From the Inside Out

Opening night for McKinney Repertory Theatre’s production of Hartburn Hotel is one week away! We have only 5 more rehearsals until we perform — exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time.

This weekend, we’ll be participating in the McKinney parade, assisting with stage set-up, and painting the flats (backdrops). They still need people to help on Sunday afternoon, so if you want to volunteer, let me know.

While it’s been hectic trying to keep up with work, rehearsal, remembering lines, and learning piano songs, it has also been a blast. I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. And, it will be even better when we get to perform. The audience response always makes it worth the effort. That’s why we keep doing it again and again.

Our director invited a few people to the rehearsals, and their reviews have been great so far. It’s fun to look into the audience and see them laughing and smiling at the antics on stage. Tonight, we even had some people “booing” the villain and cheering for the “hero.” I’m sure it’ll be even more fun when we add the popcorn for them to throw at us…can’t wait!

In the mean time, here are a few more “behind the scenes” pictures to quell your curiosity.

Gary getting ready for his scene with Ma

Ready for the chase scene?

Getting a few notes from Eric (our director) at the end of the night

Rehearsals for Hartburn Hotel continue, and we’re having a blast. Below are some new “behind the scenes” pictures from tonight’s rehearsal. If you’re planning to join us for the show, be sure to buy your tickets early so you can get good seats. To purchase tickets, go to: www.mckinneyperformingartscenter.org. Also, this is a popcorn-throwing melodrama, so if you bring canned food items for the local food bank, you can get up to three bags of popcorn for free!

Here’s more info about the show:

McKinney Repertory Theatre Presents
HARTBURN HOTEL

Cheer for the hero, boo for the villain, throw popcorn, and sing along! MRT offers melodrama fun this summer with HARTBURN HOTEL!

Faced with losing the Last Chance Inn once again, Ma and Pa Culpepper turn to glamorous Sahara Hartburn. Sahara pays off their loan with money from a “well-heeled admirer” and promptly takes over the inn. Transformed into the Hartburn Hotel, the place becomes a residence for young ladies with a “no men allowed upstairs” policy.

Sahara schemes to find a scandal that will give her new venture some publicity, and finds it when the new school teacher, Polly Sincere, is paid a visit by her dapper and devoted boyfriend, Jasper Jones—in her room!

To escape, Jasper poses as “Jasmine Sincere,” Polly’s sister. Complications arise when a visiting sheriff falls for “Jasmine” and her sudden disappearance leads Sahara to accuse Polly of murder!

An attempt to clear Polly’s name, an outrageous chase scene, and the search for a bank robber all conspire to bring the play to a surprising – and side-splitting - conclusion.

HARTBURN HOTEL
McKinney Repertory Theatre
July 10 - 19
Tickets: $16 adults; $13 seniors/students;
$11 kids 12yrs & under
Tickets & Info: 214-544-4630 or www.mckinneyperformingartscenter.org

And now for the pics:

“Ma” trying on her new “uniform”

Loving the hats!

“Sahara” and her big, big hat

Our very own “Fabio”

More costume fittings

What everyone does when they don’t have a scene…juggle!

Singing and dancing — the other things actors do to amuse themselves when not in a scene

And more juggling!

Lately my life seems to consist entirely of work and drama rehearsal. We’re now rehearsing five days a week with breaks only on Wednesdays and Sundays. Seriously, when we do our next production at ALC, I don’t want to hear anyone whining about the rehearsal schedule. They have it so easy compared to the local theater community.

Last night we had our first costume fitting and a quick read through “off book.” The play is set around the turn of the century so our costumes match that time period. The first few I tried on weren’t exactly what I was expecting for my character. They were a bit too “school teacher” looking, but I think we finally found something that will work for her. It’s not what I originally had in mind, but their wardrobe options are limited (especially in my size) so I’ll make it work.

My cold took a turn for the worse today. I thought I was getting better, but it decided to fight for a come back. So, I slept as late as possible and then went to rehearsal. Even though I was miserable, I made it through. When I got home, I crashed immediately. I’m hoping the extra rest will help my body conquer this thing!

Here are some pics from today’s rehearsal in Noble Hall:

Eric provides direction to Gary and Melissa

Waiting for my cue to enter the scene again

Gary playing with his guitar

Polly explaining about her “sister”

Polly and Jasper rehearsing their scene

Wind, rain, storms and even tornadoes…nothing can stop us from rehearsing MRT’s melodrama! The director scheduled an extra rehearsal tonight, and it was an interesting evening.

Our regular practice venue wasn’t available so he booked a room at a dance studio in Allen. The evening started out normal. We arranged chairs and benches to represent the chairs and furniture that will be on the stage.  Then, we started going through the scenes.

Not long after we started, a woman entered the room:

“We are under a tornado warning and sirens are going off in Plano. I’m watching the radar and will keep you posted.”

Now, if you live in Texas, you know that the tornado sirens go off frequently. It doesn’t necessarily mean that a tornado is coming your way…so we kept practicing.

A few minutes later, the woman was back:

“They are saying a tornado is on the ground and more sirens are going off. We’ll meet in the room at the end of the hallway if we need to take cover.”

Undeterred, we kept practicing. After all, the show must go on!

We were immersed in our own little world, working through the blocking of a scene and then….the lights went out.

Our plans were foiled!

*cue melodramatic music*

Hmm…maybe the storm was more serious than we thought.

*run to windows to check it out*

Looking through the blinds, we got our first glimpse of the dark, menacing clouds hovering nearby. We waited and watched. The clouds passed overhead, and then the flood came. Rain poured, winds blew, and trees were bent over.

*cue more melodramatic music*

It was raining so hard that it was difficult to see outside the windows.

*the females gasp and shiver with fear; the strong, manly men run to comfort them*

Eventually, we were able to move to another room that had power. Rehearsal started again.

*everyone cheers!*

While the storm raged outside, we continued because we knew that one day audiences would be watching our show.  We had to be ready!

*applause for the brave actors*

The storm finally calmed, and we had a productive night even with all of the distractions. We made it through the entire play, and I got to start adding in some of the live piano music!

*more applause for the brave actors — c’mon, we live for applause!*

We’ll do it all over again tomorrow… and Friday…and Saturday (hopefully without the storms).

We attended our first rehearsal for Hartburn Hotel tonight. After meeting the other actors and going through the schedule, we had a standard read through of the script. It was my first time to read the entire story, and I have to say that it’s pretty funny. Both the actors and the audiences are going to enjoy it. And, the director has some great ideas to make it even more fun. I love melodramas!

We have a fantastic cast with a wide variety of ages, backgrounds, and experience. I’m really excited about the opportunity, but I’m also a bit nervous because in addition to acting, I’ll also be playing the piano. It’s not something I’ve done in a live stage play before, but I think I’m up for the challenge!

After the read through, we met with the costuming director for an initial discussion about wardrobe, measurements and hair styles. Hartburn Hotel is set in an interesting time period (around the turn of the century), so the costuming is going to be great — big dresses, hats, and fancy hairdos. What fun! We even get to wear the costumes while participating in McKinney’s 4th of July parade. The McKinney Repertory Theatre has a float in the parade, and they’ve asked all actors to be on the float to help promote the show. I guess I need to start working on my “pageant” wave. LOL.

Our next rehearsal is on Tuesday. We’ve got practices scheduled four times a week (Mon, Tues, Thrs, and Sat) during the month of June, so it’s going to be a very, very busy month!