Charles Burr here:
If you watched the Tony Awards back in June, you saw Hair win Best Revival of a Musical. I was very taken with Anne Hathaway's introduction to the the company's performance of the title song. It is exactly why I chose it to be part of the 2009 line up of plays.
She said:
"As we enter a new chapter in our Nation's history, the Public Theatre's production of a powerful and controversial show about the turbulent 1960's returns to Broadway. It's questioning of authority and message of hope urges us to accept the idea that if you change your life, you can change the world."
You can start by seeing one of the last three performances.....
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Interview with Beau Hutchings from Hair
We thought our readers would be interested in getting the inside scoop about Tibbits Summer Theatre production of Hair from actor Beau Hutching's interview in Encore Michigan.
The interview can be found at www.encoremichigan.com
The interview can be found at www.encoremichigan.com
HAIR: 3-5-0-0 -- The End of Week 1
Hello readers. Patrick Young (Musical Director) here. Just wanted to give you a quick update on the rest of the week. It has been a very busy time, and I am excited to report a lot of great progress. On Saturday night, the cast had to work at the theater to help strike the Leading Ladies set so that we could load in the set for Hair. It went very quickly, but while they were working there, I had a chance to meet our band for the show. We are using a rock combo for this show - Electric Bass, Electric Guitar, Drums, and a Synthesizer. On Sunday, when we put the band and the cast together it was magic. Since I have heard them together, I have had all sorts of new ideas, and in listening to the music, have found some lyrics that really stick out, and I want to share some of my favorites with you.
3-5-0-0 --- Why write a song called 3-5-0-0? Through our research, we realized that this number is where many people consider the start of U.S. involvement in Vietnam. On March 8, 1965, President Johnson sent 3,500 marines (the first ground troops) to Da Ning airbase. They were greeted by Vietnamese women and 4 American advisers with a bed sheet saying "Welcome to the Gallant Marines".
Walking in Space --- This is the number in the show where Claude begins a bad trip. However there are some beautiful phrases in the song, including the writings of Shakespeare, that show just how educated the youth of the era were, and also what they were really protesting for, and why they used certain drugs. It wasn't to just get loopy, all though that is all we hear of when drugs are mentioned. One of my favorite lyrics is as follows. "WALKING IN SPACE WE FIND THE PURPOSE OF PEACE - THE BEAUTY OF LIFE YOU CAN NO LONGER HIDE - OUR EYES ARE OPEN WIDE".
So I am sure in reading this entry, if you aren't familiar with Hair already, you may be a bit surprised at all the controversial topics that are brought up in the show. Yes, we do talk about all of the following - Sex, Drugs, War, Government and Passive Resistance, Interracial Dating, and Discrimination. And for those of you wondering - we also perform the nude scene. Our director has been very clear from the first day of rehearsals that this scene must be there for a reason, and not just as an excuse to get naked on stage. I feel that the cast has done an amazing job in making an important scene very tasteful, and it shows a humans rebirth in a way that may seem shocking just thinking about it, but is beautifully done and very liberating to watch.
I hope to see you this week at the show, and as I mentioned in my last entry, on Saturday (July 25th) we invite any ticket holders to that performance to stay and talk with the cast and the artistic staff about putting the show together, as well as your thoughts on the production. EVERYBODY in the cast, crew, and artistic staff are very proud of this show, and we would love to share this story with as many people as possible.
3-5-0-0 --- Why write a song called 3-5-0-0? Through our research, we realized that this number is where many people consider the start of U.S. involvement in Vietnam. On March 8, 1965, President Johnson sent 3,500 marines (the first ground troops) to Da Ning airbase. They were greeted by Vietnamese women and 4 American advisers with a bed sheet saying "Welcome to the Gallant Marines".
Walking in Space --- This is the number in the show where Claude begins a bad trip. However there are some beautiful phrases in the song, including the writings of Shakespeare, that show just how educated the youth of the era were, and also what they were really protesting for, and why they used certain drugs. It wasn't to just get loopy, all though that is all we hear of when drugs are mentioned. One of my favorite lyrics is as follows. "WALKING IN SPACE WE FIND THE PURPOSE OF PEACE - THE BEAUTY OF LIFE YOU CAN NO LONGER HIDE - OUR EYES ARE OPEN WIDE".
