From the Desk of the Sound Designer, Part 2

The sound designer for Take Me Out, Curtis Craig, had originally sent some samples of music for the show to be posted with his comments on yesterday's blog entry. But due to some minor technical difficulties, we weren't able to get them posted.

But rest assured, we have all those pesky difficulties worked out and are able to offer you two samples of original music from the show...

Listen to sound clip #1

Listen to sound clip #2

From the Desk of the Sound Designer...

Hmm, first of all, what exactly is a sound designer? My mom has been asking me that for years......I first got thru to her when I said “Think about Jaws -- that shark isn’t very scary when you see a picture is it? Now add the music and the sounds? Scary, huh.”

Simply, the sound designer is the person responsible for the entire aural environment of a show. Every single sound you hear in the theatre has been built by a sound designer, from the raw materials of musical instruments and sound effects. Chances are that if you glance in the theatre during technical rehearsals, there will be two people out in the house sitting behind the glow of monitors, the lighting and sound designers building their designs for the show.

So what about Take Me Out? Well, there are a couple of sound cues. Actually, a lot of sound cues; some are musical in nature, some are environmental, and some are purely practical. All of them were tremendously fun to design, build, and implement, each with its own challenges. In addition to all of the practical effects in the show (bats cracking, crowd cheering, etc) there is a considerable amount of underscoring to help clarify and intensify the dramatic moments of the show. Characters have their own individual styles and types of music associated with them; hopefully the sound design helps to clarify the non-linear style of this play. While I was writing the music for the play, I tried to help tell the story -- you’ll have to listen to the show to tell me if it was successful.

A show like Take Me Out the work is in the details of being at the ballpark -- think of how subtly different each crowd reaction is in a baseball game. Creating the environment of the ballpark has so many levels -- the crowd, the vendors, the players, the organ. Each is needed to fully realize the entire experience, and so designing a sequence means creating each of these layers, and then marking them sound as realistic as possible. Add these environments to the music of the show, and you have an idea of the job of a sound designer.

I love working for WaterTower, great directors, technicians, actors, and musicians make designing there an incredibly rewarding experience, and that keeps me coming back. Through the years I have watched WaterTower and seen the theater, its productions, and the production values steadily improve and grow. Great production values mean something, and Watertower and the city of Addison are consistently committed to pushing those values higher.

Even moving half way across the country hasn’t kept me from designing at WaterTower, I make the trip down to Addison as often as I can. Take Me Out is my 28th sound design for WaterTower, and I’m looking forward now to sound and media designing for an innovative new production of Into The Woods.

A designers work is never done, but, unfortunately, my work on Take Me Out is. I’m writing this note from a technical rehearsal for another production I’m designing in Pennsylvania, but my thoughts are still there with the Empires.

-Curtis

Curtis Craig (Sound Designer, Take Me Out) heads the sound design program in the School of Theatre at Penn State University.

Set the Stage & Light the Lights...

It’s opening night! I can’t believe we started rehearsal just 2 ½ weeks ago.

During rehearsal, as a director, my job is to lead and inspire the actors, designers and technicians to bring to life the playwright’s words. By opening night, my work is done. It’s time for the production to stand on it’s own, without my support. It’s kind of like raising a child; you hope you do all the right things, say all the right things, but when it’s time for the child to stand on it’s own, you must let it go and hope that you’ve been a positive influence and that it leads a successful and productive life. So, as of today, the child is grown and it's time for it to go out there and be all it can be.

Tonight I turn the production over to the cast, crew, and most importantly, the audience. People are often surprised when they find out that the director is not part of the day-to-day running of a play after opening night. The stage manager is put in charge of running the show and making sure that all aspects of the production remain consistent through out the run. As much as I have enjoyed this process, I am really looking forward to some time away from the theatre at home with my son and my TiVo. =)

Many thanks to everyone who has worked so hard on this show; Michael S for a great set design, Susan W for her spectacularly beautiful lighting, Curtis C for the awesome sound design, Costumer Michael R for those awesome uniforms, Mark O for his guidance and insight into baseball, Scott, Jason and the build crew for ….everything, Stage Manager Jeff F and the backstage crew for keeping it all running so smoothly, and finally to my actors for their courage and talent. No show is possible without the dedication and support you have all brought to the process of putting Take Me Out together.

