Our Festive Weekend!

Hi everyone!

I hope you have had a restful few days and are still enjoying the glow from an amazing performance weekend! We are so thrilled with our show and so grateful to all of you for your amazing work and love and dedication on Tales of the Old North 2016!

Please help us continue to improve this project by filling out our online feedback form: https://goo.gl/forms/FtswxqLkjwIyotAC3

This weekend is our last 'big' weekend of 2016 and it is the most fun one!!! Wreath Day + Holiday Party time!! :D

Wreath Day
Date: Saturday December 3
Time: 9:30am-3:30pm
Location: Bethany United Church, 2669 Joseph Howe Dr. (use Joseph Howe entrance)

We will be making bows in the morning and decorating wreaths, and they will be available for pickup from 1-3pm on Saturday. You MUST ensure that all wreaths that you ordered have been picked up by either your buyers, or that you take all of your wreaths home by the end of the afternoon. We then will have to do a thorough clean up of the space as it is needed by 3:30pm by another group.

We still have approximately 60 wreaths available - so please feel free to continue to sell wreaths this week and just update the wreath spreadsheet when you have sold more.

If a few people could bring a pair of scissors that would be very helpful! Also please bring a snack and lunch for yourself :) Even if you have not sold any wreaths we do expect all XCTE singers to attend the decorating day to help out with the fundraising efforts! :) We will also be singing some Christmas carols so you know it is going to be a fun day!

Holiday Party + Carolling
Date: Sunday December 4
Carolling Time: 1:00-1:30pm
Location: Alderney Landing Market

In exchange for giving us a free table at the Alderney Market to promote Tales, we will be singing Christmas carols as part of their Christmas market. We will practice the carols on Saturday at wreath decorating!

Party Time: 2:00-5:00pm
Location: Jordyn's house (she will provide instructions! thank you Jordyn!)

Every year we have a fun holiday party in December! Please bring a potluck snack to share :) We also do a Secret Santa - all you have to do is bring a wrapped present (value no more than $10). We will do the rest at the party! All tenors and basses are more than welcome - we would love to celebrate with you :) :)

December Wedding Performance

Reminder to those who are able to do the December wedding performance that this is coming up at the end of the month. We will NOT be holding rehearsal on December 11 - Christina will contact all those who are available to do it to set up rehearsal times that will work for everyone.

Curtain Call

1. Full Company (cued by Christina)
2. Tenors & Basses (cued by Christina) - Lutin & Troll Team leave the stage secretly!
3. Sopranos & Altos, without named characters (cued by Christina)
4. Mother, Seer Woman, Sentinel
5. King, Queen
6. Princesses
7. Captain & Lieutenant
8. Soldier
9. Jenette
10. Gesture to Musicians
11. Gesture to Tech
12. Return to centre
13. Look to the right for the Troll
14. Look to the left for Lutin
15. Full Company (cued by Christina)

Detailed Schedules Nov 20 & 21

Hi everyone,

Here are our detailed schedules for Sunday and Monday of tech week. Note that all rehearsals are at Alderney Landing Theatre. The main box office doors will be closed both evenings so you will need to use the side entrance (exterior steps located beside the NSLC entrance at the Alderney Market). If you need to reach us please text Erin at 902-300-9840 or Claire at 902-223-7828.

Sunday Nov 20
Call Times Full SATB Company called 5-9pm

Schedule5:00 Orientation to the Theatre
5:30 Parting Glass
6:00 Curtain Call
6:15 Mark through
7:45 Break
8:00 Sound levels
9:00 Home

Tonight we will not be incorporating costume elements or makeup. Please make sure to eat before you come and bring a snack for yourself for the break time. There will be Xara staff at the theatre all afternoon today so you are welcome to come earlier and get settled in if you like.

Monday Nov 21

Call Times

Jennette 6-10pm

Jordyn, Leah, Alan 6-7:15pm

Mackenzie, Natasha - 6:30-7:30pm

Morgan - 6:50-7:50pm

Joanna - 6:50-10pm

Dan - 7:10-8:45pm

Colleen, Sid - 7:10-10pm

The call times are really specific but this is to enable you to arrive 30 minutes prior to your scenes being tech'd so you have time to change into your costume. You are welcome to arrive earlier if you'd like!

Since we will not have Dan & Colleen for Sunday's rehearsal, we will be marking Scenes 3 & 4 on Monday evening in addition to doing the tech specials for each scene.

