Dressing it!

We combined our Technical Rehearsal with our First Dress Rehearsal from 1:00 to 8:00 pm Sunday. I admit I was stressed and grumpy for the first few scenes, but then things got under control. Act Two was a breeze, comparatively.

Here are some snapshots of our Tech/Dress that I took from my vantage point at the dimmer board in the booth. Many of my shots are fuzzy or have motion blur, so just keep in mind that the actual show looks a lot nicer in person! (You can click on all photos to enlarge them),

Here is a dance sequence in Act One. Notice how the lighting and colorful costumes bring to life an otherwise monotone-looking set design.



Back in the booth, J.R. operates the historical PowerPoint projections at various points in the show.


Simran, our Student Director, calls the cues over the headset system from the booth. Some theaters call the show from the wings, but I feel like the booth has a better overall view. Besides, I have two Stage Managers on headset in the left and right wings. By the way, Simran is a senior this year, and she will be leaving "big shoes to fill" as an outstanding leader. (Simran: see me later regarding a college recommendation letter!!!)


One of the few comical moments in Evita is this "musical chairs" scene where Juan Peron gains power.


This is the scene with the tango! (Although it's tough for me to get a decent photograph of this since I am barbecuing the dancers with 5000 watts of light from below!!!)


Here is Anna, one of our two Evitas, during one of the many stoppages in our Tech/Dress on Sunday. Anna is a senior and has had many memorable roles over the years, from Sharpay in "High School Musical" to the evil Mrs. Meers in "Thoroughly Modern Millie".


Here is our Musical Director, Judy Cram, at her position in at the rim of the orchestra pit. She says the funnest musical we ever did was "Return to the Forbidden Planet", however her all-time favorite musical score is from "Pippin".


At the intermission break, the cast and crew were treated to Nathan's, (center), birthday party in the lobby.


Then it's back to the Sloan Theatre for a run of Act Two. Here is the scene on the balcony of the "Casa Rosada".


Today, the role of Eva is being performed by Katie. Tomorrow it will be Anna's turn at the microphones.


This shot gives you a good look at the lighting effect from my spotlights coming up through the floor of the platforms.


In a creative twist, our Director has cast three boys to carry out the "narrator" role of Che. Jake, Andrew and Cameron have all held leading roles in numerous musicals here at Greensboro Day School.


One cool thing about the hollow nature of the rented scaffolding is that it leaves the cyclorama fully exposed to the audience so I can paint it with different colors for different moods. In Act One I use a black scrim in front of the cyc to "fuzz-out" the colors. But here in Act Two the cyc is plain white, so I can use broader primary colors. Below is the striking scene with marching army soldiers. Our "costume moms" and Mr. Tutterow did an outstanding job in finding cool uniforms!


Each of the 3 guys playing Che gets to have solos at various points in the show. Here, Cameron is atop the 10 foot high balcony for a dramatic moment.


Lee, another senior, plays Juan Peron. His numerous roles have included the conniving Innkeeper in "Les Miserables" and the hilarious Ching Ho in "Thoroughly Modern Millie".


And finally, we arrive at the inevitable death scene in "Evita". No "mega-mix" at the end of this musical!!! On a technical note, notice how the lighting here turns all the blue tape on the scaffolding into a black color. It's a very subtle effect, but it's something that's really cool to me as the designer...


Ahhh!!! We're finally done!
Some of my technical crew collapses on the lobby floor at the end of a long Tech/Dress. (By the way, the design of our lobby carpet was carefully chosen to hide drink spills, but it's a pattern I affectionately call "Picasso vomit carpet"!)