Saturday, March 2, 2013

Notes on Run #2


Don't Forget to Comment Specifically!

Run #2

General Notes
- Much better at freezing!
- The movement and enthusiasm is much better over all
- Girls – Cheyenne and Katie – go further UR so you can be singing to the boys
- Boys – yay!  Better timing on Footloose.  Fist, not a finger on the all backs
- Too long for change from Kissing Teachers to Proclaimers – band?  Lights?  Faster?
- For Shot point at where the woman went (off stage DR) instead at the man singing
-       Jacob move Chalkboard as soon as blackout
-       Everyone on the car – get off and immediately get desks
-       Desks on stage  - front row of desks on wing Left, 2nd row in alcove
- Blocking change! – Billy and Backups go off UR instead (easier change for Billy, no crashing into girls)
- Material boys – all need ties (bowties? Neckties?)
- Fight Scene – E/L/D pick up hearts
- 1 girl per guy to help change
*Brod./Jonah – can we diagonal the kick?  Is that safe enough?
*Robert/Anthony/Ezra – You drop the fight news because you see Corey talking to a girl! If awkward – make it super awkward!
*Ezra, Cheyenne – make sure you’re center for the dance
- Crowd – keep slow dancing until the music picks up, then move into your circle
- Vogue hands as well as thumps for Material Girl
- Girls in bow – do Robin Bumps instead of head side-to-side

Act 1

Wake Me Up
-       Better looking, Backups, shoulder to shoulder
-       Review your words, Backups!
-       Backups – review your moves so you follow the same beat
-       Nice excitement, Anthony
-       Better greeting!
-       Great enthusiasm, Shaely & Sage
-       Ezra, tuck in your shirt
-       Love the tribal shirt, Sage
-       Emily – show the audience your camera to help us know what you’re doing before you gesture for everyone to squeeze together
-       Smile for the camera, Makenzie, Jacob, Kyle, Cyndi
-       Cheyenne – Stand further forward (Jonah shadows you)

Kids
-       Alf and Kirk – I like you tuning the radio
-       Love the movement chorus!
-       Louder singing!
-       Stop moving on “Oh, say can you see!” (and Jess, grab your hula hoops)

Assembly
-       Candidates half-stand to acknowledge your names and ID you for the audience when Bran says them
-       A/K – good job on the awkward applause
-       So much better!  You guys are doing a great job across the board!
-       Chism and boys – louder on the cat calls for Cyndi
-       Zach – the line is “I would have been happy with one girlfriend – just one” (not “happy with just one girlfriend, just one”)
-       Much better freezes!
-       Broderick freeze pushing glasses in profile to make sure you don’t look like you’re picking your nose.
-       Feargal – nice clapping for your ladies
-       Great reaction, crowd, to Feargal, but you peaked too soon – you  need to give yourselves room to build over his whole speech
-       Bell sound effect Bobbi!

Girls
-       Ezra – more enthusiastic as you list her good qualities, less depressed
-       Mel, Kim – much better cheating out!  Yay!
-       Ryan B. – White jacket for Kids, not for “normal school” scenes.
-       Chris – say your line “Twins” at the same time as the boys exclaimation “Twins!” and speak quicker.  Maybe play it as if you’re making a joke
-       Other three jocks, focus on the girls so when you give Huey a “you idiot” look, it’s more obvious
-       Boys – be horny and stand so we can see you
-       Girls – better block!
-       Boys – good applause for them!

Footloose
-       Yay Steven for taking the note to move R for the song!  Looks good!
-       Love the jacket butts, boys!
-       Boys – remember to do the chest bumps (without someone whispering “chest bumps”)
-       Feargal – you can de-wedgie as the boys circle you
-       Ryan B.  and Michael A. – smile!  You look stone faced!

Flirting, Feargal, Football
-       Cyndi – bigger sarcastic “Ooooohhh” to the board line
-       Feargal – hook holster to outside of backpack, then pull it out of the holster to answer it.
-       Ezra/Robert – maybe point out the joke that you’re putting on a charity concert to raise money for  (not cancer, not AIDS, not starving kids in Africa, but) Prom

Election
-       Boxes?  Who’s bringing them on?
-       Don’t break Feargal’s CD!!
-       Jessica – the others have blue pom in right hand
-       Ladies – stand and go upstage to center stage - face the boys instead of staying among them
-       Cheer – missed the dorky cheer rolloff (at least 2 of you did)
-       Mic needs to be center of the stage, not the platform (line up with brass plate)
-       Students – bop and “yeah” along to Michael’s rap
-       Ezra – let’s move the dirty look to after you say “The thing is…”
-       Clap for Feargal, students
-       Good pointing, Michael A.
-       Good reactions to CD Christina, Kailey, Jessica
-       Kasey – longer shirt or shorts
-       Brod – “And you remember those jingles used to go” – tell the audience that one
-       Thanks for the new line, Rebecca!
-       So cute with the box sitting, Feargal!  But let’s have you stand instead
-       Ezra, Cheyenne, Jonah – stand up together next to the cyc for the voting and afterwards (instead of sitting)
-       Kasey, Kate – stay up on cyc until blackout