So I am sure in reading this entry, if you aren't familiar with Hair already, you may be a bit surprised at all the controversial topics that are brought up in the show. Yes, we do talk about all of the following - Sex, Drugs, War, Government and Passive Resistance, Interracial Dating, and Discrimination. And for those of you wondering - we also perform the nude scene. Our director has been very clear from the first day of rehearsals that this scene must be there for a reason, and not just as an excuse to get naked on stage. I feel that the cast has done an amazing job in making an important scene very tasteful, and it shows a humans rebirth in a way that may seem shocking just thinking about it, but is beautifully done and very liberating to watch.
I hope to see you this week at the show, and as I mentioned in my last entry, on Saturday (July 25th) we invite any ticket holders to that performance to stay and talk with the cast and the artistic staff about putting the show together, as well as your thoughts on the production. EVERYBODY in the cast, crew, and artistic staff are very proud of this show, and we would love to share this story with as many people as possible.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Hair: GIVE ME A HEAD WITH LONG BEAUTIFUL HAIR
Rehearsal Days 2 and 3
Hello readers. Patrick Young here, Musical Director for Hair here at Tibbits. We have had a very busy couple of days, and I am excited to report some great progress. By the end of today's rehearsal we have already learned all of the music in Act 1, and have also staged and choreographed over 70 percent of the act. This can take much longer in some situations, but I give full credit to the effort of the cast in learning their parts, and doing their work at home.
Even though none of the performers lived through the Vietnam War (or as the government called it...a conflict), they are not only learning the music and movements needed for the show, but are also researching events of the time to see what the media reported at the time, as well as recollections and writings from people who lived during the era, or served in the military, in order to bring this show to you.
Since we have learned the music, we are now putting scenes and songs up on their feet, and moving away from just singing around the piano. It as amazing to watch our director, Ray, and our choreographer, Ali Gritz, getting the cast up on their feet and bringing the words and music to life. Hair, the title song of the show, is a number not to be missed as the cast not only tells their story, but also bring their happiness and excitement right out into the audience!
We also had a visit from our costume designer Erin Tucker today, who brought in wigs and other costume pieces for our performers to begin working with. It is amazing to see the difference having long hair can make, and how much more in touch with the character the performer can get. Most times, costumes are brought in during tech, but in a show such as this where so much is dependant on getting into the right mind set for the characters, every little bit helps - and let me just say that they look great!
A couple of parting thoughts to think about until the next time I write - this show is all about Americans in the 60's, and because of this some very interesting issues can come up. Who were the hippies - Were they a group of delinquents? Were the sex and drug crazed maniacs? Or were they people who just wanted to make a statement and were willing to go to any length to get people to listen to them? We don't claim to know the answers to these questions, but once you see the show, you may see a different side to hippy culture that you may not have seen before. We open in just under a week, and hope to see you at one of our performances. Plus, mark you calenders for Saturday the 25th, when we will have a special talk back after the performance that will give you a chance to talk with the perfomers as well as some of the creative staff about their thoughts on the show, as well as more information on how we put together a musical here at Tibbits.
Hello readers. Patrick Young here, Musical Director for Hair here at Tibbits. We have had a very busy couple of days, and I am excited to report some great progress. By the end of today's rehearsal we have already learned all of the music in Act 1, and have also staged and choreographed over 70 percent of the act. This can take much longer in some situations, but I give full credit to the effort of the cast in learning their parts, and doing their work at home.
Even though none of the performers lived through the Vietnam War (or as the government called it...a conflict), they are not only learning the music and movements needed for the show, but are also researching events of the time to see what the media reported at the time, as well as recollections and writings from people who lived during the era, or served in the military, in order to bring this show to you.
Since we have learned the music, we are now putting scenes and songs up on their feet, and moving away from just singing around the piano. It as amazing to watch our director, Ray, and our choreographer, Ali Gritz, getting the cast up on their feet and bringing the words and music to life. Hair, the title song of the show, is a number not to be missed as the cast not only tells their story, but also bring their happiness and excitement right out into the audience!
We also had a visit from our costume designer Erin Tucker today, who brought in wigs and other costume pieces for our performers to begin working with. It is amazing to see the difference having long hair can make, and how much more in touch with the character the performer can get. Most times, costumes are brought in during tech, but in a show such as this where so much is dependant on getting into the right mind set for the characters, every little bit helps - and let me just say that they look great!
