Notes for Sunday May 1 + Tech Week Schedule

Hi everyone!

Thanks again for your wonderful work yesterday at rehearsal. You really champed it and I was so grateful that you were so focused. I think we got a lot done despite being conductor-less!! Here's our plan for this coming Sunday:

Sunday May 11:15 Physical Warmup
1:25 Vocal Warmup
1:35 Music Fixes
2:35 Gallery Interlude Soundscapes - Music + Running w/ Blocking
3:05 End of the Show Soundscape
3:35 Break + Costumes
3:55 Curtain Call
4:05 Run

5:00 Notes & Fixes

Reminder to bring all your costumes elements including shoes to rehearsal. Reminder that Alto 2s are on snack!

Tickets

Reminder that you can bring in money for tickets to Erin at any time. She will accept ticket money up until Wednesday, May 4. Tickets are also available online: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2537816

Tech Week

Just a reminder of the schedule for tech week (all is on the Google Calendar but just so you have it here too):

Tuesday May 3 - St Matthew's

Cue to Cue Rehearsal

6-10 pm

Wednesday May 4 - St Matthew's 

Dress Rehearsal

6-10 pm

Thursday May 5 - TBA

Review Rehearsal

7-9 pm

Friday May 6 - St Matthew's

Show #1

6:00 pm call

8:00 pm show

Saturday May 7 - St Matthew's

Show #2

6:30 pm call

8:00 pm show

For the Tuesday & Wednesday rehearsals, the church will be open at approx 5pm for you to come in and get ready/eat/do what you need. We will be starting at 6pm sharp each night.

Any questions, let Claire know!

Notes for Sunday Apr 24

Hi everyone!

Great work this past weekend - we are getting one step closer to performance ready every week! Here's the plan for Sunday:

1:00 Adela Team Choreo Review // Stool Felt Application Party

1:15 Physical Warmup
1:25 Vocal Warmup
1:35 Music Fixes
2:35 Gallery Music & Blocking
3:05 BREAK + change into costumes
3:20 End of the show - Blocking & Scene Rehearsal
3:50 Blocking Fixes
4:35 Run

Note that Adela team will meet 15 mins ahead of rehearsal to review their blocking for La luna asoma with Claire.

We need to put felt on the bottom of the stools! We will bring the felt - if anyone who is there for 1pm on Sunday can help, we can make it a team effort and get it done very quickly!

Please review all changes that we made this past week at rehearsal and make sure that you are super solid on everything - especially the transitions!!!!

Tickets

You can bring ticket money for Erin at any time! She will have additional tickets with her this weekend.  Christina and I have posted some text on the Facebook group that you can use when promoting the show - let us know if you need anything else to help you spread the word!

Notes for Sunday April 17

Hi everyone!

Once again another big and challenging rehearsal, but you all rose to the occasion! We are making significant progress each week, and each rehearsal brings us closer to having the show performance ready. As you know there are some areas of the show that are still lagging further behind in terms of preparation and this week we need to make some big progress on these places.

In terms of music please make sure the following pieces are rock solid come this Sunday: Cancion de jinete, O Vos Omnes, VC3 (in particular the key change). 

Claire will be providing movement notes in a vlog post this week.

Here's the plan for Sunday:

1:15 Physical Warmup
1:25 Vocal Warmup
1:35 Music Fixes
2:50 Transitions
3:40 Break + Costumes
4:00 Run
5:00 Notes & Fixes

Reminder that you need to be bringing your costumes to rehearsal every week for the run, including footwear.

Ticket money can be brought in to Erin at any rehearsal between now and show week! If you need more tickets, just let her know! Tenille has created the Facebook event, please keep sharing and circulating!

ECMAs

This weekend is the big weekend! Keep an eye on our social media mid-afternoon on Saturday as we will be launching the video right after the Classical Recording Showcase! Send lots of positive Xara love vibes out into the universe on Saturday and we will keep our fingers crossed for a win!! No matter what happens, we are SO proud of all of you and so thrilled to be nominated among other extremely well known classical artists on the East Coast!

Notes for Sunday April 10

Hi everyone!

Thanks for your wonderful work and loving supportive energy on Sunday. We are making amazing progress on this show and it is because each one of you is valuing the process and being honest and open about your feelings and thoughts. Thank you!!

Here's the plan for this Sunday:

1:15 By-Call: Daughters + Poncia (VC2 Blocking)
1:45 Physical Warmup - FULL COMPANY ARRIVES
1:55 Vocal Warmup
2:05 Record Virita Criosa 1-5
2:30 Music
3:00 Transitions
3:50 Break + Costumes
4:10 Run
5:00 Break + Notes

5:10 Fixes

Please note that for all rehearsals from here on out, we'd like you to be in costume so you can get used to moving in your clothing. Please take good care of your costume during and in between rehearsals. 

Reminder that this Sunday is the off book date for EVERYTHING - music, choreography, spoken text. The only major thing we have left to refine are the transitions, which we will be working on this Sunday.

We will be ordering two more stools to make it an even twenty but if anyone has a stool of comparable height that they could bring to rehearsal this Sunday, that would be so helpful. Leave us a comment on the Facebook post for this blog to let us know if you can bring one. Reminder that soprano 1s (plus special alto guests) are on snack this week!

