Notes for Sunday March 18!

Hi everyone,

Excellent work last weekend! We felt that the Power Weekend was extremely productive, very focused, and wonderfully positive! Thank you for all your hard work and we want to continue this momentum as we move forward with WAIL!

For this coming Sunday, we will be doing a run of Part 1. We are looking to see music and movement from memory and really rock solid!!!

We will also touch on Swansongs 2/I'll Give My Love an Apple, the Titanic set, and spend some time on the group pieces for Ladies Night.

If you missed any part of the Power Weekend, please remember that it is your responsibility to sit down with someone from your section before rehearsal and get all of the music and movement notes that we covered this weekend.

Reminder to keep selling those Ladies Night tickets!!!!! Make sure that your guests know about the date & venue change!

Also, please note in your calendars that due to the Titanic ceremony on the afternoon of Sunday April 15, our rehearsal will be moved to the evening, exact times TBA.

Thanks everyone, and see you Sunday!

Notes for March Power Weekend

Hello everyone!

We were really pleased with rehearsal on Sunday; we know it was demanding both in terms of music and movement but we felt we made some excellent progress. It is key now that we don't lose any of the ground we gained on Sunday, as we need to keep moving forward each week. With that said, here is some information about the upcoming Power Weekend!!!

Dates:

Saturday March 10 - 9:30 am - 4 pm

Sunday March 11 - 1:15-4:45 pm

Location:

Fairview United Church

We will be having an hour-long lunch break, and you are welcome to bring food to the church or to leave and eat elsewhere.

We will be rehearsing the music and movement for Parts 3 & 4. So for this weekend, please have a look at:

Morning Tide

Pakkanen

To Be Sung on Water

Swansongs 2/I'll Give My Love an Apple

Swansongs 1

Raising the Wind

Bringers

Alone

We will also be rehearsing the Titanic set, so come prepared to work on Making Waves, Briar and the Rose, and To Be Sung on Water.

We are hoping to do a run of Part 3 on Saturday, and a run of Part 4 on Sunday.

We will also spend an hour going over Ladies Night group numbers on Saturday afternoon! There is now a Facebook Event for the fundraiser, so please start selling those tickets!!! Let's spread the word and pack the house that night!

Notes for Sunday March 4th + Titanic Info

Hi everyone!

We just wanted to give you an update on our rehearsal plan for this Sunday. Your top priority needs to be getting Kiurun Tie into tip-top shape, including a strong grasp of all the music and working on memorization.

Please have a look at the following pieces before rehearsal on Sunday:

• Sweet Clover
• Pakkanen
• To Be Sung on Water
• Maiden and the Sea
• Alone

We will also be working the movement in depth for Part 2.

Christina will be holding solo auditions for Briar & the Rose and the final solo in Raising the Wind, so if you are interested in these, please come prepared! Claire will be working on the text for Mermaid, so please prepare for those small speaking solos if you are interested.

**LADIES NIGHT NOTES**

Tenille would like to let everyone know that you are responsible for your own backup music for your songs. If you bring your track in early enough, we can burn them all in order onto one CD.

Also, since this is a ticketed event, we would like all songs to be memorized if possible.

Start spreading the word!!! Posters & tickets for the event will be available on Sunday. Let’s sell out this show!!!!

TITANIC PERFORMANCE

The decision has been made regarding the repertoire for the Titanic performances:

Making Waves

Briar and the Rose

To Be Sung on the Water

There will be some text interwoven with the pieces, but we will NOT be starting and stopping the music (like we did in Fatty Legs).

These pieces need to be top of the memorization list as we will be performing them from memory on April 14 & 15.

Thanks all and see you Sunday!!!!

Wail Story Notes

Hi everyone

We have broken down the music and texts for Wail into four parts. This is to help with memorizing and understanding the arc of the show. Right now, you should be actively memorizing Part 1 during your weekly practice, and be working on a solid understanding of the music for Part 2. This Sunday we will be running Part 1, and working on music and movement for Part 2.

*Note: anything that says “Joshua (text)” is spoken by Alan, the actor playing Joshua. You will be getting the text for Mermaid and Lost Autumn on Sunday.

Part 1

Siren Songs

Joshua (text)

Making Waves

Kiurun Tie

Storm Soundscape

Sea Wash

Transformation

Sea-Bred (text)

Part 2

Mermaid (text)

Joshua (text)

Nocturne

Woods

Sweet Clover

Joshua (text)

Briar and the Rose (humming)

Part 3

Joshua & Sirens (text)

Morning Tide

Joshua & Sirens (text)

Pakkanen

I’ll Give My Love an Apple (Younglings)

Swansong 2 (Elders)

Joshua (text)

Maiden and the Sea

Sirens (text)

To Be Sung on the Water

Part 4

Joshua (text)

Swansongs 1

Raising the Wind

Bringers

Lost Autumn (text)

Alone

To Heal My Heart (text)

Joshua (text)

Briar and the Rose

Movement Notes to February 19

Hi everyone! I missed you so much last Sunday! I heard you sounded great and reviewed the Kiurun Tie movement for your physical warmup! Since so many were missing on Feb 12, I thought I would give you all the movement notes for the first five pieces just so you can make sure you have everything marked in your scores.

