Grease is the Word

Four years ago I dipped my toes into directing with a little show that played homage to Elvis called "All Shook Up!" This year we went back to the poodle skirt era with "Grease."  

Though it takes place at a high school, the stage version of the show is a bit risqué for high school; the movie starring Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta has its moments as well.  Our staging combines the two with some songs not found in the film as well as added dialogue to fill some story gaps.

Though this show wasn't my preferred choice, I am very excited about having a fantastic cast of hilarious and dedicated actors to work with.  I also got to design the promotional posters for the show (at right) as well as the cast t-shirts.

The six show run has been nearly flawless and this cast rolls with all the punches like pros.  The last curtain goes up tomorrow and I'm sure a few tears will be shed during the closing of "We Go Together."

Sandy meets the Pink Ladies...and Patty Simcox.

Coach Calhoun "primes" the crowd at the pep rally.

The Pink Ladies have a "Sneaky Pete" at Frenchy's sleep-over.

Danny tries to win Sandy back at the diner.

The gang consider their options at the diner.

Viola reacts to Frenchy's "trouble in tinting class."

Principal McGee getting the American Bandstand dance contest started.

Danny & Sandy strike a pose.

Rizzo & Kinickie have a fight about her potential "bun in the oven."

"You're The One That I Want"

The cast takes a bow.

Twice As Nice

"I think I'll take a moment, celebrate my age,

The ending of an era and the turning of a page,

Now its time to focus in on where I go from here,

And I'll do it better in my next thirty years."

~Tim McGraw

("My Next Thirty Years")

In the past I've not tried to hide or avoid my birthday, just not advertise it.  I have no problem being the center of attention - I'm a teacher after all - but only on my own self-imposed, red-faced terms.  Also, birthdays growing up were never huge affairs; most were low-key events involving immediate family, a card from Grandma, a nice breakfast before school, a midnight phone call from a friend.

Turning thirty must have flipped the switch.  I not only observed the passing of my third decade, I got to have two parties.  Two!

The first was beyond my control.  Most Sundays I do a movie date with some friends.  The second weekend in December, my actual birthday, was no different and I went to a cinema near my house with Kristin and Kelsi, who informed me beforehand that we would get dinner afterward.  We did, but not before taking me to a mens' clothing store, having me pick out a tie, then blindfolding me with it, and taking a taxi ride to an undisclosed location and lead to a private room full of friends!  (Side note: A gringo, riding through Cali, Colombia, in the back seat of a taxi, blindfolded surely turned a few heads; of course I couldn't see them...)

Friends at Platillos Voladores...one of Cali's best!

Ridiculous hats and cakes...happy surprise birthday!

The invitation to rumba!!!

My good friend and colleague, Beatriz, also turned 30 recently and we had decided back in November to do a joint celebration - this, after I said I probably wouldn't do anything special, was kind of decided for me.  We wanted to have some sort of a theme but we wanted it simple and ultimately decided on a "black & white" party.  Having parent connections to a local salsa establishment, we were able to reserve an entire end of one room, adjacent to the stage where not only the live band played, but a trio of professional salsa performers did an exhibition and a mariachi group serenaded the crowd.

With Rob and Daniel

Black & White party people!

Dancing salsa, merengue, and a bit of reggaeton until almost three in the morning surrounded by friends who have become my "Colombian family" reminds me how incredibly blessed this experience of living here these past four and a half years have been.  The first thirty years were fantastic; I can't wait to see what God has in store for my next thirty!

Under The Sea

In the interest of full disclosure, I need to admit that I was not overly thrilled about the decision to preform the Disney-fied stage version of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, "The Little Mermaid."  In fact, I thought it would look tragically cheesy compared to the animated fantasy-land created with incredible sets, costuming, lighting, and special effects made famous by the award-winning Broadway show.

