Ramblings of a Frustrated Vice Principal

Not long ago I would have predicted that the entry I would make to this blog after the show closed at on 2/6 would have been my final entry.  I would have written a neat little piece and tied it all up with a tight bow of praise and thanks to all.  But...Spelling Bee lives on!  Who'd a thunk it?!

Yup... we've been extended to July 14; I will duly adjust the countdown clock on the website page to reflect our extended life.

But, but, but... in reality, our nightly times together are, indeed, over.  Not at all a time for sadness--well, okay, perhaps a smidge--but rather for joy in many things:  a terrific show, wonderful new friendships, enjoying old friends, and the great satisfaction of doing what we all set out to do.  We put on the best show we could--and man oh man could we put on the best show!

The result was truly a project that was greater than the sum of its parts: a total collective pool of amazing talents on stage and off.  What a great ride...and the bonus: we've grabbed a brass ring that lets us do it one more time.  Woot!  -JPZ

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Well, it's Friday morning... the morning of the start of our second and final weekend of our Spelling Bee.  I'm hoping Mr. Adrenaline shows up at around 7p tonight--I'm sure he will; he always does. Big crowds are expected, I know, based on the show's reception last weekend. Word gets out quickly that this is a goody.

On a personal note, there were four people in the audience last Saturday night who came to see the show because they knew I was in it.  And as it's not hard to imagine, these people were theater people.  They were from a theater group up in Dover that I happened to have worked with in the past.  They had never been to Possum Hall, and I did not see them in the audience during the show.  It was during our "snack break" that Fior told me they were there.

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Well, it's Saturday morning after opening night.  What a great feeling!  It was a terrific show last night--it felt wonderful to finally have a big crowd out there laughing at all the stuff that we hoped was funny!  It was.  Whew!

Not that they could help it: the show is a set of nine sharply drawn characters that the audience can't help but quickly know and quickly like.  But it's not just the characters, of course, but the production.  All the elements from tech, to music, to set, to costumes, to staging and dance.  This is a true ensemble piece of much more than the nine actors on stage.  The show really...popped!

The only thing that's missing--for me, at least--is the after-show "post mortem."  I can't help feeling a bit...I don't know, empty is too strong a word, and alone is just too dramatic.  But when the show is over and I walk to my car as if my shift just ended it's just too abrupt for me.  I know some people are drained and exhausted after a performance, but I usually still feel energized.  And I'm usually hungry.

I come from a community theater tradition where after every performance, most--or at least some--of the show people gather at a favorite restaurant or other friendly local spot, have a drink or two and a bite to eat, unwind and dissect that night's show--and each other.  Not quite as "formal" as a cast party, in fact a decidedly informal affair.  No big expense necessary--a soda and a slice of pizza, or just one beer perhaps.  The important thing was unwinding together.

That time was always filled with inside jokes and loud laughter at our own missteps and misspeaks.  It was the time where local theater stories were groomed into legends which would forevermore be repeated time and time again whenever we'd chance to be together in some other show.  It was where new people would hear about the veteran performers who aren't around anymore.  It was a chance for young and old to mix and enjoy each other in a social setting where the glue is the common love of community theater.

Laurence Olivier famously said that his favorite part of any performance was the drink after the show.  He might not have meant it the way I mean it, unless he was referring to that special late-night-tired-but-still-excited-and-hungry time I bet most of us feel after the lobby clears and our costumes are hung back on the rack.

To me, any production not capped off with a few heady portions of cast-and-crew time is missing the biggest and strongest personal memory-maker of them all.  And the local theater community as a whole is missing an opportunity to deepen those ties that bind us all offstage as well as onstage that carry us into the next show.

I'll admit that a play without socializing often seems to me more work than play.  It's good that most of us love the work--and don't get me wrong:  I  love the work--or we wouldn't be crazy enough to commit ourselves to the many weeks it takes to do it right.  But for me, the play's the thing. --JPZ

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Well, here comes tech week...and opening night is just seven days away.  Yow!  Five more times before we do this thing for people who have paid $20 each to see it. Pressure?  Nah!  If anything, the danger at this point is to be over-confident; over-rehearsed.  But I think that adding tech and costumes and makeup will add that edge to our performances enough so that we'll be at our best next Friday night... and we'll stay that way for the run!  Point some bright, hot lights at us and watch us shine!!

Our Tuesday night Pizza Palace event after rehearsal was very nice... sorry that Director Jim misunderstood the plan and missed it.  And I'm rather sorry we didn't all sit at one big table so that we would all be on the same page of the conversation--not that I didn't have a nice time, mind you, but we could all benefit from a little cast bonding right about now, I'm sure.  Laurence Olivier said that his favorite part of any performance was the drink afterwards.  I wouldn't got that far, perhaps, but I do appreciate being off stage with folks I know from playing together on stage.

Here's my plan:  I'll be relaxing and enjoying myself tonight and tomorrow night away from Possum Hall, and then I plan to really enjoy myself the next time I'm sitting at that table with my hand hovering above that bell.  Here we go!!  -JPZ

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Wow!   A welcome three days this weekend.  When a director cuts a scheduled rehearsal (and doesn't make up a cancelled one) it can only mean one thing:  We've got ourselves a terrific show!  But, of course, we knew that, didn't we?!

