Last show

I would by lying if I said I wasn't a little sad that tonight is my last performance.

What an experience!  Some days have been exhausting, some days have been filled with great joy, but one thing is for sure:  I have had the time of my life working on this.  I'm incredibly proud of everyone who's worked on this show, and I'm so sad to see it close.  I had nothing but the best time, and I hope I can do this again as soon as possible.

I try to approach every performance like it's my last, but tonight I literally have no choice.  It will be a special show this evening, that's for sure (hopefully that means I'll be good!)  In addition, Chris Thompson (the kid I talked about in my attitude and passion blog tinyurl.com/84u9jw6) will be making his theater debut tonight.  The actor he's understudying had to attend a wedding, and I gave Chris the call two days ago.  He's been amazing in rehearsals, and I'm sure that'll carry over to the stage.

Tonight's shaping up to be a great show.  If you haven't seen it, now's your chance.  Student tickets and HOLA! members just $12.

The Show Must Go On...

A couple days ago we had a little scare.  Our light & sound board operator had to go to the ER two hours before our 8:00 curtain.  I of course sent her to the hospital right away (it would have been extremely foolish to get her to do the show - not to mention immoral).

Two hours before curtain and no lights and sound.  What to do.  What to do.

1. First thing is I didn't panic.  That never helps anyone.  Nothing ever goes according to plan, and production is all about dealing with the bumps in the road.
2. Second thing is I called my director.  We entertained the idea of doing the show without lights and sound (it's better to have nothing than to have them go off in the wrong places all night), but it adds so much to show that we decided against it.
3. We formed a new plan.  My director and stage manager would sit up in the booth and do the light and sound together.  The supporting cast would take over the stage manager's responsibilities.
4. I went to the green room to start my acting warm ups, but before I did, Jake pulled me aside and said, "Jon, we're gonna do sound, but if something goes wrong, we're gonna bail.  Just keep going."   Haha.  Good to know. This was about 30 minutes before showtime.  
5. At around 8:10, Jake came out and announced to the audience that the show must go on and that he'd be running the board.  Applause.  So far so good.
6. Lights went up and the show went off...  without a hitch.
7. Well, a few hitches.  We had to use the master dimmers instead of the light cues, so we lost a lot of the detail that our lighting designer created.  A blackout happened too soon, some of the scene changes were a tad too long, and we lost the "rain" effect in the final scene. However, these are all minor details, and considering the situation - it went very smooth.

And that's how you handle a situation like that.  I'm extremely proud of my cast and crew.  We could have taken the easy way out and done the show without lights and sound.  But they stepped up to the plate and made it happen.  I'm also happy to report that our light and sound operator is ok, and will be back for the remainder of the show.

We have two days left.  Tonight (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday).  Student tickets just $12.  Also, if you're a member of HOLA! (http://www.hellohola.org/), show your ID at the door and get the student rate as well.  Come on out and see the show!

Student Tickets

We had a great response from the preview that we opened up to students.  Since then several students have contacted me about some sort of promotion for the show.  As a result, we've decided to offer student tickets for $12.  So if you're a student, simply go to the box office, tell them what school you're with, and you can get in the show for less than the price of a movie.

Only three shows left!  Hope to see you there.

What Makes Theater Special

Why does live theater still exist?  Can't we just record it on a camera?  It would be far cheaper for producers, a lot less work, and more people could afford to see it.

There is one reason, and one reason alone that has kept the theater going throughout the advent of TV and film. That reason is irreplaceable and you'll never find it anywhere else.  It's live.  And on any given night you never know when something special is going to happen.

I like to compare theater to sports.  Why do people show up and pay thousands for front row seats to watch Kobe Bryant or LeBron James?  After all it's the same game night in and night out.  It's because the performance is different every night, and every night there's the chance that something amazing might happen (like Kobe's 81 point game).

It's the same with theater.  The script is the same, and the director's vision is the same, but every night is different, and every night there's a chance the stars will align and an actor will give the performance of a lifetime.  And there is nothing like seeing it live.  Nothing.  That's what makes theater so special, and that's why it will never go away.

Opening Weekend...

Whew!  After 16hr days for the past three weeks, opening weekend is behind us.  I enjoyed it immensely.  Things are going well.  People seem to be enjoying the show, and ticket sales picked up a bit over the weekend which means that we're getting a good word of mouth.  Hopefully that'll continue through next week.

I'll be updating my blog and sending a few emails, but today is really my first day off.  Not really sure what to do!  But it's good to relax.  No matter how committed you are, burning yourself out isn't good for anyone.

I'll probably still go over my lines a few times.  You always want that fresh in your mind.

Sunday's Show Starts Early

Just wanted to take a little time to remind everyone that Sunday's show starts at 7:00pm. It's a hour earlier than we usually start and I didn't want anyone to be confused. We had a decent crowd despite the weather last night so come on out and see the show! Hope to see you there!

Always Look to Grow

I don't think I could have asked for a better opening night.  We had a great crowd, and I felt really good about the work we did as a cast.  I couldn't be more proud of my fellow actors.  There were several points where I felt we were working extremely well.  

I'd like to thank everyone who came.  It was a really good night for the show.

So where to go from here?  Well, there are always things you can do to grow as an actor.  I was talking with a fellow cast member after the show, and he told me, "You know, every night we go out there and try to achieve perfection even though we know it's impossible.  But every night we go out there and try to do it anyway."  And it's the truth.  There's always a way to make it better.  And that's not just for acting.  That's for every facet of life.

So make it about growth.  Pick one aspect of the work that you think could be improved upon and make that a focal point for your next performance.