So, ready set, go! Let’s hope for a home run! We’ll keep our fingers crossed and hope that all the lights, the plumbing (for the showers), and the sound cues work on time and that the play works as well before an audience as it seemed to without one. All that work, and then after four short weeks it’s gone. It kind of makes me depressed. But not for long; in a month or so, we’ll be in pre-production for Man of La Mancha and we start all over again.

Ah, life in the theatre…gotta love it.

Terry Martin
WTT's Producing Artistic Director & Director of Take Me Out

Don't just read about the show, experience it live!

Just a quick plug from the box office... tickets are still available for all performances of Take Me Out. I know that everyone who has contributed to the blog would love to see you at the theatre! To purchase tickets, just call our box office directly at 972.450.6232. Or you can purchase tickets through WTT's main website.

And to help sweeten the pot, we'll give a $5 discount on single tickets to readers who ask for The Drip Discount. All that, just for being a loyal reader of The Drip.

See you at the theatre!

Strike One, Strike Two...

Most shows today require some sort of fight choreography. Sometimes a fight sequence is extensive (especially if you are needing swordplay, a fistfight, or anything involving knives), while other times it is relatively minor. Take Me Out contains one very brief sequence that would qualify as fight choreography. To help the actors and director, we brought in Stacey Oristano, who is a certified fight instructor, to take a look at the sequence to gauge safety and believability.

Stacey writes: "I received my Stage Combat License while in College in London. I am certified by the BADC (British Academy of Dramatic Combat.) Some people who choreograph in America are certified by the IFDG, but besides some basic language barriers, the principals are the same no matter where you are. In a stage fight the person who drives the action, and has the most control, is actually the person getting hurt, or taking the blow (punch, kick, slap…). Of course this means that the control can change indefinitely in the course of any fight.

The number one rule is safety, first of your partner and then of yourself. It is the actors job to protect each other and keep the action at a safe rhythm that will be set in the rehearsal process. We, as choreographers, are taught in school that a fight should not look completely real. We have to stay true to the story, but at the same time the audience should never REALLY fear for actors on stage. They may fear for the CHARACTER, but never for the actor himself. So if a true fight is at 100% a stage fight will lay somewhere between 75 and 80%.

What you see in the picture (at left) is just a minor scrapple between two ball players. Darren (played by Butch) grabs Shane (played by Clay) and they struggle for a bit. Clay really drives this sequence since the action is happening to him. He actually wraps Butch’s arms around himself, but has to make it seem that Butch is the aggressor. And Butch, while letting Clay grab his arms, has to act as though the action is physically his idea. A truly fantastic stage fight takes great actors who are in good physical shape. They should run the fight sequence twice before any performance, at fight call, and address any safety or staging issues they are having with the fight captain (who ideally should be someone who is trained, but not actually involved in the fight.)"

Sneak Peeks...

At dress rehearsal last night, we took publicity shots of the show. Here's a first peek at what the show looks like visually.

The neverending cycle...

Initial design concept for Into the Woods.

Even though we are opening Take Me Out in two days, we are already hard at work on the next show. We asked Clare Floyd DeVries, the scenic designer for Into the Woods, to fill us in on how the early stages of the design process are going.

Clare writes, "Shows start early. The director and other designers and I have been talking for months about the setting for Into the Woods. Our goal is projected scenery –more like video or animation than like a conventional “built” set.

The first step was to experiment with a powerful projector. An hour spent on the third story lighting bridge (as it swaaaayed!) taught us how big an image we could project. Next came creating images to project. This meant research, sketches, some changes, and snap-shots of bread. Once the design was approved, I made a starter set of images and storyboards. The computer wizards will tweak and add to these until it all ends up digitally projected. It’s a very collaborative effort.

