Tibbits Opera House

Loss of a Friend to Tibbits

2012-01-09T09:49:00.006-05:00

When you enter the theatre through the main doors, you are greeted by the face of a jester or a symbolic "T" in the stained glass windows. This craftsmanship dates back to the renovation efforts of the 60s and 70s. The windows were created by Ed Geishert, Sr.

You may also have noticed, on the main floor in row 'G,' four seats with tartan plaid covers over them. Theses seats proudly recognize the theatre's Barton S. Tibbits sponsor, an honor sold each year at the annual auction: four seats to EVERY performance for an entire year. For a dozen years these special seats have been purchased by and reserved for the same special Tibbits supporter, Ed Geishert, Sr. He and his lovely wife Norma have enjoyed seeing the shows and sharing their tickets with many dear friends over the years. At this last auction Ed made what turned out to be his final appearance at his beloved theatre. We celebrated his 95th birthday with a song and cake, and he honored us by again purchasing the BST seats but this year for a record setting price. Ed has supported the Tibbits in so many ways for so many years. We are grateful.

Ed passed on Friday. While he will be dearly missed, we are confident he is at peace. I am certain many will agree he has touched many people and made a difference in many ways; he has made our theatre as well as our community a better place. Thank you Ed and may eternal light shine upon you.

Edwin C. Geishert, Sr.

COLDWATER — Edwin C. Geishert, Sr., 95, of Coldwater, passed away Friday, Jan. 6, 2012 at The Laurels of Coldwater.

Edwin “Ed” was born Nov. 5, 1916 in South Bend, Ind., to Oliver and Mildred (Hawkey) Geishert, and graduated from Niles High School in 1934.

He began training as a tool and die engineer, a profession he would continue throughout his life. Ed became the chief engineer for several air conditioner and water heater manufacturers in Chicago, Ill., Houston, Texas, Evansville, Ind. and finally settling in 1955 with General Processing in Quincy. He held several patents and was the successful owner/operator of various business ventures during the 1970s, 80s and 90s, including Quincy Reel, Geishert’s Truck Stop, Insul-Roof, Ed-de’s Restaurant and Anchor Enterprises specializing in stained glass. Some of his well-known projects include stained glass windows at the Coldwater Elks Lodge, Tibbits Opera House and the Old Firehouse Restaurant (now Siren’s). When the front doors at Tibbits are restored, they will have the stained glass windows framed and hung in the theatre in honor of Ed. Working with his son, Edwin Jr., they designed, built and distributed various medical devices for Miles Laboratories of Elkhart, Ind. Their electrophoresis machines were used in the early stages of RNA and DNA research throughout the world.

Ed’s greatest passions were traveling, hunting and fishing with family and friends. He pursued these activities across the U.S., Alaska and Canada.

Ed became a member of Tibbits in 1976 and was a Barton S. Tibbits sponsor for 12 years. He was also a member of the Coldwater Noon Rotary Club and a Paul Harris Fellow, Past President of the Quincy Rotary Club; a life member of Mount Vernon Lodge #166 F & AM; and was a member of Mizpah Shrine, the Coldwater Eagles Aerie 1907 and 63-year life member of the Coldwater Elks. He was one of a group of seven who founded the Quincy Golf Course. He offered more than one Sunday sermon during a match on the fourth hole of the course, his signature hole known as “bean hill.” Ed, with friend Barney Stempien, also originated the Quincy Tip-Up Festival.

Survivors include his wife, Norma (Lenon) Geishert, whom he married Sept. 20, 2002; son, Edwin (Penny) Geishert, Jr. of Quincy; nieces, Amy Geishert of Lansing and Elizabeth Englert of Cadiz, Ky.; three grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; two step-daughters, Beth (David) Hoppe of Battle Creek and Sandra (Brian) Sexton of Coldwater; five step-grandchildren; and one special step-great-grandson, Brock Sexton.

Ed was preceded in death in 2001 by his wife, Sylvia, of 54 years; parents; brother, Charles; and three sisters, Dorothy, Helen and Betty.

Visitation for family and friends is scheduled for Tuesday from 5-8 p.m. at the Eagle Funeral Home-George White Chapel in Quincy, including a Masonic Service of Remembrance at 7 p.m.

A memorial service will be held Wednesday at 4 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Coldwater, with Father Stephen Bartlett officiating. Visitation at the church will be from 3 p.m. until time of service.

Memorials are suggested to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church (bell tower restoration fund) or Tibbits Opera House Restoration Fund.

Week 2: Behind the Scenes

2011-07-28T10:24:00.005-04:00

Hey, it's Paige again! I'm enjoying my second week at Tibbits even more than my first; I didn't think that was possible. I began my second week back in the office, writing another press release. This time, it was for the next Popcorn Theatre show: "Abracadabra Magic Show," featuring different magicians at each performance. Then I helped Lori (special events coordinator) make some business calls regarding business promotion letters she sent out last week. Luckily, the second day a couple businesses said they would love to help support the Tibbits Restoration Project!

On Tuesday I got the chance to sit in on one of the rehearsals for the next Summer Theatre show, "Working" by Stephen Schwartz. I went over to the Pansophia Academy gymnasium to observe the blocking rehearsal for a couple hours. Everything was moving really quickly. The actors were working on something the entire time, whether it was choreography, music, or just memorizing lines. In the two hours I was there in the morning, the cast worked its way through three or four songs. I was really impressed. The actors' voices are amazing. During the rehearsal for one of the full cast numbers I literally got goose bumps as they were singing. I came back to watch some of the evening rehearsal that night, too. By the time I left, the entire first act was blocked! I've never seen such a productive day of rehearsals.

Yesterday was the coolest day, by far. Before the matinee performance of "Out of Order" I got to watch some of the tech run throughs with the window set piece. For those of you who haven't seen the show, throughout the course of the play, the window in the hotel suite randomly slams shut on people, knocking them out momentarily. So I got to watch as each of the actors who encounter the unpredictable window took turns having the set piece fall on them. Mark is in charge of working the trigger release for the window. In addition to that, he has to time the "slap stick", which is two 2 x 4's that have been hinged together. He slaps the two wooden pieces together as the window falls to create the loud sound the audience hears as the window slams shut. When I watched this show last week from the audience, I wondered how the window operated. So watching this run through was really fascinating.

Then I was fortunate enough to get the chance to watch the entire show from backstage! But, not only did I get to watch the show, I also got a headset so I could hear the "headset chatter" between Carrie, the stage manager, and the other techies as she called out cues for lights, sound, and the window. I sat backstage the entire show, beaming from ear to ear. I'm no stranger to being backstage, but sitting through a professional show while wearing a headset was probably the coolest thing I've ever done. Every time an actor walked past me they would give me a huge smile and a thumbs up, just getting pumped up for the afternoon's performance. This experience really got me excited for a couple years down the road when I'm able to partake in professional summer theatre productions like this. The cast put on a great show yesterday, and I couldn't have been happier with my seat.

Tomorrow I'll be back in the box office for the Popcorn Theatre show in the morning, and I'm looking forward to that and the rest of the things I'll be doing to finish up my internship at Tibbits. I've really fallen in love with this institution over the past two weeks and I know that I will return to help out in any way possible for next summer's season!

In the Office Part II

2011-07-22T15:08:00.005-04:00

Paige, again. The rest of my first week at Tibbits was just as good as the beginning. I've worked in the box office with Jackson twice since Steve showed me the ropes on Wednesday morning. The first was for opening night of "Out of Order," which was a great success. I was fortunate enough to get the chance to sit in on a rehearsal and the matinee for this show. It was absolutely hilarious. The actors did an amazing job, as did the tech crew. I don't know that I have ever heard such genuine laughter coming from an audience before. I highly suggest you come to see the show! I also worked in the box office for this morning's Popcorn Theatre show, "Sleeping Beauty." I didn't get to see this show, but I know the kids were all smiling when they were exiting the theatre.

At the matinee for "Out of Order" yesterday I also job shadowed one of the house managers to get a feel for what they do. The house manager, as well as all of the ushers, were extremely kind and helpful. They taught me about the house seating and even let me seat a few people on my own. Then at intermission they showed me the small concession stand downstairs in the art gallery, along with the gift shop. After the show was over, I joined the ushers in helping to pick up any trash and programs that had been left behind.

Finishing up the week, I helped with some smaller things, like fundraising mail. I also finished up gathering info on the acts that will be booked during the winter season. All in all, my experience here at Tibbits has been wonderful; far better than I ever imagined. I've learned so much from so many amazing people in the past five days. In fact, it was so great that I've decided to stay and work another week!

In the Office

2011-07-20T15:39:00.003-04:00

Hi, it's Paige. This week I've been interning in the Tibbits Office. In high school, I was heavily involved in theatre as an actress and choreographer, but never experienced the other various aspects of the trade. As a future Theatre major at Michigan State University I wanted to learn more about the management side of the business. Luckily I was given the chance to experience this first hand at this amazing historical theatre.

My first day began with a detailed tour of the building, starting with the exterior, which is currently being restored to its original appearance when it opened in 1882. Chris Delaney, the Executive Director, showed me around the rest of the building giving me tons of historical information and fun tid-bits about the opera house. The tour ended in the Tibbits Business Office where I met the people I would be working with for the week.

Everyone was so welcoming and helpful. I was greeted with a smile by all. I have never met a group of people so friendly. Also, everyone in this office seems to genuinely enjoy working here, something that can't be said for the staff in most office buildings. They have made my time here much easier and more enjoyable.

I started my first day by writing a press release for Tibbits' final 2011 summer show, "Working." I had never written a press release, but again, the office staff was very patient as I asked a ton of questions about what should and shouldn't be included. It made my first experience less nerve wracking, knowing that people were there to help me out with anything I needed.

Since Monday, I have also called agents to gather info about booking their clients for shows during the winter season, learned to update calendars, and made phone calls to help out with a Tibbits Restoration advertisement opportunity with yard signs. I never realized how much was involved in the management side of things.

In addition to this, I've attended a couple meetings. The first was a small Arts Alive meeting held in the art gallery under the theatre. Here I learned a little about the ways in which this group of artists supports itself and its dealings with Tibbits. Today I attended a finance meeting to observe, since I'd never been to a finance meeting before. Both meetings were very informational and helped me to understand how everything works together around here.

Today I also worked in the box office for two hours and learned how tickets are reserved and sold. I didn't know what to expect, Steve was really funny and relaxed, andI actually had a lot of fun. I look forward to working in the box office tomorrow night for the opening night of "Out of Order" and later in the week for the Popcorn Theatre show.

I'm really looking forward to the rest of my week here at Tibbits. I've already learned so much about theatre management and I'm getting to experience so many different aspects of the management side. I'm so glad that I've been given this opportunity. I now have a new-found respect for the amount of work that the office staff does to ensure that the theatre stays up and running.

The Importance of Lighting with Jeff Hannah

2011-07-18T18:08:00.003-04:00

Photos Courtesy of Stephanie Burdick

Hi everyone! It is Alexandra Lyon. I am back! Well, this summer at Tibbits has been just fantastic. In my opinion, the shows are the best they have ever been. After watching “The Full Monty,” it is very obvious that lighting is extremely important. I figured this was an opportune time to interview lighting designer Jeffery Hannah, and learn a bit more about lighting.

Jeff graduated from the University of Illinois with a master’s degree in lighting design and an undergraduate degree in acting. Jeff has been involved with theater his entire life; but he began working in technical theater during college. Jeff volunteered to be a master electrician on a show with no prior experience. By taking this leap into lighting, he began a new career in theater.

The average theatre attendee does not know much about Jeff’s line of work. His job, in a nutshell, is to take a blank theater and use lighting to create time, emotion and many other factors. All of the lighting must come together for an overall look for the show. Jeff stated that lighting for plays, musicals, and dance must enhance the show, but not overpower it.

This is Jeff’s second year working with Tibbits. He has really enjoyed working here and overcoming the challenges of a small, old theater. One of the challenges includes strange sight lines. This makes getting the perfect lighting extremely difficult. He also praised the fact that Tibbits has many good tools for lighting, which is unusual in theaters the size of Tibbits. Sometimes the unique set causes problems which later become good memories from which to learn. Jeff says that lighting plots start out with a guess of what will work for the theater. In the 2010 Tibbits production of “Crazy for You,” Jeff created a lighting plot and upon testing, realized he didn’t have strong enough lights to create a certain look. So, he had to go back and rethink how to create the same feel using different lighting techniques.

For Jeff, there is not one particular show that he would like to try his hand at lighting. He is willing to work on any project that comes his way. “With lighting,” he says, “each kind of production (play, musical, and dance) is very different.” While he enjoys change, it is also very difficult to bounce between the types of performances.

Jeff Hannah is the lighting designer for this summer’s production of “The Full Monty.” Before starting this show, he did not watch or reference other productions of “The Full Monty.” (However, he does admit to seeing the movie many years ago.) Jeff simply used what the script said and his own ideas. He started with twelve lights to illuminate the final scene and when this was tested the actors were still very exposed. Jeff went back to the drawing board and used many hours of collaboration to finally get it right.

I hope you have enjoyed learning more about the difficult job of a lighting designer. One piece of advice from Jeff to all aspiring theater people… both sides of theater (acting and technical) should be explored and tried. This way each side can respect and understand the other.

The Magic Show Experience

2010-08-12T13:07:00.004-04:00

Hello, Trevor writing. Here is another little perk of working backstage: sometimes you get to be in the show! The other day I was helping out with Popcorn Theater during Magic week. On that day, a local magician named Justin Holbrook came in and was setting up. He came over to the tech crew and asked if any of us would like to be in the show today. And, because I am an actor, I agreed to lend him my service. Justin then proceeded to pull out from behind his back a poncho, an umbrella hat, a big red nose, and a huge pair of sunglasses. I started to second guess volunteering myself.

Justin presented to me my costume and told me that I would be a part of a comic act. He explained it to me as such, “A girl will be selected from the audience and participate in a guess-which-hand-it’s-in-trick with some toilet paper balls. Before the girl guesses which hand, the toilet paper ball will be thrown over her head, onto the ground. You will be behind the curtain and pick up the balls of TP without the participant knowing; however, the audience will know full well of what is going on. Then, after a few tries, I will offer the girl the chance to find out how I did the trick and continue to do the trick in slow motion. At that moment, you will hear music and, in slow motion, gallop on this stick horse across stage, taking the toilet paper ball from my hand and continue off stage. Don’t worry! You’ll do great.” I thought this was pretty clever. He explained to me that the slow motion portion of the trick was to show the participant how the trick really worked. So in a very round-a-bout way of saying it, this trick was the “Lightning Fast Clown Trick.”