I was wrong.  Despite graduating a slew of talented upper-classmen since the last show, the Elvis-themed "All Shook Up!", and having to include the elementary section of the school in the show - mostly as tiny dancing fish and other marine life - the show has suddenly come together in a pleasantly surprising way.

As evidenced by the sheer fact that I've not mentioned a single thing about this musical even being a part of my life, the tides have literally changed.  (Sorry, I couldn't help it; there may be more puns ahead.)  This year I am serving as the director of acting, alongside the two music teachers who are handling the choir/soloists and the production, respectively, and the dance teacher, who has been in charge of choreography.  Another new elementary teacher this year has been assisting me with the acting direction as well as advising the set design.  It has been a true team effort.  Since this show involves the entire school, the budget is slightly bigger and we've been able to hire an outside lighting and sound crew - complete with strobe lights and smoke machine - and a professional costumer.  

Even with all the special visual effects, intricate head-pieces, and functioning microphones, the real stars have been the actors who, before this show, had little to no stage/musical experience.  Our returning senior theatre-geek veteran has been indispensable as Sebastian the crab, as well as serving as student-director.  The roles of Prince Eric, Scuttle, Ursula, and her eels have also been impressive for their greenness on stage.  

Today at our general all-cast technical rehearsal, however, I was literally brought to tears by Ariel.  This is a senior girl who is not necessarily shy, but not anyone you would expect having any desire be on stage singing a solo, let alone carry a musical by playing the iconic title role.  She has been giving strong performances every rehearsal, takes direction well, and never makes waves. (You were warned...)  This afternoon, while she took the stage, singing "Part of Your World," gently holding her dinglehopper (fork), lit in a soft blue spotlight, I saw the The Little Mermaid as she was and knew, finally, we had arrived...under the sea.

Stayin' Alive!

From the Beatles' last group hit, "Let It Be," in 1970 to Madonna's "Like A Prayer" in 1989, the twenty encompassing years were a unique time for music in North America. The years that gave the world funk and disco came alive again this weekend on the Colegio Bolívar stage in the form of a 70's & 80's themed talent show complete with live student rock band, full choir, alumni guest appearances, and dance numbers - including "Stayin' Alive" and "Maniac" from Flashdance.

I lent my voice to the male section of the choir on Queen's rousing, "Somebody To Love", who was backing an alumni guest performer with applaudable chops. I also made a choir appearance in "Like A Prayer" and the famous collaboration "We Are The World", as well as dabbling in some supportive percussion work during Bonnie Tyler's overly dramatic "Total Eclipse of the Heart."

Other songs that were brought back to life were "Top of the World", by the Carpenters; "The Boxer", by Simon & Garfunkel; a Jackson 5 medley; "Don't Stop Believin'", by my person favorite, Journey; "Alone", by Heart; and the duet "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" by Elton John and Kee Kee Dee. Two of the more surprising songs on the set list were Little Eva's "The Locomotion" (originally from 1962) which evidently made it to the top of the charts again in 1974 in the hands of Grand Funk Railroad and Frank Sinatra's recording of "New York, New York" which, believe it or not, he recorded in 1980. (It wasn't even written until 1977!)

"Stayin' Alive" (The Bee Gees)

"The Wall" (Pink Floyd)

"Maniac" (from the film Flashdance)

Saying goodbye to the Seniors...

All Shook Up: Part IV

Opening Night: Thursday, March 5th

Not many bodies in the seats. The rumor that "opening night is never good" must have gotten around. As an incentive to fill seats, Mori gave one ticket to each member of the production to give to anyone they wanted. There goes at least 80 more chairs. Still a little baren, but hopefully that "word of mouth rumor" has legs too.

The sound guys were horrible tonight; they brought a couple assistants who had never been to any of our rehearsals! Not only do they not know the show or the kids, but its in English and the last time I checked, none of them spoke any! C'mon! After some horrible mic drops, they must have decided they would get yelled at less if they just kept the mics on even during the dialog. It kind of helped.
At least the musicians, actors, and chorus were amazing. The lead actress, who plays Natalie, messed up some verses in two different songs but it wasn't super obvious. Nerves on opening night happen and she's a pro. The backstage and lighting guys are also getting the hang of things and the few mistakes they did make won't be made again.