Schedule
6:00 Arrivals, start costuming
6:30 Scenes 1 & 8 - Seer Woman (Jordyn, Leah, Alan)
7:05 Scene 1 - Rose (Mackenzie, Natasha)
7:20 Scene 2 - Soldier Dream (Joanna, Morgan)
7:40 Scene 3 - Fire (Colleen, Sid, Joanna, Dan) + MARKING SCENE
8:40 Scene 4 - Whole Scene (Colleen, Sid, Joanna) + MARKING SCENE
10:00 Home

Saturday Nov 12 : Fixes and Changes for Pakannen - Read Thoroughly!

Pakkanen - VIDEO

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

M 24 - Everyone sings, no hands. Morgan and Jordyn sing the MS 1 line just for these two measures

During B1, singers stream in to 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. We have also decided to have a bit of a sway in the forest.

Claire is standing where Catherine will stand, Joanna is standing where Jordyn will stand.

B2 - Move to the other side of the stage and make a large U around the perimeter of the stage, stay with your section. It is alright to cross in front of Joanna

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

Tech Week Update!

Hi everyone,

We wanted to give you an update about our tech week schedule and how the week is going to work! Please note that some things are subject to change, but hopefully this should be the plan that we are able to stick to for the week. Note that we are at Alderney Landing Theatre for every day of tech week including Sunday November 20.

Sunday November 20, 5-9 pm
The first hour of this rehearsal will be for getting into the theatre, figuring out final costume and prop elements and getting settled. From 6-9pm we will be marking through the show with the platforms in place to get used to the space. We will also be doing all sound levels for the show on this evening.

Monday November 21, 6-10pm
This rehearsal will be used for lighting specials only, so only the following people are called:

Jennette, Joanna, Colleen, Sid, Dan, Natasha, Georgia, Mackenzie, Morgan, Jordyn, Leah, Alan, Jenny, Clare

Not everyone listed above will be needed for the entire rehearsal - we will release a detailed schedule for this evening in the lead up to tech week.

Tuesday November 22, 6-10pm 
Full company called for cue-to-cue rehearsal.

Wednesday November 23, 6-10pm
Full company called for dress rehearsal.

Thursday November 24, 6pm call, 7:30 pm show

Friday November 25, 6pm call, 7:30pm show

Saturday November 26, 1pm call, 2:30pm show, 6pm call, 7:30pm show
We will take a dinner break on Saturday between the two shows (approximately 4-6pm). We must strike the show after the final evening performance, so be prepared to budget some time for clearing out your belongings, removing any garbage, and returning the dressing room space to clean and tidy.

Some Things to Know About Alderney

• There are two entrances. One is the main entrance by the staircase/glass elevator in the hallway connecting the ferry terminal and the market space. This entrance is only available before 5pm on weekdays. After 5pm the gate is drawn and locked. If you arrive at the theatre after 5pm, you will have to use the side entrance. There is an exterior staircase right outside the market doors adjacent to the NSLC/Craig Gallery. Go up the stairs and the door at the top will take you into the backstage of the theatre.
• Throughout the week, you may leave belongings in the theatre as we will be the only people in there. HOWEVER please do not leave garbage or food laying around, and please keep the dressing rooms very tidy.
• There will be someone from Xara at the theatre every day of tech week starting mid-afternoon. You are welcome to arrive before the 6pm call and get settled/eat dinner/start preparing for the rehearsal or show.
• There is a microwave and a fridge onsite that you can use to store food for the week. Again, please be tidy and clean any dishes.
• You will be assigned a dressing room at the beginning of the week by Erin. Please keep all of your belongings in that dressing room and keep the hallways clear.

Tech Week Etiquette

As you can imagine, this is a busy week and we have a lot to do to make things go smoothly. We are asking everyone to be professional and respectful. This means not talking while you are on stage, staying focused in rehearsal, and being flexible and able to adapt if things have to change as we work through something in the space. We will do our absolute best to make the process as efficient and fun as we can, and ask only the same from all of you. It also extends to taking care of the dressing rooms and stage space, being very gentle and mindful with your costume elements, and being kind and considerate to everyone around you. If we are all compassionate and helpful to one another, it will make for a beautiful and fun week!

Notes for POWER WEEKEND Nov 12 & 13!

Hi everyone!

We are so excited for our big power weekend this coming weekend! :) Thanks for your hard work on Sunday; getting Jing-ga-lye-ya so tight was a totally amazing feeling!!! Now we just have to do that for the rest of the show, but we are going to get there!!! :) Here's the plan for this weekend!

