Tibbits Opera House

Scenic Designer Brittany Elias overseeing the slip stages

Cole Porter's Nymph Errant opens tomorrow with a matinee and evening performance, Thursday Aug 9th and plays thru Saturday Aug. 18th. 

This show has one of the most intriguing sets I have seen on the Tibbits stage.  I have been so enamored with the backstage and onstage workings of this show, I decided to dedicate this blog entirely to "your backstage pass to Nymph Errant."

Nymph Errant is a huge show, we have a lot of places to cover within the play: from Switzerland to France, England, Greece, Italy and even Turkey.  Our director Charles Burr had given our Scenic Designer, Brittany Elias the beginning idea of a possible storybook, or postcards from each of the places the play is set.  Well Brittany took it even further to create a moving world.  Our stage crew have built a slip stage you see in the above picture.  Basically, behind this frame are tracks built in in rows.  Each of the two dimensional flat pieces move on a track to create a 3D picture of where we are.  There are several layers to each location that are then switched out for the next local.  Each of the pieces are moved by hand by our backstage crew, mimicking the train ride movement from one place to another.  See below the work at hand.

From the audience's point of view, you see something like this below.

Stage Manager Mark Abrahamson 

Assistant Stage Manager Gabe Taylor

Each set piece, including the slip stage moves on a cue from our stage manager Mark Abrahamson, who is located in the booth above the balcony. He calls the cue, via headset, to our Assistant Stage Manager Gabe Taylor, who then cues the rest of the backstage crew to go with the next set change. It sounds complicated but it works, and these guys are working hard on this show, believe me!



With all the backstage workings, the performers have been getting used to the space since we entered tech rehearsals on Monday afternoon.  We have been running the songs and dances, adding props and certain costume pieces as we go, transferring our numbers from the gym, where we rehearse, to the stage.  Our choreographer, also playing the French girl Madeline, shown above, Aisling Halpin, makes sure our spacing is correct now on stage and keeps an eye on the musical numbers, even while performing them, to make needed adjustments.

This show, mixed with its wonderful Cole Porter music and lyrics, has quite a bit of tap dancing in it.  It fits wonderfully with the rhythms and time setting of the show. 

I have sincerely enjoyed learning new Cole Porter songs, some I may have never known if I had not become a part of Nymph Errant.  The songs are certainly catchy, swim constantly in our heads and are sure to do the same to our audience members.  What a beautiful show to conclude our Tibbits 2012 season.  Don't miss this one, it is not the type of show you catch next year on tour, this one is a special treat brought to you by Tibbits.

See you at the show!!!