Heather-Claire Nortey
September 28, 2007

Bringing It All Together

The students from the University of Ottawa have now been in rehearsal with The Man from the Capital cast for some time now. It is remarkable to see how the show has progressed. Last Thursday, September 20, I returned to rehearsal around 4:30pm to work on the scene in which I have some dialogue (when I am not performing this will be Anthony or David). After blocking the scene and going for my costume fitting, I ran the first part of Act 2 with the cast. Remember, the main cast has been in rehearsal for about two weeks now every day, but this was my first run with them. It felt good to be able to jump in and be part of the activity. Every day we come to rehearsal, we can see just how much has been accomplished in our absence.

Last Sunday, September 23rd, we performed a full run-through for the designers. It was an opportunity to see how much we have accomplished and how much more we have to do to improve the show. Designers took notes on lighting changes and costume requirements. The costumes for this show are amazing. In one fitting I tried on many different outfits, shoes, hats… I now have a visual in my head of what the townsfolk in the show will look like. I have seen pictures of how people dressed in the 1930s and I have been working on characters in rehearsal, but when trying on the different costumes I felt like I was actually one of them.

Yesterday morning, Thursday, September 27^th, we worked on two choreographies. The first one was for a song called “Dear Citizens”. It was such a joy to be able to dance and sing on stage with the whole cast. I felt the spark that comes from performing and now I just can’t wait to get on the actual stage in the new theatre and start to do full runs of the show with costume changes. This is the kind of show that has many technical requirements. There are many costume changes, large props, and many other things. I am glad that I am involved in the process and I am learning so much from the director, musical director, choreographer, and the other performers. We will be starting tech week soon and things may get intense, but it’s all part of the wonderful learning experience.

Sept. 19/07
David daCosta
So the weekend of September 15-16 included two days of 10-6 pm rehearsals. Of course the rest of the cast had been doing this every day since the first read on the 11th, but it was the student body's first crack at an 'all-dayer'. I couldn't believe how much the group had accomplished since the first read which had occurred on the not-so-distant previous Tuesday. Obviously things have to be accomplished quickly with the amount of time for rehearsals, but never the less...I was impressed. The music is a bit more difficult to learn than I had thought it would be because it is...well...kind of difficult. The vocal lines are fast flowing, covering many a note with not too much time in between. Not to say all the songs are or even any of the songs are all over the place, but it's definitely not Summer Nights we're singing here. Anyway, it was a bit intimidating at first to step in and try to blend in with the others while singing..but once we(chorus) got more of a feel for it, things started to flow a bit more smoothly. I get the music chiming into my head regularly now, so that's a good thing. Well..it's been 2 days since I've been at rehearsal, and I return tomorrow...undoubtedly, where the show is at will be much different than where I left it Sunday...I look forward to seeing where that is exactly come the morning sun. A bientot.

Heather-Claire Nortey
Tuesday, September 11, 2007

The Community from the Capital

I walked into the new GCTC building on Wellington today (Tuesday, September 11, 2007) at 9:50 AM. I was greeted by the bright colours of the interior and a lovely staircase that led up to the studio where I was going to meet the cast and crew of the show “The Man from the Capital”. Walking into the room, I saw actors being measured for costumes, people looking through scripts, and a beautiful piano. I was not surprised to see the action around me; I was in fact quite thrilled to be there. Six of us were cast as the chorus in this musical last spring and all summer I have been waiting for the moment that the rehearsal process would begin. I reminded myself that this is not just a show, but it is a business and yet a grand opportunity for self-improvement and excitement. I enjoyed the professional atmosphere, the organization of the read-through, and seeing everyone with a thirst to perform all in one room ready to work.

I enjoyed meeting some of the actors and hearing them perform in the first read-through. Their voices were passionate and fervent and the music was quick, light, and humorous. Slowly, I was starting to get a feel for the small town of Salmon Elbow during the Depression. Seeing a maquette / miniature version of the set was very helpful. I now have a visual of what this world will look like in a few weeks, after so many people have contributed and worked hard to bring it to life. The script is witty, amusing, and yet it gives you a chance to think about what life was like at that time in Canadian history. Some of the moments that are written down present great opportunities for the actor and musical performer. Reading the script at home was nothing like the voices and music I heard Tuesday morning. I cannot wait to take part in the action, music, and learn the choreography for this show.

I look forward to rehearsing with this group of talented individuals and working with director Jennifer Brewin. Right away I knew that this process would be unlike any of the other theatre, music, and dance shows that I have performed in. I plan to take advantage of this opportunity and learn what I can, do the best that I can, and contribute to the show however I can. I am not there to just sing, dance, say a few lines and then leave at the end of the day. I am also there to help convey the feel of the world within the play.

Although the theatrical world that we are going to create is in the Depression era, there are so many things in the show that will bring smiles to the faces of children, adults, and students in the audience. Taking one last glance at the people around me before I left the room reminded me of the community of characters in the show. Everyone who is working on the show has a purpose and our team is a little community of local artists from the capital. This is a great opportunity for me as a theatre student and as someone who is passionate about music and choreography mixed to perfection in the theatre. We all have a lot of hard work ahead of us, but it helps to be on a winning team. I look forward to learning what I can from these talented individuals and having a great time in the process.

-Heather-Claire Nortey

David daCosta
Today was the first day of rehearsal i.e. the 'Meet and Greet' day. This included the first read by the cast. I sat along with my peers from Ottawa U who have been lucky enough to be selected to be members of the chorus in this project. I was really excited to meet the entire creative team...and I must say the thing which excites me most about this project is the opportunity to watch some of Ottawa's finest actors at work, behind the scenes. Just to see the work ethic and methods of these professional actors is going to be an incredible learning experience. I was immediately impressed with how 'in character' the actors all were at only the first read! You can see how serious they take the work...and how much joy one can get out of being seriously in the work. My goals for this project are ultimately the same as any project I've done...to do the best job that I can. But i also want to view this as a mentorship opportunity to a certain extent. I love being in this environment and I want to soak up, as some sort of metaphorical, theatre/acting learning sponge if you will, as much as I can from being around such a talented and professional team. It's so cool to be working as an actor with, for example, Todd Duckworth ...a person I had only seen perform from my seat in the audience (I am a big fan) and now I get to perform with him! Awesome.

On another note, I am really excited at how much fun this play is going to be. I think we have a special show here..something that audiences are really going to love, and hopefully want to come back to again and again. I had read the original play by Gogol, but had never really found it that funny...maybe because of my disconnection from the time period in which it was written; who knows. However, this adaptation is hilarious and easy to relate to for people of pretty well all ages. That's one thing I really like about musicals as well...even if the subject matter is mature, or complicated, if you have good music, then younger audience members can still enjoy the show...like when I was a kid and loved Les Mis...I didn't know much about the plot, or understand the French Revolution, but I loved it. Anyhow, the music for the show is awesome, albeit quite different from a Les Mis type of vibe. It's fun, kinda wonky at times, and quite original. I can't wait to learn the songs.
So that's about it for my impressions of day 1...myself and the other students will be back in rehearsal action this Saturday, so look for an update then!
cheers.