Announcing the 2017-18 Season

Happy Tenth Birthday to Xara!!

It's hard to believe but 2017-18 will mark Xara's tenth anniversary season! It is also shaping up to be a season full of growth for the organization and some amazing performing opportunities. Whether you've been with Xara for a long time or you're just getting started I think you'll find this to be a really extraordinary year-in-the-making! I'm going to outline the full picture of Xara's activity below. Once you've read it all through, please fill out the RETURNING SINGERS POLL so we know whether you will be joining us for the upcoming season. This will help in the planning for auditions, etc. over the summer.

Neptune Theatre and Xara present WinterLight

December 17 - 18, 2017: Neptune Theatre Main Stage (Fountain Hall)

First of all, this information is TOP SECRET right now and it will not be confirmed until Neptune has finalized their sponsorship for this show.

Xara has been approached by Neptune Theatre to become the creators and performers for Neptune's new annual holiday performance. This came about because Andrew Deacon, the Operations Manager for Neptune Theatre just happened to be in the audience the night that we sang at Open Stage. After the show he made a beeline for me ... he was SO taken with Xara but he had never heard us before. Since then, I have had two long meetings with the folks at Neptune and, as of Tuesday, we have arrived at an agreement. This show will gather up all the beauty and magic of Tales of the Old North and wrap it in a new package called WinterLight. It will be more choral and less theatre than Tales of the Old North but will continue to feature beautiful movement, cross over repertoire from Canadian, Scandinavian, and pop sources, and entrancing storytelling from our beloved Jennette White. For our organization, this is huge: it will give us the massive forces of Neptune Theatre to create staging, lighting, and costumes at no cost to us. As well, Neptune will market the show and sell the tickets, which removes the financial risk for Xara. They are currently courting a big name sponsor to get behind the show (more to come on this when it is confirmed). If you've ever dreamed of being featured on the stage of Neptune Theatre, 2017 is the year your dream will come true!!

Artistically, here's what you can expect from WinterLight:

Act I: This Frozen Land

Music that evokes the crisp, blustery, and beautiful winter landscape. Rhythmic, and gutsy, this section will be full of very fun repertoire!!

Act II: Snow Angel

This song cycle by Sarah Quartel is absolutely stunning and is already a favourite in the choral world. Cello, piano, percussion and choir explore themes of love, rebirth, and beauty through the eyes of children and the angels that watch over them, yearning to make a difference in their lives.

Act III: Sun, Moon, Stars

The sources of light in our world can be real and metaphorical. This section will be inspiring and will shimmer with beautiful sounds.  It will include a cover of Let In the Sun by Take That.

Act IV: From Out of Dark

Music sung by candlelight woven together by the story of Sankta Lucia, a traditional Swedish myth about the power of a young woman’s generosity to bring light into the darkest places. This section will feel beautiful and serene ... evoking many of the feelings people associate with the holidays and that are captured by the Danish term Hygge that has inspired fashion and interior design over the last few winters.

As music is selected for this show, I'm posting it to a Youtube Playlist where you can listen to things to get an idea of the content! There will be opportunities for small ensembles to perform in this show too so I'll be in touch soon to start asking for your ideas!

RISE: Xara's Tenth Anniversary Show

April 28 - 29, 2018 : St. Mary's University McNally Theatre

This piece of choral theatre will be an intersectional exploration of the power of women to impact social change. We will be collaborating with Rebecca Thomas, poet laureate of Halifax and acclaimed Mi'kmaw activist as well as several other artists. Rather than one large narrative, the show will contain three smaller works of choral theatre, each focusing on a story of women who find their voices and influence history for the better. The details of this show are still in development but it will have three sections, the final and largest of which will focus on the special role women are playing in the fight for water security.

