Much has happened since my last update. The cast is done with their music rehearsals and I have returned to record blocking. Although, I wasn't very focused tonight because I got a call right when rehearsal started from some women who said I won a three day/two night trip to the Bahamas or some shit. Mike and I have to go to some thing Saturday morning and I think they are going to try to sell us some really expensive cookware. Soooo... I'm not sure how good the deal is. We'll have to see.
Anyway. Hifi. It's begun, my friends and there's no stopping us.
Scott showed us computer generated pictures of the set-to-be. It really looks fantastic. Nothing extravagant (from what I hear and read from the reviews of the New York production... people kept pointing out how beautiful the set changes were... wtf?). High Fidelity shouldn't get an outrageous set. It doesn't need one. The show itself is so well written that the audience doesn't need huge clues pointing to where and why the characters are there. And sometimes, setting doesn't matter. Some of the scenes are pure fantasy or memories and flashbacks. It's so much more real to place them in a set that doesn't really define a specific location. For example, one scene is supposed to be set in a gym. The scene could take place anywhere. They could be waiting for the subway or having a cup of coffee. If you have a memory of something, something that you care more about what happened than where you were, you aren't necessarily going to remember the setting. You'll remember what was said, what action is taking place. And I think that our set will be more successful at grasping that idea by playing it down.
David and Jeff are great set designers. Everything is going to be mobile (whoo!) and they've incorporated a really cool idea that reflects the theme of the show and it will distinguish the main settings without overdoing it. Also, I LOVE how they recycle the set pieces. In one scene it's one thing, in the next it's something else. They did this for Assassins and I thought it was so efficient.
I made up a prop list which Scott quickly sliced up... Neatly and effortlessly... kind of like a sushi chef. He hates props and tries to go with the absolute minimum, so I knew there was a lot of stuff on there that we didn't actually need. Thank god. Nothing too outrageous (like 7 real guns that I have to clean every night :0) ) ... except for some banana pakora. Damn you, Ian and your weird ass Indian food.
Amy (the costume designer) has been in and out... doing her thing... ... ummmm...
Yeah. That's about it for the tech stuff, I think.
I'm still needing to get the rest of my stage managing stuff together. I need to do this soon... Work is kicking my ass and I've been recruited as the light board op for Hydeware's Caucasian Chalk Circle (by the way, go see it! Margeau is in it! And it's funny!). But sometime this week, I'm going to get all that stuff together. I was so organized for Sex, Drugs...
And returning to the Ivory with another company has been a bit weird. I couldn't help but feel lost and kind of sad without my New Line family. There is a stage manager, Jamie, who calls the show... so I get to play Brain Age on my Nintendo DS for two hours. Not at all like New Line shows where I have to be fully involved (and focused) on the production. Some advice to theatre companies - if you want to save money, make your stage manager run the light board. It is possible. You get rid of the middle man. If you don't tour and you don't have a trillion things happening during a production... it really makes it less complicated. At least, that's how I see it. I don't think anyone else in St. Louis does it New Line's way... Oh well.
We've had a couple dance rehearsals. Robin's choreography kicks ass. Recording blocking for the dances can get quite complicated but I'm sure it will be utilized. Katie groped Jeff's balls last Sunday at a dance rehearsal. That was fun. To watch. I mean... crap.
I'm kidding. I had to mention that and embarrass Katie even further. She kept wincing every time she had to "pet" Jeff with the other girls. Come on, Katie. It's not like you've never felt balls before... jeez.
But it's been great fun! Stay tuned for Round Two of my game! Whooooooo!!
-Trish
I'm proposing a game.
But I'm going to need your help.
A couple times a week, I'm going to post a topic or a question. The object of the game is to leave a comment with a song that would answer that specific question.
I think it will make more sense once we get started. I'd love to give away prizes but I have no idea how I would do that.
Ok. Are you ready??
In honor of our lovely little earthquake this morning, name a song that is either about or contains a natural disaster...
Don't be shy. It will be fun!
Here, I'll start. Bob Dylan's "Black Diamond Bay" - That contains everything from storm clouds to lightning to a volcano erupting.
Your turn!
-Trish
Ok. So... Welcome to my HiFi blog! I'm the stage manager and I updated my bio a little bit ago... That's on the ... left ... side of this page (I think). In the spirit of High Fidelity, I've also added some google "gadgets" (they sounded a lot more fun than they actually are...). But, they are also on the ... left... side of the blog. I added a lyrics search and also a little thingy that brings up new releases in the music world.
