Notes for Monday Oct 10 + Vocal Solo Results

Hi everyone,

Thank you so much for an excellent rehearsal on Sunday! We are making some great progress and things are really starting to come together! Let's keep it up!!!

As Thanksgiving is this Sunday, we will be holding our rehearsal on Monday evening from 6-9pm. Please note that rehearsal will be held at the Dalhousie Arts Centre, Room 121 (basement of the building).  

4:45 Scene 3 rehearsal - Jennette, Dan, Colleen, Sid, Joanna only

6:00 Physical Warm up - Full SSAA Company
6:10 Vocal Warm up
6:20 O Yo-Yo Music
6:45 O Yo-Yo Blocking + Scene 3 Blocking
7:45 Break
8:00 Music

Note that Sid and Dan will have to stay until 7:45pm in order to rehearse Scene 3 with full music and blocking. 

Reminder that O Yo-Yo is to be memorized for this week. For music, we will be working on Songbird, Pseudo-Yoik Lite, Call of Flowers, Kayama. We will also be running Lie Light with blocking so please make sure to review this piece in detail before Monday. Reminder that Alto 1s are on snack!

Choir Reps

Thank you all for your great discussion regarding choir representatives for the Board of Directors. Anyone who is interested should send an email to Christina and Claire before Monday evening's rehearsal. Once we receive expressions of interest we will bring them forward to everyone and we can decide at Monday's rehearsal who will be the choir representatives for this year.

Tuition

Just a reminder that tuition is due Sunday Oct 16. Please give Erin any tuition payments, or make arrangements to pay or create a payment schedule with her.

Tales of the Old North - Vocal Solos

Thank you to everyone who auditioned for vocal solos - you made it extremely difficult because there are so many talented people in our company! We tried to ensure that those without lead speaking roles had an opportunity to shine in the area of vocal solos.

Songbird: Kallie

Pakkanen1: Jordyn (lead) + Shila (echo 1) + Rachael (echo 2)
Pakkanen 2: Kallie

Nothing Else Matters: Rachael

Call of the Flowers: Kallie & Leah

Clocks: Shila

Kayama 1: Jess
Kayama Trio: Rachael/Leah/Jess

Rehearsal Notes - October 2

Link to Running Blocking Notes. I will continue to update these notes as we block new songs. If you click on "Tools" and then "Document Outline" you can see a table of contents that will take you to the song you are looking for by clicking on its name.

Link to Script with Blocking Notes. I will continue to update these notes as we block new scenes.

Nothing Else Matters

Page 10 measure 116 Soprano line

Top - Rachael, Rylee, Kallie, Shila

Middle - Maria, Rowan, Georgia, Hayley

Bottom - Leah, Katelyn, Gabrielle, Antoinette

Pakkanen - Video

Enter after Narrator’s line “with a determination unlike any other” - just inside the legs on SL & SR

During B1, singers cluster around Joanna - entrances starting with downstage right and moving around in an arc to downstage left.

A3 - Spread out to a checkerboard formation with joined hands to create a tangled forest. Joanna will weave among the company. As she passes, singers should release hands to let her through and then re-form.

B2 - Move to the other side of the stage and make a large U around the perimeter of the stage, stay with your section

C1 - hold the U formation

M 72 - step forward with right foot and lean slightly in towards Joanna, keep straight upper bodies

C2 - Move in towards Joanna, stepping softly forward on the downbeat of each bar. Maintain the U shape

D1 - Drift backwards to the edges of the stage, leaving a gap upstage centre.

After the last note of the piece - take a step backwards into the legs

Notes for Sunday October 2 + Deloitte Gig

Hi everyone!

Thank you for a great Sunday including both the rehearsal and the church service!

Here's the plan for this Sunday's rehearsal. Tenors and basses are called from 1:15-3:30pm. Jennette is called from 2:15-3:30pm.

1:15  Physical Warm up
1:25 Vocal Warm up
1:35 SATB Music
2:15 Snowdrift Soundscape & Blocking
2:45 Block Sc 2 - Sc 3.1
3:15 Break
3:30 Pakkanen Music & Blocking
4:25 SSAA Music
5:15 Vocal Solo Auditions

For SATB music we will be working on Jing-ga-lye-ya and Nothing Else Matters. We will be running Jing-ga-lye-ya from memory and with blocking so please make sure to review that piece this week so we don't have to spend any time re-teaching things on Sunday.

For SSAA music we will be working on O-Yo-Yo and Songbird in addition to Pakkanen. Reminder that Pakkanen is to be memorized for this week.

To review the list of vocal solos we will be auditioning on Sunday, click here.

Deloitte Gig

Date: Friday September 30

Time: 10:45pm-1:30pm

Location: Bluenose Room, Delta Halifax

Repertoire: Sister Song, Warrior, One Voice (all memorized)

Clothing: tunics, boots, black leggings

Hair/Makeup: Clean and simple, hair can be up or down but must be pinned off your face

To access the script that we are using for the event, click here.

Thank you to everyone who is able to do this performance! We are really looking forward to sharing our music with Deloitte and all those attending this luncheon to thank Deloitte for their support of our Chrysalis program. Any questions, please let us know!

Tales 2016 Long Range Rehearsal Plan

Hi everyone!