This show will also offer several special initiatives. First, it will include our newly transformed Chrysalis Youth Mentorship program. Through Chrysalis, approximately eight high school aged girls will be auditioned and mentored as they sing alongside Xara members for the show. In addition to their work with all of you, they will have weekly 45 minute sessions with a leadership team to nurture their personal and artistic development. This program combines the strengths of the model we used for Chrysalis this year with the high level artistic experience our Youth Mentoring Program girls got during The Hours Turn to Nothing. Second, Xara alumnae from the last ten years will be invited to come back for the show weekend and learn a piece of music/choreography to perform with us at the close of the show (sort of the way Kyrie closed The Hours Turn to Nothing). And finally, following the performance we will have a large reception to celebrate our 10th birthday! Here's a Youtube Playlist that I've started for this show.

Beyond the Shows

Tour: The Hours Turn to Nothing
In late August and September, a smaller group will take The Hours Turn to Nothing to PEI (Aug 27) Amherst (Sept 10), and Truro (Sept 30). We have funding for 14 singers to receive a small honorarium ($500 each) in order to get this show back up to performance level and travel to these locations on top of our regular Xara activities. Selection of these singers will be determined as soon as everyone has been able to give us their full availability. In some cases, we may sub certain singers in and out if there are people not available for all three shows.

Tour: Fatty Legs
A group of 14 singers who have already been hired will be touring this reconciliation-based show to Southern and South Eastern Ontario from October 28-November 8, 2017. Several of the singers hired for this tour are now Xara alumnae. This tour is considered a professional engagement that is separate from our regular ensemble's activities. Two rehearsals for WinterLight will be affected but a plan is in the works to make this time as useful as possible for everyone!

Artistic Leadership and Staffing 2.0
As you all know, Claire has found an amazing new outlet for her skills and passion for working with teens. Her job at Keshen Goodman public library is full time and, over the course of the winter, she's been able to figure out what kind of balance will work best for her. Her favourite part of working with Xara is creating beautiful movement for all of you so she's decided to place her focus there and step back from the administrative work and large-scale artistic planning that comes with being Co-Artistic Director. The Board and I have taken a really detailed look at what it takes to keep Xara moving forward and we've decided that we will hire a General Manager to complement my role as Artistic Director. Claire will still be at most rehearsals and will be an integral part of the Xara experience. I am so glad that we get to keep making beautiful art together!!

HTTN Tour Info (and prep for May 28 rehearsal)

Here is all the information regarding our June touring shows. Please make sure you take note of all times and dates so your schedule is organized!

May 28 Rehearsal Plan

12:45 Warm ups
1:05 Sing-through
2:05 Break
2:15 Mark-through
3:15 Important info
3:30 Home (or attend the Sirens/Camerata concert!!)

Shows and Schedules

Click on the name of each theatre to link to a map.

JUNE 4 - MIDDLE MUSQUODOBOIT 
Musquodoboit Valley Bicentennial Theatre: 12390 NS-224, Middle Musquodoboit, NS
Packing List: Costume, shoes, make up, hair needs, music/script, bagged lunch and snacks**
Schedule:

9:45 call

10:00 rehearsal 

12:00 lunch

1:00 call/re-warm up voices/bodies

1:15 costumes/make up
2:00 show

** Please note that there are no restaurants in Middle Musquodoboit so you MUST bring food with you!!

JUNE 10 - ANNAPOLIS ROYAL

The King's Theatre: 209 St George St, Annapolis Royal, NS

Packing List: Costume, shoes, make up, hair needs, music/script, overnight bag (PJs, clothes for Sunday, toiletries), thank you card for billet

Schedule:

2:45 call

3:00 rehearsal 

5:00 dinner

6:30 call

7:30 show

9:00 home with billets (if applicable)

JUNE 11 - LIVERPOOL

The Astor Theatre: 59 Gorham St, Liverpool, NS

Schedule: 

2:45 call

3:00 rehearsal 

5:00 dinner

6:30 call

7:30 show

9:00 home to HRM

Drives

Please make sure you fill out the drives spreadsheet (all three pages of it - look at the tabs along the bottom to navigate to the other pages) even if you are not offering or in need of a drive. We need to know that everyone is accounted for.


Gas will be reimbursed at the end of the three shows to drivers based on the distance to and from each venue with an incremental increase for each extra person you have in your car. We will be using the drives spreadsheet to determine who we need to write cheques to so please make sure it is accurate. Obviously, we strongly encourage carpooling wherever possible so that we aren't sending vehicles with only one person all across the province!