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 12

Call Times
SSAA Company called 9:30-4:00pm
Tenors & Basses called 12:15-4:00pm
Jennette called 12:15-4:00pm

Schedule
9:30 Physical Warm up
9:45 Vocal Warm up
10:00 Pakkanen Music & Blocking
10:40 Songbird Music & Blocking
11:10 Clocks Music + Lie Light Princess Blocking
11:30 Lunch + Troll delivery
12:15 TENORS & BASSES ARRIVE + props personnel come back from lunch early:

• Men: Vocal Warm up (CM)
• Prop Assignments (CL) + Joanna, Sid, Natasha, Mackenzie, Georgia, Leah, Alan

12:30 Snowdrift
1:00 Nothing Else Matters Music & Blocking
1:40 Get ready for run
1:50 Run
3:15 Notes/Fixes
4:00 Home

So as you can see we will be working with just the SSAA company in the morning. Men will arrive at 12:15pm for vocal warmup and then we will start with SATB rehearsal at 12:30pm. Those cast members indicated above for prop assignments will need to come back from lunch 15 minutes early in order to receive your props and start working with them in the run that afternoon.

For lunch, you have 45-60 minutes, so you are welcome to bring a lunch or go out, as long as you are back in time. Make sure to bring water, snacks for yourself as needed, your script and music, and a pencil. Some costume elements will also be in play this weekend, so you may receive instructions from Matthew Peach about what to wear or bring for Saturday/Sunday's rehearsals.

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 13

Call Times

Dan, Sid, Colleen, Jennette called 1:15-5:50pm

Joanna called 1:40-5:50pm

SATB Company called 2:00-5:50pm

Schedule

1:15 Fight Choreography (Dan, Sid, Colleen, Jennette)
1:40 O Yo Yo Dance (Dan, Joanna, Jennette)
2:00 SATB COMPANY ARRIVES - Physical Warm up
2:10 Vocal Warm up
2:20 Fixes from Saturday’s run + Run + Break + Fixes

5:50 Home

During Sunday's rehearsal, we will do some work on some outstanding blocking/choreography first, then we will work with the full company to do additional fixes from Saturday's run. Following that, we will do a complete run again, with time for notes and fixes afterward. So by the end of the weekend we will have done two complete runs of the show! Reminder that Alto 2s are on snack on Sunday + any tenors and basses who are able to contribute!

Tickets
Reminder that all ticket orders are due THIS SUNDAY NOVEMBER 13 NO EXCEPTIONS!!! All order forms and money can be given to Erin during the power weekend. After November 13, your friends and family are welcome to purchase tickets online or by calling the Alderney Landing box office!

Here's the link to the ticket order form in case you need it!

Rehearsal Notes November 6

Kayama - VIDEO

First 6 measures in a clump. First two measures standing still.

3rd system - first measure lean out to left and right (split down the centre), second measure come back to centre, third and fourth measures standing still

Letter A

Formation change, very slowly, following Antoinette leaning to the right for the first 7 measures. Then return to original clump over the next 7 measures (top of page 61)

Letter B

Lean out for four measures, then lean back to centre over the next four measures

Letter C

Move to Trio formation (two groups of 5, on either side of the stage with Shila and Jess nearest the centre)

Letter E.5 (Instrumental)

Create two parallel lines, lean out (holding hands), lean back in, meld into new clump (see video for timing)

Letter F

Formation change, very slowly, following Antoinette leaning to the right for the first 4 measures, then return to centre over the next 3 measures.

Formation change, slowly, following Kallie leaning to the left for the next 2 measures, then return to centre over the last 2 measures.

Letter G

One step forward per measure, starting on the right foot (4 measures of this)

Return to Trio formation. During the last two measures of the trio, return to the clump.

Letter I

Same as letter F

Letter J

Same as letter G, but now every person standing on the floor does the 4 steps forward.

Parting Glass - FULL VIDEO

VIDEO M 1 - 16

M 1 - 4 King sings to the audience and the people

M 4 - 8 Tenors & Basses move in toward the centre, facing one another - upstage

M 8 - 12 Sopranos & Altos move in toward the centre, facing one another - downstage

M 13 - 16 Pivot to two rows across the stage, shorter people in the front. Men in the middle. Joanna between Katelyn and Leah, Jordyn between Maria and Natasha, Morgan between Hayley and Karen, Mitchell between Dan and Alan.

VIDEO M 17 - 31

M 17 - 24 Sing to one another when you have the melody (T & B) and out to the audience (S & A)

M 25 - 28 Sing to one another when you have the melody (S & A) and out to the audience (T & B)

M 29 - 31 Move to mixed scattered formation, take one or two steps and remain in these places until the end of the piece

M 31 - 32 Small single wave with right hand starting when everyone sings “Good”. Your hand should be three

M 33 - 34 Small single wave with left hand starting when Tenors sing “Good”