Where our stage is big enough for EVERYONE to find their place!
Weekly Updates!
Cast Email, sent 11.24.24
Hello everyone!
Happy short week of school. We are so proud of everyone and all of the work you are all putting in. This is a quick email, but an important one.
In case you didn't see, the schedule for this week has changed! Here is the updated schedule for the week of November 25th-27th!
Monday--ONLY SMALL GROUPS
Working on singing
Emma B, Cora and Sara O. (these 3 will be done at 5)
Adella, Claire Shafer, Marianne (these 3 will be done by 5:45)
Character work and blocking
Eleanor (excused at 4:40!)
Zach and Elyse (Elyse excused at 5:30, Zach stay until 5:45)
Tuesday
BEFORE SCHOOL--ALL 8th GRADERS, PLEASE STOP in the CHOIR ROOM to PICK UP A PASS FROM MS. GESKE, and COME TO ROOM 496 DURING LEAP for a THEATER MEETING. Don't be worried, this isn't a bad thing. I'll explain it on Tuesday!
After school 4:05-5:45
With Clarissa--team ACTING CLASS plus Adella, Zach, Cora, Violet, Zoey O., Mya, Cadence, Ramona and Anaily J.
Nina--Dede (only needed until 4:40, then excused)
Then Adella, Zach, Lorelei, Payton, Marianne, Claire Shafer, Elyse, Shelby, Kate, Cora
Wednesday ONLY Adella and Claire Shafer until 5
TEAM AT THE MOVIES NOT CALLED THIS WEEK
MANY FOLKS from TEAM ON the SET, TEAM DREAM, TEAM HOLLYWOOD, and TEAM BROADWAY not called either. This is okay! We will have all cast rehearsals again after Thanksgiving Break.
Homework for the long weekend:
BIOBOARD SURVEY--Every Student and only students should complete this form. We will use this to make the Bio Boards that are in the lobby at each show for friends, family and fans to see. You must complete it by Monday December 2nd.
Choreography videos--go watch them
Music--follow the soundtrack on youtube, and sing along all the time. You need to "get off book" (meaning you have to have your lines, songs and blocking memorized by Friday the 13th AT THE LATEST.
Jazz shoes--have you purchased them yet?
Haircuts--Short hair styles like these were all the rage in the 1920s, and nearly every female in our show is going to have some hairstyle along these lines if possible, but it can be harder to achieve this look with today's more popular long, straight hairstyles. I am not asking anyone in the cast to cut their hair for a middle school show, but if a haircut is in your plans between now and winter break, might I suggest a bob such as these?
Otherwise, please watch this tutorial, and practice this style, as we will need to be faking many bobs at home!
Simpler https://youtu.be/CTFwsSf1Als?si=H9SMubygR6knIbgw
More advanced, but much more realistic https://youtu.be/Sy6LcEw2RSY?si=C4GA8ZgcCEDkrk6J
That's all for now! If I don't see you after school at rehearsal, or 8th graders, on Tuesday during LEAP, I will see you next week (which is already December! Yikes!). I am so deeply grateful for all of you, and the small ways I can enrich the PMS community with my work. Each of you makes it worthwhile and rewarding! ♥️
In partnership,
Nina
Cast Email, sent 11.16.24
Dear cast and families!
We are so proud of the 68 student actors involved in this show--they are a great bunch of kids, and even though we have only had 4 rehearsals together, we are really going to pull together an amazing show!
I am going to do my best to give you an update via email and the website every week or every other week, with all of the important information put into one place, so here is everything that will help everyone prepare for next week and beyond!
THIS WEEK,
the cast was officially broken up into TEAMS. On the google calendar, you will now see things like "Team Hollywood + specific person X, specific person Y and specific person Z" for example, as the people who are expected to be at a certain rehearsal. Please make sure your cast member knows which team they are on. Every cast member IS on a team. If your student's name is not showing up, it is because I accidentally didn't type it, not because they have been assigned to a team. Let me know if I've missed someone!
Singin' in the Rain Teams List
We also instituted a new CHECK-IN PROCEDURE where each day the cast will be in charge of signing themselves in, getting their nametag, grabbing their snack, getting their script and pencil, and going to the open space in the cafeteria to wait for next steps. This will allow whichever Creative Staff (Nina, Grace, Ms. Geske, Adult on Duty, special guests, etc.) are present a few moments to prep before rehearsal officially starts. The procedure will be posted on the cafeteria door every day until the kids have it memorized.
By now, everyone should have received their SCRIPTS, and we've begun our read-thru. We are doing some changes to lines in the script, so kids must bring their scripts and a pencil to every rehearsal they are called to attend. If students need to borrow a script for rehearsal, we can lend them one for 25 cents.
If they LEAVE their script at practice and I find it in the cafeteria, the choir room, the lost and found, etc., they can purchase it back for $1.00
I will give it back immediately whether or not they have the dollar, and then email their family to let them know how much they owe.
All collected monies will go towards the company party at the end of the show.
We spent two short periods of time working on all group CHOREOGRAPHY, and now Ms. Grace will be away until early December, finishing work on another show.
She has asked that the kids watch the Broadway Melody videos often and practice the moves whenever possible. We will put the song together, along with all the other pieces that need dance, in December.
All choreography that any group has worked on so far is in this folder. ABSOLUTELY no downloading or sharing of the videos. These videos are ONLY to use to practice.
Something that is very apparent with 68 kids is that everything is bigger. Dance numbers will look more spectacular when nearly 70 people are doing them, conversations will sound like rock concerts when nearly 70 people are having them, and BEHAVIORS, both good AND bad, are multiplied. Please remember that this is a school activity, and behaviors that are not acceptable in school are also not acceptable at rehearsal. Repeated refusal to adjust negative behaviors could result in a student being removed from a song, scene, role or the entire show.