Justin walked away and continued his rushed pre-show tech rehearsal. I looked at the ridiculous clown costume in my hands and started getting nervous. I started thinking, what if I ruin the trick and make Justin look bad? What if the girl sees me removing the paper balls behind her? I shook off the doubt in my head and remembered that it was a kids’ show. Most kids appreciate corny humor and are easily amused. Even if I had messed up, it probably would have been funnier to them. So, when it came to be my minute of fame, I performed as goofily as I could, and the kids loved it.

Behind the Scenes

2010-08-10T09:25:00.004-04:00

Trevor Tracy here, giving you all the inside scoop of what goes on behind the scenes at Tibbits. Thanks to Michigan Works, I got the wonderful opportunity to work with the tech crew, and I must say that I had a wonderful time doing so. Since I am a theater major at Spring Arbor University, this job-shadow opportunity was a perfect way to spend my last few weeks of the summer. I was immensely involved in theater during high school, and actually had the privilege to perform at Tibbits a few times, so I was already familiar to the backstage portion of the Opera House. Having been involved more in the acting side to theater productions, I was eager to learn more about what it takes to operate the technical parts of the theater and to be the man behind the curtain.

When I arrived at Tibbits, the Summer Theater program was putting on its final show for the summer, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The Technical Director, Chris Aler, was gracious enough to take on the role of teacher and supervisor for me. Chris was already busy with all his duties during production week, so I appreciated that he would take his time to show me around. He showed me all sorts of cool stuff.

On my first day, I was given a tour of the theater. I had seen most of these areas before, but Chris wanted to make sure that I got the whole backstage crew experience. We were making our way around, and ended up in the lighting booth located up in the balcony. Chris showed me the spot lights and the light board, the key ingredients to producing a great looking show. I knew what spot lights did and all, but I never knew how to operate one. There are several knobs and switches that collectively change the color and shape of the beam of light. I thought this was fascinating, and this explanation heightened my appreciation for the operators of the machine.

After my brief tour of the facility, I was immediately put to work. Chris brought me to Tibbits workshop to work on some stage notes that were given to him by the stage managers. It was Chris’ job as Technical Director to make sure that the stage the Set Designer had designed looked and operated the way it was intended. Even though the set for this particular show was simple, there were still quite a bit of notes to take care of throughout the week. Chairs had to be mounted to the stage, curtains had to be flown in and out, the stage needed painting, breaks were needed on platforms, etc. All week we were working on these little things that potentially made a huge difference in the way the actors utilized the set.

Intermittently, I would get a history lesson. One of the greatest experiences during this job-shadow was climbing up to the pin rail balcony of the grid, which is the skeleton of the curtain fly system, and experiencing how the system was run back in the times when Tibbits was founded. Up near the grid there is a section of dead-hung rope. This simply means that the ropes that are fastened tightly up there do not have the new-and-improved weighted pulley system that is provided in the newer harbor fly system, so it takes incredible strength to pull the curtains up and down. It actually took three of us to make some changes requested by the Set Designer. Oh, and I forgot to mention that it was about fifteen degrees warmer up there, so we were drenched in sweat after moving a curtain two inches. It was rough!

The people behind the scenes, I feel, go underappreciated. Many actors take for granted the things that are provided for them through the technical crew. Now that I have had this experience, I definitely have a greater appreciation and understanding of how difficult the backstage work is in a theater production.

Costume Shop

2010-08-05T12:28:00.007-04:00

Okay, it’s Alexandra, now it’s time to take you into the costume shop. In my exploration of Tibbits Summer Theatre, understanding where the lovely costumes come from strikes me as another interesting topic to give you a fuller understanding of what you see on stage.

I had no idea what to expect the first time I went to help in the costume shop, it turns out the department has two of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. The sincere and hard working designers making the costumes this summer are Erin Tucker and Theresa Hartman. They are both crazy busy with work this summer. Normally, two designers split the main stage shows and one person gets the children’s theater. This year there are two people for all of the shows.

As I looked about the basement full of clothes, I wondered if they make all of the costumes new for the shows. Theresa said most of the costumes come from existing things that are altered and just a few are made from scratch. Theresa happened to be making a red dress from scratch that day. She said it all depends upon what’s needed and the time they’re given.

With all this work to do, I asked what kind of hours Theresa and Erin work. Generally they work a 9-5 job, but sometimes they come back and work between 7-10 pm. After watching them perform a fitting or two, they were ready to assign me a job. My first job was to sweep the floors. I swept along and every few feet, bent over to pick up the endless amount of dropped pins. I quickly realized even the simplest task wasn’t going to be easy.

Job number two was taking the pile of clothes off the floor and putting them all on hangers. It was actually very enjoyable; it was neat to see all of the different items which inhabit the costume shop. My last job was organizing the wall of purses, clutches and jewelry. This was awesome. I’ve never seen such an array of bags and jewelry. I was up and down off of a folding chair and smiling every minute. My respect for Erin and Theresa grew with every up down on the folding chair.

These two work extra hard during the summer, then go back to school and study for the rest of the year. I had fun in the costume shop and it has been a joy sharing my experiences with you.

ErinTucker, Costume designer for Crazy for You and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, provided the basic steps to creating costumes for a show:
1. Script reading (understanding the show, the characters, their costume needs)
2. Meeting with the director (learning the director’s vision for the show)
3. Historical research and renderings (understanding and creating a visual base for the costumes)
4. Pulling and building (using the costumes in the shop as a base for creating the costumes and fitting them for each character)

5. Dress rehearsals (Seeing how the costumes work for each character, how they play together on stage, and making minor adjustments)

Shown above: Rendering of the chorus girls’ costumes for Crazy for You - Erin’s unique design featured reversible bodices which allowed for quick changes and multiple looks.

Rehearsal

2010-08-02T16:37:00.004-04:00

Hi, it’s Alexandra again. This time I’m delving into the rehearsal process. I feel learning a little bit more about the process will help everyone appreciate the shows even more. So I attended a rehearsal of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the rehearsals. It turned out to be a different but wonderful experience. When I walked into the gym at Pansophia Academy, the cast was hard at work blocking the day’s scenes. Blocking is the creation and practicing of the movement that is going to happen on stage. As I began to watch their rehearsal, I was quickly surprised by how collaborative the process was. The actors clearly felt free to put in their ideas and usually they would try the ideas out. Erin Tucker, the show’s costumer, was filling in as Stage Manager; she said the rehearsal process doesn’t normally have as much collaboration. She elaborated, saying since there's less dancing in the show Ray Gabica, the director, allows a lot of collaboration.

The blocking seemed to be going at a break- neck pace. Erin said it always goes quickly but it seemed to be going extra fast with this show. The actors and actresses picked up on the blocking in no time. It seemed every time they ran a song, the bold acting choices became bigger and better. Each time they would find a new facial expression or body movement to make their character even more full and rich. Their concentration levels were very high but at the same time they all looked as if they were having fun. I noticed that even when somebody would mess up, the director would just turn and say, “That’s what rehearsals are for, to screw up so you don’t do it in a performance.”

As the rehearsal progressed, I began to wonder when musical director Cheryl Vanduzen receives her music. I was surprised when she said she receives it only about a week before rehearsals start. She spends the first day and half working with the performers on musical notes in their songs. She doesn’t have her first practice with the pit orchestra until Saturday, the end of the rehearsal week. She rehearses with the pit again on Sunday. Finally on Monday, Cheryl will have her first rehearsal with both the pit orchestra and the performers. The cast and crew will continue to work the show for the rest of the week, until the Thursday afternoon opening. Only with the audience in their seats, is the show finally complete.

It seemed crazy to me how actors and actresses could learn a show so quickly. Why, wouldn’t they need an unending amount of practice time? I asked how long each day the cast practices and was very surprised by the answer. The rehearsal day goes from 10 am -1 pm, lunch break 1-2, rehearsal 2-5, dinner break 5-7, and rehearsal 7-10pm. They literally practice all day and are ready in 11 days. It pays off with outstanding performances.

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about the crazy fast pace of rehearsal. You can think about it when you come to see The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Next time we’ll give you the insight into the quick sewing designers in the costume shop.

Who doesn't need a good laugh?

2010-07-27T17:38:00.008-04:00

Christine here.

Wow! The first week of "Run for Your Wife" is over and the buzz around town is great. Everyone is enjoying this show. Actually they're all complaining...about their faces hurting and their sides aching. Isn't that great!

The reviews have been equally glowing. Donald Calamia from Encore Michigan said "I probably laughed more during my two-hour visit...than I have in quite some time!"
You can read his complete review at Encore Michigan

Christopher Tower, Battle Creek Enquirer wrote, "It's very, very funny. If you haven't had a laugh that made your sides hurt in a long time, then "Run For Your Wife" delivers what you need." He concluded his review with [Director Charles] "Burr's genius eye for comic detail and progession make the most of each cast member to create not only the hit of the season, but one of the best shows ever to hit the Tibbits stage." You can read his complete review at The Enquirer

So grab some friends and come to Tibbits. Run!

Run for Your Wife

2010-07-19T10:55:00.001-04:00

This is Charles. We are having a roitous time with the rehearsals for Run For Your Wife. We put it on stage this afternoon. I can't wait to hear all the doors slamming as the cast hits high gear!

This is the director's note I wrote for the program:

Ray Cooney is the best current writer of farce in England. He is author or co-author of Move Over Mrs. Markham, Not Now Darling, Two Into One, Out of Order, Funny Money, Caught in the Net and a host of other gleefully low-brow, but tremendously funny productions. His plays have been so successful, that he owns his runs his own theatre in London. Wikipedia--the ubiquitous source now for everything on line--defines his plays perfectly (and I quote): “Cooney's farces combine a traditional British bawdiness with structural complication, as characters leap to assumptions, are forced to pretend to be things that they aren't, and often talk at cross-purposes to hilarious effect.” I agree. He uses all sorts of stereotypes for his own ever spiraling purposes--never letting political correctness stand in the way of a funny joke. Lucky for us we have a superb company of comedians and designers who think "funny." Rehearsals have been filled with laughter--and all of us together can’t wait to bring you: Run For Your Wife.

Set Designer Andy Broomell

2010-07-02T16:15:00.005-04:00

Hey, it’s Alexandra again. This time I interviewed Andy Broomell, the scenic designer for Tibbits’ main stage season whose work can be seen all season long. [“On Broadway” is tonight and tomorrow night.] Andy & I met in the production office underneath the Tibbits stage, with the sound of nonstop drills from the set build going on above us, and a malfunctioning tape recorder at my side. Through the whirr of theatre activity I learned about Andy…

He’s from Central Wisconsin and pursuing a BFA in Theatrical Design and Technology at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where he is a senior. He has been creating sets as a career for the past three years. When most people think of theatre jobs they list things like actor, director, etc., not the jobs behind the scenes. Andy knew in high school he either wanted to pursue music or theatre. Luckily for us he chose theatre. He became interested in scenic design participating in stage crew during high school where he and a group of students did all the lighting, tech, and set design. They were given a lot of freedom and control over what happened in those areas. Andy said they were given that opportunity because the school size was small and the teachers had confidence in the students.

Andy’s favorite part of set design is how completely collaborative it is. He likes how all the departments work together so the final product is cohesive. We also discussed how he designs a set when the story doesn’t take place in a specific location such as New York. Andy explained how he uses outside sources for ideas and gave examples from the current production of “On Broadway.” He said the design process usually starts by discussing with the director what he or she envisions for the show. Trinity Bird, the director for “On Broadway,” mentioned wanting to incorporate show posters into the set. While listening to music Andy found inspiration in the album artwork that popped up on his iPod. He took the show poster idea and modernized it by using the CD cover artwork from each of the shows represented in the revue. He also incorporated the exposed light trusses used at concerts. His main goal was to create a versatile set that worked for the multiple songs in the show. When he’s designing he has little involvement with the cast, but he does have to keep their needs in mind.

I asked what a typical day is like. Andy said at Tibbits he doesn’t have set hours, but instead works by deadlines. If he starts working on a show that requires knowledge of a time or place to create the set, he will spend his work day researching. He will then start sketching his set designs and eventually create groundplans, renderings, and other detailed drawings. Andy enjoys working all day because he is passionate about his job.

Of his work to date, Andy’s favorite show has been “Rent” because he had a close connection with his design and the cast. He loved the fact the production team had a specific vision of where the show was going. “Rent” takes place in New York during the early 90’s so he immersed himself in the lifestyle and atmosphere of the characters in order to create a world for them to inhabit onstage. As far as challenges, Andy said one of the most difficult shows he has worked on is Tibbits’ upcoming production “Crazy for You.” He said it isn’t so much the complexity of the set pieces but rather the number of different locations and fitting the set pieces into Tibbits’ limited wing space. He said coming up with creative solutions is difficult but fun.

In 2009 Andy received a Special Judges’ Award for Outstanding Projections Design at the Region III Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. He was only a sophomore in college and it was his first time working with projections. Since there was no specific category for projections, he entered his work into the scenic design category. The judges really liked his work, but they wanted to give the award to a scenic designer so they created a special award for his work.

With his experience and recognition, I asked what advice he would give to someone pursuing a career in scenic design. He said “go beyond what the professor tells them to do.” He recommended researching professional scenic designers online to see what they have done and learn from them. He also suggested reading about new shows, keeping up with the ever-changing styles on Broadway.

I hope you have enjoyed taking a closer look at the talented set designer Andy Broomell. More of his work can be seen at http://www.andybroomell.com. It was a joy to share this with you. When you go to see “On Broadway” and “Crazy for You” take some time to soak in the interesting set, and feel privileged in knowing just a little bit more about the man behind it. Goodbye until next time. With smiles,
Alexandra Lyon

Charles Burr Interview

2010-06-28T18:10:00.004-04:00

Last week Encore Michigan ran a nice interview with Charles Burr.

A FEW MINUTES WITH: Charles Burr, artistic director of Tibbits Summer Theatre
By Donald V. Calamia

For many Michiganders, the summer is not complete without a visit to Coldwater and Tibbits Summer Theatre. Begun in 1964, the company performs in the Tibbits Opera House, which opened in 1882 and is one of the few remaining facilities of its kind in the United States. Long-time artistic director Charles Burr talked recently to EncoreMichigan.com about his popular theater and the new musical revue he co-created that will open the 2010 summer season June 24.

Tibbits Summer Theatre is about to open its 47th season, and you've been associated with the company for 28 of those years in one capacity or another. What first brought you to Tibbits?

