Enjoy the little things for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things — Robert BraultPosts RSS Comments RSS
Wow, we’re only 17 days away from the first performance! I spent the better part of the evening managing promotions, working on the press release, sending cast reminders and recruiting additional volunteers. It’s a lot of work, but it is completely worth it.
Before we know it, we’ll be performing, entertaining people and making them laugh. It’s so much fun. I’m getting really excited!
For all the details, check out the official press release.
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Loading ...After doing some early birthday shopping at the Galleria, Gary and I headed to the Garland Civic Theater to meet up with the young married’s group from ALC. The GCT was performing Murder on the Nile, a play based on the famous Agatha Christie detective novel.
When I was younger, I was an avid Agatha Christie reader. I loved her murder mysteries. In fact, one of her stories (Ten Little Indians) provided inspiration for And Then There Was One. Agatha Christie could weave a thrilling mystery with many unexpected twists and turns. It was rare if you figured out the mystery before it was revealed.
Since I’m such a big fan of her work, I was looking forward to the play. We entered the theater ready to be transported to Egypt. The stage looked great. The mood was set. We were excited.
Unfortunately, GCT’s adaptation fell flat. They replaced the famous detective, Hercule Poirot, with a priest. That was disappointing, but it could have been forgiven if the rest of the play was good. It wasn’t. The characters were one dimensional. Each actor seemed to be trying to outdo the other with his/her dramatic interpretation of the character. Don’t get me wrong. I love drama, but when each character delivers their lines in the same overdramatic fashion throughout the entire play, it becomes loathsome.
Some of the actors had problems with their accents. We overheard a couple of people talking during intermission. One of them said, “I can’t understand anything they’re saying. Maybe we’re not supposed to?”
Hmm…not good.
I think their biggest mistake was not knowing when to edit. The play clocked in at 2 hours and 45 minutes (including intermission). It was waaay too long! There were many things that could have been cut out to make the play flow better.
We were begging for it to end. That’s the last thing you want your audience to be doing. Know when to say when.
All in all, it was a memorable evening. We had a good time hanging out with our friends, and that’s what these nights are all about.
(1 votes, average: 4 out of 5) Loading ...The City of Dallas is participating in this year’s Free Night of Theater program which campaigns to attract new audiences to live theatrical performances — absolutely free of charge.
Dallas is one of 120 communities across the country participating in this event from Thursday, October 16 through November 10, 2008. More than 3,000 free tickets to more than 26 Dallas-area theaters will be up for grabs starting at noon on Wednesday, October 1, 2008. Mark your calendar now because tickets will be passed out on a first, come first serve basis.
Tickets can only be reserved online. Each participating theater will set a reservation ticket limit for their productions. Once tickets have been reserved through the website, patrons will be able to pick up their tickets at the will-call window of the individual theater’s box office on the night of the show.
Participating Theaters in the Dallas Area are:
If you love the theater, this is your chance to check out a new show at no cost. In fact, the organizers encourage participants to go to a theater they’ve never visited before.
If you aren’t a patron of the arts, then this is a good time for you to give it a shot. At this price, there’s nothing to lose and you just might find a theater you like.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...With only ten days left until Pirates of Patmos opens, it’s crunch time. This is the time when I get really nervous about our ability to pull off such a large undertaking. It feels like it’s impossible for it all to come together in such a short amount of time, but miraculously it always does. Each time I just have to move forward in faith that this time will be no different. It will come together and be brilliant — well, I hope so.
Tonight’s practice was a bit chaotic. We added the tech crew, backstage crew, and had the costuming/make-up directors watching the rehearsal so there was lots going on tonight. Luckily, Katrina only took one week off after having her baby (yeah, she’s amazing). It’s nice to have her at the helm managing the bulk of the directing duties. I didn’t think she’d be back after the baby, but I’m so glad she is. Love her!!
Well, it’s already after midnight. I’ve got to watch the “dailies” from our rehearsal, so tonight’s blog is going to be a short one. To make up for it, I’m giving you some fresh new pics. from this evening’s rehearsal…enjoy!
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Work continues on Pirates of Patmos which opens on Friday, June 20. We held our final production meeting tonight. Things are moving along smoothly, but there is still much to be done before opening night — costumes, hair, make-up, volunteers, staging, backstage, multimedia and lights. I came home with a long list of “todos”. Being a producer is just so much fun (coughs). I’d like to step aside one day and let someone else run the show (acting is my true love), but for now, it’s a necessary evil.
For those of you who are interested, we now have Pirates of Patmos memorabilia available for purchase. Check out the online store here, or for more options, go straight to cafepress. Buy a poster or a t-shirt, and promote the show!
Behind the scenes pics are on my “photos” page. New pics should be up by next week.
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