HTTN June Tour Line Changes

Hi everyone,

As we are missing some people for the June tours, I wanted to make sure that we have their lines covered and give those who will be delivering them time to work on the new lines (and in some cases tweaks to blocking). Note that a big part of our Sunday May 28 rehearsal will be doing a mark through of the show to make sure all the blocking and spacing is comfortable with those people missing so I will make sure to address all blocking concerns at that time.

Voice of the News - Natasha (June 4 only)

Nurse 4 (Emma) - Rhian (all shows, this will include stepping forward with Antoinette during Stage IIa at 'Truro, Falmouth, Windsor, Aldershot")

Nurse 5 (Talisa) - Rhian (all shows)

Nurse 6 (Sophie) - Katelyn (all shows)

Survivor 1 (Rowan) - Mackenzie (all shows, this includes stepping forward after the prayer circle in Stage III)

Survivor 8 (Julia) - Shila (all shows)

Survivor 11 (Natasha) - Georgia (June 4 only, as Natasha will be playing Voice of the News)

Nurses Group B - Brianna, Antoinette, Hayley (all shows, I know you are midwives but this group will be quite reduced as Emma/Sophie/Talisa won't be there so I want to make sure we have enough people)

Fatty Legs Tour - Oct/Nov 2017 - Personnel

So many Xaras, past and present, responded with commitment and passion to the call for singers for our 2017 Fatty Legs tour of Southern & South-Eastern Ontario. It is incredibly meaningful to know how much you all believe in this project.

With a large number of singers interested and limited time to rehearse for this tour, our selection criteria came down to three main things: familiarity with the 2015 show (preference to those who were in it), firm availability (so the roster wouldn't be in flux during our prep period), and experience with the rigours of touring with a choir. With those things in mind, the following people have been selected for the tour:

Kallie White - S1
Rachael Delano - S1
Shila LeBlanc - S1
Zoe Leger -S1/S2
Brianna Coombs - S1/S2
Colleen MacIsaac - S2
Hayley Giles - S2
Rhian Merritt - S2/A1
Mackenzie Hepditch - A1
Tenille Goodspeed - A1
Jenny Trites - A1/A2
Sara Jellicoe - A2
Jess Sharp - A2
Leah Pritchard - A2

Alternates:
Rowan Wilson-Henkelmann
Katelyn Barker
Mackenzie Costron
Julia Phillips

Importantly, there have already been two very keen requests for tours in 2018 so if you were excited at the possibility of learning or revisiting Fatty Legs there may still be future opportunities. This show is very special to Xara and is something we are very committed to performing for as long as we are able and there is need for it.

Thank you all for your incredible commitment and passion!

Prep for SHOW WEEK - The Hours Turn to Nothing

Wooooo! Here we go! It's almost show week! This post has a lot of information in it so please go through it carefully and refer back to it whenever you aren't sure of something.

What to expect (and what's expected)

• Know the purpose for each rehearsal this week - they are all different!
• Be prepared - make sure to check the "kit list" for each rehearsal and come prepared
• Be focused
• Be flexible
• Be well rested 
• Schedule time each day for personal review 
• Stay healthy (wash your hands lots, eat good food!)

Tickets

ALLLLLLL tickets and money are due back this Sunday!!

Schedule

Sunday, April 23 (1:00-5:30) 

Focus: final fixes and details, CTV filming, CBC Radio interview

Kit list: shoes, make-up (done before rehearsal), hair (done before rehearsal)

Snack: S1

• 1:00 - arrive and get in costume (come with hair and makeup done)
• Blocking details (Stage I, Pacem, Stage IIb, Curtain Call)
• Music details (Cronan, Even When He Is Silent)
• Hand in tickets, prepare for run, eat snack
• Run
• Fixes from Run
• 5:30 - home

Monday, April 24 - No rehearsal

Tuesday, April 25 (6:00-10:00) 

Focus: lighting and stage placement

Kit list: shoes, make-up (done before rehearsal), hair (done before rehearsal), snacks

• Mark through of full show to solidify any vagueness about movement cues and stage locations
• First half of rehearsal will be all about Matt's needs to get the lights set. Claire will ask you to move from position to position and you will need to wait. There is a lot of waiting during this rehearsal and it's important that you stay focused and don't talk.
• Second half of rehearsal we will work through the show but there will be stops and starts
• This rehearsal is NOT focused on fixing or working on our show - it is for Matt to go from zero to show-ready in 4 hours.