Second Time's the Charm: Friday, March 6th

I wasn't horribly nervous last night. I left that up to the kids. I was shaking with anxiety tonight. The sound guys didn't show up until 10 minutes to curtains-up. And when they did show, they jsut kid of sauntered in and gave me and Juli a "Hola, Q'hubo? (What's up?)" Really? You're going to stroll in here over 50 minutes late and give me a frat-boy head nod when this is your paid job??? It's a good thing I was busy playing usher or I'd have given that guy a good ole "Q'hubo" to the crotch. Not cool.

Despite the sound guys not really doing a proper sound check, the show went well. The energy was high and the actors tried out some things with more confidence that they tested the night before. New jokes are coming out and jokes that aren't getting many laughs are being quietly breezed past. The crowd was bigger and a lot more engaged than last night but that could have to do with size too.

"Natalie" killed it tonight. Everything was working and it was great! Well, we have two options for a hat in one scene. It ends up on Natalie's head in the end and she prefers the non-itchy one. That one was not available tonight so Natalie was itchy.

"Mucho Mierda!": Saturday, March 7th

That's what they say here instead of "Break A Leg." It means "lots of shit" which doesn't make much sense but neither does wishing someone fracture their walking appendage...

Sound and lights we all on their game today! Technically this was the best! Josh thought the acting was a little stale and laid into the cast during intermission. They fixed the problem and really killed the second act. (The first act wasn't bad, though, by any means; it's just been more energetic in the past.)

The crowd was the biggest we've had but the least responsive; it took them awhile to warm up to the show. I know that this can happen anywhere, but the risk is bigger when your audience may or not be bilingual. This may have saved us some embarrassment when "Natalie" came out to sing "Blue Suede Shoes" and wasn't wearing them. Oops. In her defense, her character has the most and quickest costume changes of any of the cast.

We asked the student who is making the DVD of the show to come back and tape one more part tonight. Even with the mics on for the whole show the previous two nights, one song, "That's All Right, Mama," kept wreaking havoc on the character of Lorraine. She has an amazing voice but the audience could never hear it since her mic always cut out right before or during that song. After two botched runs of that scene, we got a decent take for the video.

On a personal note, I need a night off of being the male choral section; my voice is shot and I'm getting a sinus infection of some sort. I hit an awful last note on "Can't Help Falling In Love With You" a the Act break. I had "with" in the bag and then "you" hit and I swung that mic away from my face faster than lights out. Aaack!! Never fear, I fixed the bum note and slowly allowed the mic to come closer again. There will be lots of tea, orange juice, and a trip to the La Rebaja drug store on the corner in the next four days...

Back in the Saddle: Thursday, March 12th

Best crowd yet!!! It didn't hurt that around 50% were students and faculty but they were really responsive which got the actors going. There was definitely a new-fond comfort level with the script from the actors tonight as there was much more improvisation going on than in previous performances. It all went well, but that doesn't mean I don't get more nervous backstage listening to them go off-script for fun.

The lead actor was not in school yesterday - a badly timed case of the flu. Fortunately, it was the 24-hour variety. I can't explain how happy I was when I saw him eating in the cafeteria this morning before school. He was definitely back in top form too as he had to help some of his fellow thespians out of some botched or skipped lines not once, not twice, but three times during the show. It was impressive to say the least. I hope they all know how lucky they are to have him there to seamlessly recover from potentially enormous errors!

The head mic worn by the character of Lorraine still drops her every night during "That's All Right, Mama" and they sound guys try telling her its "because her voice is so strong." As they say in the show - that's bunk. It doesn't cut out on any other of her songs! Unfortunately, she might be forced to move to a hand-mic tomorrow.