In the summer of 1981 I was performing in Fiddler on the Roof just up the street from Tibbits at the old True Grist Dinner Theatre in Homer. It was a 10-week run and I really needed to be seeing other shows. Well, my long time partner and collaborator, Bobb James, was performing at the Tibbits that summer. I fell in love with the theater. I auditioned for the next season and wound up playing Moonface Martin in Anything Goes.

Not to forget my stunning portrayal of Henry Higgin's butler...I came back as an actor for each season after that. I was directing at least one show a year by 1985 and was named artistic director by 1991.

Follow link to rest of the interview: MORE

Tiffany Wiesend Interview

2010-06-25T12:23:00.007-04:00

For my first interviews I was honored with talking to actress Tiffany Wiesend and actor/director Brian P. Sage (yesterday's blog). Both of these remarkable performers are gracing us with their talents during the run of the upcoming show, On Broadway a Modern Songbook.

Tiffany Wiesend is a Michigan girl who grew up in the Dearborn area by Detroit. Tiffany has been around music since a very young age. Her dad was a singer who had a band in the early 60’s. She has been singing since she was a little girl, “from the crib” as Tiffany said. Her parents saw her talent and enrolled her in voice lessons. As she grew up, Tiffany became involved with cheerleading which introduced her to dance. She also took a local acting class. For Tiffany, everything just fell into place with the constant support of her family.

Every show is special to the cast. I asked Tiffany what made On Broadway a Modern Songbook special for her. She said it is a great opportunity to showcase her versatility and perform as many different characters during the show.

Her favorite memory from Tibbits was her opportunity to perform in Hair last summer. It was an ensemble show and it brought the entire cast together. It was a very controversial show for a town like Coldwater, but touched the audience. Tiffany was pleased to be a part of it. She said, performing in Hair changed her life and is an experience she’ll never forget.

I asked Tiffany why someone should come see On Broadway. She said “because the cast is super talented.” They have come together to show the audience an array of music from a broad range of musicals.

Actors keep a very hectic schedule. When asked about how she keeps motivated, Tiffany said when she was in New York, she came to realize, if you’re doing what you love, being tired doesn’t really matter anymore. It is the goal you’re trying to achieve, and reaching it helps you deal with the hardships. She also said, she is truly passionate about what she does and it helps her get through the tough times.

My last question for Tiffany was what it is like to act for a living? She said it is testing at times and has created difficulties in seeing her family, but it is also an adventure. Tiffany enjoys living life as a constant set of adventures. For her, it is difficult to not see her family as often as she’d like. This has made her truly cherish the time she does have with them.

Until my next blog, I hope you have enjoyed taking a closer look at Brian P. Sage and Tiffany Wiesend. They are two amazingly talented people, who were a joy to interview. I wish all who come to the show a great experience and the entire cast/crew an amazing show. “Break a leg!”
With smiles,
Alexandra Lyon, Summer Intern

Brian Sage Interview

2010-06-24T13:13:00.002-04:00

Alexandra Lyon is a student at Quincy High School. She’ll be interning with Tibbits this summer to learn more about the world of theatre. One of the tasks we’ve set before her is to interview some of the company members. When we’re in the middle of another season, it’s easy to take what we do for granted. We thought it would be refreshing to hear from someone for whom the world of summer stock is a new experience.

Alexandra Lyon here:
During the summertime, Tibbits is truly a hub for all things theatre. There are many talented people who call Tibbits their home away from home during this wonderful time. Without all the actors, actresses, directors and tech crews none of these great performances would ever be possible. I have always wanted to know more about the people who make it happen. So join me as I share the information from my interviews with these special folks.

For my first entry I was honored with talking to actor/director Brian P. Sage, gracing us with his talents during the run of the upcoming show, “On Broadway a Modern Songbook.” Brian will be in all of the main shows this summer and even directing “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” Brian completed his Master of Fine Arts in acting at Wayne State University. He also studied at Moscow Art Theatre School in Russia. When asked about his experience in Russia, Brian’s first word to describe it was, “Different.” During his few months there he studied what would be the equivalent of the first year of training in the United States. Brian says in Russia, young adults are picked at age 18 to go and study acting as a career. This is what they will devote themselves to for the rest of their working lives. Unlike in the US, theater in Russia is nationally funded. I was surprised to learn most of what American actors know about theatre came from Russia.
About this summer, Brian said the truly special part about “On Broadway a Modern Songbook” is the ability to play so many different roles in one production. He also said this show gives him the opportunity to put his own personality into the characters.

Many crazy things can happen during rehearsals and performances. Brian’s favorite Tibbits memory is from a matinee performance of the show, “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” many years ago. An actress who was supposed to perform forgot about the matinee and could not be contacted. Charles Burr, the artistic director of Tibbits went on in her place creating one of the funniest moments ever on the Tibbits stage.

I believe that everyone at some point in their life is inspired to go into their future line of work. Brian was inspired by his high school theatre director Gloria Logan. She is also an actress for Tibbits summer theatre, who Brian has enjoyed working with after his school years. She is also the person who introduced him to Charles Burr.

Not only has Brian been an actor he has tried his hand at directing. He feels directing is a form of teaching, and he would like to teach acting in the future. Brian also enjoys collaborating with the actors and tech crews. He believes directing helps the actors during the rehearsal process.

My last question for Brian was on how he gets into character before the show. For him, getting into character isn’t about doing a crazy dance or chant. It is about relaxing, stretching, vocalizing, and engaging with your scene partner. He says the actor just needs to get into a performing state of mind and then live in the moment while on stage.

Tomorrow we’ll add an interview with Tiffany Wiesend.

2010 Summer Theatre Season opens today

2010-06-24T09:48:00.000-04:00

Christine Delaney here, executive director of Tibbits Opera House, the 47th season of Tibbits professional summer stock theatre opens today with a new revue..."On Broadway: A Modern Songbook." Energy is high and there's great anticipation for the season ahead. We have a great company, enthusiastic and talented; all we need is the audience. (And hopefully plenty of it!)

After a long hiatus, we're rejuvenating this blog. Look for some fun interviews with members of the company and insight on the season from a fresh set of eyes. Probably some input from the veterans as well.

Hair on Broadway or at the Tibbits

2009-07-29T16:13:00.002-04:00

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.....

Interview with Beau Hutchings from Hair

2009-07-21T16:44:00.003-04:00

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

HAIR: 3-5-0-0 -- The End of Week 1

2009-07-21T15:54:00.003-04:00

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.

Hair: GIVE ME A HEAD WITH LONG BEAUTIFUL HAIR

2009-07-15T13:37:00.002-04:00

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.

Rehearsal Diary for HAIR--Day 1

2009-07-13T17:34:00.006-04:00

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.

I Love You.....Caps the Season

2009-06-22T18:43:00.004-04:00

I LOVE YOU, YOU’RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE

"If this show were a blind date, you'd feel relieved, grateful and pleasantly surprised." Newsday, 1996

I love this show. We produced it, one of the first productions in Michigan, in 2001. Obviously, our audience loved it too. It is the most requested musical to bring back that we‘ve ever had. To quote from the CD liner notes: "In a theatrical age of mammoth spectacles and brooding musical dramas, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change is a rollicking throwback to a nearly extinct theatrical genre: the musical comedy revue. With book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro and music by Jimmy Roberts, I Love You... reinvigorates the revue by taking a hilarious and tuneful joyride through the dizzying spectrum of modern male-female relationships.

In 1995, I Love You... premiered at New Jersey's American Stage Company, where, in the middle of one early performance, a woman in the audience couldn't help but blurt out, "This is my life!" From that moment on, the creators knew they were on to something. The following season, I Love You...moved to New Haven's Long Wharf Theater, and then on August 1st, 1996, I Love You... opened off-Broadway at The Westside Theater, where it was hailed as "Entirely winning! A show for real people about real people." (Gannett Newspapers).”

I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change played for 12 years--5,001 performances-- since it opened in 1996 to become the second longest running show and longest running revue in Off-Broadway history. The musical has been showcased in more than 400 cities world-wide including London, Tel Aviv, Amsterdam, Sydney, Seoul, Rio de Janeiro, Los Angeles, Toronto, Boston, Chicago, Mexico City, Barcelona, Budapest, Prague, Milan, Johannesburg, Dublin, Buenos Aires, Berlin, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, and Taipei. In addition to its enormous success, the Off-Broadway production has been the site of over 50 marriage proposals.

"It's SEINFELD set to pop music!"Newark Star Ledger, 1996"Hilarious! The most entertaining show on or off Broadway!"Gannett Newspapers, 1996

Hair on Broadway....or at the Tibbits....

2009-06-17T22:42:00.004-04:00

I thought it would be interesting for you to read what one of the co-authors wrote about the creation of Hair....

The origins of Hair by the author, James Rado:

"A guy from Washington, D.C. (James Rado) and a kid from Pittsburgh. Pa. (Gerome Ragni) met in New York City when they were cast together in a new off-Broadway endeavor, HANG DOWN YOUR HEAD AND DIE, a musical revue whose theme was Capital Punishment. Following the shortest run in show biz (one night), the two young men continued their friendship and soon set out to write their own show, a musical they entitled HAIR. The two became three when they joined up with a cat from Montreal, Canada (Galt MacDermot) who had settled into the New York area to live and who set their songs to music…

The show opened at the Public Theater and began to stir some excitement, earning largely favorable reviews, with a great one from Clive Barnes (who had some reservations mixed in with his praise), lead critic of the New York Times. Downtown (even without the "nude scene") HAIR proved to be a very warm ticket.

But after a 6-week run, Joseph Papp was done with it…. No show had ever gone from off-Broadway to Broadway before. Still Jerry and I were determined and knew that somehow, some way, we would find someone who would be able to help us move it uptown … Jerry and I had rewritten the text, and, with Galt, had added 13 new songs, expanding the score from 20 to 33 numbers.…We wanted a new director whom we had chosen, Tom O'Horgan…We installed and experimented with the new script of HAIR. Tom used various "sensitivity exercises."… The Tribe was taught how and encouraged to work organically with us on the material. It was a very exciting, smooth-going, yet tumultuous, rehearsal process. We opened at the Biltmore Theatre on April 29, 1968 (6 months after off-Broadway), and Clive Barnes, who had some reservations about the off-Broadway version, raved about our transformative work, which was hugely gratifying. For the most part, the critics hurrahed. HAIR was a hit!

HAIR has played pretty much continuously ever since its opening at Broadway's Biltmore Theatre on West 47th Street. It was translated into many languages and produced around the world, from Japan and Australia to South & Central America, from Europe to Israel."

>

Charles adds: With it’s freewheeling story line and barbed comments on sex, drugs, military service, money, religion and other contemporary concerns, it’s vibrant and often memorable rock score, and a sprinkling of nudity, it shattered Broadway conventions and ran 1750 performances, while the London company performed it 1997 times. It’s back on Broadway. And here at the Tibbits for the first time, July23 thorough August 1.

'Leading Ladies' Strut Their Stuff this July

2009-06-12T09:28:00.010-04:00

Leading Ladies is about Leo and Jack, two British actors whose careers are so far on the skids that they're performing "Scenes from Shakespeare" on the Moose Lodge circuit in Pennsylvania's Amish country. They think their luck might change, however, when they hear about Florence, an old lady in a nearby town who is about to die and leave a considerable legacy to her nephews from England. Leo convinces Jack that they should impersonate the heirs--Max and Stevie. Their foolproof plan hits a snag, though, when they arrive on the scene and realize the woman's long-lost relatives are nieces and not nephews….should they give up? Never! They don skirts and become Maxine and Stephanie. The plot only complicates as they fall in love with two beautiful girls…

So what is it about men in skirts? Charley’s Aunt. Some Like It Hot. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. The Coldwater Rotary Show….There are certain things that are always funny…men walking in heels for the first time, bad wigs on “women” who are outlandishly tall, the locals enamored of these new glamazons…

I could write about how the tradition goes back to the plays of Ancient Rome---but it’s summertime. This strikes me as the perfect farce for this summer. A play with no hidden messages, just lot and lots of laughs. And boy, do we need that now!

"Ken Ludwig gives the audience something powerful and potent: laughter and a guiltless evening of Theatre-going."--Village News

"Leading Ladies is a highly combustible and continuously hilarious new comedy by Ken Ludwig, Broadway's reigning comic writer."--The Cleveland Plain Dealer
Jack Benny in the film of Charley's Aunt, 1941--Twentieth Century Fox

Top image is Arthur Askey in the British film Charley's Big Hearted Aunt, 1940

Tibbits Professional Summer Theatre 2009

2009-06-03T10:18:00.000-04:00

GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES

I was amazed to learn that the Tibbits has never produced this show. It, of course, is based on the Anita Loos novella of the same name. Written in 1925, it has never gone out of print. It has been the basis of a Broadway play, a silent movie, a Broadway musical and finally a big screen Hollywood version of the musical (Well, sort of. More on that later.)

It is all about a comic gold-digger's trip to Paris where she exercises her potent claim "that diamonds are a girl's best friend." There are countless P.G. Wodehouse-type characters who provide her with the aforesaid diamonds. Loos was supposedly inspired to write the book after watching a sexy blonde turn American journalist and essayist H.L Mencken into a lovestruck schoolboy. Mencken, a close friend, actually enjoyed the work and saw to it that it was published. >Originally published as a magazine series, it was published as a book in 1925 and became a runaway best seller earning the praise of no less than author Edith Wharton who dubbed it "The great American novel."

The novella was adapted into a three act play called (surprise) Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Loos and her husband, John Emerson. It opened in September of 1926 and ran for 199 performances--a very respectable run for a show in the 1920's. It featured Frank Morgan (immortalized years later as the Wizard of Oz) as Henry Spofford.

Loos spearheaded the musical adaptation in the 1940's with Broadway playwright, Joseph Fields. It was the second musical for the great composer, Jule Styne. Lyrics were handled by Leo Robin, who wrote with great comic flair. Carol Channing starred. It roared into the Ziegfeld Theatre on December 8, 1949 and stayed there for almost two years, racking up 740 performances.

Hollywood, of course, took notice. Twentieth Century-Fox bought it for Marilyn Monroe. (Don't you always think of Carol Channing and Marlyn Monroe in the same breath? (I believe I did. Once. When I had a fever of 104......) They took the surefire property--and threw out all but two songs. Updated to the 1950's, retaining only the basic story, it is still a fun film if only to see Jack Cole's musical numbers.