Wednesday, April 26 (6:00-10:00) 

Focus: dress rehearsal with photos/filming

Kit list: shoes, make-up and hair (time given during rehearsal), snacks

• 6:00-7:30 Fixes and detail work 
• 7:30-8:00 Hair, make-up, costumes
• 8:00 Dress rehearsal
• 9:00 Fixes
• 10:00 Home

Thursday, April 27 (7:00-9:00) 

Focus: final fixes

Kit list: nothing except music and scripts (no costumes, makeup, or hair), snacks

Friday, April 28 (6:00 call) - Show #1

Saturday, April 29 (1:00 call) - Show #2

Saturday, April 29 (6:00 call) - Show #3

Sunday, April 30 - OFF (Relax and rejuvenate!)

Media Summary

We have secured the following coverage:

• CTV Morning Show (airing Tuesday, filming Sunday)
• CBC Radio "Mainstreet" (recording Sunday, airing later in the week, TBA)
• Global TV Morning Show (Wednesday) - Leah, Shila, Georgia, Kallie, Natasha, Emma
• The Coast newspaper article (Thursday)
• Local XPress newspaper article (interviewing tomorrow, not sure of publication date)

Please continue to share social media posts on your various channels!

Pacem Emotional Journey

Hi everyone,

With all the hard work we've been putting into Pacem to get the music and choreography super solid, I know that we haven't had as much time to go over the emotional journey for the piece. This is the big centerpiece of the whole show in a lot of ways, so I wanted to give you some notes that might be helpful as we continue to bring this piece to life onstage.

Pre A & A Section
Raquel's solo at the beginning is like a plaintive call for help.

Nikki/Natasha/Gabrielle/Georgia (the survivors) - your movement here should be fueled by exhaustion, fear, and/or hopefulness - you have survived this horrible event and although the future is bleak, at least you are alive and able to move forward. For the four of you, you can hold onto the doorframes more as you walk. Almost as if you need them to hold you up, or you are trying to make your way around pieces of wreckage carefully.

Everyone else watching on the sides is witnessing, embodying strength and support in your energy rather than fear.

B Section

This is an expressive section that mimics the grief, agony, and intensity of the disaster. Each of the section's movements are designed to reflect that in some way. You can think about what your group is doing and what kind of emotion your character would be feeling in the aftermath of the explosion. This section is not meant to be literal (characters actually doing something narrative), but like a meditation on those feelings.

C Section

Everything we have been doing up until this point has been building until this section. It is the most emotionally intense part of the piece. As you stand and walk toward the front, you are facing the audience and showing them your fear, shock, and horror. The Winter Sky movements that happen at mm 61 should feel gut-wrenching. When you move toward the back of the stage at mm 66, it is like the force of the Explosion is pushing you back (echoing what will happen later in the movement score - in Pacem it's almost like an echo of that, like an aftershock of your body reliving it). At mm 73, the group surging through the doorframes is fueled by the determination of each person to do their best to help and survive despite the devastation.

D Section

This is a repeat of the B section, but builds at the end to a climax. The big chords at mm 103-104 should feel strong and not weak - determination and not helplessness.

E Section

This section mimics the A section but instead of survivors going through, it is nurses and midwives (Brianna, Emma, Colleen, Raquel).

The four movers going through the doorframes in this section are nurses and midwives picking their way through the wreckage to look for survivors, people in need of help. Another image could be emerging out of the hospital doors, looking around at the world and how devastated it has become. For the four of you, you can hold onto the doorframes more as you walk. Almost as if you need them to hold you up, or you are trying to make your way around pieces of wreckage carefully. Your expression can reflect shock, horror, sadness, fear. Use more of your body and you can think about more angular movements.