I've also added links to the six other bloggers. Check them out. I'm pretty sure their blogs will kick my blog's ass.
I thought I had a cool idea when I was going to include top five songs every post about random topics but Katie beat me to it.
Then I thought about taking really funny pictures with my camera phone... but that's just lame ... and Katie has a camcorder and she has some amazing software to put together cool clips...
So screw that.
What else do I have to offer my wonderful blog audience?
Well, I am the only technical person blogging. So, I'll give you all I can give about the technical side of HiFi.
... and steal the cassette tape feature off everyone else's page... because that is such a kick ass feature.
I have been addicted to music since I bought my own computer with babysitting money when I was fourteen. My older brother is (or was...) the piracy music KING. He even has a t-shirt that says, "Sharing is Caring, Fuck the RIAA." I think the torch was passed on to my little brother who has meticulously downloaded every single eighties song ever recorded. Well, they've taught me a lot. And I have to admit, it is a hobby of mine and I do have about 12,000 songs on my computer - all neatly organized in their own folder by artist - but let me tell you something... it's the only way I have mastered the art of making mix CDs... or tapes... with my generation it's been CDs and mp3 playlists on the Ipod... that's the newest form of mixing now.
How about THAT for a run on sentence?
I love making mix CDs (Well... it's been playlists recently because my phone doubles as an mp3 player). There is definitely an art behind it. Maybe I should dig up some of my favorites and post them up here. That would be fun. I'll have to find some of them.
Meanwhile, go to www.artofthemix.org and take a look at some mix CDs that other people have submitted. You can even search a category. The site runs kind of slow. Go to "Find a Mix," wait two hours for the page to load, then click on "Search" and you'll be allowed to search for... let's say... a really cool mix for road trips. Or a break-up mix. Or a mix with all techno music.
Man, I wish the site worked better. It really is cool if you don't keep getting the system error messages.
Anyway, while the rest of the cast learns their music... I'm getting together my stage manager kit/book bag thing. Yeah, I've actually decided to be prepared for this show... More on that later.
I'm going to go clean my apartment and find some of my old mixes but I'll leave you with five songs that I love, not my favorite, I love too much to pick five all-time favorites, but this is a sampling of what I'm listening in my car right now. Enjoy.
Peace out,
Trish the SM
Top 5 Most Recent Songs Played On My Mp3 Player
1. Edgar Winter Group - Free Ride (Man, I love this song.)
2. Blue Man Group - Rods and Cones (I go eighty-five on the highway to this song...)
3. Reel Big Fish - Beer (I'm a Ska freak. I love these guys... saw them live last summer. I wish they had some other songs. I would have put on "New Version of You", "Party Down", or some older stuff... they also have a really mean version of Phil Collin's "Another Day in Paradise")
4. Tears for Fears - Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Yeah. You can start making fun of me now.)
5. Bob Marley - Jammin' (Nothing completes a mix better than some feel-good-Marley-music.
What would the soundtrack to your life sound like?
Here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc).
2. Put it on shuffle.
3. Press play.
4. For every question, type the song that's playing.
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button.
6. Don't lie and try to pretend your cool.
This will be interesting. I have like over 12,000 audio files on my computer.
OPENING CREDITS: Mr. Music Master - Artie Bernstein
WAKING UP: Surrender - Evanescence
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL: Rickover's Dream - Michael Hedges
FIGHT SONG: Sleeping With the Television On - Billy Joel
BREAKING UP: Could I Be You - Matchbox 20
PROM: You & I Promise - Howie Day
LIFE: Castles Made of Sand - Jimi Hendrix
MENTAL BREAKDOWN: Spade - Marilyn Manson
DRIVING: A Fine Romance - Fred Astaire
FLASHBACK: Living With a Hernia - Weird Al Yankovic
GETTING BACK TOGETHER: Advice for the Young At Heart - Tears for Fears
WEDDING: I've Got My Mind Set On You - George Harrison
BIRTH OF CHILD: King Herod's Song - Jesus Christ Superstar
FINAL BATTLE: Addicted - Simple Plan
DEATH SCENE: Ordinary World - Duran Duran
FUNERAL SONG: Burn - Usher
END CREDITS: Sweet Little Rock and Roller - Chuck Berry
Wow. That's one messed up soundtrack.
