Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Fresher Than a Fruitcake?


Now, nothing against those cellophane wrapped blocks we've seen stacked up at Ingles, but we are glad to have this year's production of The Santaland Diaries recognized as "fresher than a fruitcake"!

Apparently, you can keep a fruitcake indefinitely as long as you store it in an airtight container and baste it occasionally with liquor.  Our lips are sealed as to whether that's been the secret to an 11th year of The Santaland Diaries.

Thanks, Carol!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Preparing for The Grapes of Wrath

Our production of The Grapes of Wrath won't be until April, but if you'd like to brush up on your Depression-era facts, PBS is premiering Ken Burns' documentary The Dust Bowl next week. As Stephen Colbert said of Ken Burns, "If he brings the grapes, I'll bring the wrath."

Here's a preview of The Dust Bowl:
Watch The Dust Bowl Preview on PBS. See more from The Dust Bowl.

And here's a clip of Ken Burns' appearance on The Colbert Report:

Monday, November 12, 2012

The Moment When it All Goes Downhill: Inspecting Carol

Inspecting Carol is a laugh a minute comedy through the last days of rehearsal before what may be one theatre’s last opening night.  The Soapbox Theatre is presenting A Christmas Carol in four days, and let's just say it will be a production no one will ever forget - from last minute casting changes to wardrobe malfunctions to completely disregarding the "measure twice, cut once" rule for stage carpentry.

So we asked our cast and crew for true stories about their own performance nightmares.  You may want to turn your volume up before you watch this.


PS - Here's the info on the background music at the end: It's Laura Vane & the Vipertones - Christmas Day With Me (coverclub.nl) / CC BY-NC 3.0

PPS - Note to self: film in landscape when using a phone for a camera.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Tech Work: Inspecting Carol



Inspecting Carol has a lot of fun technical elements. During our build weeks, it's so much fun to walk through the theatre and see what the scenic and props crews are up to. This week, it's spray painting comically gnarled giant hands, constructing a tombstone that will smack an actor in the crotch, and attaching pieces of pantyhose to foam turkeys. Business as usual in this business!

Our Technical Director Jill Summers filmed the video above of our stage collapsing. They've rigged it so that it will happen on cue. Which cue? Come to the show and find out!