Siren Songs - sung from offstage balcony

Joshua text - transition to Making Waves formation

Making Waves - altos in mixed scattered on floor, sop 2s on upper stairs, sop 1s along balcony; stand and sing until FLY gesture at mm 40-61 and mm 92-end. Remember that expressive faces are KEY in this piece. Imagine soaring high over the land, feeling warm sun, and effortless floating.

Kiurun Tie

-mm 1: S1s and 2s move to floor to join altos

-mm 17-25: zig zag flying formation

-mm 30-31: step forward and lean in

-mm 32-35: talk to one another

-mm 36-37: step forward and turn head to right

-mm 38-43: peel off from ends of lines and (quietly) run around, ending up in triangle formation

-mm 70: zig zag flying formation

-mm 99: JUMP!

Storm Soundscape - make soundscape noises during a brilliant transition To Be Determined that allows the S1s to make their way to the back of the space

Sea Wash - S2s and As enter from upstage left (USL); S1s enter from back of space and up centre aisle. Walking slowly, looking around at our new environment.

We will continue to move further ahead with blocking and movement this Sunday. Looking forward to seeing you all again!!

Claire

Plan for Sunday, Jan 29

Hi everyone!

I missed you SO much and can't wait to see and hear you!!

As you prepare for rehearsal this week, you will want to look specifically at these pieces, which will be our focus:

• Kiurun Tie
• Bringers
• Sea-Wash
• Nocturne
• Alone
• Maiden and the Sea
• Woods

We will also spend some more time in our Creative Teams (I've been hearing AWESOME things about the work you've done!).

Finally, this week I will be auditioning for all of the various solos/small group singing opportunities in the show.  At the beginning of rehearsal I will circulate a list of these opportunities.  Please sign up for any that interest you!!  Have a look at them before this Sunday.  They don't have to be perfectly performance-ready ... I just need to hear your approach and vocal colour.  Please don't be nervous!!  Here is the list of solos:

• Making Waves: 2 soprano solos (mm.41 and mm.52)
• Pakkanen: Sop 1 and Sop 2 for the Intro section
• Maiden and the Sea: p. 6 middle system, S1 line
• Raising the Wind: opening 3 systems (may be split between 2 singers) and p.2 (m.40) + p.4 (m.92)
• Alone: Choir 2 vocal percussion parts (likely 2 singers/part)

If there are remaining solos that require auditions, I will let you know when they're coming up!

Snowforms - Movement & Text Notes

Thanks to Erin for taking these excellent notes!!!

Sheet should generally be about 6 inches from the ground, held 6 inches out from the body.

When held with two hands, hands should be slightly more than shoulder width apart.

When held with one hand, hand should be in the centre of the body – except for the people on the ends.

1. Start in very spread out U (two giant steps back)
2. During the first two pages, step forward to take the sheet at the same time as your partner (try to stay in sync) Make eye contact with the person you are taking the sheet from
3. In the second system of page 3 (where the altos have a fast moving pattern g – bflat – g – c – eflat – f) sheet will be dropped in FRONT, starting with the farthest Sop 1 and proceeding quickly around the U (drop right hand then left hand as soon as the person next to you has done so)
4. On “Apingaut” (altos) when the text says “In the well-lit toasty warmth...” begin slightly shaking the sheet to make it shimmer like the aurora borealis. STOP SHAKING ON “FREEZE BARE SKIN IN SECONDS”
5. Text cue : “unanswered questions” will happen right before “Mauyak” – during the singing of “Mauyak”, move to zig-zag line, holding the sheet with one hand
6. “They take everything” is a text cue for “Qanit” (sops). When the Qanit begins, step back into a wide U, holding the sheet with two hands
7. On the building chord of “Akelrorak” we are in a U. When the sliding half tones happen, sweep the sheet out and back (without it flying up over the head) Size goes with dynamics.
8. On sustained unison G, just hold sheet with two hands
9. On “Til-tok-tor”, bunch the bunch the sheet up. Use peripheral vision to be in time with the rest of the U. There will be MORE reps of this. We will continue to decrescendo until Christina cuts us off. There will then be silence during a bit of narration.
10. Text cue : “I suppose that is the only way I will hear the end of it.” When we come back in at the bottom of page 6, we are creating a ship’s sails – a triangle leading to the people in the middle of each side and the two people in the centre of the U. Hands move on the scoop up in the first pattern. Hold there until the text cue below.
11. We bring our hands down with text cue : “Later that day my mother came to find me...” Move forward into a very tight U.
12. Text cue : “She took one of my long braids in her hand...” Then, bring sheet to chest, allowing a small drape between people. Use one hand to pull the sheet in, and place the other hand over top of it. Stay like that until the end of the piece.