Lorelei Lee still had one more incarnation on Broadway. In the 1970's, instead of doing a revival, they rewrote the book, so Carol Channing could still be in it---telling the story in flash back and now called Lorelei. A couple of interesting songs were written by Styne with Betty Comden and Adolph Green, but it proved a very troubled undertaking. It has a small footnote in Broadway history for being one of the few shows to have two cast albums....one recorded before the break in tour...and then another after it, since it had changed so much...

I think it's a great old fashioned musical, a true musical COMEDY--and what a great way to start off the summer season. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes opens June 25 and plays through July 3.

Hair and Tibbits Summer Theatre

2009-05-26T15:47:00.004-04:00

I think for the first time in the history of Summer Theatre, we will be doing a show in Coldwater at the same time that a revival of the same show is the hottest ticket in New York City. Hair is back on Broadway.

Usually the agents who license the shows to us are very protective of the rights. They want to have no other productions. If the show is on tour, they will not allow other professional theatres the rights to do the show until the tour closes. They want no competition. This is why we are still not allowed to do Chicago.

Well, for what ever reason, Tams-Witmark is letting us do Hair concurrently. You can "Let the Sunshine In" right here in Coldwater. Oh, and I'm told by the box office, that it has quite a nice pre-sale...

Tibbits Summer Theatre Gearing Up

2009-05-06T16:09:00.008-04:00

I’m a bad person. (Well, that’s a little strong…)

I’m a bad writer. (Well, I like to think not…)

I’m a bad blogger. (Well, perhaps that’s the right term. And the right tone…)

I have not gotten into the habit of being able to record events that might be of interest to those reading this blog who are looking for potentially fun facts about how Tibbits Summer Theatre is put together.

I will go back and catch you up on some of the things I've been doing to get ready for summer, but let me say that casting is complete, the design teams are in place and I just have a few orchestra members to hire! We start in 30 days! YIKES!!!

Charles Burr--AD

2009-02-17T15:36:00.000-05:00

The American flag flew today on top of the Tibbits…on top of its newly installed cupola. What a glorious sight! And a sight which hasn’t been seen in more than 70 years.

I first saw the flag from several blocks away as I left city hall. I confess, I spent part of the morning driving around town to see from what distance I was still able to see the dome and the flag. (I could see it from south-bound I-69.)

The cupola, the dome which sat on the original opera house, was removed from the building in the mid 1930s along with much of the other architectural detail as the already 50-year-old theatre was renovated into a movie house. Many volunteers have been raising funds and working on the restoration of Tibbits to bring it back to its original grandeur. A great deal has been done but nothing is as visible as the accomplishment of this past week.

On Friday the cupola was raised to the top of the building. What a glorious day and an awesome sight. People gathered in the parking lot, on the rooftops, along Chicago Street and at many of the businesses in the city to witness the occasion. It’s hard to explain the exhilaration I felt witnessing the 23,000 pound structure being lifted and set into place. And then the flagpole with its gold eagle on top, raised to the crown of the structure.

This is truly a restoration milestone.

There are photos and a video of the construction and installation on the home page… www.Tibbits.org. Please let me know if you watched on Friday, what you think of Tibbits’ new look, or from what locations you have been able to see the dome or the flag.

By the way, the ‘S’ stands for Smith…Barton Smith Tibbits, the man who built the building. The ‘B’ and the ‘T’ will be restored when we raise the rest of the funds—only $450,000 to go. More information on that is also on the web site on the restoration page http://www.tibbits.org/restoration.htm.

Christine Delaney

Executive Director

2008-12-16T16:39:00.000-05:00

Tibbits is looking for artists to create and donate the images for its summer shows. The art contributed by regional artist the last two years has given Tibbits a fun look for its summer theatre brochures and other materials. It has also given many artists a unique outlet for their work and printed materials to build their portfolios.

If you’re interested there's detailed information on the website http://www.tibbits.org/. The art is not due until January, but we’d like to at least know if you intend to submit. Call 517-278-6029 or drop us an email at Tibbitsoperahouse@Tibbits.org.

$500,000 grant for Tibbits Opera House Facade

2008-12-09T13:20:00.000-05:00

It has been really hard to curtail our excitement around here lately…Tibbits recently learned the City of Coldwater received the Scenic Byways Grants from the Federal Highway Association for half a million dollars for the restoration of the Tibbits Opera House!

This announcement is a tremendous boost to our restoration effort. The 126-year-old opera house is a notable landmark and asset along the US-12 Heritage Trail. We are grateful for the support of the City of Coldwater, the Heritage Trail committee, the Michigan Department of Transportation, our legislators, and Bob Welke in making this happen. For more information on the grant, go to http://www.tibbits.org/NSBPMDOTgrantPR12-01-08.htm

Tibbits is already gearing up for Summer Theatre and Charles Burr will be back soon with information on the shows and updates as he prepares for the new season. We really have so much more happening at the theatre besides Summer Theatre. We’ll start keeping you up to date on the other events as they happen. …Christine Delaney, Executive Director

End of season...

2008-08-20T09:13:00.000-04:00

I got a letter from Ruth Scheidler that I thought I'd share as we wrap things up for the 2008 Tibbits Summer Theatre season. She wrote:

"Bop She Bops" was FANTASTIC in every way. You deserved the enthusiastic standing ovation you got Saturday night. My only regret is that I couldn't come earlier in the run, and see it TWICE.

Charles, Tiffany, Brynn, Katie, Eric, Uncle Dave (can't remember your name - sorry - I DO remember your red pants and great drum solo), Cheryl, techies and all the others who contributed so much to this production, THANK YOU. You never missed a beat, from period costumes to a mind blowing list of songs, presented by joyfully talented people. We LOVED this show. ~ Ruth Scheidler

Final Giveaway of the Summer!

2008-08-14T10:07:00.000-04:00

This is Charles. I would like to extend a final thank you for all our readers. Once again we are going to offer a two for one ticket price for the closing night performance of The Bop She Bops on August 16 at 8:00pm. To get this special deal, call the box office at 517-278-6029 and ask them to apply the code BSBBlog#2. Once again, since I have decided to do this at the last moment, you must talk to a box office representative. The discount will not be available online.

Take this opportunity to see the show that has the entire audience humming, laughing and clapping along. Or come see the show again!

Bop She Bops Update!!!!

2008-08-03T20:57:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone!!!! Tiffany Wiesend here. We are all getting really excited for performances of The Bop She Bops. Today we rehearsed with our drummer John, or as we call him "Uncle Dave" which was fantastic. He truly is an incredibly skilled musician. The drums have really added a lot to our performance and we can't wait to open on Thursday. Do check out the video below... I think you will enjoy it. Well, I better bop on out of here, I have a lot of bop-she-practicing to do :) I love bop-she-puns...

The Goodbye Girl's Toughest Costumes!

2008-07-31T13:41:00.000-04:00

Greetings Tibbit's Fans!
This is Melissa Swanson, costume designer for Room Service and The Bop She Bops. Today I wanted to share with you the toughest challenge we costumers had while constructing for our current show, The Goodbye Girl. This challege was, of course, the Giant Food Costumes! For those of you who have seen our production, I am referring to the dancing rib-eye steak, french fries, and ice cream cone.

Em Rossi, the designer for The Goodbye Girl, developed a strategy to construct these mascots out of ordinary foam mattress pads, headliner foam, a bit of wire, and lots and lots of hot melt glue.
Pictured here is the inside of the ice cream. I built a wire skeleton for the ice cream scoop in order to keep its shape while Katie Lemos was dancing in it.

This process kept us stuck inside these costumes for many hours while gluing each piece together.

After gluing everything together we spent a day in a mist of spray paint behind the opera house.

Lastly, we added the finishing details with some acrylic paints, and lots of glitter.

All three of us built one. Em Rossi made the fries, while Kat Reid (popcorn designer) built the rib-eye, and I tackled the delicious ice cream cone.

So far in the season these costumes were the toughest to build, and yet the most fun. But perhaps not for our diets, considering they caused many ice cream and french fry cravings (not so-much for raw meat).

If you have not seen these costumes in action there are still three more performances; tonight, Friday and Saturday at 8:00 pm.

The next show will be The Bop She Bops, designed by me. Here is a sneak peak of the costumes for Tibbits last summer performance.

A Behind-The-Scenes look at Goodbye Girl - Making The Lights on Broadway

2008-07-31T12:51:00.000-04:00

Hello! My name is Kat Lanphear, and this season I'm serving as the Mainstage Lighting Designer for Tibbits Opera House. I just wanted to give our readers a quick look at the magic behind some of the effects in our shows, particularly The Goodbye Girl.

For those of you who have seen the show, you probably noticed Broadway posters that flew in and out during certain scenes. One of my jobs as lighting designer was not only to make sure that the audience could see the set, but also add a little bit of "lighting magic" to the signs. Working in collaboration with Lex van Blommestien (the scenic designer), we were able to make the Majestic Theatre sign light up, as well as create chasing lights around the 42nd Street sign.

The original concept for how to light the Majestic sign was to drill a series of holes in the middle of the sign to spell out the letters, and then use a lighting instrument directly behind the sign to shine light through the holes. However, this idea had to be scrapped because the look of the sign was being comprimised - it just didn't look as crisp and clean as Lex wanted it to. After a talk about other options, the two of us decided our best bet would be to use rope light to spell out the letters. Not only did using rope light achieve a better look than drilling holes in the sign, but it was also a cheap alternative - we had an abundance of rope light from a production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas a few years ago (if you happened to see that production three years ago, you may remember the rope light-surrounded runway - yes, we recycle!).

After deciding on a solution, the Master Electrician (Ben Paciorkowski) set to work installing the rope light. The picture on the left is the final product. It took about two hours of drilling small holes to feed rope light through, and installing clips to help create and shape the letters. Pretty simple, but a good look for the show.

While Ben worked on that sign, I was working across the scene shop on the 42nd Street sign. Early on in the process, I'd expressed to Director Brian Sage that I'd like to be able to do a chasing light effect on one on the signs. Most people have seen a chasing effect before - think about theatre marquee signs where the lights seem to "chase" each other around in a circle. A chase effect is easy to create, as it's really just a simple trick of the eye; what you really see in a chase effect is one light turning on, then the one next to it, then the one after it, over and over again in a loop of three. While it looks like the lights "chase" around a sign, it's really just every third light being turned on in a sequence.

To do this, I needed to wire 3 sets of 8 lamp bases to the sign - a total of 24 lights. This way, I could turn on one set of lights at a time. I also needed to be able to "hide" the wires so that the sign looked clean. To complete this project took me over three hours. Not only did I need to attach and wire bases to the sign, but I also needed to make sure I didn't get "lost" in my wiring. One wrong end of a wire attached to the wrong base could have cost me a lot of extra time to go back and fix everything. In the picture, you can see band-aids on my fingers; wiring the sign caused a lot of blisters that day! However, in the end all of the lights worked, and I was able to program multiple chase sequences for musical numbers in The Goodbye Girl. Check out the finished product below!

If you haven't had the opportunity yet, make sure to check out our production of The Goodbye Girl before it closes on Saturday, August 2nd! I promise you that it will be a great time, and you will be able to tell all of your friends how they made the lights on Broadway. =)

Bop She Bops!!!

2008-07-30T14:09:00.000-04:00

Everyone should prepare to tap their toes and remember classic songs from the 1950's, 60's, and 70's. The Bop She Bops will bring fun, laughs, and maybe even a few tears through fantastic songs from this exciting era.

Right now we are just in the beginning stages of rehearsal for the show. My name is Tiffany Wiesend and I am one of the Bop She Bops ladies, along with Brynn Curry, and Katie Lemos. We are so excited to have the honor of performing these terrific tunes. Eric Silvertree is also involved, playing my father in the show, and our biggest fan and greatest supporter. We're having a ball in rehearsals getting to know these songs!

Take a minute and get a sneak peek in the rehearsal process with our secret rehearsal cam below! :)

Room Service Giveaway

2008-07-17T11:53:00.000-04:00

Hello again, faithful readers. This is Charles. I hope by now we have tantalized you into seeing Room Service, the classic Broadway farce now playing at the Tibbits. If you need a little more encouragement, how about a a free ticket?

That's right we are offering a buy-one-get-one-free incentive ONLY to the readers of this blog. It is good only for Saturday night, July 19th. That's closing night of the show where the laughter is bringing down the house.

You must mention the code: RSBlog#1. Since we are doing this at the last minute, you will need to call the Box Office at 517-278-6029 as it is not set up in the online ticketing program.

I would love to see how many readers we have--and rather we have piqued your interest with Eric's behind the scenes look at putting up the show. See you there!

Set Design and Little Women

2008-07-14T14:42:00.000-04:00

The Set for Little Women

This is Charles. While Little Women closed a week ago, I thought our audience might like to hear about (and look at) this highly innovative set.

Here is Set Designer Lex van Blommestein talking about his first impressions for the concept of the set:

"When I first read the script for Little Women I realized that it is not as simplistic as some musicals. There is a rich story, that involves other fantastic stories wrapped within. I had to develop a visual idea that allowed for an interesting way to portray the rich and embellished tales that are spinning in Jo March's head. In the end, the decision became clear... bring it back to the story(ies). I had to keep the fantasy alive and interesting without making it seem like it was being acted. Using a semi-transparent material on the walls allowed for the hazy dream like stories of Jo's head to be played, while in front of the walls the reality of the musical can come to life."

These first three images are the preliminary sketches of how the set might work.

Once the set was okayed by Ray Gabica (the director), Lex and the Technical Director, Chuck Griffin, sat down to figure out what kind of materials could be used that would give the set the look Lex wanted but be within the budget for summer theatre. Scrim, the material that allows light through it when lit from the back and opaque when lit from the front, is very expensive.

Lex and Chuck decided to use a much more cost effective cheese cloth that had many of the same properties. It is never as opaque, but since we never had to see a "realistic" wall, it would work well--always giving a slightly ghostly feel to the room. Once the frame was built, the cloth was stretched over it and sized with a mixture of water and glue. Chuck demonstrates the look of the raw flat.

Next, it was Lex's turn to paint. Since the whole play is composed of Jo thinking back over her life, he opted to see fragments of the wall, not a hyper realistic look. Notice how the wall paper stencil fades in and out over the flat. The stencil is cut by hand and used to get the regulated pattern of the wallpaper. In the attic it is a suggestion of the lath showing through the plaster. For the floor he painted large pages of manuscript.

Ray wanted the show to always remind us of Louisa Alcott's (and, hence Jo's) literary roots. Great panels looking like books on a shelf were used to hide the house and provide other locations. Here Charlie Cochran and Chuck hold up the frame before it is covered with regular muslin.