Bedroom/Believe
-       Bed on sooner in blackout
-       Nice eyerolling at the Yoda questions, Ezra
-       Good sound effects, Kirk
-       Good escalation of enthusiasm in questions, Anthony
-       Ezra – add Bueller to your line (“Well, have a good day off, Bueller”) (but don’t emphasize the irony/joke - we're just making it clearer)
-       Ezra – you were right about the claps (my bad), we were just missing the spot on Zach/Makenzie
-       Ezra – maybe obviously count your friends and recall Yoda to explain to the audience why you suddenly leave
-       Ezra – fake arm is especially obvious when you’re practicing the light saber.  Can you bend the elbow?  Hook the hand in the belt?
-       Robert – R2 waddles like a penguin more than shuffles on knees
-       Sage – need to take Ms. Mason’s note about your exit (finger up to give advice, then no, shake head)
-       Steven, thanks for taking your notes.  Like the gun!

Let’s Hear It
-       If the lights come up in the classroom while you’re adjusting a desk, play it off as you would in a classroom
-       Better cheating out, Eileen/Bran!
-       Ezra – good sneaking in late, since you had to
-       Ezra – “Corey said she has a thing for them as well”… wait, who said that?
-       Jacob – nice use of chalk! Very natural to check the dust on your hands
-       Better reaction, class, to concert
-       Zack – you don’t need to stand to say “This should be interesting” – just turn to us
-       Go to trap over 1st Chorus
-       1 Photo per line
-       Good fumbling, Eileen
-       Girls –react to the pictures, sing to them, Eeee over them!
-       Change of line:
o   Rebecca “Hi Sweetie!”
o   Jacob (Gets the flowers) “Surprise!”
o   Rebecca “What’s this for?”
-       Love the awkward chalking when Kasey runs in, Jacob!

Proclaimers
-       Jonah – stand where Jessica is sitting (on platforms next to bench) and come down stairs
-       Jonah – no glasses at top of song (ah, good, you fixed it)
-       Background people – well, I’m glad you fixed the props, but it was WAY too distracting the way it was handled
-       Yay Steven, Jessica, Mak. for jamming along
-       Ez, Jonah – better at the challenging each other!
-       Guitar bit?  What happened to it?
-       Jonah – wait to get skirt until you see Ez do it
-       Good crowd reaction to “brother” line

Letter/Magazine
-       Jocks – if you need a bit more time, fine.  Jacob’s there, he’ll just read the magazine.
-       Steven – read the lines of the letter a bit more like the songs (follow the rhythms)
-       Steven – make sure it’s in Eileen’s locker (3rd over)
-       Jacob – maybe no feet on feet of table?  Looks a little youthful
-       Jacob – show us the magazine cover as you show Bran.
– Bran – react when you see the magazine cover – you know what it is!
-       Girls – freeze between cuts and freeze in bigger poses (like Rebecca’s finger up “Not Nude” pose)
-       Jacob – Way to carry on with the song!
-       Front row – What happened? Half of you missed the entrance?

Man in the Mirror
-       Rebecca – when you join in for that 1st line, cross to Cocker and put your hand on his shoulder, then Jacob pull away DS
-       Chorus – a bit more excited at the chorus “I’m starting with” (you’re at a 2, make it 4)
-       Nice energy, Rebecca on the end!
-       Chorus – you need to build to the stand up so there’s a reason to stand and sing
-       Jonah – after the locker bit, step to the side for Feargal to open the door and sing there – oh, good, you did it at the end.  Let’s do it earlier

Act 2

Nothing’s Gonna
-       Samara – can you leave an undershirt between the bikini and the sheer?  It’s a little too immodest for a school concert
-       Better formation!  I like it better than the semi-circle
-       Justin – can you stand up for your guitar solo?

Love Shack/Eclipse
-       Ezra – the jacket stands out too much for the era.  Let’s ditch it for the concert
-       Jonah – cheat out!  You’ve got your back to us more than half the time
-       Steven – run out all the way to the lights
-       Chism – face us for the rap
-       Everyone move downstage – stop hugging the curtain
-       Hot tubbers, use your upper body to dance along
-       Were still missing a large portion of dancers using swan arms.  We divided you, why are some not doing them?  Also, arms go all the way over your head, not just up to shoulder height.
-       Quicker set change!  Party goers all come back on after Eclipse to help!

Walking on Sunshine
-       Christina – good “Ooh!  That’s me!”
-       Kate – I like your growly voice as you read the letter.
-       Kate – build the excitement as you read “Michael FELDMAN!!!!”
-       Kasey –review your cue line for the song!  (Well said like a 12-year-old girl, Mr. Walters!)
-       Much better confidence and smiles, Christina!
-       Jocks enter DS so you can go all the way up without the weird steps
-       Looks good with the jocks!
-       Make valentines
-       Jocks – need to work on strutting, especially not putting your backs and heads to the audience
-       Girls – shut the locker after you pull out the Valentines

Car
-       Jonah – try not to give driving instructions (“Left, Left”) – your mic is live right before you come on
-       Jonah – check the Hey, You timing – it feels off
-       Good adjust for space, Jocks
-       Everyone UR (behind the car) go up on the platform
-       Love the rooftop pose, Jonah!