But the show’s environment won’t end with projections. Some pieces must still be built. (“Real” tables work better than illusionary ones, for instance.) The lighting designer must create lighting for actors that dovetails with both real and projected scenery. The sound designer will add his part.

So - right this minute - the computer wizards are doing something wizardly, the lighting and sound designers are gathering ideas, and I’m doing construction drawings for built stuff like Rapunzel’s Tower, Cindy’s Mom’s Haunted Tree, and the Baker’s table… because the set carpenters start early too."

An Actor's Perspective: Ted Wold (Part 2)

We've gotten to crunch time, with the show opening in three days. Last night was the first dress rehearsal--with costumes, lights and props added for the first time. It's still a little like mixing cement with my eyelashes--how can I get this by Friday. But the process is working, and more and more the product of the hard work becomes apparent. We are at the point of focusing on the scenes, blocking, tech points that need fixing/fine tuning. We have a rehearsal today to run those things. Then the dress rehearsal tonight. We will get there...

Your comments are welcome...

One suprising thing about doing this blog is the very few comments we have received to particular posts. The purpose of this post is very simple. It's an invitation to everyone who reads to respond. Just click on the "comments" section to post your comment (remember to keep it clean and respectful). I do my best to check the comments regularly and respond back when possible.

We are five days away from opening night, so postings may be a bit scarce this week. But I will try to keep everyone involved and working on keeping you up-to-date.

More soon.

Here Comes Tech Rehearsal...

This weekend we begin tech rehearsals for Take Me Out. For those who don’t know, tech rehearsals are where all the technical elements of a show – set (and, in this show’s case, plumbing), lighting, sound, props, and costumes – come together to build the finished product that the audiences see.

It sounds crazy to most non-theatre folks, but our tech week begins with a 10 of 12 rehearsal on the Sunday before we open – this means that everyone’s called for a 12 hour period (for us, it’s always 11am-11pm), with a 2 hour dinner break within those hours. It’s a loooong day, but so much gets accomplished to start the week off right. We begin the day with a cue to cue, where all the technical cues are plugged into the show. This is an exciting time for the actors, (she writes, with an edge of sarcasm), who get to stand around onstage in their places and jump through the script, only saying their lines that are the stage manager’s cues for taking the technical cues. More often than not, we’ll run a cue several times before moving on – a great chance to test the actors’ knowledge of their lines. (A stage manager’s main job, in case you don’t know, is to “call” the show – basically telling the board operators and crew what cues to take and when. It’s a great job, and I love it very much, but when you have a crew that’s as good as the one we’ve got, sometimes I feel like I could run out for a cup of coffee and the show wouldn’t miss a beat.)

After the cue to cue, if time permits, we go back and do a run-through of the show, where the actors finally get to work through the whole show with tech. Sometimes, if we’re feeling wild and crazy, we’ll even start adding costumes at this point. This tech run-through is our first chance to see the show start to come together into what you, the audience, end up seeing. Of course, many elements change and get tweaked throughout tech week, (sometimes all the way up until opening night), but as it stands, this is when the show really starts to come together…

Heidi Shen

WTT's Production Stage Manager

An Actor's Perspective: Christopher Illing

After the first week in rehearsal, I am floored by two things. The first is how open Terry is in the rehearsal room. He has really allowed me the freedom to stink up the stage looking for Kippy while giving me really solid notes and ideas to use as guideposts in my time away from rehearsal. Having never worked with him before, his immediate trust and faith in me is inspiring and makes the terrifying process of leaving part of yourself behind to discover another part of you really comforting. The second thing I am floored by is the cast. A group of guys so brave, so talented, so easy to work with and so immediately like a team it makes me really believe that there is a major element to this show that is so necessary to theatre.

Christopher Illing
Kippy in Take Me Out

Progress Report: Take Me Out Set

It's been about a week since we last checked in on how the set was coming along for Take Me Out. This picture is the set as of about 2:00 PM today.

A few of the changes to notice include:

• The addition of a few extra feet onto the front of the platform.
  

• The addition of the shower area in the center of the set.

• The base coat of paint on the upper levels of the platform.