Here is one completed and ready to go to the paint area. The workshop is located in the same building as the paint shop. Our property storage is there, too. The building is located about half a mile from the theatre. It's very convenient---until you need to transport the set to the theatre in the rain.

The platformed area helped define where we were at any given moment in the musical. The highest area was the attic. A sitting room area was to the left that could double in both the house and the boarding house. And an entrance/passageway was to the right of the attic. Here the platforms are just built and put in place for the first time at the scene shop.

Th Designer and Scenic Artist, Lex van Blommestein with the Little Women wallpaper stencil. Lex guesses he spent 55 hours painting the walls, platforms and floor.

Room Service Performance, Shows One and Two

2008-07-11T17:43:00.000-04:00

Prior Reports:
Day 1 - Sunday, 29 June: Read-Through and Act One Blocking
Day 2 - Monday, 30 June: Act Two and Act Three Blocking
Day 3 - Tuesday, 1 July: Act Three Blocking, Publicity, and Working Act One
Day 4 - Wednesday, 2 July: Working Act Two and Meet the Cast
Day 5 - Thursday, 3 July: Run-Through and Meet the Cast
Day 6 - Friday, 4 July: Run-Through and Meet the Cast
Day 7 - Saturday, 5 July: Work Session and Designer's Run
Day 8 - Sunday, 6 July: Load-In*, Hang and Focus, and Running Lines
*Including one-minute timelapse video of the set going up!
Day 9 - Monday, 7 July: Costumes, Props, and Adjusting to the Stage
Day 10 - Tuesday, 8 July: Stage Management, Box Office, and Dress Rehearsal
Day 11 - Wednesday, 9 July: Final Dress Rehearsal

Thursday, 10 July: Opening Day Double Run

Hello! I'm Eric Silvertree, taking you behind the scenes into life in regional professional theater, with a day-by-day weblog covering Room Service, the third production in Tibbits Summer Theatre's forty-fifth season, from the first day of rehearsals to the last day of performance.

The rehearsal process is over now, and today we hit the stage and performed for an audience for the first time - and the second time. Today was a double run, meaning we had both a 2pm matinée and an 8pm evening performance. Our volunteer ushers had their work cut out for them preparing enough program flyers for the day.

First, though, for the morning session. I'm also performing in The Tortoise and the Hare and Other Fables by Aesop, part of the Tibbits Popcorn Theatre series for children. We have two more shows Friday and Saturday morning, but we haven't done the show since last week. To refresh our memories - and make sure that the set changeover from Little Women to Room Service hasn't created any problems for us - we had a brush-up rehearsal Thursday morning. It went great, and we'll have no problems re-opening the show tomorrow.

On to the afternoon. The stage manager of a show determines what time the cast is due to report in for a performance. That check-in time is referred to as call. Call times vary with the needs of the show. If the whole cast is in very elaborate costumes, or special makeup, or in a musical that requires time to warm up the voice, call may be an hour or more before the curtain goes up. Room Service has fewer pre-show demands on the actors, so Justin set our call at half an hour.

We're free to show up early, of course, and an actor who doesn't appear on stage until late in the show may be given a call time later than the rest of the cast. We each, by now, have a pretty good idea how long we personally will need to get ready, and we each have different ways of using the time. Some actors prefer to arrive early and get ready long before curtain time, then spend the extra time relaxing in the dressing room or greenroom. Some actors would rather get everything done just in time to hit the stage, because extra time spent waiting makes them nervous and jittery.

Either way, we're kept on track by Justin, who makes regular announcements of the time remaining before the show begins. One important timing mark comes just under a half-hour before curtain, when we hear that the house is open - meaning the ushers have begun showing the audience to their seats in the auditorium. The final announcement comes at two minutes to curtain time, when the stage manager calls us to take our places for the beginning of the show.

Then the house lights go dark, the stage lights come on, the curtain rises - and we begin. I'll talk more about what goes on backstage during a performance in later reports. Today, I'd like to tell you about some of our friends in the community of Coldwater, Michigan, and the special things they did for us on opening day.

The good folks at the United Methodist Church have a kind spot in their hearts for the Tibbits company, and on the days when we have two back-to-back performances they take special care of us by having the whole company over for dinner between shows. After washing off the makeup and changing back into our own clothes, we walked three blocks over to the church, where they had a great buffet with chicken casserole, tacos, rolls, salad, fresh fruit, iced tea, orange juice, coffee and dessert laid out for us. They've hosted meals for us on double-run days for many years now, and besides being grateful for the food, those of us who return to the Tibbits season after season are always happy to see them again. It's a delightful time spent catching up with friends. In the photo above, we raise our glasses to United Methodist volunteers Linda Luce, Diane Godfrey, MaryAnne Bair, Jerry Welborn, Carol Tinervia, and Marianne Hodson. Thanks again for your love and support!

We're just as grateful to the Northwoods Coffee Shop and owner Michelle Milnes, who started a new tradition this year. On opening nights, Northwoods re-opens late after the show, and we have the chance to relax and mingle with some of the folks who've just seen us on stage. It's wonderful to be able to meet and chat with the audience in such a pretty and comfortable place, and both the coffee and the food are excellent. Many of us at Tibbets make Northwoods a regular stop during the day, and the opening night receptions are a special treat - Michelle gave us each a beverage and dessert of our choice on the house!

As for the shows themselves, we couldn't be more pleased with how much the audiences enjoyed themselves. A lot is said about how much actors like the sound of applause, but there's one thing we love even more - the sound of a whole houseful of people helpless with laughter. Our double run on opening day left us very tired, but very very happy. We hope you'll come down and share the fun!

Room Service Rehearsal, Day Eleven

2008-07-10T09:50:00.000-04:00

Room Service Rehearsal, Day Ten

2008-07-09T12:23:00.000-04:00

Prior Reports:
Day 1 - Sunday, 29 June: Read-Through and Act One Blocking
Day 2 - Monday, 30 June: Act Two and Act Three Blocking
Day 3 - Tuesday, 1 July: Act Three Blocking, Publicity, and Working Act One
Day 4 - Wednesday, 2 July: Working Act Two and Meet the Cast
Day 5 - Thursday, 3 July: Run-Through and Meet the Cast
Day 6 - Friday, 4 July: Run-Through and Meet the Cast
Day 7 - Saturday, 5 July: Work Session and Designer's Run
Day 8 - Sunday, 6 July: Load-In*, Hang and Focus, and Running Lines
*Including one-minute timelapse video of the set going up!
Day 9 - Monday, 7 July: Costumes, Props, and Adjusting to the Stage

Tuesday, 8 July: Stage Management, Box Office, and Dress Rehearsal

Hi again! I'm Eric Silvertree, a member of the cast of Room Service, the rollicking farce opening Thursday, 10 July at the historic Tibbits Opera House in Coldwater, Michigan.

Time is speeding by as the show gets ever closer to opening. During the morning session, the technical crew - set, lights, props and costumes - were hard at work finalizing all the details, from repairing the facing on a step that one of us accidentally kicked in, to finishing a hat for one of the ladies, to finding the right mix of Coca-Cola and 7-Up to simulate champagne.

The afternoon session was a run without costumes (except for garments changed on stage as part of the show) and in the evening we had another full dress rehearsal. Yesterday, our biggest concern was adjusting to the move from the rehearsal space to the stage. Today, we were back to concentrating on our acting, polishing our performances, and establishing our personal routines for the show. We and the crew all rely on each other backstage to keep things running smoothly. For example, Robert helps Whitney and Sarah by remaking the beds during the first intermission, Brian and Steve help J.R. with a tricky little bit of costuming before he makes a re-entrance, and I help John maneuver the breakfast cart into place so when the door opens, he can wheel it right on.

You've caught sight of the stage management staff here and there in previous posts, but let's get to know them a little better.

In front is Justin Carroll, the production stage manager. Justin started working with Tibbits Summer Theatre five years ago as an assistant, and is now the man in charge when the show goes live and the director turns over control to stage management. Justin is working toward a degree in theatre technology and design at Central Washington University.

Behind him is Whitney Shouse. Whitney is the assistant stage manager for mainstage shows, and serves as primary stage manager for the Tibbits Popcorn Theatre series for young audiences. Whitney is a theatre major at Hanover College in Indiana.

At the lighting control console in back is Ben Paciorkowski, the master electrician. From this nest off to the side of the stage, Ben and Whitney perform the technical aspects of the show - raising the curtain, ringing the telephone on the set, controlling the lights on stage and in the auditorium - while Justin gives them their cues from his post in a booth behind the last row of seats in the balcony. Justin, Whitney, and Ben are in constant communication by headset microphone, and Justin also makes announcements to the actors thorough speakers in the dressing rooms.

We also have dedicated folks keeping things going at the Tibbits year-round. Joan Spaulding is the darling lady in charge of keeping things tidy throughout the building. Cleaning our individual dressing room spaces is each actor's responsibility, but then there's the auditorium, the lobby, the downstairs intermission space with art gallery and gift shop…

Dave Brown is the house technical director, making sure the lights and fans work for us on both floors of dressing rooms, for instance, as well as working with the community theater and other performance groups that use the opera house when Tibbits Summer Theatre is not in season. I never know when I'm going to come across either Joan or Dave when I zip through the place at random odd hours, and Joanie always has a sweet smile and a laugh for me, and Dave's always ready with a new joke.

There are a lot of people involved in mounting a production - not just the actors you see strutting their stuff in the light. We all work hard to bring the show together - and by now, I hope you're as eager to see the production as we are to present it. Here are the friendly people to talk to for tickets!

That's box office manager Jo Summitt on the left, with assistant manager Vanessa Bloom on the right. In the second photo are Shannon McKinney and Sam Haberl.
They'll be very happy to reserve your seats - either in person, or at 517.287.6029. The box office is open from 10am to 5pm every weekday, 9am to 4pm on Saturdays, plus at 7pm (an hour before curtain time) on all dates with evening shows. Room Service opens on Thursday with two shows - a matinée at 2pm and an evening performance at 8pm. We continue Friday and Saturday at 8pm both nights. The following week, we re-open on Wednesday with a 2pm matinée, then complete the run with 8pm shows on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) we have our final rehearsal before we open the doors and bring up the curtain - and your backstage pass with me on the blog will go on all through the run of the show. More coming soon!

Room Service Rehearsal, Day Nine

2008-07-08T20:09:00.000-04:00

Prior Reports:
Day 1 - Sunday, 29 June: Read-Through and Act One Blocking
Day 2 - Monday, 30 June: Act Two and Act Three Blocking
Day 3 - Tuesday, 1 July: Act Three Blocking, Publicity, and Working Act One
Day 4 - Wednesday, 2 July: Working Act Two and Meet the Cast
Day 5 - Thursday, 3 July: Run-Through and Meet the Cast
Day 6 - Friday, 4 July: Run-Through and Meet the Cast
Day 7 - Saturday, 5 July: Work Session and Designer's Run
Day 8 - Sunday, 6 July: Load-In*, Hang and Focus, and Running Lines
*Including one-minute timelapse video of the set going up!

Monday, 7 July: Costumes, Props, and Adjusting to the Stage.

Hi there! I'm Eric Silvertree, back with another installment of the day-by-day backstage blog of Room Service, part of Tibbits Summer Theatre's forty-fifth season of summer stock.

I'm sure you noticed some props and furniture pieces gradually replacing the folding chairs that stood in for the real things during rehearsals at the Jefferson Elementary School gym. On Monday, however, we got our hands on all the genuine articles we'll be using in the show. Minor additions and changes will continue right up to the final rehearsal, but all the departments try to make sure that the technical aspects of the show are as close to finished as possible for the first on-stage run.

Properties master Sarah Simrau had her work cut out for her - there are three and a half pages of fine print on the last pages of the script, listing the props called for in the action of the play - and none of them are allowed to look as though they were manufactured in the twenty-first century. Period suitcases, doctor's bag, dinnerware, linen and towels, a typewriter in a carrying case - all have to be either found, made, or modified from items in the Tibbits stock.

It all looks like a pile of mess as it's brought in, but Sarah and assistant stage manager Whitney Shouse quickly get things organized. Props are either pre-set in the right locations on the set or laid out on tables backstage, with a specific place for each prop, so that we actors always know exactly where everything is and can easily grab what we need and get back on stage.

Lights and set also have some details to attend to, like wiring the lighted sconces attached to the wall above the side tables by the beds. Here you can see Whitney and master electrician Ben Paciorkowski hooking up power to a bell ringer that has the right sound for a 1930's telephone and can be controlled from the light operator's station.

During the morning session, while the crew was busy working on the stage, the actors met in the greenroom. Nobody can agree on why the room set aside for actors to relax offstage as they're waiting to go on is called the greenroom, but it's been called that since at least the beginning of the eighteenth century. Ours is down a flight of stairs from the door opening onto the back of the stage, and it's the perfect spot for the whole cast to go through the dialogue of the whole show from beginning to end, talking our way through the script one last time before we start doing it on a set with stairsteps and doors and furniture and props in our hands.

After lunch, we walked around on the set for a few minutes to get used to the space, and then we began our first onstage run-through. We've been rehearsing on a flat floor without walls up until now, pretending to be holding papers and dishes and things, so we were all a little distracted the first time through, and kept forgetting our lines. That's not a problem - the director expects it to happen, and so do we. When an actor goes blank in rehearsal, he or she doesn't (and shouldn't) waste time apologizing for it. Instead, we just shout "Line!" Someone - usually Justin Carroll, the stage manager - has a script right in front of him, ready to feed us a few words to get us back on track. There comes a point, of course, when we're expected to recover from problems on our own (since we can't shout "Line!" during a performance) but that point doesn't come until we've had a chance to get used to the stage.

For the evening session, we added costumes to the mix. We've paid individual visits to the costume shop for fittings at various times during the last week, but this was our first time wearing them for a dress rehearsal, or rehearsal in costume. Getting used to our clothes, and when we change them for different scenes, is another distraction, but we all settled in very quickly. In fact, I think I was the only one who called "Line!" during the evening dress.

Costuming a show set in the 1930's - or any other historical period - presents the same challenges as gathering props. All the garments have to have to be in the right style, with no obvious color or fabric choices from the wrong era. Some of the clothes are simply pulled from the Tibbits inventory, and some are constructed from scratch. Let's meet the costumers!

In front is Melissa Swanson, the designer for Room Service. Behind Melissa is Kathleen Reid, and behind Kathleen is Em Rossi. Kathleen recently earned her BFA at the University of Central Missouri, and Em is working toward her MFA at Wayne State University. They all share the work as stitchers for every show, but they divide the design responsibilities up. Em designed Little Women, which just closed, and is working on the upcoming show The Goodbye Girl, which follows Room Service. Melissa will design again for The Bop She Bops, and Kathleen is in charge of all the shows in the Popcorn Theatre series for children.