I think this was my favorite overall night, thus far. Eliminate the need to ad-lib because someone else botched a line or a cue and we're in business for the best show EVER. Tomorrow perhaps...?

Building Momentum: Friday, March 13th

Friday the 13th. Almost too ironically our trumpet player literally broke his leg about an hour before the show. Some of the kids were killing time playing microfutbol behind the auditorium and he ran into the fence. "Jailhouse Rock" suffered a little, as did his two dance partners who were suddenly without. Also, "Sheriff Earl" has a blister on his foot that he adds nice new character trait - a slight limping gait - to his walk. He's a good sport about it though!

Other than that, the show as fantastic! It was the largest crowd by far and tomorrow is sure to be at capacity which is exciting. The audience was also really engaged and laughed a lot which was energizing for the cast, to say the least. No one forgot or botched any lines.

The worst snafu that occurred was when the actor that plays "Jim" forgot to put hi leather jacket into the trunk that was already on stage for scene in with the trunk is opened and the jacket is taken out. I told him there was no getting it in there now and to do the scene with it. After he went on stage though I realized that the other character involved in the scene did not know the jacket wasn't in there so as they came closer to my side of the stage to open the trunk, I tossed the jacket so that it landed perfectly on the other character's arm. The crowd laughed and a potential awkward moment was semi-averted. In related news, if anyone needs a partner for horseshoes, I might be of service!

Tomorrow night is closing night...tear. I'm going to miss this!

Beautiful Things: Saturday, March 14th

Everything going right. People so in sync with what is supposed to be going on that when something does go wrong, it is covered so seamlessly one would think it was rehearsed. The handing of mic by a stagehand to an onstage actor when her head mic failed. The voluntary search for a missing costume piece from a chorus member who most likely has no idea where to look. Everything going right. Even when it's not.

Enthusiastic crowds. A full house. Trying that one line you always wanted to say but know that "It's Now or Never" so you do it. Flowers at the end of the show. Hugs. Beautiful things.

I was so dehydrated at the end of the show - I had no water for the entire second act and it was so humid backstage I was glowing - I literally had no moisture in me to produce a tear. I've never felt like my body wanted to cry, but I was just out of liquid. I think one squeaked out during the second to last scene when all the characters are on stage together as the show climaxes. If there was one, it was tiny and evaporated quickly.

Earlier this year at a staff training we were asked to think about a group or team that we have worked with or for that was really great. I put down either the UWEC Swimming & Diving team from my junior year, the Washington Junior High science department 2005-2007, or possibly my American Experience group from high school in 11th grade. I have a new team now. Working with Mori, Juli, Josh, and Pato (as well as the entire cast and crew) has been rewarding beyond words; it all clicked. I'm tearing up typing this. Beautiful things.

All Shook Up: Part III

Today is opening night. Part of me is really excited. This night has been months in the making. Everyone involved - actors, musicians, dancers, choir members, backstage crew, directors - is ready. There are the regular nerves but I don't think anyone is panicking. (Something new and different for a dramatic production!)

The other part of me doesn't want opening night to happen. The sooner opening night happens, the sooner the whole experience is over. This has been such an enjoyable group of people to work with that I'm going to be kind of sad when it's over. I will definitely enjoy each and every performance and all the little surprises that come with, but the final show will be very bittersweet.

In related news, the preview performance last Sunday went well. (Well, the sound guy messed up the microphones and missed a few sound effect cues, essentially wrecking the whole audio aspect of the first act, but everyone on stage was a pro!) In one particularly terrible series of events, the lead character's head mic cut out and then, when he was handed a traditional hand-held mic, it too wasn't turned on all the way. Plus, acting and performing choreography with a hand mic is slightly more difficult. Finally, the guitar strap holding the instrument across his back snapped and the guitar dropped to the floor. I was having a heart-attack for the guy from up in the lighting booth, as were the other directors, but he just kept moving like it was part of the gig. The second act was amazing.