2016-17 Season

If you haven't yet had a chance, check out our blog post detailing our plans for next season. Our first round of auditions for next season is on Tuesday April 12. If you know anyone who might be interested, please get them to email us at info@xara.ca

As we begin the audition process, we need to know who will be returning from our existing ensemble. Please take a quick minute to fill out this poll: http://goo.gl/forms/Owyx0GfYfD

There is an option for "I'm not sure yet" and space for you to fill details for us. We really hope that all of you will be returning to magical Xara land next year :) Any questions about the season or anything else, feel free to contact us at any time.

Rehearsal Notes - April 3

El Grito - Video

El Grito - same pitch as the last note of VC4

Mm 1 SCREAM Adela & Martirio choreography, Gallery enrapt attention on them

Mm 2 - 4 Back row stands up and leans over the front row, front row leans in toward the centre, upstage foot forward.

Mm 5 Back row place hands on the backs and shoulders of the people in the front row.

Mm 6 & 7 Full body circle first to the right (counter clockwise), then to the left (clockwise). Rearticulate on the start of measure 7 and switch direction.

Mm 8 Re-intensify the lean in toward the centre

Mm 9 SCREAM  Adela attempts to hug Martirio. Gallery returns to sitting and standing upright

Mm 10 Front row press the backs of your hands together with your neighbours and stand up all at the same. As you stand, let hands float down to your sides.

Mm 11 Hold hands with your neighbour, people on the ends hold hands between the front and back row

Mm 12 Continue holding hands. Lean in toward the centre.

Mm 13 SCREAM Martirio threatens Adela. Gallery return to standing upright, drop hands to sides.

Mm 14 - 18 Walk to form a double U (meet in the centre). Threateningly surrounding Adela and Martirio.

Mm 19 SCREAM Adela threatens Martirio.

Mm 20 - 21 Gallery stand and sing (for now)

Gallery splits in the centre when Martirio says “Mother! Mother!” And Adela says “Let me pass!”

Virita Criosa 5

Virita Criosa 5 - D spreads (Nikki) + rapid crescendo under BERNARDA: Behave! Behave! Quiet! If only I ad a thunderbolt between my fingers! MARTIRIO: She was with him! Look at her petticoat, full of straw!

Mm 160 - 167 File back to positions in the Gallery

Mm 188 People in back row get up on benches (Talisa & Leah)

Mm 191 People in front row get up on benches (Sydney & Kallie)

Outline of the 2016-17 Season

Many of you are in the process of sorting out life for the 2016-17 season so we thought it would be helpful to know what Xara will be up to! We will soon be sending you a survey to find out whether you intend to be with us again next year (we hope so!!).

Tales of the Old North:
The Three Princesses and the Blue Mountain
November 24-26, 2016
Although XYE won't be joining us for this show, we will be inviting men to be part of the production again and we'll also have Jenny Trites (piano), Clare Macdonald (percussion), Matthew Downey (lighting design), Matthew Peach (costumes), and Jeannette White (narrator) back with us! We have been working on the schedule to ensure that things are ready a bit earlier and are excited to add another evening show plus a school performance to the run.  Here's a summary of the "Tale":

A young soldier woman sets out to rescue three princesses after they were swept away by a snow drift that left the entire kingdom enshrouded in winter. Competing with her are two other searchers, noted for their strength and bravery, but who are motivated by the promise of riches decreed by the King and Queen. Along the way, the girl wins the trust of a giant flock of birds, traverses a tunnel of water and fire, and defeats three giant trolls who tried to leave her trapped in the Blue Mountain forever. At each turn, she relies on her intuition, on her generous spirit, and on the kindness born from true relationships.

In response to your feedback about the 2015 show, there will be many more named roles to audition for and even if you don't want to take on something with speaking, you will have more defined characters as singers this time around.

The Hours Turn to Nothing
April 28-30, 2017
The seeds for this show were sewn by our 2014 production Waiting on the Eastern Line. In the lead-up to the centenary of the Halifax Explosion we will be collaborating with internationally acclaimed Nova Scotian author Ami McKay (The Birth House and The Virgin Cure are her recent books) to tell the story of midwives who traveled to Halifax the day after the great explosion to help in the aftermath. It is a little known piece of history that nearly all women at the epicentre of the explosion were jolted into labour, regardless of their stage of pregnancy. When word of the blast came across the wire, midwives from across the Maritimes and Northeastern USA boarded trains to help.

Working with Ami McKay is going to be an incredible experience for us and will elevate the profile of our show significantly. Inhabiting this beautiful period of history and telling the story of women who were incredibly strong in the face of disaster will be powerful and exciting. The music for this show will be especially beautiful as we will honour the time period through our repertoire.

Following the Halifax premieres we will do a Nova Scotia tour (likely four venues) of the show over the course of May and June. However, we have also slated The Hours Turn To Nothing for a professional remount in early September. Although the details are still being shaped, this will likely be a one-week intensive, paid tour across the Maritimes, similar to Fatty Legs in May 2015.

Connecting with the Community
As has become standard for Xara, we will also have several smaller performances, fundraising events, and gigs that help us connect with other organizations in the area and raise our profile. We strive to give you as much advance notice of these events as possible!

If you have any questions about next season, please feel free to chat with Claire or me. We are super excited about the ways in which these two productions will allow us to make gorgeous music and tell important stories to our audiences!