Now that we're on the stage, and into the dress rehearsal phase, we're almost ready to open. Tuesday and Wednesday will be our time to work out the last of our hesitations and uncertainties as we prepare to open the show to the public on Thursday. I'll talk to you again soon!

Room Service Rehearsal, Day Eight

2008-07-07T09:45:00.000-04:00

Prior Reports:
Day 1 - Sunday, 29 June: Read-Through and Act One Blocking
Day 2 - Monday, 30 June: Act Two and Act Three Blocking
Day 3 - Tuesday, 1 July: Act Three Blocking, Publicity, and Working Act One
Day 4 - Wednesday, 2 July: Working Act Two and Meet the Cast
Day 5 - Thursday, 3 July: Run-Through and Meet the Cast
Day 6 - Friday, 4 July: Run-Through and Meet the Cast
Day 7 - Saturday, 5 July: Work Session and Designer's Run

Sunday, 6 July: Load-In*, Hang and Focus, and Running Lines
*timelapse video

Hello again! Eric Silvertree reporting from the Tibbits Opera House in Coldwater, Michigan, on all the preparations here for our production of Room Service, the classic 1937 comedy by John Murray and Allen Boretz.

After the Saturday designers' run came the final performance of Little Women. Once the audience had gone home and the actors changed out of their costumes and cleaned off their makeup, it was time to strike the set. To strike something is to move it off the stage, and everybody in the company - even those not otherwise working on a particular show - participates in strike at the end of a show's run. Chuck Griffin, our technical director, is the man in charge at strike, and under his well-organized leadership, we had the Little Women set dismantled, piled on a trailer, trucked over to the scene shop, and unloaded in just a little over an hour.

Of course, we were all pretty tired at the end, but we were in a very good mood, because earlier that afternoon at the end of the designers' run, our director for Room Service, Charles Burr, had announced to the cast that he was making a change in the schedule. Because the show is so fast and takes so much energy to perform, and because rehearsals had been going so well, he'd decided to give us the whole day off on Sunday! After a few seconds of stunned silence, we all cheered. Imagine playing tennis or basketball flat-out for three hours at a time, two or three times a day, for a whole week, and you'll have some idea how most of us were feeling Saturday night - even before we started striking Little Women.

I spent a leisurely Sunday morning at the laundromat, and then a few of us who have a huge amount of dialogue (or have been memorizing more than one show at a time) got together on the front porch of the company house to spend a few hours running lines. Running lines is something actors do on their own time. One actor, or a helpful friend, will hold the script and follow along while the others practice. The book-holder will read any parts that belong to an actor who isn't there, and will interrupt the rest of us if we skip a line or make a mistake. We concentrate purely on the words, without worrying about movement, emotion, or delivery. It's a very intense memorization technique, even more focused than working a scene. If one of us keeps getting stuck on a particular line or two, we may do that half-page over and over dozens of times until it's perfect.

Meanwhile, on the stage, Chuck and Lex were overseeing the rest of the load-in process. Load-in, for a set, is the opposite of strike. Let's meet the fine folks on the set construction crew.

Chuck Griffin, the technical director, is in the center, and Lex vanBlommestein, set designer, is all the way to the left. Kyle Garrelts, our technical theatre intern, is standing between Lex and Chuck. Kyle starts working on his BFA in technical theatre this fall at the University of Wyoming. The gentlemen on the right are Charlie Cochran, carpenter, and Chris Otwell, master carpenter. Charlie has a degree from ITT in Phoenix, Arizona, and Chris is working toward his MFA at Wayne State University.

The set was constructed and pre-painted at the Tibbits scene shop, and we carried all the pieces of Room Service in and stacked them against the back wall during the Little Women strike. On Sunday, it was time to put it all together. Thanks to Chris, we have a series of photographs taken at five-minute intervals, enough to make a short video showing the construction of Room 920 at the White Way Hotel in Times Square, New York City.

^ ^ ^ Click the play button above to watch the video

Once the set is up, it's time for the lighting crew to work their magic. Lights for theatre are referred to as instruments, and each instrument needs to be hung in place, aimed, and focused to make sure both the actor's faces and the entire set are clearly illuminated, without unwanted shadows, hot spots, or gaps. The color of the light is controlled with gel, sheets of colored heat-resistant plastic held in frames in front of each instrument's lens. Even shows without visible color effects have a gel in every light.

That's Kat Lanphear, lighting designer, on the left, and up on the ladder adjusting an instrument is Ben Paciorkowski, the master electrician. Ben has a BA from Hanover College, and starts working on his MFA at Purdue this fall. Together they test each instrument, individually and as part of the complete lighting scheme, until the whole setting has the right atmosphere for the show.

On Monday, we actors get our first chance to rehearse on the actual set. More about that, and about the props and costumes for Room Service, in my next report. So long for now!

Room Service Rehearsal, Day Seven

2008-07-06T11:17:00.000-04:00

Prior Reports:
Day 1 - Sunday, 29 June: Read-Through and Act One Blocking
Day 2 - Monday, 30 June: Act Two and Act Three Blocking
Day 3 - Tuesday, 1 July: Act Three Blocking, Publicity, and Working Act One
Day 4 - Wednesday, 2 July: Working Act Two and Meet the Cast
Day 5 - Thursday, 3 July: Run-Through and Meet the Cast
Day 6 - Friday, 4 July: Run-Through and Meet the Cast

Saturday, 5 July: Work Session and Designer's Run

Hello! I'm Eric Silvertree, a member of the acting company with Tibbits Summer Theatre in Coldwater, Michigan, bringing you yet another backstage report on the rehearsals for Room Service, the mile-a-minute comedy opening this Thursday, 10 July.

This is the end of the first week of rehearsal, and also the opening morning of the other show I'm acting in at the moment. The Tortoise and the Hare and Other Fables by Aesop is part of Tibbits Popcorn Theatre for young audiences. The Popcorn shows are performed on Friday and Saturday mornings at 10am. Because of the holiday, the theater was dark all day yesterday - which means there were no shows scheduled. Also because of the holiday, our audience for Aesop was relatively small. A little over a hundred kids came to see the show, which was pretty much what we'd expected.

Besides the free popcorn and juice during intermission, Popcorn Theatre shows feature a meet-and-greet after every performance, where the audience can get autographs and their parents can take pictures of them with the cast. With a small audience, the reception went by quickly, and I was able to make it to the morning Room Service rehearsal before it was halfway over. When I got there, we were in the middle of working Act 3.

The afternoon session was the designer's run. The heads of all the technical departments were in attendance for a complete run-through of the show. The designer's run is a final check for props, costumes, lighting, and set, so that they know - for example - whether a water pitcher on stage will actually need water in it or not, and which corners of the set need to be lit for actors' faces, and which just need lighting for atmosphere.

We'll be moving onto the actual set on Monday, and although there are always a few minor surprises and hiccups when we make the transition, all the departments (including the actors) do everything they can to make the transition as smooth as possible. You've met the cast. Let me introduce you to the designers.

First, on the left, is Sarah Simrau. Sarah is the properties master. Properties, or props, are any objects in the show which are moved or handled by the actors. In Room Service, that includes things like luggage, newspapers, champagne bottles, a stuffed and mounted deer's head, a serving cart of real breakfast for three of the actors to wolf down on stage, and much much more. Sarah has a theatre degree from Mid-Michigan Community College, and interned at the Florida Studio Theatre before joining the staff at Tibbits.

Next is Lex vanBlommestein, the set designer. Sets are anything on stage that doesn't get moved around. The walls and doors are part of the set, of course, but so are the furniture and decorative objects arranged on them. Lex holds an MFA in scenic design from Wayne State University, and is soon to take up a professorship at Southern Illinois University.

Moving on, we come to Melissa Swanson, costume designer. Costumes, obviously, are the clothes that the actors wear on stage, but her department also covers things like the actors' hair and makeup styles. Melissa is a student at Western Illinois University majoring in both art history and costume design.

And on the right is Kat Lanphear, the lighting designer. In addition to the lights for the show, her department has a hand in anything on stage that requires electricity and remote control. Kat has a degree from Alma College, and is working toward her lighting design MFA at Wayne State University.

The boundaries between these departments are not rigid. Lex and Sarah collaborate on the knickknacks that dress the set. Sarah and Melissa work together on the items of clothing that aren't actually worn but are tossed around as props. Kat and Lex consult on the light fixtures mounted on the walls in the room. And, of course, they all work together with the director to make sure that the actors look the way he wants them to in their costumes on the set when they're lit and carrying props.

My next report will be a closer look at the stage as the set goes up and the lights get focused on Sunday. Be back soon!

Room Service Rehearsal, Day Six

2008-07-06T02:42:00.000-04:00

Prior Reports:
Day 1 - Sunday, 29 June: Read-Through and Act One Blocking
Day 2 - Monday, 30 June: Act Two and Act Three Blocking
Day 3 - Tuesday, 1 July: Act Three Blocking, Publicity, and Working Act One
Day 4 - Wednesday, 2 July: Working Act Two and Meet the Cast
Day 5 - Thursday, 3 July: Run-Through and Meet the Cast

Friday, 4 July: Run-Through and Meet the Cast

Happy Independence Day, everyone! Eric Silvertree here with another behind-the-scenes report on life in the world of regional summer stock theater, as we prepare to present Room Service at the Tibbits Opera House.

My daily routine is pretty familiar to you by now: rehearsal for The Tortoise and the Hare and Other Fables by Aesop in the morning, Room Service in the afternoon, and the evening off to study my lines and run my errands - not actually part of the schedule, you understand. I only have evenings off because I'm not in the current mainstage production of Little Women.

Today would have been different if it weren't a holiday weekend. Aesop is part of the Tibbits Popcorn Theatre series for young audiences, and Popcorn shows have their opening "nights" every other Friday morning - but families' plans for the Fourth of July usually don't include dropping the kids off for an hour. It's not cost-effective to burn electricity to light a show when everyone's out of town or at the lake. Therefore, Aesop will open on Saturday instead, and we used the time to get in another round of rehearsal. For the same reason, there's no performance of Little Women tonight. We figure everybody in Coldwater will be at the fireworks show instead - and since Tibbits is giving everyone in the company the evening off, that includes most of us!

So, in a roundabout way, the fact that it's a holiday means my workday worked out to be exactly what it's been all week. At 2pm, I and my fellow cast members were in the gym at Jefferson Elementary School for another run-through of Room Service. Each run-through gets smoother and sharper as we gain confidence in our lines and refine our acting choices under the watchful eye of our director, Charles Burr.

Enough about the schedule - let's talk about the rest of the cast. Some scripts are written with one or two dominant characters, called the leads, while others are written as ensemble pieces, in which the entire cast has roughly equal stage time. Because farces depend so much on multiple relationships and interactions among wildly different characters, even a farce with an identifiable lead (in Room Service, that would be the role of Gordon Miller) has a strong ensemble feel, and needs strong actors in every part.

To the left is Ken Washburn, who plays Senator Blake, president of the company which owns the White Way Hotel. This feisty Southern gentleman has a strong opinion on every topic, from the right amount of credit to extend a guest, to the kind of message a proper American stage play should present - and from his position of power, nobody else's opinion matters at all.

In the center is Kevin McDaniel, playing Simon Jenkins. Jenkins is an investing agent who represents a man so wealthy he can afford to bankroll an entire Broadway production just to give his stage-struck mistress a little something to occupy her time - as long as nobody knows the money came from him. Jenkins handles his business with the utmost discretion, and his job has never caused his heart condition the least bit of stress - until he met Gordon Miller.

To the right is Robert Dozzi, as a messenger from the bank that handles the hotel's finances. With the Great Depression in full swing, high-powered executives are just as nervous about money as any group of starving actors - if not more so. In that kind of atmosphere, whole fortunes depend on the messengers, and this young man doesn't do his job halfway. If he can't find you in your office, he'll track you down, and one piece of paper in his hand can spell the difference between success and ruin.

And finally, our cast is rounded out with the presence of George Spelvin. No authentic photographs of Mr. Spelvin exist - and who am I to buck tradition? His name has appeared in literally hundreds of stage programs, in a career that has spanned decades. He's a legend in the American theatrical tradition, with roles in comedies, tragedies, and musicals - there's nobody better to portray Timothy Hogarth, the representative of a collection agency called We Never Sleep.

Now you've met the cast - in my next report, you'll meet the designers, as they attend a run-through held specifically for them. Stay tuned!

Room Service Rehearsal, Day Five

2008-07-04T22:21:00.000-04:00

Prior Reports:
Day 1 - Sunday, 29 June: Read-Through and Act One Blocking
Day 2 - Monday, 30 June: Act Two and Act Three Blocking
Day 3 - Tuesday, 1 July: Act Three Blocking, Publicity, and Working Act One
Day 4 - Wednesday, 2 July: Working Act Two and Meet the Cast

Thursday, 3 July: Run-Through and Meet the Cast

Hello again! I'm Eric Silvertree, back with another report on the rehearsals for Room Service, part of Tibbits Summer Theatre's forty-fifth season. Many thanks to my fellow cast member Tiffany Weisend and director Charles Burr for snapping the photos for today's post.

As we get closer to opening the show on July 10, the rehearsal process is gradually shifting from memorizing and working individual sections of the script toward integrating all of our work into a smooth, unified show. We're becoming more confident with our lines, and some of us are starting to put our books down. I'm not ready to do that - not yet. Since I'm also appearing in The Tortoise and The Hare and Other Fables by Aesop, which opens Saturday morning, I've been spending more study time with that script than this one. After the holiday weekend, though, all my focus will be on Room Service.

My time on Thursday was once again split between the two shows. I spent the morning session with Aesop, but in the afternoon I was there for a complete run-through of Room Service. A run-through is just what you'd think: we do the whole show from the beginning to the end, stopping as few times as we can - although we do go back and work on problem spots when they pop up.

Speaking of problems, farces are built on them. There are many different types of comedy, and in a farce, the emphasis is on an ever-increasing level of frenzy as competing characters with opposite goals keep out-maneuvering each other. All the action of Room Service happens in one place: Room 920 at the White Way Hotel in Times Square, New York City. All the characters you met yesterday (except for Christine) are living in this one room, the bill is hopelessly past due, and they're desperately trying to keep one step ahead of the hotel staff. Let's meet the opposing team!

