The Odd Couple Romp, Part 11

Two weeks from today we open.  Yikes!  The time has really flown by in this process.  The cast has had their first encounters with the period costumes that have been selected by designer Sharon Heading and wardrobe goddess Melissa Mitchell.  We'll have our run for lights tonight, giving lighting guru Scott Weber a chance to see the movement of the show from the opening poker bet to the story's all-in conclusion.  On Saturday, we do some adjustments to the set and give it a fresh coat of paint.

This is a real community effort, everyone is chipping in as much as they can to get things ready.  The staff of Keyano Theatre have been great, as they always are, at helping in their particular areas of expertise.  This is a production done with a pauper's budget, which I quite enjoy.  The breadth of props, furniture and costumes in the inventory at Keyano makes things so much easier (and less expensive).

We are at the point where we are mostly running the show from beginning to end, only stopping to fix small things.  Sharon was able to join us for the first time since the opening read through and see how the movement of the play affects the costume choices, hair, make-up and accessories choices.

We were also joined again by Gordon Ponak.  He's been coming to at least one rehearsal each week to be an extra set of eyes and to learn a little more about directing.  I'm not sure if I'm providing any pearls of wisdom or not, but it's nice to have him there, supporting the production. It's incredibly nice to be able to bounce things off another person.

I've really appreciated the professionalism and dedication of our stage manager, Natalie Farahani.  At 13 years of age, she is way ahead of her time taking on the responsibilities of keeping all of us older folk in line.  She's always the first to arrive and the last to leave.  In addition to being completely organized, she works closely with the staff at Keyano to make sure the actors have what they need to make this play a success.  A member of the cast of Hometown...The Musical! and Les Mis, plus working backstage as Assistant Stage Manager on a number of different productions, Natalie has more theatrical experience at 13 than most of us had by 30.  She is awesome.

The Odd Couple runs May 14, 15, and 16.  If none of those dates work for you, but you think you might be able to make it May 13th, please send me a note:  rvthomas67@gmail.com.  I might have a good option for you.