Centerfold
-       Jacob move Chalkboard as soon as blackout
-       Everyone on the car – get off and immediately get desks
-       Desks on stage  - front row of desks on wing Left, 2nd row in alcove
-       Yay for taking the “talk to the audience” note, Jacob!
-       Reb – maybe every other snap to have quicker rip off?
-       Not in sync with the dance right before “1, 2, 3, 4”
-       Weak ending – Actors, don’t fade out with the music

Move the Corey/Kirk desks first as blues are shutting, then the rest

Lost in Your Eyes
-       Christina – PROP!!!
-       Jonah – stop talking into your mic off stage
-       Jonah – great holding pose.  It’s good!  It’s funny!
-       Jonah – move cube off other way, by chance?  Zach’s spotlight bleeds

Never Gonna Give You Up
-       Better sync, backup girls!  Keep working on it – make it awesome.
-       Billy – on the “Ooh, Give you Up!” lines, turn (partially) to your backups and encourage them to amp it up to impress Cyndi
-       Backups – if Billy misses the words, stick with your original move order instead of trying to match him.
-       Thanks, Jessica, for adjusting yourself out of the line

Material
-       Looks much better in sync, boys!
-       Boys – look straight out from your body for heart thumps
-       Boys toss hearts at diamond part

Fight Scene
-       Chris – great “casual” against the locker
-       Chism –quicker on the “Yeah” for Kasey’s turn
-       Jonah/Brod – I like Jonah stopping on the platform
-       Chism – you’re doing a new sound effect and reacting still!  Go you!

Cheer Up, Eileen
-       Kasey, Kate – get the other two cubes for Eileen’s bench!
-       Nice scene, Ezra and Cheyenne!  Good accommodating for no bench

Teachers Make Up
-       Nice laughing at bad joke, Jacob
-       Rebecca – “Thank You” more surprised, maybe?

Prom
-       Kailey – heels?  Jellies?  The flats are modern
-       Girls – no leggings – pantyhose
-       Jessica – no leggings
-       Becky – no leggings (slipping down)
-       Christina – no leggings
-       Rochelle – pantyhose (not colored)
-       All (esp. Angelina) – if no dance partner, don’t dance with someone invisible, treat it as you would at a dance
-       Ezra – jeans?
-       Good “secretly” chorus
-       Cute dancing together, Kailey, Chism!
-       Looks much better with migration, couples!
-       Much better movement for the monologue
-       Great smile over turns, Cheyenne!

Bows
- All soloists be R (mics)
- Steven – start moving  down on 2nd “My memory has just been sold”
- All soloists – start walking to mic on last line before yours
- All Soloists – be on the brass circle.
- If you’re not passing a mic, go next to Zach with the spare mic until they need it
- Better on the footwork!

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Summer Nights

As you watch this clip from Grease, pay attention to the chorus, and note tow things:

1)  Their total focus on the lead singer,
and
2) Their smiling, upbeat energy.

This is a relatively easy way to make a number look and feel a lot more polished.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

80's Makeup

Like we talked about yesterday at rehearsal, hair and makeup are a big part of the costumes.  Let's take a look at some particulars, shall we?

First of all, the website we keep mentioning (liketotally80s.com) has a lot of good information on it.  Here's the link.

Let's start with makeup for the girls.

"If you are trying to capture an authentic 80s eye look, go blue. Layer your blues – start with some teal eyeliner (applied to the inside of the eye), then add a royal blue to the bottom of the lid along the lash line and a lighter blue as you move up on the lid. Finally, accent your blues with a contrasting color like hot pink, orange, or yellow. You’ll have 80s eyes in an instant."
- From here

The Tumblr tag "80s makeup" brings up excellent results:



Here's a L'Oreal commercial from the 80's (with bonus press-on nails!)




While this video's a little over the top, it provides a tutorial for (extreme) 80's makeup.  And fashion.  (Leopard print!  We didn't have any leopard print at costume parade!  Aaah!)





Boys (and girls, for that matter), this video provides a good overview of basic stage makeup for men:




Wearing base (the foundation) is negotiable, but the eyes, eyebrows, lips, and cheeks are not.

A basic stage makeup kit (which is identical for men and women, although it varies according to skin tone) looks like this:



You can buy them in town at places like Disguises in Lakewood on Colfax, or online at sources like this one.

Remember - I strongly recommend you get your own makeup.  There are too many germs that can be passed on when you share eyeliner and lipstick!

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Max Headroom

Just so you know the reference.

This creepy character had a TV show and did a few Coke commercials in the 80's.

The 80's were weird.

Material Girl

Mostly for the boys.
Note the facial expressions and focus of the men, and how dapper they look all in sync like that!

 
MADONNA - Material Girl (Music Video) from Mary Lambert, Director on Vimeo.

Let's Go to the Mall!

Whoo! Robin Sparkles! 80's Music Videos! A Robot! Whoo!


 


 And here's a love song for Valentine's Day:

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Recent dance videos


Get Outta My Dreams

Never Gonna Give You Up

Walking on Sunshine

Video Killed the Radio Star