A couple of parting thoughts to think about until the next time I write - this show is all about Americans in the 60's, and because of this some very interesting issues can come up. Who were the hippies - Were they a group of delinquents? Were the sex and drug crazed maniacs? Or were they people who just wanted to make a statement and were willing to go to any length to get people to listen to them? We don't claim to know the answers to these questions, but once you see the show, you may see a different side to hippy culture that you may not have seen before. We open in just under a week, and hope to see you at one of our performances. Plus, mark you calenders for Saturday the 25th, when we will have a special talk back after the performance that will give you a chance to talk with the perfomers as well as some of the creative staff about their thoughts on the show, as well as more information on how we put together a musical here at Tibbits.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Rehearsal Diary for HAIR--Day 1
Hair: THE DAWNING OF THE AGE OF AQUARIUS - Rehearsal Day 1
Hi everybody! My name is Patrick Young, and I am the Musical Director for the upcoming production of Hair. This is only our first day of rehearsals and the cast is already sounding wonderful. I will be writing here throughout the rehearsal process to tell you about what goes into making a great musical here at Tibbits, and offer you a glimpse into our world as performers.
Today was the first day of rehearsals, and although all shows are put together differently, we almost always talk on the first day with our director (Ray Gabica) about their concept and ideas for the show as a whole. We are fortunate for this show, since all of our cast members are under 30, that we have a director who experienced the events of the late 60's, and is able to bring in past experiences, along with all of the research that has been done about the era, the Vietnam War, and what the mood was like in those times. We were quite fortunate to have a full hour to discuss this with him, ask questions, and then we got down to singing our first musical number.
As the Musical Director, I get a lot of freedom in how vocal rehearsals work, and since I am brand new to the theater, I got a chance to go through and talk with the cast members, do some scales on the piano, and figure out where peoples voices sat. We have a great group of singers in this show, and a lot of them have a broad vocal range, so it is a matter of figuring out when they will sing melody, and harmonies, and where they sound strongest. We got to work on "Age of Aquarius" which is the opening number to the show, and after an hour of rehearsal they already sound great on it! Being able to combine such amazing music along with the ideas of the director can sometimes be a challenge, but Ray, the tribe, and I seem to be on the same page, which helps things go quickly.
In addition to learning the opening number, and also teaching parts for a number of full cast songs, we also got a chance to figure out who says which lines. Most shows are set up so that when you cast the performers, they are given a certain role, and that is their track for the show. This is more of an ensemble piece, and although certain characters have already been cast (Claude and Berger for example) we still have to pick out trios, soloists, and various other parts.
Overall, today was an amazing first day, and I am looking forward to the rest of the process, and will keep you updated on how things are progressing.
Hi everybody! My name is Patrick Young, and I am the Musical Director for the upcoming production of Hair. This is only our first day of rehearsals and the cast is already sounding wonderful. I will be writing here throughout the rehearsal process to tell you about what goes into making a great musical here at Tibbits, and offer you a glimpse into our world as performers.
Today was the first day of rehearsals, and although all shows are put together differently, we almost always talk on the first day with our director (Ray Gabica) about their concept and ideas for the show as a whole. We are fortunate for this show, since all of our cast members are under 30, that we have a director who experienced the events of the late 60's, and is able to bring in past experiences, along with all of the research that has been done about the era, the Vietnam War, and what the mood was like in those times. We were quite fortunate to have a full hour to discuss this with him, ask questions, and then we got down to singing our first musical number.
As the Musical Director, I get a lot of freedom in how vocal rehearsals work, and since I am brand new to the theater, I got a chance to go through and talk with the cast members, do some scales on the piano, and figure out where peoples voices sat. We have a great group of singers in this show, and a lot of them have a broad vocal range, so it is a matter of figuring out when they will sing melody, and harmonies, and where they sound strongest. We got to work on "Age of Aquarius" which is the opening number to the show, and after an hour of rehearsal they already sound great on it! Being able to combine such amazing music along with the ideas of the director can sometimes be a challenge, but Ray, the tribe, and I seem to be on the same page, which helps things go quickly.
In addition to learning the opening number, and also teaching parts for a number of full cast songs, we also got a chance to figure out who says which lines. Most shows are set up so that when you cast the performers, they are given a certain role, and that is their track for the show. This is more of an ensemble piece, and although certain characters have already been cast (Claude and Berger for example) we still have to pick out trios, soloists, and various other parts.
Overall, today was an amazing first day, and I am looking forward to the rest of the process, and will keep you updated on how things are progressing.
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