I also have to commend the actors for somehow pulling off the incredible feat of not being distracted by or committing homicide during the show. Some of the audience members at the preview performance brought very young children with them and allowed them to congregate immediately in front of the stage. It seemed that the only time an adult would appear to grab their young charge was when the kid actually reached the top step. So, unless they were literally sitting on the stage, it was okay that they were attempting to engage the actors in a screaming contest.

I was attempting to keep my frustration to myself, but when the students in the lightning booth with me started to express their rage, I had confirmation that mine was justified. Juli went and moved some kids out of the aisle before a scene involving a character that enters through the audience. I threw small bits of paper down on Josh in the back row to have him move the kids off and out of the way of the steps as half the dancers would be spontaneously sprinting off the stage in that direction at the end of the next number. Being that the auditorium is dark past the stage, the conditions were ripe for accidentally trampled children.

Here's hoping tonight there will be perfect sound, good lighting, perfect notes, remembered cues, no wardrobe malfunctions, and an absence of small children. Oh, and a show that goes on forever and ever!

(To Be Continued...once more)

All Shook Up: Part II

In high school, as part of the pit orchestra, I dreaded the all-day dress/tech rehearsal. Somehow while others in the production got breaks because they weren't in the scene, or another scene was being run again, or the directors were discussing something and the action was paused, we musicians were forgotten.

Play that again, once more, and one last time. Okay let's move on to the next song. Heat rises right? It should be cool down there. Throw them some food in that hole; they'll be fine.

Being out of the pit is so much more fun!

On Friday, when the rest of school was off, the cast, crew, musicians (who are not stuck under the stage), dancers, and choir, spent the day together running through the show twice and then practicing the lighting scenarios. This took almost twelve hours. By the end of the day, my eyes were burning, my stomach empty, and my voice raspy...but my face hurt from smiling, my abs were sore from laughing, and I couldn't have been more elated!

There were issues with the company the school hired to run the sound system. (We need one since the genius who designed the auditorium decided a hexagon was a good shape for not bouncing sound all over creation.) There were also some tears from some of the kids after being offered construction criticism from some outside acting opinions. But all in all it was a very positive experience. I felt like I got to bond a little with some of the students I didn't know very well because they were never in my class and I learned that much more about the insanity of putting on a stage production.

The highlight (no pun intended) was watching the principle actors, from up in the lighting box, run through the whole musical while coaching the students who were running the lights. They did the entire show as quickly as possible in this comical Spanglish fast-forward mode. I guess you had to be there...

I'll report on how it goes; we have a special preview performance for the school workers and their families on Sunday.

(To Be Continued)

All Shook Up: Part I

One of the best things, for me, as a teacher, is getting the opportunity to know a bunch of people who have the potential to do great things for the world. (I sometimes feel that this is especially true here at Colegio Bolivar where most of the kids already have a proverbial leg up, socially and economically, on much of the population.) While I get to interact and know students in my classroom, anyone who was in an extra-curricular activity or sport outside of the school day knows that the interactions there are on a different level.

Simply put: I miss coaching. Schools in North America are really the only ones with credible school teams. In other parts of the world, Colombia included, while a school may have a team, most kids consider their real team to be their club organization. Bolivar has an elementary swimming team but they "train" minimally and have a couple meets (two maybe?). Kids who get seriously into the sport end up joining a club and that is the end of it. The same goes for soccer, tennis, and golf. There is a basketball and baseball program but it seems as limited as the swimming one.

Back to the topic of missing being involved in extra-curriculars, I have been assisting with the school's musical production that takes place every other year. I was never involved with drama in high school myself, however did serve as a violinist in the pit orchestra for several shows. I don't act, I don't choreograph, I have little choir experience, although I pretend to be able to sing. Somehow I've been allowed to assist with this year's production of "All Shook Up." My official title is Assistant to the Director but none of us really know what that means.

