Choir 04-22-12

Yup.  No picture.

This was one of those days where I hit the ground running...with a trip to the airport to see My Sweet Baboo off on a business trip at 5 AM...and have just now sat down, at about 10:30 PM. 

I sang in the choir for 2 out of 3 services today, but I didn't get a photo.

It's all stuff you've seen before anyway.

Today was the matinee closing of the show that closes the theater at the school; there's a brand spanking new building right across the railroad tracks that will be opening next fall.  There will be ball fields over the space that is now the old theater very shortly.

To Kill a Mockingbird was an excellent play to close the theater.  What an incredible message it has.

I just wish we could've gotten a few more folks in the theater to see it.  But our promotion budget is, like, pennies.  A few posters and some facebook posts were about the best we could do.

So, in lieu of the choir photo, I will leave you with a picture of The Flute Player in costume as Mrs. Dubose...in a costume that was golden, as it fit perfectly and needed no alteration whatsoever. 

...and the show opens

They did it.

Pulled it together and gave a strong performance.  Oh, it wasn't perfect, but it was amazing.  Knowing where they were Monday night and watching tonight's show...well, I'll be honest, I was bawling like a baby at the end.

I know it is a common tech week experience; horrific rehearsals that somehow meld the cast into a unit that reaches beyond what they've done before to do a show that touches folks, but it still has sort of a miraculous feel to see it happen.

Anyway, I'm very proud of the cast and crew. 

Midnight Oil...

Rough night in the theater...

We have a first year director and, boy, is he getting his baptism by fire on this show.    Let's just say this was the kind of evening that results in folks shaking themselves out and pulling it together...or falling into pouts and coming unglued.  It could go either way.  Everyone was exhausted by the end.  But I have seen shows at this point before pull it together and do fabulous stuff...so, we'll see.  One more rehearsal and then 6 performances.

Costuming, we are in good shape...I think...finally.  There have been no new costumes made; everything has come from either the school's costume shop,  other community theaters costume shops, the thrift store, or folks' own closets.  We've altered and redesigned a few things; most of the sewing is looking at a garment and trying to figure out how to make it work.   The directors' aunt, who is very active in local theater and education and has forgotten more about putting together a cast costume story than I will ever know gave us about 4 days out of her busy schedule and pulled and pinned and instructed and got us on target.  It was kind of amazing to watch.

I learned how to raise the closure on a jacket quick-and-dirty style.  It ain't purdy up close, but from the stage it works pretty well.  Makes those contemporary jackets look much more depression-era, so it was worth doing.   You press the stew out of it, then toptsitich the lapel to the jacket.  Yeah.  Really.  But it works.  We tried just tacking it, but that didn't put enough security on it and it kept reverting to the old roll line.  But once we stitched it down hard, it stayed.

At least so far. ;-)

One more late night; I've got a couple of small things to do...I think...and then it'll be mopping up.

Then I can focus on the children's ministry costumes...

Choir Wardrobe 0415

It has been a long day.

Long week, in fact. 

I'm not going into the blow-by-blow account, just suffice it to say that I have been home very little this week, as the laundry overflowing the hamper readily testifies.

Now, I had in mind one thing to wear this week, but when I got dressed I found that the top I'd planned was, after all, in the laundry.

I really thought it got through before the crunch hit.  Guess not.

So I went with plan B.  Last week, one of  my friends in the choir handed me a turquoise jacket.  She'd bought it on sale at a local department store, then, after she got it home, decided it just wasn't her style.  So she gave it to me, thinking that if it didn't fit me I might be able to alter it to fit.

It fit pretty well for a RTW jacket, although there were some details that I really think I could've done better...or that I would feel like I should've done better if I had made it.  Still, a free jacket is a free jacket so I thought I'd see if I could remedy at least the most glaring of those items before I wore it.

However, given the excess of unwashed laundry at my house, I grabbed the jacket this morning and wore it with my Lee bootcuts and my rayon/lycra jersey Christine Jonson Baseware 2 t-neck top

And I taught my class, sang in choir for 3 services, and then  went straight to the high school and worked on costume alterations until 5 PM.  Then we took the photo.

Maybe I can wash some clothes after the show opens on Thursday...

...and Here We Go...

The volunteer sewing front has been very quiet of late.

The calm before the storm, y'all.

A week or so ago our children's pastors asked me to lead the production of a number of costume pieces for our children's summer theme. As in, a small something for each kid participating.

In the little Baptist church we were in for something like 20 years back in the day 'something for each kid' would not be an issue.  But we have hundreds of kids in our children's ministry each week.  This is going to be a pretty major task.  Now, all of those kids won't come to the camp/day camp events that will be part of the whole 'Chronicles of the Kingdom' theme, but, well, we'll have enough to keep us hopping.  And they need them by sometime in May.

We're planning a sew-a-thon for the Thur-Fri-Sat after Easter.  The request for sewing volunteers is going in the church bulletin this week.  If we don't finish that weekend, we may schedule another or...we may just divvy the stuff up and sew it at home.  We'll have to see how it goes.

Then, yesterday I got a text from The Flute Player, saying that the Tech Theater teacher wanted to know if I would head up the costuming for the swiftly upcoming production (as in, the show opens  April 19) of To Kill a Mockingbird.  She has one volunteer who has promised to sew/alter/obtain all the ladies' costumes, and there are a number of folks who are willing to help...could I just be the One in Charge?

I didn't exactly say 'No', but I did indicate that I didn't think I could head up two major costuming efforts at the same time.  I'm willing to help, but I need to be doing it NOW, 'cause once April 12 gets here I'm committed to making little knight/squire/medieval outfits.

And I have a pile of things cut out that I really, really need in my wardrobe that I haven't had time to sew up yet.  Obviously, something has got to give.

I'm betting that something is sleep.  Housework went out the door ages ago...

Still, I have a comp time reserve.  I suppose if I need to, and if the urgent things are done, I *might* be able to take a few days off.  We'll see.

Taking a deep breath. Or two.