Now, we wait some more...so let's meet the team!

We had our Informational kick-off meeting on Wednesday night, and it as Stephen said, "It was a magnificent success!"  Lots of people there to sign up for audition slots starting December 1st.  As of this moment, the slots for auditions are 81% FILLED!  That means that with 10 days still to go to the first day of auditions, Sean and Todd have registered 181 people.  We've already expanded the times...

I finally finished the background/context info for the audition material--(with a little help from my good friend, Patrick!)  It was a useful exercise to distill important character moments into a 2 or 3 sentence paragraph.  I probably used waaaaaayyyy too many adjectives, but...oh well!

My good friend Jeffrey is visiting me today to tutor me on Google maps.  He's sent me some great links, but I'm a paper girl, and I like to have those Paris maps in my hand so I can see where people travel to and from through the streets  He's also going to try and get my computer to open the 5?  6?  9?  bootleg albums that he's shared with me.  A Richness of Material!

In the meantime, I thought I'd introduce the members of my team and give you a quick glimpse of how we function together.  It's from my point of view, so take that in as you meet everyone.

So first, the Production Supervisor, Stephen:  Stephen is a community builder in everything he does.  At work (he's a banker)and as the chair of the Lyric Board, his inclusive and collaborative style and his goofy sense of humor make people feel relaxed and welcome.  He is managing our $188,000 budget, as well as all aspects of the overall production and never fails to show his genuine gratitude to our team members for the work that they do.   He is able to juggle human and non-human resources,  details and big picture stuff, in the arenas of both "show" and "business".  He is a supportive cheerleader, a collaborative leader and also has a cute butt!  (PS:  He sleeps with the director!)

Our creative team:  Cheri , Set Design; Tom : Projection Design; Andy , Lighting Design; Lyn , Costume Design; Mary  and Connie , Props Design; Corey , Sound Design and Engineer....To start, I'll pick two:  Cheri and Tom.  So, Cheri is always creative, engaged and effective in her process and final products, but when she gets excited about ideas, I get emails at 5AM saying "I woke up with an idea...".  We've been able to communicate design ideas by email because of our thoroughly discussed vision and Cheri's ability to turn my words into images.  We share an almost uncanny sense of what will work when we want it to work--particularly with the projection images that Cheri is creating.  PRETTY COOL!!  With his years of pre-computer technology lighting and theatre experience,  Tom is the "McGyver" of the production element that I know the least about:  lighting and projections.  He is creative, flexible and willing to explore in order to figure out how to make an idea work.  Invaluable! 

My stage manager, Sean (aka Sean Valsean) was the driving force behind getting this show produced.  He originally WAS the producer, and when Stephen and I came on board he moved to the Stage management position.  Sean has seen Les Mis over 30 times--all around the world.  Let's just say...he's a fan.  Sean is a self described Type A personality, an excellent communicator and holder of the 8,000,000,00 details of our production--including auditions, production elements, names, faces, designs, floorplans, set movement...you name it, Sean knows it.  I have him on speed dial.  I literally would not do any production without Sean--especially this one!  Also, if you are a fan of puns, (both good and bad) Hang out with Sean and Stephen. 

My assistant, Freda has years of stage management experience as well as assistant director credits.  She is a linear, detail-oriented thinker who rarely forgets anything...ever.  We have worked together before and she seems to have developed the ability to read my mind.  She understands my desire for levels, symmetry and logic in stage movement and will often ask exactly the right question, at exactly the right time to unlock a problem.  She also notices when I become language impaired when trying to describe a creative idea and will tell me to "take a minute" or "keep talking".  Freda has already solved the Gavroche issue and the "Empty Chairs" issue in a perfect way!  Am I lucky, or what?!  I'd never do a show without Freda, either.