Please see this spreadsheet that outlines our rehearsal plan from now until tech week. On it you'll find rehearsal dates/times, including call times for tenors & basses, as well as which songs and scenes we will be blocking, and which pieces are to be memorized!

Those with speaking roles should make careful note of when we are blocking particular scenes, and make sure that you are available for the rehearsals that involve your character. If you have any unavoidable conflicts, you MUST let us know ASAP so we can plan accordingly.

Rehearsal Notes - September 25

Pakkanen - Music changes/updates

First page :

Rachael, Rylee, Kallie, Georgia, Hayley, Leah, Jess, Natasha & Karen - Sing the Ah-Eh-Ohs with hands cupped around mouths while everyone else does whooshing snow and wind noises.

Mm 26 - S2as do the whisper (not the people singing the words at A2)

Mm 27 - A1bs do the whisper (not the people singing the words at A2)

O Yo Yo - Music changes/updates

There is a misprinted note in measure 58 in the top choral part. The B on the word “autres” should be a G#. The G# on the word “vous” is to be sung as written, even though it is different from what the melody line normally does.

BLOCKING

Lie Light

Beginning : Two lines along the sides of the stage (see photos)

: Move toward the front of the stage, Sop 2s stage right, Sop 1s in the middle, Altos stage left

M 24 - 27 : Hand gesture with right hand. See video of Claire for timing.

Explanation Video

Example Video

M 28 - 31 : Hand gesture with left hand (start on the second beat of m 28)

M 32 - 45 : Stand and sing

M 46 - 53 : Drift back to the sides of the stage, be slightly scattered, not in a straight line. You will remain in these positions until the end of the piece

M 54 - 61 : Sing to each other

M 62 - 69 : Hand gesture again (same as 24 - 31) Start when the Sop 2s have moving eighths.

M 70 - End : Stand and sing

Full Video of Lie Light

Notes for Sunday September 25 & Fall River Church Service

Hi everyone!

Thanks so much for a great rehearsal on Sunday. First song memorized & choreographed, and first scene blocked! :) Way to go all!

Here's the plan for this Sunday. This Sunday the SSAA company is called for the full rehearsal. Jennette from 3:30-4:30pm. Tenors and basses are off this Sunday.

1:15 Physical Warm up
1:25 Vocal Warm up
1:35 Tales of the Old North Music
3:30 Break
3:45 Lie Light - Blocking
4:30 DeLoitte Music

Only those singing at the Deloitte performance will need to stay from 4:30-5:30pm. Reminder that soprano 1s are on snack!

This week we will be working on Lie Light, Pakkanen, O Yo Yo, and Songbird. As per the memorization schedule, Lie Light is to be memorized for this week. However, we acknowledge that we have not had much rehearsal time on this piece - so we are asking you to do the best you can for this Sunday and to not stress too much about it! We will put in some solid time on the music before we move to blocking.

St. John's United Church Service 

Call Time: 9am (this will give us a decent amount of time to rehearse prior to the service)

Repertoire: Bring Me Little Water Silvy, Psalm 23, Morning Tide

To Bring: black folders (Christina will bring extras for those who do not have one); a packed lunch (it is going to be a tight timeline between the end of church and driving back to the city for the rehearsal so it would be best if you brought a lunch with you!)

What to Wear: Xara tshirt (Christina will be bringing extras for those who do not have one) + nice black bottoms (dress pants or a skirt) + black flats. 

Please make sure you have sorted a drive to and from Fall River!

Choir Fees

For SSAA company members, choir fees are $150 for the year or $75 for one term. You can pay via cash or cheque (made out to 'Xara Choral Theatre'). We are very happy to work with you to create a payment plan to pay in instalments if that is useful for you. Erin will collect choir fees at rehearsal, and you should speak to her about payment schedules if you'd like to do instalments. Choir fees (or arranging a payment schedule) are due Sunday October 16.

Vocal Solo Auditions

All vocal solo auditions will take place on Sunday October 2. See casting blog post for the list of solos!

Rehearsal Notes - September 18

Rehearsal Notes

Jing-ga-lye-ya - VIDEO

Letter F - Greeting the audience. Start with right hand sweep up, then down. Then left hand. Six motions in all (ending with a movement on measure 79)

Letter G up to the end of measure 89 -

Movement 1: Second row tenors swing backwards towards SR, then front row tenors. Second row sopranos swing backwards towards SL, then front row sopranos.

Third line altos pivot towards the centre, third line basses pivot towards the centre

Movement 2 : Fourth line altos swing around to join the back row of sopranos (SL) & Fourth line basses swing around to join the back row of tenors (SR),

Movement 3 : Third row basses back up to join front row sopranos & third row altos back up to join front row sopranos.

Measures 91 - 96 : Six steps towards the centre starting with right foot (sixth step is to bring your left foot to join your right foot

Letter H -

Measure 98 - Turn to face forward

Measure 110 - Designated people take a step to the left

LINK TO SCRIPT WITH BLOCKING NOTES

Xara-Only Notes

DELOITTE MUSIC

Sister Song

Please memorize for next week as there will be choreo for this piece.

Here On These Branches

CHURCH MUSIC

More information on call time, dress, black folders etc. will be forthcoming on the blog this week.

Psalm 23

Morning Tide

Bring Me Little Water Silvy