(Part 2 of 2)

Once all the designs are finished a very large task stands dauntingly in the doorway… FABRIC SHOPPING! Do you know how many yards of fabric it takes to clothe a 40 person cast? Well over 400 yards of fabric! That’s a lot of fabric to buy! The costume designer and assistant director are far too familiar with our local Jo Ann Fabric store. Shopping trips can take easily over 6 hours on multiple days!

Community theatre costumes come together quite differently than if we were a professional company. The 100’s of costume pieces aren’t sewn by “The costume Shop” or even a handful of people, but rather a couple dozen volunteer and parent seamstresses.

In the end, the audience probably doesn’t think twice about the authenticity of costumes, the cultural distinctions, or the dozens of articles of clothing and accessories that each actor wears during a 2+ hour show, but without them the audience wouldn’t be transported into a foreign land in 1300BC. I would encourage you, during the next performance you watch take note to the many costumes being worn and recall the time that has gone to depict each character accurately and well.

Sets

The sets for Rejected No More are under construction. But we can’t spill the beans just yet. Can you guess what these might become?

Mirrors

If you ever set foot into a dance studio you have probably noticed a décor of mirrors covering the walls. While dancing, one isn’t always conscious of what their limbs are doing. It comes as a surprise to see what felt like an extended arm above the head was in truth awkwardly bent. During the course of rehearsals Trueheart Productions was graciously given the privilege of using a local dance studio (PMPA) to rehearse our dances in front of large mirrors… no awkward arms in this show!

Special thanks to Portland Metro Performing Arts (PMPA).

The Art of Lyrics

by Tiffany Barclay

“Every song that has a long life says something fundamental and it says it in an attractive way musically and lyrically.” –Oscar Hammerstein II

Writing lyrics is an art form all itself. Though similar to poetry, many things are vastly different. I have enjoyed learning and studying lyric writing both through the process of writing two musical shows and also through books and studying the great lyricists of the past. Here are a few things I’ve learned thus far:

Rhyming

• Don’t feel as though you must rhyme frequently. Sometimes less frequent is better.

“There should not be too many rhymes. In fact, a rhyme should appear only where it is absolutely necessary.” –Oscar Hammerstein II

Ol’Man River (lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, from the musical “Show Boat”)

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Ol’ man river,
Dat ol’ man river
He mus’know sumpin’
But don’t say nuthin’,
He jes’keeps rollin’
He keeps on rollin’ along.

He don’ plant taters,
He don’t plant cotton,
An’ dem dat plants’em
is soon forgotten,
But ol’man river,
He jes keeps rollin’along.

Repetition

• Repeating a phrase or word throughout can be very effective and powerful.

So in Love (by Cole Porter, from the musical, “Kiss Me, Kate”)

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Strange, dear, but true, dear
When I’m close to you, dear,
The stars fill the sky,
So in love with you am I.
Even without you
My arms fold about you.
You know, darling, why,
So in love with you am I.

Phonetics

• Choose words that are easily sung.
• Use vowels with open sounds on vocal climaxes

“The lyric writer must find…a word that is clear when sung and not too difficult for the singer to sing on that note which he hits when he sings it.”
–Oscar Hammerstein II

Maria (lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, from the musical, “West Side Story”)

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Maria!
I’ve just met a girl named Maria,
And suddenly that name
Will never be the same
To me.
Maria!
I’ve just kissed a girl named Maria,
And suddenly I’ve found
How wonderful a sound
Can be!
Maria!
Say it loud and there’s music playing,
Say it soft and it’s almost like praying.
Maria,
I’ll never stop saying Maria!

Eight Steps of Choreographing a Musical

“Dance without music is like a soul with no emotion.” -Lorianne Barclay, Choreographer, Trueheart Productions

It all begins with a melody; a kaleidoscope of instrumental sounds strung together creating a mood which in turn inspires a dance. But it all begins with the song, without music there is no motivation for dance.

1. Immersion: Know the music well enough you hear it in your dreams
2. Purpose: Decide the emotion/goal of the dance
3. Brainstorm steps: What kind of movement will look best on this particular cast?
4. Experiment: Try out choreography in your living room (try not to stub your toe)
5. Document: Write out the choreography in detail and diagrams for later reference
6. Teach: The introduction of choreography to actor.
7. Polish: Refining each movement precisely and uniformly amongst a group
8. Perform: The ultimate goal… sharing it with the world!

Publicity Photo Shoot

The 2009 publicity photo shoot for Rejected No More began in an eloquently lit studio and ended in a frigid windy field. The directors have various ideas to try, so there are lots of different shots. Along the way, new ideas emerge that lead to great shots. Special thanks to Tera Zarra (Naomi) and Rebecca Wright (Ruth) for being our delightful subjects.

While the gals got their costumes and make up ready, the lighting designer and photographer prepared the stage. Tera was the first to finish, so she became the subject for test shots to check the lighting levels and color to make sure they were right for good skin tones. The photographer also uses them to get the correct exposure levels.

This is the pose used for the postcard and web graphic. In this earlier shot, Naomi has her eyes up. In the production shot, they are more downcast.

Constant attention to every detail must be maintained during the photo shoot to avoid bad shots. Here the costume designer adjusts Ruth’s veil and beaded head band which continually shifted during the shoot. Keeping costume accessories in place is much more difficult during a photo shoot since visible bobby pins can ruin a shot.

During the shoot the photographer takes hundreds of shots using different settings and sometimes the photos are either under or over exposed. We loved this shot but it is a little too underexposed to correct. It was easier to make it into a high contrast image that we used for the tickets and black and white newspaper advertising.

This shot that became the poster shot was a team effort. It was never planned but came from an idea as the staff was watching the photographer shooting the last photo. We wanted Naomi to show the pain of rejection. She is deliberately out of focus to make the shot more eye-catching to the viewer. In this the best shot, note how Ruth’s profile fits perfectly beside Naomi’s face.

After the last shot, we went to a field in Gresham for an outdoor photo shoot. Our plan was to try our best shots outside with a desolate field in the background.

Unfortunately, it was below 30 degrees and with a strong East wind. Ruth and Naomi bundled up with winter coats over their costumes and walked about a quarter mile with the photographer and costume designer to get to the field. Once there, we set up the shot then had them take off their coats. After only a few shots, their skin quickly turned pink so we had to quit. This photo has been retouched to remove the pink sploches on their faces.

We hope you enjoyed this behind the scenes look at our publicity photo shoot.