Read-through
Through the eyes of a director: Monday, February 8th
Week one of rehearsals for Trueheart Productions started with a complete read-through of the script. It was the first time the entire cast would gather. After a short welcome and introduction by our stage manager, seventeen actors trooped up onto the stage to sit in a large semi-circle for the undertaking.
What were these thespians feeling? Understandably nervous? (“This would be a good time for the earth to swallow me up.”) Arrogantly confident ? (“Everyone is going to be so impressed when they hear me read my lines.”) Or condescendingly lifelesss? (“It’s only a read-through. What a tedious exercise.”).
Several years ago I read the background story for BBC’s Pride and Prejudice. I had appreciated that film production. Its length kept it from the all too common, all too poorly done abbreviating of Austen’s work. And refreshingly, there was no transposing of contemporary values on these classic literary characters. Relief, joy.
So what was their read-through like? With many seasoned professional actors, it was endearing to read that Jennifer Ehle (Elizabeth) considered it a terrifying ordeal. Colin Firth (Darcy) was in the gents room groaning aloud in agony before it started. David Bamber (Mr. Collins) thought that at any moment someone would tap him on his shoulder, mid-sentence and ask him to leave, without a script.
How would the cast of Estranged Identity, a mix of student, community, and professional actors fare under the pressures of a read-through? It sounds like most actors find it a nerve-wracking experience when they are “on show” for the first time. Would our cast survive the fears of being judged prematurely by directors and fellow actors? And would they bring life and energy to this important first-time through the script?
Amazingly, the cast seemed at ease and if anyone was suffering from butterflies, he was able to force them to fly in formation. As one individual brought force and pitch to his lines, others enlivened and joined in. Many lines began to be delivered with interpretive quality and color.
It was a very promising start as the life in Tiffany Barclay’s lines began the process of taking shape as they moved from paper to stage. Next step, two music rehearsals this week run by Estranged Identity’s composer, Ms. Barclay and the show’s conductor, John Carter.
Lead actors getting to know each other
Welcome Estranged Identity!
A cast of 19 actors, 4 directors and 2 choreographers look to bring a performance complete with inspiring music, exciting dances, and suspenseful swordfights. This is one show you won’t want to miss!
Trueheart Productions has officially embarked on their next adventure: Bringing the World Premiere show of Estranged Identity to the stage April 2010. It may sound slightly cliché, but this show looks to top the past two world premiere shows Trueheart Productions has brought to the stage.
Rehearsals began last week with orientation and acting training. Our first dry read was met with egger excitement. There is something very exhilarating about being a in a world premiere cast. This week we worked intensely on Ms. Barclay’s beautiful musical score. I think all involved would agree that her music is an over looked gift in Portland. Dance rehearsal begins tonight and will begin to take form over the next few week.
Stay tuned and watch this show’s journey to the stage!
Acting training
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?
Costumes: Research & Design
Part 1 of 2
The very first step in costume design begins with a lot of questions in research… What styles of clothing did Jewish and Moabite people wear in 1500-1100 BC? Were there religious reasons for their dress? The list goes on. Due to the fact that the Jewish people did not make images of themselves, 100% authenticity is nearly impossible to achieve.
The little information we do have is based on Biblical descriptions, groups of people (Egyptians, Persians…) which included Jews in murals, a handful of artifacts, or how artists over the years have depicted them.
If you come to see the Premiere of Rejected No More, look for a few key authentic clothing facts….
- Jewish men wore tassels on the corners of their clothing
- Jewish women wore head-coverings of some kind (not sure at what age they began)
- (Moabite) wealth is shown with excess fabric (e.g. drapes, baggy sleeves, extra fabric wrapped around, multiple layers)
The next step in the process of costume making is designing. The costume designer uses information from the research and designs them into costumes for each character that reflect culture, time-period, and unique qualities of that character. They also have to take note if the actor will be dancing or needing to change costumes quickly. And finally, in our latest upcoming production of Rejected No More, it is necessary to distinguish the difference in heritage (Moabite vs. Jewish).
For example the differences between Moabites and Jews (from Bethlehem)…
Color
Moab: bright colorful clothing
Bethlehem: more dull (because they just had gone through a famine, thus poor)
Style
Moab: wrapped draped fabric + loose hanging sleeves
Bethlehem: (men) tassels on the four corners of clothing
Head-coverings (women)
Moab: no head-coverings, beaded head tie across forehead
Bethlehem: fabric coverings on all or part of head
Here’s a sneak peak of the costumes designed for the character of Ruth in our upcoming production of Rejected No More.
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”)
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”)
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”)
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.
- Immersion: Know the music well enough you hear it in your dreams
- Purpose: Decide the emotion/goal of the dance
- Brainstorm steps: What kind of movement will look best on this particular cast?
- Experiment: Try out choreography in your living room (try not to stub your toe)
- Document: Write out the choreography in detail and diagrams for later reference
- Teach: The introduction of choreography to actor.
- Polish: Refining each movement precisely and uniformly amongst a group
- Perform: The ultimate goal… sharing it with the world!
Choreographer's notes written on full orchestral score.
Two actors learning a dance for the first time
Rehearsal for 'God Bless You' dance
Performing the dance of 'Haman’s Ballade' in Chosen Destiny (2008)
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.
An underexposed 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.