Seated on the bed is Dennis McKeen, who plays Joe Gribble, the hotel manager. The only reason Gordon Miller has been able to put off the bill for feeding and lodging the twenty-two people in his company as long as he has is that Gribble is married to his sister Flossie. We never meet Flossie, but judging from Gribble's nerves, it's a fair bet that she's about the same size, shape, and disposition as her brother.

The perky lass to the right is Tiffany Weisend, in the role of Hilda Manney, Mr. Gribble's secretary. She's got a heart of gold and a taste for chocolate. She'd love to help the theatre troupe any way she can (especially that cute young playwright) but anyone thinking of breaking a promise to her had better think twice.

All the way to the left is John Marsh. He's playing Sasha Smirnoff, a waiter in the hotel and friend of Miss Manney. Sasha's from Russia, where he spent seven years working under Stanislavsky in the Moscow Art Theatre. Here in New York, however, he supports his wife and kids on a waiter's salary - all the while yearning to get back on the stage.

Second from the right is J.R. Colbeck, who plays Doctor Glass, the hotel's staff physician. He's a respectable man, focused on his job, which he performs with (uncomfortable) thoroughness. He does his best to brush off frustrations of his efforts and assaults on his dignity, but the herd of jokers and con-men in Room 920 are going to test the far limits of his patience.

Finally, there in the middle is me - Eric Silvertree. I'm playing Gregory Wagner, supervising director of the firm that owns the White Way Hotel. Wagner's a bully who answers to nobody but the board of directors, and he was sent here personally by Senator Blake, president of the company, to remake this failing flop-house into a money-making operation - and on the very first day, he discovers a twelve-hundred-dollar unpaid bill. Guess who's going to be the theatre company's biggest problem!

But wait - that's not everyone yet. You'll meet the rest of the cast in the report on Day Six. More to come!

Room Service Rehearsal, Day Four

2008-07-03T18:18:00.000-04:00

Prior Reports:
Day 1 - Sunday, 29 June: Read-Through and Act One Blocking
Day 2 - Monday, 30 June: Act Two and Act Three Blocking
Day 3 - Tuesday, 1 July: Act Three Blocking, Publicity, and Working Act One

Wednesday, 2 July: Working Act Two and Meet the Cast

Hi there! Time for another report from your behind-the-scenes reporter, Eric Silvertree, as Tibbits Summer Theatre gets ready to present a classic farce about making it big on Broadway, Room Service.

Wednesday's schedule was a little unusual, because the musical Little Women started the second half of its run with a matinee performance at 2pm. Everybody in the acting company had the morning off to get ready for the afternoon curtain, except for those of us rehearsing the children's show The Tortoise and the Hare and Other Fables by Aesop, which opens on Saturday. And, of course, since the afternoon work period also starts at 2pm, there was no rehearsal then, either.

So, the only part of today's schedule devoted to Room Service was the evening session, which we spent working Act 2. As I described yesterday, working an act is a three-steps-forward, two-steps-back process by which we make our way gradually through the act, repeating small sections of the script over and over again. It sounds slow, but it goes faster than you might think - especially when you have a sharp, experienced director like our Charles Burr, and a focused, dedicated group of actors like my fellow cast members.

Since you know what working a script is like now, this would be a good time to start introducing you to the other actors in Room Service and tell you more about the characters they play in the show. Room Service is a send-up of the trials and tribulations involved in mounting a brand-new play on Broadway in the midst of the Great Depression with no money, no time, and - most importantly - no food!

The handsome gentleman second from the right who shaves the top half of his head instead of the bottom is Brian Sage. Brian is playing Gordon Miller, producer of a long line of low-budget flops, who is absolutely convinced that his next show, Godspeed, will be the hit he's always worked for. Of course, that's what he thought about his last show.

All the way to the left is Steve Moore, who plays Harry Binion, director of Godspeed. Binion and Miller go way back, and when it comes to the art of mounting a production against impossible odds, the two of them are an unstoppable team - which means that anybody who gets within fifty feet of either one of them had better keep his hand on his wallet and his eye on the door.

The man on the right whose shirt proclaims that "Romeo Was A Whiner" is Mark Kelley. He probably got that shirt from his character, Faker Englund. Faker is Miller's general assistant, a streetwise native of the Big Apple who is, if possible, an even more energetic con-man than Miller and Binion put together. He has more bad ideas before 9am than most people have all day.

The lovely lady in the center is Melissa McKim, playing Christine Marlowe. Christine works in the office of a rival Broadway producer. Her boss may be richer and more successful, but her heart belongs to Gordon Miller - and her face and voice belong on the stage, not behind a desk. She's an actress in Miller's shows, and she's certain that he's destined for great things. If only his methods were a little more honest…

And finally, second from the left, is Beau Hutchings. He's playing Leo Davis, the innocent young man from Oswego, New York, who wrote Godspeed, that fantastic play that Miller is eager to produce. Davis is just dying to get out of the small town onto the Great White Way, and he's hopped a train to New York City with a pocketful of change, a head full of dreams, and his mother's picture in a silver frame. What could possibly go wrong?

I'll introduce you to more of our cast of characters tomorrow, after Thursday's rehearsals. See you then!

Room Service Rehearsal, Day Three

2008-07-02T15:35:00.001-04:00

Prior Reports:
Day 1 - Sunday, 29 June: Read-Through and Act One Blocking
Day 2 - Monday, 30 June: Act Two and Act Three Blocking

Tuesday, 1 July: Act Three Blocking, Publicity, and Working Act One

Hi again! Eric Silvertree reporting on the third day of rehearsals for Room Service, coming soon to the historic Tibbits Opera House in Coldwater, Michigan.

The director and cast finished blocking the very last scene of the play during the morning rehearsal session, which starts at 10am. My workday began at 8:45, however, because I was booked as a guest on “Delaney in the Morning” at WTVB-AM1590. Publicity work is part of an actor's job, too, from appearances at community events to interviews and articles for newspaper, TV, and radio - and weblogs!

I wasn't actually promoting Room Service, however. Caroline Stewart (Volunteer Coordinator for Tibbits) and I were on to talk to Ken Delaney about The Tortoise and the Hare and Other Fables by Aesop, which is the next production in Tibbits' Popcorn Theatre series for children, now that The House at Pooh Corner has finished its run.

As I mentioned yesterday, summer stock companies have multiple shows in the works at the same time. As of this moment, the count stands at three: Little Women is halfway through its performance run, and both Aesop and Room Service are in rehearsal. Come to think of it, both the director and musical director of The Goodbye Girl are doing prep-work already, and I'm sure the design staff are busy sketching and planning for shows further down the line… It gets hectic and confusing for everyone really fast. The person we actors rely on most to keep the confusion to a minimum is the stage manager. That's our stage manager, Justin Carrol, in the photo with the director, Charles Burr.

After I finished at the radio station and 10am rolled around, I still wasn't working on Room Service. I was rehearsing Aesop instead. Practically everyone in the cast of Little Women who's staying on for the rest of the season is in either Room Service or Aesop, but fortunately for everyone's sanity, I'm the only actor in both. Fortunately for my sanity, I'm not in Little Women.

On to the afternoon. Once blocking is completed, rehearsal switches over to work sessions. Working a scene or an act means doing it in tiny one- or two- or three-page sections. The cast does one section at a time over and over, stopping frequently to get feedback from the director, refining it and cementing it in their memories. When the director feels it's time to move on, he'll let the cast keep going past the end of that section, then loop back to repeat another few pages. Every now and then, to keep things from getting too choppy, the director will back up and run the cast through all the sections they've been working in one shot.

This afternoon's rehearsal period was spent working Act 3. Since I wasn't there in the morning for blocking, I got clued in on my movements by Justin. While the cast write down notes about their own blocking in their own scripts, the stage manager writes down blocking notes about everybody. Thus, actors who have to miss a rehearsal automatically have someone taking notes for them. Plus, when we get far enough along to put our scripts down, we have someone to ask if we forget a line or a piece of blocking.

During the evening rehearsal, we worked Act 1. Working an act involves a lot of waiting, because although you may know that there are three pages to go before you enter the scene, you don't know how many times they're going to do those three pages before they go on. We study our scripts on the sidelines, and at the same time we keep an eye on what's happening on stage, ready to jump in when the time comes. By the end of the day, both Act 3 and Act 1 had been completely worked. Guess which act we'll be working tomorrow!

Room Service Rehearsal, Day Two

2008-07-01T13:23:00.000-04:00

Prior Reports:
Day 1 - Sunday, 29 June: Read-Through and Act One Blocking

Monday, 30 June: Act Two and Act Three Blocking

Hello! Eric Silvertree again, with the second installment of the day-by-day backstage blog of Room Service, the madcap comedy opening July 10 at the Tibbits Opera House in Coldwater.

Tibbits Summer Theatre is part of the summer stock theatre tradition, which means that the actors, carpenters, electricians, costumers (and so on) don't put on just one show, we put on a whole season: two plays, three musicals, and four children's shows, one right after another. Some actors may not be here for the entire summer - and musicians only work on the musicals, of course - but by and large everybody in a summer stock company is working on more than one show at a time.

This makes it impossible to rehearse an upcoming show on the actual stage, because the set for the current show (in this case, the musical Little Women - three shows left: July 2, 3 & 5 - bring the family!) is already there. Instead, Jefferson Elementary School graciously allows Tibbits to use its gymnasium for rehearsal space.

The walls and doors are laid out on the floor with lines of tape, with the same dimensions the set will have when it's erected on stage, and folding chairs stand in for the furniture. It's not as hard to get used to as you might think - and if there's a serious problem with how the set will work for the show, it can usually be spotted and corrected here, while everything is still being manufactured in the scene shop. For example, one of the doors on the Room Service set that was designed to open into the room will have to be re-designed to open out - but it's much easier to make the change now, before the set is actually installed.

Today we continued blocking, moving forward through the show. We worked on the first half of Act 2 in the morning, the second half in the afternoon, and the first half of Act 3 in the evening. We don't have any props yet, and we're still carrying our scripts as we work - not only because we're all still memorizing our lines, but also because we're jotting down notes to ourselves about where and when we move.

The quality of the acting is not our top priority during blocking. That comes during the later rehearsals. We're definitely thinking about the acting, though - figuring out what our characters feel at a given moment, trying out different ways of delivering tricky lines - like the line drawing an artist will sketch on the canvas before he actually starts to paint.

Creating the blocking for a show is one of the director's hardest jobs. He or she has to make sure the movement makes sense and doesn't result in traffic jams. Charles Burr, our director in Room Service (on the right in the photo) has a well-deserved reputation for the quality of his blocking, with well-balanced, interesting arrangements of the actors in the performance space, connected by engaging movement that springs naturally from the characters.

Tomorrow, on day three, we'll finish blocking the second half of the third act. Then we'll go back to the beginning and start working our way through the show again to reinforce what we've already done and start building on it. See you then!

Room Service Rehearsal, Day One

2008-06-29T22:14:00.000-04:00

Sunday, 29 June: Read-Through and Act One Blocking

Hello! I'm Eric Silvertree, a member of the Tibbits Summer Theatre acting company. As part of your backstage pass to professional theatre at the Tibbits Opera House, I'll be giving you an actor's-eye-view of the rehearsals for Room Service, from the first cast meeting through the last performance.

You might be surprised to know that the rehearsal period for a main-stage show at Tibbits is only about ten days. Compared to (for example) a community theater production, which may have a six-week rehearsal schedule, that may not seem like very much time.

However, community theaters usually rehearse only four or five nights a week, for about three hours a night. At Tibbits, we rehearse all seven days a week, with three three-hour sessions a day: morning, afternoon, and evening - except Sunday, when we take the morning off. Doing the math, it actually works out to almost exactly the same number of hours spent in rehearsal.

This Sunday, the 29th of June, we began rehearsing Room Service for a 10 July opening. This show is a farce, first produced on Broadway in 1937, and released as a Marx Brothers film in 1938. Unlike most of the Marx Brothers catalog, for Room Service they worked themselves into a pre-existing script instead of building an original story around the Marx characters - which probably explains why the show was a big hit on Broadway (over 500 performances, in an era when 125 performances was a solid run) but one of the Marx Brothers' less-successful films.

The first session began with a read-through. A read-through is just what it sounds like. The cast all sit with their scripts in front of them and read the show out loud from beginning to end. Besides giving the performers a chance to listen to each other's voices and get a feel for the rhythm and texture of the language, it's also an opportunity to ask about the pronunciation of unusual words, or get an explanation of unfamiliar cultural references in the script.

The read-though is also where the actors start to make choices about technique. Technique, in this case, refers to things like vocal volume, speed of delivery, and any special character voices or accents. For instance, during this afternoon's read-through, I had a scene with an argument with another character. Back-and-forth arguments have to build in volume - each line louder than the last - or they sound flat and unrealistic on stage. I started off with a little too much volume, which meant that by the end of the argument, I was shouting much too hard. Now I have a mental note for that scene: start off lower, so I have room to build without risking damage to my voice.

Farces move fast - very fast. The read-though only took up ninety minutes of the first three-hour rehearsal session. The other ninety minutes were spent getting a head start on blocking the first act. Blocking is the process of mapping out the actors' pattern of movement on stage. Comedies, farces in particular, benefit from lots of quick, energetic movement - almost as complex as dance. In fact, the only real difference between blocking and choreography is whether or not the movement is timed to music.

After dinner break, we returned for the evening rehearsal session, and by the time the workday ended at 10pm, we had the entire first act blocked. That's twenty-four pages of movement and dialogue. Tomorrow morning at 10am, we'll start the second act. See you after tomorrow's rehearsal!

How to Build a Hundred Acre Wood

2008-06-26T20:33:00.001-04:00

Here is Popcorn Theatre Designer Christopher Otwell's white model for The House at Pooh Corner. The play, adapted by Bobb James, travels to many places in the Hundred Acre Wood. This is the model Chris brought to the first production meeting to show the director, Trinity Bird, how the set might work. This is a composite of all the pieces used in the show. They don't play on stage at the same time. Those who saw the show will notice that this rough idea for Eeyore's house changed.

The map, taken from the fly leaf of the book, is the connecting link for all the locales. Here is the muslin stretched and ready to paint.

Here the color is just beginning to be added.

The completed map still at the scene shop. Chris estimates that the map alone took about 15 hours to paint.

The completed map in place, with one of the the small bush pieces. The House at Pooh Corner plays thorough the 28th of June.

Grace and Glorie fan Mail

2008-06-26T14:49:00.000-04:00

My Husband and I saw the show Grace and Glorie last Friday night and we enjoyed the show immensely! Although I had to persuade my husband to come to the show he was so impressed and glad he went!