Our choreographer, Jane first caught my attention as a dancer.  She communicates so beautifully with her body. Breathtaking, really.  We worked together very briefly for a high school production of BATB, and I remember thinking that our styles were similar:  take on the big picture first, then work in toward the details:  refinement, refinement, refinement    I've come to learn that in addition to being a beautiful dancer comfortable with many styles of movement, she is an excellent and demanding teacher (my favorite thing!)  She also has the ability to not only create beautiful patterns with large groups of people, but can SEE what the moving patterns will look like.  AMAZING.  Her work in our production is going to make the show one beautiful, seamless piece.

Martin, our music director, can sometimes appear scary.  Really!  If you don't know him, he appears anything but warm and fuzzy.  I discovered during a production of Titanic that his passion for music and for teaching is a huge part of who he is when he shed tears during our first orchestra rehearsal.  I was deeply moved,  and when the opportunity to be a part of the Les Mis team came up, I asked him to be music director immediately.  I trust him implicitly, and rely on his straightforward style.  Martin is also a fan of beer, so our meetings are really relaxed!  Martin has reached the trifecta of Lyric Productions:  three music directed shows in a row: Oliver, Joseph and now Les Mis...and that doesn't include Titanic, all the shows he's been in, and the shows he's done in Stowe!

So, that is a little bit of who we are...Isn't this an amazing team??
Off we go! T-minus 9 days til auditions...

To the Barricades!
Kelly

The Frenzy begins, and another word about fit....

So, kick-off is in less than two days and, and, and.....I am so psyched, excited, pumped to finally start thinking about real people in these roles! I want so much for people to have information and background specifics that they can work with...we've asked people to make decisions, make choices about the characters and the songs so that they can act them, not just sing them.  Is it best to leave it up to the auditionees or to send some direction their way by including the context/background info of the audition songs?  I lean toward including it, but I also know that not everyone is a visual learner or reader like me.  How can I get the essentials of character circumstances across...and are they even essentials?

 The amount of people who have spoken to me about auditions is--hmmm...not daunting , necessarily, but certainly distracting. It's an un-needed ego trip.  I have to keep reminding myself--and excuse me if this sounds cold-blooded--but, that people know what they are in for when they audition for this show, or any show.  That auditionees know that it's either a "yes" or a "no"; we all hope for a "yes", but have to deal with a "no".  I am usually pretty clear about what I want in auditions and casting, and am decidedly lacking in the warm fuzzy/touchy-feely/"sad I can't cast you, my friend" mind-set.  I want the show that's in my head to come alive and I know what cast will make that happen....nothing less will suffice.  This is why I surround myself with people who are not as "black or white" as I am...I have the final say, but I lean heavily on my team for reality checks and balance.

Sean has a great analogy about blood and casting.  Christina uses a physical analogy with scarves and patterns. How can we help people understand that casting is all about fit, from the lead role to last ensemble player?  I'm a good singer and I've missed out on huge roles--not because I'm without talent but because someone else fit the part better.  I'm hoping we can tame the frenzy a bit tomorrow by speaking calmly about what we are looking for, by reminding people that not everyone is going to make it, and that this is a subjective process.  It doesn't mean you don't have talent!

I must sleep now...
to the Dream Barricades!
Kelly

Sisyphus?

Which long ago hero was it that had to keep pushing the rock up the hill only to have it roll down again?  I think it was Sisyphus.  My preparation is starting to feel like pushing the same rock up an endless hill...at some point, I need real people to see if it works!

...Which is why I am looking forward to Kevin McGwire/Bill Reed's Les Mis lecture this afternoon.  I'd like to hear someone else talk about "it" for a change!  I will not be seeing or hearing any participants, so no one should feel uncomfortable or see this as a pre-audition.  As I said to Freda this morning, I have an insatiable appetite for hearing about the characters in this show, and how to put them together.  I think Mr. McGwire will have some interesting insights into how he played JVJ, and how fellow actors have played other roles. 

I am going to try very hard to keep my mouth shut.  We'll see how that goes!

Kelly

A Little Catching up...and back to Reality.