The show is a reinterpretation of Shakespeare's play "12 Night" but set in the 1960's and consisting entirely of songs originally sung by Elvis Presley. The cast and other directors are great and I've had a blast working with and learning from them the last few months. We open on March 5th but we are surprisingly on schedule and relatively calm, although the energy is palpable.

I am also loving the diverse group of kids that are involved in the production. Obviously, there are a few "theatre kids" - you know the ones I'm talking about! But there are also many who have no stage experience, or just started singing for this production. Also, just about half of the male dancers are on the varsity soccer team! (It helps when one of the star player's girlfriend is also a dancer and he cajoles his teammates to help him out.)

We had our official cast photo taken recently. Here is the cast, directors, musicians, dancers, and choir:


This last one is the of the directors:

L-R: Me, Patricia (Pato) - choreographer, Juliana - producer, Moraima (Mori) - musical director, Josh - dramatic director.

Mori and I will be the only ones at the first full technical rehearsal next Friday. I've been trying to soak up as much wisdom from everyone else so that when that monster of a day comes I won't be, well, all shook up.

(To Be Continued...)

Petronio Alvarez

Festivo de Musica del Pacifico

Every year the city of Cali hosts an enormous concert festival celebrating the music of the Pacific Coast regions. These areas are primarily inhabited by Afro-Colombians and the influences of their music run anywhere from calypso to African tribal to "polka-ish" to big band to reggae...and everything in between. No matter the sound, though, the talent is enormous! This year the concerts were held in Cali's Plaza del Torro (Bull Ring) and when the crowd got going, jumping around and waving their white hankies, the whole stadium seemed to sway; it was nuts!

The festival runs from Wednesday to Sunday with roughly ten groups performing a night for the first four nights, and the top ten groups returning the last night. My new roommate, Nira, and I went and watched on Friday evening and then again Sunday night with our friend Lisa. Below are some pictures of the night:

Fanny Lú

An alumni of Colegio Bolívar who is now a famous singer throughout Latin America came to school today to congratulate the graduating seniors and give little concert.

Fanny Lú has released one album, “Lágrimas Cálidas” (literally “Warm Tears”), and was nominated for a Latin Grammy this past year...she lost. She is most popular in Mexico, Venezuela, and Peru and is gaining popularity in her home country.

Anyways, as you can see, I got to meet her. :) If you want to check out her songs, they are on iTunes. Some of her singles have been "No Te Pido Flores" and "Te Arrepentirás."

Rhythm Of The Night

On Saturday, in honor of nothing in particular, my roommate and I hosted a party at our apartment. We invited people from school and just let word of mouth do the work for us.
At about 8:30 pm our first guests began arriving and by 10 pm there were a whole lot of gringos and two Colombians (who came with gringos) and no one else. Finally at 11:30 pm the party started. This was mostly due to the arrival of the ones who clearly know how to party, the Colombians. The salsa got cranked up and suddenly we had a real party.
I spent most of the night out on the balcony, allowing people to circulate to me. Sometimes that is more fun than making ones way through a party. I figured my roommate had that covered. The great part was that while I was sitting there, enjoying the night air and watching the salsa get hot inside, I got to practice my Spanish (and occasional Spanglish) with some new Colombian friends. It was nice to be told that I was speaking really well for only having been here six months. A lot of them knew some English too so between our limited language skills we were able to talk about a surprising amount of topics.
I also, again, got sucked in to the inevitable downfall of any conversation with a Colombain at a party in Colombia – aguardiente. This aperitif might as well be known as the “friendship shot” since it is very customary to be offered one after a conversation of any length; the longer the conversation, however, the more shots. This drink, which smells like licorice and has an after taste like acidic candy, is cheap and traditional here, at a around $2 to $4 a bottle.
Despite, increasing my likelihood of a guaranteed hang-over the next day, I felt fine. I slept most of the morning and afternoon, as the party roared on until about 4:30 am. Once again, the Colombians showed us how a fiesta should go down!