Lighting hang for the show began yesterday and will continue through today. I can't underestimate the difference in what a set looks like under stage lights compared with everyday work lights. The difference in increadible. I'll post some pictures of the set under stage lighting early next week.

An Actor's Perspective: Lanny Joon

The experience here at WaterTower has been a tremendous week of great energy and great talent. The work that is brought to the table by the actors gives this play a unique quality, which shapes character into this fantastic play. Our director gives us the artistic freedom to explore all our realms, and yet still has his distinct, clear choices, which doesn't conflict with ours. Being an actor in NYC these past 4 years, I have come to realize that finding a group of people that work so well together, like this cast, is very difficult to come by now a days. We have been rehearsing for about a week now and I have never seen a rehearsal period move so quickly and efficiently ever in my career. I am just so happy and thankful that I have been allowed to join this great cast, because I am having one heck of a time.

Lanny Joon
Kawabata in Take Me Out

Rehearsal Report: From the Director

Sorry for the lack of posts — things have definitely been busy as we’re really in the full swing of things now. We just finished our first week of rehearsals and I can honestly say I’m more excited about this play than ever.

On Sunday evening, we ran the entire show on the set for our designers, and it went surprisingly well for the first time through.

I was initially concerned about how to approach the nudity required in the shower scene during the rehearsal process. When should we start the nudity? How do I ask for the nudity the first time? Should it be gradual or should we just go “full monty” all at once? Thankfully, my actors lead by Tim Davis decided to “go for it” in a blocking rehearsal early last week. With that out of the way, we were able to get over the uncomfortable part of the nudity and get down to really working on the shower scene. Thanks guys! I really appreciate your courage and spirit.

Now that the whole show is blocked, we can get down to working on the show. This week we’ll work on each act individually and then late in the week put the whole show together again for a final run through or two before we start technical rehearsals this weekend.

I spent some time on the phone today with Curtis Craig, our sound designer, discussing the sound aspect of the show. I was relieved to hear that we were already on the same page with regard to the tone of the show and that rock music and “stadium anthems” will definitely be a part of the final sound design. In addition, we discussed the challenge of creating through sound the many baseball game scenes in the show, from the sound effects of hits and pitches; to crowd cheers and jeers.

More later.

Terry Martin
WTT's Producing Artistic Director & Director of Take Me Out

Fun Outside of Rehearsal

This past weekend, some cast members of Take Me Out decided to check out Taste Addison, the annual food festival that is sponsered by the Town of Addison's Special Events. They had a great time sampling the food, exploring the carnival and seeing everything the festival had to offer. It was especially fun for our out-of-town guests Timothy Davis, Christopher Illing and Lanny Joon to experience Taste Addison for the very first time. This year at Taste Addison, there was a rock climbing wall. The cast decided they just had to get to the top. Luckily, WTT Resident Stage Manager Heidi Shen was close by with her camera ready to get some shots of how the cast has fun outside of rehearsal.

Timothy Davis & Christopher Illing race to the top.



















Cast members Clay Yocum, Adam Coggins & Lanny Joon watch from the ground.











Cast member & WTT carpenter Adam Coggins would rather swing than climb.

From the Desk of the Lighting Designer...

After just one week of rehearsal, the cast performed a run-through for the designers on Sunday night. The light plot was completed yesterday and today (Tuesday, May 16) we begin to hang lights over the stage. On Friday we will focus them; on Saturday I write the preliminary cues; and Sunday we begin the week-long tech process. This is an exciting and challenging time for me. This script requires multiple locations, times of day, and even "limbo" spaces where actors deliver narrative monologs. The set and stage space itself have a big impact on my work. To create the "ball park" location for certain scenes, we are renting fixtures that are like actual stadium lights (on a slightly smaller scale). I hope that everyone will come out to see the product of all our efforts on this one. It stands to be quite an intellectually stimulating and amusingly entertaining evening in the theatre.

Susan A. White
Lighting Designer
Susan designed lights for WTT's productions of Dinner with Friends and It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues.