I plan to use the time off to let this little head cold of mine leave the stage.  Ugh!  While I did appreciate the cold pill's ability to keep my head rather clear for last night's rehearsal, I did NOT appreciate that same pill keeping my eyes open while I was supposed to be sleeping.  I will redeem my lost sleep somehow in the next 48 hours.  Bet on it.

My wife, Fior--or The Lovely Fior as she is known to many--made her first appearance at rehearsal last night.  And yes, I did use that "Honey those jeans DO make you look fat" line on her as she was at the microphone.  I was testing myself to see if I could say those lines with a straight face.  (At least that's how I explained it to her when we got home!)  But I dinged her out rather early so that she could see most of the show from the seats...and she loved it! 

My goal for the weekend (when I'm not sleeping, that is) is to smooth out my audience volunteer work.  Director Jim gives me that same note each time--I love you, Jim--and deservedly so.  I can feel the awkwardness as I stumble and bumble with picking a word for the next volunteer and I know it's noticable and it interrupts the otherwise-smooth flow of the action.  Well, I have a plan and I'll try it out on Monday. But until then...

Rest up, everyone!  Enjoy the time off because when we return we'll be really getting into it.  We open TWO WEEKS FROM TONIGHT!!!  --JPZ

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I've been in many shows, but I've never got the chance to write any of my own lines before.  What a kick that has been!  From the beginning I knew I had to come up with a little something for my character's "meltdown" rant.  And thus was born the "half-eaten box of Pop Tarts and a cat named Buddy" bit.

But when I realized that the script and all its "suggestions" offered me nothing in the way of easy to spell words nor their requisite definitions and sentences, I knew I had to get creative again.  So "ornament," "menu," "garden," "video," and others became part of the show.  After that I decided I wouldn't be limited to the suggested difficult words and definitions either, so I came up with new words, definitions and sentences for those as well.  Borborygmus, anyone?

When Abby Toomey asked me to come up with some Logainne rant material, I quickly jumped at the chance to write in another character's voice.  To hear Abby's perfect readings last night was too much!  It wasn't so much hearing my words as it was Abby's interpretation and delivery.  What a hoot!

I spent a little time this morning writing some short, audience volunteer introductions for Leslie to use when Rona calls audience people to the microphone.  During our last Act I run Leslie said she was out of ideas and I quickly came up with the "...insists that is her natural hair color" line.  That seemed to work well, so I came up with a bunch more so she'll have plenty of (hopefully) funny things to say.

There aren't many shows--or ANY shows--that allow such flexibility in the script.  And for me, writing lines to be spoken in the play has become a little unexpected pleasure to add to the great pleasure I have playing our frustrated vice principal. -- JPZ

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Well, last night was the first rehearsal with some "audience members."  And, YIKES!  Talk about confusion.  I really didn't know my ass from my elbow...and thank you, Leslie for keepimg me as on track as much as you did.  OY!

So today I locked myself away for a couple of hours with the script taped to my forehead.  It took awhile, but I finally heard it.  Ding! Ding! Ding!  I finally understood the order of things  Easy words, hard words, sitting, dinging... YAY!  It made sense.  And I wrote it all down so that I don't forget.  Now I'm looking forward for my second shot at those volunteers. 

And tonight's rehearsal of Act II... it was a real pleasure to be able to sit at the table and watch and listen to those wonderful performances.  What a show! -- JPZ

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Goodbye! As in Goodbye 2010!  We had our final rehearsal of the year last night and while, yes, we do have lots of work to do, I can tell--and I'm sure you can, too--that our little show is cookin'!  Not quite smokin' yet, but definitely heating up.

The video clips I added today from last Wednesday night's rehearsal (taken by my son--thanks, Jim Zinzi!) let's us see the final product just starting to poke its little head out from between the curtains and start to smile.  You may groan a bit at the rather crude staging and wince a bit at the tentative singing, but hey--this is what the rehearsal process is all about!

The next weeks will be lots of fun and we'll all take pleasure in watching (and hearing) things lock into place.  Hurray for us!  Happy New Year!  -- JPZ

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What a great rehearsal last night!  I thought it was very productive--actually running a big chunk of the show over and over...yes, repetition is indeed our friend!  I took a look at the remaining rehearsal calendar... five nights a week for four weeks in January!  This is going to be one tight, polished show by opening night! Yay!

Happy Birthday today to Hunter, and Merry Christmas to one and all!  -JPZ

PS:  I'll have the latest pics and vids up on the site later today.

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I just got home a little while ago from our abbreviated blocking rehearsal and I gotta tell ya: BIG LIKE on the "Magic Foot" number!  Hunter, it's terrific!  And things really heat up hot hot hot when the spellers (and Mitch!) hop down from their seats and join in. You guys must have spent some heavy duty dance time getting those moves because with five weeks to go, it really does look great.

People have been asking me what this show is about--many think it's a show with kids and I have to explain this is a show for adults with an all-adult cast some of whom play tweenagers.  I tell them it's like A Chorus Line -- different personalities find themselves in the same place at the same time with the same goal in mind.  And like in A Chorus Line, each person (well, almost each person ;) has his or her own song that exposes and explains that person's life issues.  And we love them all for it.

We're in for a busy January ahead... lots of hard work for us all to tune this thing up and make it the wonderful show it will be.  Yay Team Bee! 

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