Blocking Notes from Full Run (Nov. 15)

In general, remember that there is no hiding when the audience is raised above you. If you end up in the wrong place, evaluate if it is essential that you move, and move with purpose.

Hey Ho

Set up the very first snap forward  (look around a little more just before that happens)

Family solo verse – Men, you started a bar too early

Mountain Nights

Xara, move to your three lines on the line “Pretty children they all were”

Your first movement will now begin on the Alto entry at the bottom of the first page.

Claire will review the video and provide feedback re: timing of certain moments of blocking

I See You

Xara exit during the piano ending, split centre and leave before the piece ends.

After Blow Blow

Large pause for the bear team to exit before Jennette begins narration

Tabula Rasa

Cue to enter is “You must have been so lonely”

Boadicea

Make sure you move to Forest B when Xara starts to sing again

In general, try to keep facing forward during the transitions between forests. Claire will review and make a decision if a change needs to be made.

Wind Soundscape

Review :

-       opening cues

-       south wind

-       aFRAID

-       traveling soundscape with decrescendo & west wind section

Ariana’s Lament

-       big pause (with Jenny filling with music) for wings to be set down and Xara to re-enter

-       narration starts at the same time as Ariana’s Lament

Scene 5 – The Queen’s Castle

When you are in the cross formation, the cue to drop arms for EVERYONE is now “As she approached the door, it blew open”

After “The Sky and the Dawn and the Sun”

There will be a transition scene with the little family – the XYE sisters, and the brothers. This is to leave time for Xara to do their costume change. 

Jul Jul

Enter when XYE sings “darkness and shadow”

Notes from November 1st

Blocking Notes

End of Hanget Soi – XCTE ends in mixed scattered.

Move with purpose and excitement!

Narrator line: “After nearly a year of being away…” Family men enter and form the family group & Lucy centre centre – XCTE make room for them.

Narrator line: “That year, and for every year after…” XCTE move to the sides of the stage. Family & Lucy move stage right. Men in the family exit completely.

Jul Jul – BLOCKING VIDEO

M. 7     – XCTE move to mixed scattered. In place by measure 10

            - All men enter from Stage Right to stand on the platform (stay there for the entire piece – none of the following notes apply to you) Remember to sing as you walk!

M. 17

Move into new position – three curved lines (front line inverted, back two lines in a regular U shape), plus an inverted XYE line in the very front.

Front line (Stage right to stage left) : Sarah, Rachael D, Maria, Kaitlyn, Meghan, Nikki, Sydney, Jess, Julia

Second line (Stage right to stage left) : Rachael G, Georgia, Carolyn, Leah B, Sarah-Jean, Paige, Grace, Krystal, Talisa, Leah P

Back line (Stage right to stage left) : Kallie, Colleen, Brianna, Mackenzie, Hayley, Joanna, Tenille, Jordyn, Sara

M. 21

Turn to face centre

M. 22

Stage left people take a small step the the right (i.e. upstage)

M. 23 - 32

Walk forward one step per measure on the downbeat (right foot first), swapping positions with the other half of the choir

On Jenny’s bridge, people who are now on stage right turn to face forward and step forwrad to reform the line. People on stage left, turn to face forward.

Sing the rest of the song from these positions.

Ariana’s Lament

AUDIO RECORDING

VIDEO OF BLOCKING

For the entire song, Xara will be on stage right (Sops furthest to stage right, then Altos on the side closest to centre) 

Stand here and sing until bottom of page 3

On Kallie’s solo line “Among among turahé”, turn over your right shoulder to face Kallie.

At the end of that solo line “éééééé turahé”, continue turning over your right shoulder to face front.

Top of page 5 – split centre, and move when you sing. Sopranos lean right, Altos lean left. Stay leaning out until you sing again, then come back to standing. Let your arm and head flop

Page 6

3 “oh-ah” – Group 1 on the first choral “oh-ah”, Group 2 on the second, Group 3 on the third. Movement is leaning forward, lead with right shoulder & right foot. Right arm should hang loosely

“Among among turahé” Return slowly to standing

First “lala” section : Action 1 – Sharp lift right shoulder and jerk it back each time you repeat your pattern

Second repeated “lala” section : Action 2 – Left shoulder sharp drop and return each time you repeat your pattern

After the fermata in the second last system (leading into the descending “lala” section) : Action 3 - Right shoulder jerk up, then left shoulder

Come to stillness on the Alto triplets

Hanget Soi - BLOCKING VIDEO

DO NOT SING LETTER A

Letter A : Offstage. Enter just before letter B

Letter B : Move through the space. Greet each other happily.,

Letter C : Continue moving, XYE will join you now.

Bottom of page 5 – Top of page 6 – Ariana and Lucy will enter down stage left (let a ripple excitement pass through the crowd)

Letter D : Stand and face the front and sing

Letter E (piano) : Stay in place, but turn to interact with the people around you

Letter F : Move to the periphery while XYE moves through the village

Letter G : Enter and interact with / greet Ariana ( and wonder about Lucy)

Letter H : Turn to face front and sing to the end

PreliminaryWind Video :-D

Rehearsal Notes from Sept 20th

SATB Notes

BOADICEA

·      Men – Change all hums to a nasal ooh (think of droning)

·      Women – Each time there is a tenuto or stacato at the end of a phrase, scoop up to it

·      Page 2 – dynamics are key! There should be a constant feeling of motion – either growing or receding

HEY HO! NOBODY HOME

There is no “S” at the end of nobody J

JUL JUL STRALANDE JUL

·      All men in unison throughout

·      Measure 17 – Sopranos & Altos only (two-part split, disregard the S1/2 indication)

·      Measure 33 – Three-part split for Sopranos and Altos

XARA Notes

HOMEWORK

·      Blow Blow Thou Winter Wind – to be memorized for next Sunday (Sept 27)

·      Tundra – to be memorized for next Sunday (Sept 27)

·      Altos, please review your entry notes for Mountain Nights

MOUNTAIN NIGHTS

·      Please make sure you rehearse this with movement, particularly to deal with the issue of keeping your tone steady while moving

·      When you are not mirroring Ariana’s movement, you are observing her

BLOW BLOW

·      Ellide “most jolly” (no stop between the two words)

·      Page 7 & 8 - Make sure you know where the accented consonants happen

TUNDRA

Auditions for Solo will be next week

·      Focus on diction when you practice this one.

·      Plan how you will approach the stagger breathing on the final page of music.

·      Note that measure 39 is a 5 beat measure, with the last eighth as a breath.

Movement: SEE VIDEO

Starting positions: Two lines (Sop 1 & Alto 1 in front; Sop 2 & Alto 2 in back) spread out across the back of the stage. Hold this positions until Letter C

Letter C: Become the castle

Letter D: Triangle behind Ariana