Baseball & Theatre

Mark Oristano, whom you may remember as Senator Fipp in our production of Urinetown last January, is serving in an unusual position on the upcoming Take Me Out. He is listed as a Baseball Consultant, but what he is really doing is sharing his experiences and expertise from a 30 year career as a sportcaster in the region with the cast to help authenticate their performances.

Mark had his first rehearsal with the cast this past weekend, and we've asked him to share some of his observations from trying to make actors look like professional ball players.

Mark writes, "Actors and athletes have some things in common. We both perform in front of somewhat judgmental crowds. We both work to perfect physical moves, practicing them over and over until they look like second nature. And we both make huge amounts of money. (Well, two out of three ain't bad!)

The cast of TAKE ME OUT is, for the most part, a very physically fit bunch, with some good sports backgrounds. As I have a foot in both the sports and theatre worlds, (after 30 years as a sportscaster in Dallas and 22 years as a professional actor) it's my job to make the physicality of TAKE ME OUT at least resemble Major League Baseball.

Basic moves may seem subtle. But take pitching. I've to work with both Clay Yocum and Lanny Joon to get them to understand the way the arms have to rotate around the center of the chest like spokes in a wheel; how to use the leverage from the hips, through the chest, into the shoulder, elbow, wrist and fingers to get every MPH you can out of your "pitch."

After my first two rehearsals with the "team" I can say they are well on their way toward creating the illusion they are after. And with a couple more weeks to go, I"m hoping that when you sit in your box seat for TAKE ME OUT, you'll completely lose yourself in the magic, and you'll hope that Clay's fastball isn't really headed toward you."

Jump Start on Season Renewal Campaign

Our 2006-2007 Season Campaign is off to a great start! Season Subscribers have been filling our mail box with renewal orders on a daily basis since we announced our upcoming season last week at Lawry's, The Prime Rib. In case you don't know next year's lineup, just click back to our homepage and follow "The Season" link.

Season Renewal time always proves to be an interesting time of the year for us, front of house wise. It seems to provide the best opportunity for patrons to voice their opinions about the shows we have selected for the upcoming season while still critiquing shows from the current season. Many wonderful comments continue to come in about our most recent production of The Crucible (or as some folks say, "The Crooshible") - which is the kind of buzz you want leading into season renewal campaign. At the same time, another show still receiving much attention from our subscribers is our production of Urinetown, which closed over 3 months ago. With Urinetown having its Dallas premiere at WTT, most patrons were seeing it for the first time. By far it is our highest selling show of the season and has been the recipient of the widest spectrum of feedback. Many people are still calling it the best show WTT has ever put on, while others are writing in with their renewal forms that it was too offensive and obscene. Not often do you get to be apart of a show that is subject to such diverse criticism. But the fact that people are still talking about it means that we left an impression - made a lasting change in their lives - and that's why we do what we do. We want to impact lives, and when shows command this amout of response, it pushes us to produce works that continue to have an authentic connection with our audiences.

I look forward to seeing what our upcoming shows have in store for audiences next. And keep sending in those renewal forms - Elizabeth and I are standing by!

Andy Gosnell
Patron Services Manager

Progress Report: Take Me Out Set

Often times, a set for any given production seems to pop up overnight. One day its a pile of raw wood, loose screws and paint buckets. The next, its a completed project with working doors, hidden traps and crazy secrets. But the process is far from an overnight project. Carpenters, electricians and scenic painters spend weeks putting all the finishing touches on the set.

We've included here a picture of where the set stands as of 2:30 PM today. As you can see, the basic skeleton of the set is almost completed. Next week will primarly be about painting the set, rigging the plumbing (working showers, pray they don't leak!), and hanging all the lights (and making sure they are pointed in the right direction). From today, it is exactly two weeks until opening night and the scene shop is beginning to feel the pressure to not only be completed on time but to be completed early.

An Actor's Perspective

We asked returning WTT actor Ted Wold to write a bit from his perspective. Three days into the rehearsal process Ted sent us the following thoughts and ideas. We hope Ted will contibute to us again in the upcoming weeks to chronicle how an actor's viewpoint may change as rehearsals evolve and what happens to an actor as a particular characterization matures.