It was charming and witty! O we loved it! He laughed and he cried.

What a wonderful show it is, we want to thank you all for making it possible. I look forward to the season it looks like a wonderful summer filled with fabulous shows, I'll see you for "Little Women" can't wait.

Your Humble Fans!
Nancy and Jim Grubb
Angola, Indiana

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And we thank you, Nancy and Jim. Folks like you are the reason we do theatre......

Grace and Glorie closes with a Talkback

2008-06-25T17:43:00.000-04:00

The short but sweet run of Grace and Glorie closed last Saturday with a moving performance by Donna Schulte and Gloria Logan in the two title roles. This performance also included the first of the talkbacks of the summer.

Talkbacks are held immediately after the final curtain on the first Saturday of each production's run. After I introduce the actors, designers and crew members, I open the floor for any questions the audience might have. There are the usual "Where are you from?" and "How long have you been acting?" type questions. But many of the sessions dig a little deeper. This comedy definitely has an emotional core that is very real which sparks further comment.

We were fortunate to have the production sponsored by CHC Hospice. We could not have had a more appropriate sponsor for this show about a citified, novice care giver arriving to help an old mountain woman die. At the Talkback, Debbie Reeg of Hospice spoke quite eloquently about how well the play caught the dynamics of hospice care that they see every day. I asked her if she would mind writing it up to share on the blog. Here is her letter:

Charles,

I wanted to share my feelings from the recent production. The performances were superb!!!! The way the actresses captured what we see and do every day caring for our Hospice patients was so realistic. It was very moving. Having been part of Hospice for 25 years. I was emotionally touched .

Our initial visit to the patients home is often very similar to the production. A lot of resistance and questioning why we are there, and what is Hospice. Quite a few of our families carry with them a lot of the dysfunction as you portrayed in the production.

Soon our patients, family/caregiver become so dependent and attached to the Hospice teams visits that the staff soon become part of the family.

Thank you so much for allowing us to assist by sponsoring this production and further educating the community about Hospice and the special gift it gives to the patient and family.

Debbie Reeg,
Director, Community Health Center Home Health,
Hospice and Maternal Infant Health Program
--------------------------------------------------

We were also very pleased that Eleanor Shaw, the artist for the Grace and Glorie poster, came to see the show that night. She praised the show--and the actors praised her drawing of the "granny cottage," where the show is set. Reproductions of all the posters that our local artists created are available in the gift shop on the lower level of Tibbits.

Immediately after the talkback, the set crew attacked the set. All the props were put away, costumes hung up or in laundry piles, the pump that had pumped real water was disassembled and the walls came down. All was accomplished in less than an hour so as to make way for the set and light hang of Little Women.

Biography of Tom Ziegler--

2008-06-21T13:28:00.000-04:00

Here is a brief bio for Tom Ziegler, author of Grace and Gloire

Tom Ziegler’s Grace and Glorie (first presented in workshop at The Shenandoah Valley Playwrights Retreat as Apple Dreams in 1990) went on to a successful Broadway run starring Estelle Parsons and Lucie Arnez. Hallmark Hall of Fame filmed it for television with Gena Rowlands as Grace and Diane Lane as Glorie. The play has had numerous productions nationally and internationally, including a sold-out run in Vienna. Mr. Ziegler has written a new translation adaptation of Carlo Goldoni’s Servant of Two Masters, which was produced at Washington and Lee University Theatre in Virginia. Other works include the musical Glory Bound, Home Games, and The Ninth Step. A native Chicagoan and a product of Chicago’s famous Second City, Mr. Ziegler migrated to the warmer climate of western Virginia where he teaches playwrighting and scene design at Washington and Lee University in Lexington. Thirty years later he’s following his love for education and is glad he took what he calls the best advise he was ever given….”take the job”. He claims, “that’s the main thing I do. I never say I’m a writer. I think of myself as a teacher who writes.” And aren’t the best teachers all storytellers at heart?

The first day of Little Women!

2008-06-20T13:37:00.000-04:00

Sunday 15th

After an exciting meeting of who’s who, and Charles’ famous Tibbits schpeal, it was time to get the Little Women ball rolling! We circled-up our chairs in the gym and did a read through of the script. Since the music is so tremendous in this show, we listened to the original cast recording when it was time for a song. Usually, when a show is familiar it’s not hard to sing a long with the piano during the initial read though, but with such a new and demanding score, it would have been quite difficult and not as enjoyable. We also got a chance to focus on the lyrics and their implication to the story.

The most exciting thing about a read through is experiencing the magic of what began as words on a page, come to life. Everyone had such a great sense of character, which is as refreshing as necessary when you only have 10 days to perfect a show! Also, most of us have never worked together before. We’re all coming from Anywhere, America and relationships have to be created almost instantly. Fortunately, this is an amazing group, and think it’s going to transfer beautifully into a truthful and wildly adventurous Little Women!

And to top off our first day— a lovely and delicious picnic only made more thrilling by a surprise thunderstorm! Talk about instant bonding!

{by Katie Lemos who plays Jo in Little Women.}

Grace and Glorie

2008-06-16T07:09:00.000-04:00

Gloria Logan and Donna Schulte in the 2001 production of Grace and Glorie.

We started work on Grace and Glorie last Monday--just a week ago. The ladies arrived already knowing large segments of the script. I am very glad they didn't wait until rehearsal started; with only the two characters, there are massive amounts of lines to learn.

After our production here at Tibbits in January of 2001, Gloria and Donna did the show again, produced by Duo Damas Productions (which is Gloria and Joanne Winkleman Hulce---yes, the mother of Amadeus actor, Tom Hulce.) The physical production of Grace and Glorie is from that production.

One of the things we all love about this play is that each time we revisit it, we find it richer than the time before. I love the fact that a number of times in the script, the playwright, Tom Ziegler, did not take the easy way out- the typical movie of the week scenario--NOBODY dies. And for all the talk about death--it's not a show about dying, it's a show about living. And it's funny. I know people hear that it is a show about a dying woman (sponsored by Hospice, no less) and they don't give it a chance. They need to trust us. Why would we pick a bad play when we get to do so few scripts in our lives? If you liked Steel Magnolias, you will love this show.

So for the past week we have been in Diane Godfrey's dance studio rehearsing like mad, while The House At Pooh Corner is in the theatre. And on Monday, we had three shows in rehearsal, for the Little Women cast began to learn their music at one of the local Elementary schools.

We have now moved on stage. Since the set was built to travel, it was put up very fast. We have had the first tech rehearsal--where it's more about getting the phone to ring properly and other sound and light issues than it is about acting the show. Yesterday was the first dress rehearsal. It never ceases to amaze me how putting on costumes affects the show (and how actors act)more than anything else. It's something about looking in the mirror and seeing that "different" person that helps so many actors get a clearer vision of the role they are creating. It was a very good rehearsal. We will do it twice today---and then it's Magic Time.

We all hope to see you at the Tibbits for the great little show that is Grace and Glorie.

How Summer Theatre Comes Together, Part 2

2008-06-05T13:22:00.000-04:00

I start to find the Design/Technical side for the summer at the same time in February as the acting auditions. There is something like a jobs fair at each audition I attend. Designers arrive at the Tibbits table with portfolios of their work--pictures, prompt books, technical drawings, renderings--hoping to impress the theatre representative. (Sometimes this is me, sometimes the Technical Director, if I have one in place that early in the season.) I also do a tremendous amount of our technical hiring from backstagejobs.com where countless behind the scenes jobs are listed for theatres across the country.

This year we have a very high return rate on the technical side. I think this speaks well for what we do here. It is an exhausting, sometimes thankless job. But we had a great team last summer and have only built on our strengths for this one. Lex vanBlommstein and Em Rossi, both in the process of getting their Master's degree with the Hillberry, are back with us. I know they were instrumental in talking up the Tibbits there, so we have three others from that program working here this summer.

The Design/Tech staff has all been here a week. The set is already being built. The Technical Director feels they are a couple of days ahead of schedule for Little Women and it has been given to the Scenic Artist to paint. The Costume Department is deep in research and showing renderings of the various ideas to be approved by the Director. The Properties Department is making massive lists and doing their own research of the Civil War era. Lighting is reconditioning lights and hanging them in a rep plot-- that is where the basic hang will be used all summer with variations for each show.

We have also been rehearsing Grace and Glorie and The House and Pooh Corner. By the end of the day we will be rehearsing three shows in three spaces around town. I will post this now, for it's time to greet the vast majority of actors who are arriving for Little Women. By the end of this week the first two productions will be open. That fact can still amaze me.

Thank You

2008-06-05T12:42:00.000-04:00

I can't pretend that business went on as usual after Bobb's death. He was such a huge part of this season. He was going to appear in four of the mainstage shows, direct his adaptation of The House at Pooh Corner, be assistant Musical Director for The Bop She Bops and write, with me, the adaptation of The Tortoise and the Hare. I think it's says everything about his versatility that it took 5 people to replace him for this summer.

I was tremendously touched by the outpouring of both the Coldwater and the Theatre community. I heard from people that I have not seen in years. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who sent a card, contributed to the Restoration Fund in his honor, planned and/or performed as part of the Celebration of Bobb's Life or anyone who had a memory of Bobb they wanted to share. So---Thank You.

Summer is almost here. Company members arrive in just a few days.

And the show will go on.

Bobb wouldn't want it any other way....

A tribute to Bobb James, actor

2008-05-04T17:08:00.000-04:00

Bobb James in The Sunshine Boys, TST 1999

One of the most beloved actors in the history of Tibbits Summer Theatre, Bobb James, will not be appearing this summer. Since the fall of 2005, Bobb was fighting liver disease. I drove him home from Florida, where he was about to go into rehearsal, to let him end his days in Coldwater. Instead, with the help of some of his best friends, he fought back. He stopped drinking and there was enough liver left to produce a near miraculous recovery. The Bobb I knew best returned, and we did some of our best work together. He was back onstage, writing, and feeling great. But by the beginning of 2008, it was a different story. And on Saturday morning, May 3, just days shy of his 56th birthday, Bobb died peacefully at U of M hospital in Ann Arbor.

Where to begin?

That voice. Bobb had one of the best instruments I knew. A leading man’s voice in a character actor’s body. But he finally found the roles: Juan Peron in Evita, The Governor in Best Little Whorehouse, Michael in I Do I Do, Honore in Gigi. He excelled at anything that could show off his felicity with words and bring out the native born Brit: Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, Andrew Wyke in Sleuth, Charles Condomine in Blithe Spirit. He delighted in (and was delightful) in farce: …Forum, Charley’s Aunt, Footlight Frenzy, Lucky Stiff and Lend Me a Tenor. Or on the flip side which we didn’t see nearly enough: Mass Appeal. It threatens to become just a list-- with 22 seasons at the Tibbits--- playing over 70 roles. And there were countless roles in Nashville, Dayton, Birmingham and in Florida.

It was no secret that I directed him in many of his best parts. He was such an instinctual actor. He made it look easy. But I knew the tricks--I rarely let him get away with the easy choice. We could speak in shorthand--while the rest of the company wondered what the hell we were talking about--but the performance emerged richer and more layered.

We didn’t do it often in later years, but we enjoyed being on stage together. Harvey springs to mind. The Gershwin brothers. And mention must be made of Once Upon a Mattress where few can forget Bobb as King Sextimus teaching me, as a very slow Prince Dauntless, the birds and the bees in mime….

Then there’s the writing, over 20 plays, the best of them written together---my spare style meeting his effuse one, creating a better whole. Sort of like our life together…

One last thought: Several year’s ago, a season subscriber was at the ticket window. She was listening to the rundown of what shows we were doing. The patron cut the box office manager off. “Just tell me if that Bobb James is gonna be here. That always means a good show.”

Not this year, ma’am.

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A Celebration of Bobb's Life will be held onstage at the Tibbits, May 15, 2008 at 7:00pm.

Please no flowers. All memorials will go the Tibbits Restoration Fund.

How Summer Theatre Comes Together, Part One

2008-04-09T15:31:00.000-04:00

As soon as the curtain was up on Can-Can last summer, I began thinking about what shows we would do for the 2008 season. Many factors go into the final selection of plays:

Cast size
How the potential shows mesh with other possible plays and musicals for a balanced season
New show availability ( we STILL can't do Chicago!!)
Audience appeal
What works from season to season.

Once some of the above are answered, I make up several different slates of possible shows and submit them to the Tibbits Board of Directors. Once they have approved the slate of shows, we announce the season.

When I return to Coldwater in February, it is time for the first major audition. This is the United Professional Theatre Auditions held in Memphis, TN. To even qualify for this audition, actors have to have a Master's degree or about three professional productions to their credit. For this audition, they have 90 seconds to show themselves off. Usually they sing about 16 bars of a song and do one or two monologues....

I then call back the people I am interested in that night. It seems to work at about 10%. If there are 250 people a day, I talk to 25 or so that might be right for this season. I explain more about the Tibbits, the schedule, living arrangements, etc. I might have them do another piece for me or request them to send me a disc of musical material.

There are two other auditions I attend. Or, in the case of this year, try to. The Midwest Theatre Auditions are held in St Louis. This year, I got as far as the airport when the ice storm hit Missouri. After 16 hours in the airport, I had to give up. The airlines could not get me there until they were over...

I also often hold auditions in Chicago.

Then the casting process begins. It is a HUGE jigsaw puzzle. Cast members have to be good for more than one show. Does this actor have the variety? Does this actress have the notes to sing this role? What am I going to do with this person between the first show and the last? The list is endless.

And it takes many, many weeks to sort out. Your first choice has a wedding in June where she's singing....Someone else has a great offer to go somewhere else this year.....Or they've just moved to NYC and don't want to leave.....Number 4 can do the first three shows , but not the last.....THIS list is endless, too.

But eventually a group of talented actors begins to emerge.....

An answer to a reader's question

2008-04-08T15:20:00.001-04:00

The Summer Company begins to arrive on June 8th. These will be the people you DON'T see on stage: The stage managers, the set, costume and lighting designers, the people who find the properties, the carpenters and stitchers. They have a week to set up their shops and get organized. The next person to arrive in town is the director. S/He will confer with the designers to start talking about the physical production. The actors begin to arrive on the 15th of June....and, yes, you are bound to find them in North Woods when they have a few minutes to themselves.....

Welcome

2008-04-08T15:01:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Tibbits Opera House Blog. Over the next few months we will be giving you back stage access to the upcoming summer theatre shows. Please be on the lookout for exclusive access to show photos, interviews with designers/actors, rehearsal notes and many more things.

Looking forward to giving you your backstage pass.

Charles
Artistic Director