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Using language that others consider disrespectful or derogatory
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Leaving rehearsal to "use the bathroom" but instead running in the halls, going on phone, looking through other peoples' lockers, etc.
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Being rude, talking back, not listening, arguing with student stage managers, dance captains, adult volunteers, creative team
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Talking while adults are giving instructions. Sometimes one student thinks their quiet chatter does not make a difference, but every conversation slows us down and takes away from rehearsal time.
Parents/guardians, thank you for conversing with your students, and students, thank you for preparing yourself and your best attitude for rehearsal every day!
Families, here are the ways that YOU can Support your hard-working thespian (fancy word for actor):
Keep Track of the Schedule--IT WILL CHANGE! I will try really hard not to, but it will shift.
FOR EXAMPLE, based on a schedule change of Ms. Geske's due an unforeseen school meeting, we needed to adjust next week's schedule. Here is what it looks like.
Monday 11/18 Team at the movies, team leaders, team Hollywood, team Dream + individual cast Members Gracie P. And Emma B. are called to rehearsal. (Students in ADB, ADO and Dede are excused)
Tuesday 11/19 ALL CAST CALLED Also second headshot day! Photos must be taken today if they were not taken last week.
Thursday 11/21 Team Hollywood, team on the set and team leaders are called, plus individual students Simeon, Caden N., Kellen and Will S.
* Thursday is not a choreography day but it is a movement day so students should make sure they are not wearing Crocs.
Have you added the GOOGLE CALENDAR yet?
Here are instructions on how to add the google calendar with the link.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IVqkJwWAkMVgo5BscxWzuKhN2xtzlCtSYBKJMwuwka4/edit?usp=sharing
⭐⭐ Can you help move costumes MONDAY MORNING? Looking for three volunteers.⭐⭐
https://signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10C0E49AAAF2EA7FBC07-53324387-help
If you can't help move costumes, but can donate a large tub--these Large ones from Lowe's would be ideal, but anything sturdy with a lid will do, you can either purchase one and drop it off at my house Sunday, or at one of the other drivers' houses if they live closer, or venmo $ and I will buy it myself Sunday afternoon.
Venmo Nina-jonson (No H in my last name, my photo is sideways, and the last four of my phone is 0442)
Let us know about Schedule Changes--Except for the ones I already know about, like ADB and ADO.
The schedule changes I do need to know about are illnesses, leaving early, arriving late, etc. Please remember I am not a teacher and I can't see who was or wasn't in school, so I need to know if your child is home sick. So far that has been really great, and we've only had a few UNEXCUSED ABSENCES ("no call, no show, no idea where you are"). The first four rehearsals were mandatory for every actor, and that was very clear in every single email and piece of messaging that went out, so to have multiple people not there because I had something else going on, I didn't know I had rehearsal, I didn't know it meant everyone had to come, etc. is not great.
We have very limited time together, truly. If we ONLY meet during the after-school hours, we would be attempting to put the play together in as little as 60 hours! We will need some Saturdays, possibly some Fridays afterschool, and some of our actors with larger parts have already been rehearsing on Saturdays and Sundays, just so we can get everything done. It is vitally important that your student makes every effort to be present any time they are called for rehearsal.
Unexcused absences between now and January could potentially lead to removal from the show. Any unexcused absences after we return from winter break absolutely will result in removal from the show. Please send an email! All we need is the subject line to be for example Monday 11/18 Nina absent sick, and that's perfect.
Let us help with rides! Even if your child does not live in-district. While I can't drive kids home as director, while I was just a show parent, I regularly drove home kids from Armstrong who lived over North, in Brooklyn Center, and Hopkins. We will get your kid to and from practice. If you need help COORDINATING RIDES, email co-producers Liz or Stacey.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DQc2P7IaVCH1aLmOB1O9aCTRVO-bULBeU5o0YynhYCY/edit?usp=sharing
Donate SNACKS--if you have signed up to bring snacks, please remember to ensure that they are gluten-free (or that you have a small amount of clearly labeled gluten-free options) and that ALL of them are nut-free. 60 servings at least. Clementines, fruit snacks, cereal bars, goldfish crackers, are all great choices. Anything you bring in can be dropped off at the front office during school hours, CLEARLY LABELED "MUSICAL SNACKS."
Donate MONEY--Putting on a show is not free, even though we try to do it on The tightest budget we can. If you are able to donate any amount of money now directly towards our program, it will be immediately put to use.
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/8f6c5a51-d562-4e9f-a57b-5797e1d66504
Jazz Shoes We have asked that every kid in the show have a pair of jazz shoes. These will come in handy for them now, and if they want to continue in theater. They do not need to be expensive.
If your kid's feet have stopped growing, they should get their shoe size or half-size up.
If they have not, they can get up to a half size larger than their shoe size. If your child outgrows them, donate them to our program, pass them along to somebody else.
If getting a pair of shoes is something you cannot afford. That is totally fine. Let me know. We will get them for your kid.
Here are some options-- I would prefer any of our students who are playing male characters to get black shoes which will look more normal with long pants. Those who are playing female characters can get black or tan.
The two pairs above with discounts which are listed on the website (they're currently having a sale of up to 25% off!) should bring them down to about $25. That is the most I want people to be spending. Please do not feel like you need to spend more than that on these shoes. I will also link shoes available on Amazon, but I know that there are people that don't want to shop on Amazon right now and I understand that.
Dynadans Women's Leather Upper Slip-on Jazz Shoe https://a.co/d/dHhqgKI
Linodes Unisex Leather Upper Jazz Shoe Slip-on for Women and Men's Dance Shoes https://a.co/d/29axrbV
I think that is everything I have for you all right now.
Looking forward to a great week two!
Sincerely,
Nina