Ted writes, "After the third rehearsal I am left with a conflicting mix of emotions. Relief, that my fellow actors are all good guys, (I've never worked with any of them); and that they all seem to fit their roles so well. I can smell the making of a tremendous production. Conversely, I'm wracked with insecurities--I don't know my lines as well as I should at this point, I don't understand my character, (a nebbish accountant who falls in love with baseball), or what makes him tick: generally, that I'm not up to speed. But I must remember that this is a process and that we are still in the exploration stage. I am itching to get to rehearsal tomorrow night, we are blocking Act II--and that's my favorite act. I get to say such beautiful words. I just can't wait, and that's got to be a good thing, right? "

First Rehearsal Report

So our journey begins. First rehearsals are always a challenge. It’s like a first date. Sometimes the chemistry is there right away, other times it takes a while. You’re bringing a disparate group of people together to collaborate on a work of art, the creating of a world if you will. Of the 11 actors in this show, I have only worked with two before. So it is indeed a whole new world for us all. We’ll see how this one plays out.

First rehearsals are usually the first time that particular group of actors read the play out loud together. It is a time for a lot of discoveries. Not much acting going on really– just a chance to explore the play. And for me, as the director to share my thoughts on the play and to share the set design, etc.

Last night was typical. We introduced our selves and the set model. Then we read the play and spent a lot of time talking about “baseball” as a metaphor – for democracy, for friendship; and how physicality plays into male friendships and teamwork. I am very excited to begin this project and am especially optimistic about the cast. Smart actors all. This should be fun!

Terry Martin
WTT Producing Artistic Director & Director of Take Me Out

Road Hazards!

The past Sunday, Rainmaker Advertising (one of WTT's distinguished sponsors and the designers of our beautiful new brochure and website) invited WTT staff members Terry Martin, James Lemons & Landrie Bock to participate in the Code Red Caper benefiting Bryan's House of Dallas, an organization which provides support to kids affected by HIV/AIDS.

We had a fantastic time racing around the city in our Code Red Limosine following clues, competing in challenges and making all-around fools of ourselves. Here are a few pictures of the Rainmaker Sky Raiders in action. To learn more about Bryan's House (a fantastic organization) and the Code Red Caper, visit their website at here. To see how Rainmaker can benefit you and your business (and we can't brag on them enough), click here.

From the Desk of the Scenic Designer...

Model of the set design for "Take Me Out"


Tonight is the first readthough of our upcoming production of Take Me Out. On a typical readthrough, actors get a chance to meet each other (sometimes for the first time), designs for the production are introduced, and the play is read for the first time by the actors who will be playing those roles. All of this leads to a general discussion, lead by the director, on the themes and messages of the play and what that particular production is trying to say.

Othen times, it is the first chance for the actors to see any kind of set design. As an exclusve for The Drip, we've browbeat our set designer Michael Sullivan into sending us a preview of the set design. I've included his notes about what he was thinking about as he was designing.

From scenic designer Michael Sullivan:
" I told Terry that this script was a challenge to design since it doesn’t lend itself to any obviously interesting visual solutions….Yankee stadium, locker rooms? All needing to be suggested but also “come and go” with fluidity. The end result(with little time to really allow a design to develop) was to focus on the necessary locales…lockers, showers….the rest of the places can be just about anywhere. We decided that the “room” where Mungit is confronted would be in the suggested ball field. Nothing literal about any of this, just a series of monologues held together(somehow) by the essence of a baseball environment….it is still evolving with collaborator Susan White designing lights…."

Welcome! We're Glad You're Here...

Dear Readers:

Welcome to The Drip, WaterTower Theatre's official backstage blog. This is the place to find out all the "behind the scenes" happenings here at WaterTower Theatre. Over the course of the next season, we will be publishing posts written by everyone from the director of the current production to scenic designers to actors to folks in the box office. If you have ever wanted to know what it takes to get a production off the ground, this is the place to learn. So stay tuned to The Drip, and let us know if you like it!

James Lemons
Artistic Associate