Everyone else standing on the sides is turned in 45 degrees, and you can watch the four as they emerge from the doorways. You are the witnesses, and you echo their emotions but stay more calm.

Christina's Notes from the Run on April 9th

Hi everyone! In order to focus your personal rehearsal, here are the main things that I felt needed attention following our run last Sunday:

Winter Sky

• In the last section when your blocking has you in a tight V, many of you cannot see me. It's really important to shift your focus to the sensation and sounds of those around you so you can "feel" when to come in and when to cut off.

Soundscape 1

• Begin walking to empty spaces as soon as you hear the Morse Code signal
• Many people are still missing the "breathe in" cue. As soon as you start walking again after the wind and walking have died down, you need to angle your bodies and focus your peripheral vision on me so you get the cue.

Psalm 69

• Opening Solos (Gabrielle, Colleen, Talisa) - I've change my mind - we need these to be in tempo if this rest of the choir is going to be able to get the tempo correctly when they come in. Gabrielle, this will be really important for you. You will need to practice your solo much more quickly.
• Overall, no matter how fast I try to set this, you seem to want to sing this piece really slowly. Practice it fast so you can build a sense of urgency into your body and muscle memory!
• S2s and As: m.21 forward - be ready for a return to the fast temp after the rit in mm. 19-20.
• m. 41 onward - this is another place to be careful of tempo. S2s, in particular, tend to be very slow here.

Soundscape 2 (and 3)

• You need to take my tempo for us to be together. Everyone needs to be checking in with my beat before you enter and during the first few beats of your ostinato pattern to ensure we're aligned.

V'la l'bon vent

• Most of this song is a piano dynamic! Remember the work we did to balance the B and C sections - everyone has to scale their dynamics to the train engine.
• The shift notes on "ah" right before Letter D is rough - needs to be much quieter and gentler. 

Pacem

• Dynamics, dynamics, dynamics! In particular, cresc + decresc shapes are what's missing. There are a lot of these and we worked so hard on them when we were doing the piece really slowly. We need to get them back!!

Soundscape 4

• As per Julia's comment, we need more volume from the people who are sniffing and crying, etc.

Cronan

• This came a long way since last time!!!! The very end (last page) still fell apart a bit so please reinforce that.
• Sop 2s, there were still some entries that were either early or late - be sure you know exactly when you're supposed to enter in relation to other parts.
• During the undulating circle the Oooos (S1 and S2) were unstable and not tuned as well as needed. Make sure you are listening and concentrating and not letting your intonation undulate with your bodies!!

Even When He Is Silent

• As I said on Sunday, I really need to be able to push and pull the tempo with this piece. You are looking right at me for most of it so it's important that you are connecting with me, even if it's through your peripheral vision. 
• Dynamics need more attention here.
• Confidence in your own phrasing and where your part breathes/lifts is critical since this is not always the same across the full choir.
• p. 10, m. 47 - everyone needs to be very certain that this is a 4/4 measure and pace the cresc accordingly.

Snow

• The memory work is weak on this piece for several of you. It seems short and easy so I understand that it hasn't received the time bigger piece have, but it's the end of the show so it has to be SO solid. Please review and make sure you can sing it without even having to think about it.

Kyrie

• Confidence in your own phrasing and where your part breathes/lifts is critical since this is not always the same across the full choir.
• Because this piece is "pretty" we are tending to sing it with a very breathy tone and flattened soft palates. We need to move away from this and sing it with proper women's voices and raised soft palates! The reference recording is really lovely but she's a high soprano with a very light voice singing all the parts so it's not a realistic or good model for how you should produce sound for this piece.
• Dynamics need more review.
• We need to shift away from saying "e-le-i-sun"  or "saahn" - the final vowel is too wide. Your lips need to stick out every time you say this syllable - you should be singing "saw-n" with your lips out.
• m. 54 - everyone except S1a is out on beat 3.