In 1985, "Me and My Girl" won the Olivier award in London for Musical of the Year and for Robert Lindsay; Best Actor in a Musical.  Both Alun Armstrong and Colm Wilkinson were nominated as actors in a musical, as well as Patti Lupone, best Actress in a Musical for "The Cradle Will Rock" and for "Les Mis".  It's fascinating to read the reviews from that time and the critics response to the show: "over wrought Victorian melodrama", There seemed to be a gap in expectations.  Critics were led to believe that they were going to see a serious historical drama, and instead they got a lot of singing and "lovey-dovey".  Critics were also doubtful of the wisdom in trying to reduce Victor Hugo's literary masterpiece to a 3 hour musical.

One recent review of the 25th Anniversary show caught my eye: "(sic....Put together...)Matt Kinley’s set pieces, all ugly browns and dusty grays; Paule Constable’s brilliant, almost soul-piercing lighting; and Andreane Neofitou’s raggedy costumes. They combine to create an aesthetic unique to musical theater: street-dirty but, barely visible through the cracks, pulsing with the light of God."  Ahhhh...that sounds about right! (from Jason Kehe, Senior Arts Writer USC).

I watched the 10th anniversary concert version last night, and was struck by how un-embellished the show was back then--especially compared to the 25th Anniversary tour, with it's pyrotechnics and dazzling scenic technology.  One of the reasons I looked back at the Olivier awards from 1985 was to see what other theatre was being seen, and what it was like.  Was it fluffy?  Serious?  Dance-y?  I know audiences ended up flocking to see Les Mis, and wondered what was it's competitor.

It also makes me wonder again about where the power of this show comes from....yes, the production elements are powerful and evocative--whether the turntable from 1985 or the projected images from 2012, but even watching the concert version from 1985, and hearing the singers simply sing:  Still breathtaking. 

Vacation ends tomorrow, and we will be heading back to the frozen north.  We are sore from golf, tennis, and daily workouts at the gym; captivated by the FST Cabaret production we saw in Sarasota, completely enamored of the sun and many local beaches, 10 pounds heavier than when we first arrived from the excellent meals of grouper and steak; and overdosed on fruity adult beverages with umbrellas!  The action will begin as soon as we get home with meetings, blocking work and kick-off coming at us like a train!  I can't say that vacation has cleared my head--if anything, it's made my list of things to do longer and more involved than when I first got here.  Honestly, the ride home will give me many hours of time to work... many, many hours...like 24 hours total!

To the Barricades!
Kelly

The novel again...and a sandy score

I'm reading and re-reading sections of the novel again.  I'm flagging the sections that have been adapted/translated into songs...It's really amazing how much it enriches my understanding of the characters and their ...urgency?  is that the word?  The stakes are very high for everyone all the time!  Kate saw a production of Les Mis for the first time last weekend and after her first flurry of notes, her main comment was that the production lacked urgency, that it seemed that JVJ was just moving from one spot to another because he had blocking.  That is definitely an element that needs to be built in, and IF we have actors who are clear about what they want and are in the process of solving a particular problem each moment they are on stage...then that urgency, that immediacy will be present.  This goes back to my discussion with Bill about each individual actor needing to be clear on what they are doing EVERY SINGLE MOMENT.  The DOING and EVERY MOMENT are the key ideas.  It's a process that unfolds on stage...there is a desire or a want, backed up by the characters backstory (created by the actor), and on stage is where we see the actor working out the action of getting what he wants. What does he want? How is he going to get it?  What stands in his way?  How much does he want it?  Where has he just come from?  Where is he going?  What just happened to him?This specificity is what creates the a vibrant piece of story telling. 

I am going through the script, score and novel and finding language to describe each character's wants.  I'm also digging for specific factual info so that actors can create backstories with as much detail as possible--especially the ensemble.  The ensemble is a character, too--sometimes with one giant voice , sometimes with several individual voices.  It doesn't mean that each member has to act the same of have the same want, in fact, having different details will make the scenes, songs and ensemble work that much more interesting. 

Did I mention that we are on vacation?  and that I'm doing a lot of this work on the beach?  I really do have sand in my script. 

To the Beach!