The Cecilian Society

Hello All!

I see my esteemed colleagues have already filled you in (so to speak), so I will keep this as brief as possible!

PRELUDE: I feel this is a good addition to the show in regards to setting the scene and introducing the characters so we have to make the most of it, I would love to see everyone giving it their all, it is after all the opening of the show and it needs to start with a bang! Laura McMeekin was the only one I really noticed putting some real character into the prelude so you can all follow her example. I will take some time to quickly run over the prelude again on thursday for those who are still unsure.

Basket girls who are walking forward with escamillo, it goes walk, walk, walk, stamp stamp whilst bringing your outside arm up into a spanish pose, you also need to make sure you are out of the way of the dancers before they start their section.

The part where the music becomes more sinister, just before Micaela comes in, needs to be a complete change of atmosphere to signify Carmen's impending doom, so make sure your poses are bold and full of life, so that when it comes to putting your head down in your groups it's a real change of pace. The groups need to also make sure they are in the correct places on stage so that everyone can be seen, the two front groups should be at the widest point of the stage and the two back groups should be closer together.

CHORUS OF SOLDIERS: Boys, this is sounding a lot stronger, well done! Now you just need to look sure of yourselves! The saluting was a lot better when colin came out of the guardhouse and the reactions to the townsfolk were the best I have seen, but I can still take more - this is musical theatre!

Dialogue with Micaela was also a lot better, I saw a lot of laddish behaviour - which I was loving! However, remember that only Colin Bryce will have a microphone for this section, so you will need to be a lot louder and clearer.

The second part of this song still needs a little work, which I will do on thursday quickly before the run. However the background acting during andy and rooney's dialogue after this was awesome, just remember to keep it up all the way through only smoke and habanera.

ONLY SMOKE: This was fantastic, well done ladies. I think with everyone in costume it will just look beautiful! Just keep up the good work it can only get better.

HABANERA: Dancers were a lot tighter in this section, just needs more conviction! Amy you looked great when you arrived on stage. The part with the hip movement looks great with Amy walking across the front of the stage to andy and the background reactions from everyone are fantastic now, I can't take my eyes off some of you!

Rob, I think you may need to go over your dance part with Merty so that you are sure of it.

At the end of the song it would be lovely if the chorus could just snap out of of end pose and move straight back into background acting, as if the whole thing hadn't happened- if that makes any sense?! I think I will try and practice this on thursday too!

MEMORIES: Kirsty, your reaction to discovering andy was a lot better this time and the song is now telling a lovely story and their is a great connection coming through. Andy i love your facial expression when kirsty sings the first bit of her song, it shows a really sweet side to Don Jose. The song could still takes moments of being CS though, I think Andy did try to rescue that but kirsty needs to react.

FIGHT SCENE/DEFIANCE: This was a thousand times more controlled, I love the fight between Hyde and Bianchi! However, some people need to think about their facial expressions, it may be fun to run across the stage screaming but you are meant to be scared and angry, so try not to laugh all the way through the scene!

Chorus need to remember to keep the noise up until Carmen is on stage, however there was a great reaction to amy when she started singing and this scene has a really nice flow to it now.

GUARDHOUSE SCENE: All I wrote about this was that it was the best bit of the show so far, it's a juicy scene and you are both stepping up to it! It was a great entrance, perfectly centered. Amy's facial expressions throughout the song were fantastic, showing every thought that passes through Carmen's mind- filthy whore! Andy, you really portrayed the struggle in Jose's head through your body language - awesome!

HABANERA(REPRISE): Better reactions from those on stage, try thinking about creating more of a street scene, perhaps a couple of the girls up the back could enter after the lights have come up. Lucy and Esther please remember you are in this!

GIPSY AIR: Dancers were looking great in this, keep it up! Chorus, I think this is the best I have seen this and the noises for the "gipsy frenzy" part were fantastic! I would like to see a little more movement from the people at the back when the dancers are doing there section, perhaps a couple of people moving from one group of people to another, it just looks a little static at the moment. I didn't write a great amount for this as I was watching too much! Well done!

TOREADOR: We almost got the dialogue right for the cue but we need to make sure it is correct as it is the cue for a lighting change and the orchestra, people offstage I need more noise before escamillo comes on. There was amazing reaction from girls as david passed them, David I think you could play up to this a little more, otherwise you will be in danger of the background acting upstaging you! David, you could also add more of a storytelling aspect to the "Suddenly the crowd is silent" verse, when everyone is around you, after all,you are telling them how fantastic you are!

Amy, I have already spoken to you but make sure you are wearing a red shawl for this scene, we need that imagery.

The pyramid was great but the arms going up and out are still a little ropey, make sure you know when you are meant to be doing it, and do it with conviction!

QUINTET: Jen, you need to go and get Rob and Dobie from the SL arch, so that it looks as if you have been hiding them.
The cheer after Rob's line was awesome!
I think if Esther, Susanne and Co can stay on stage for most of the quintet it would look better, we were
originally doing this but I think we got confused. Your cue to leave the stage should be once the song if finished and Carmen says " But, I am not coming", just filter of stage while reacting to what she is saying about being in love, you've heard it all before!

The song itself sounded great and the spacing was a lot better.

THE SEDUCTION: Andy you need to make sure you know your cue to shout "Carmen".
The chair seems to get in the way in this scene, make sure its a little more SL before Andy comes in.

FLOWER SONG: This was beautiful, just keeps getting better. I have no other notes!

Rooney your cue to come in should be on Amy's line "If you loved me you would follow me..." you should stand on the platform until Andy says "Goodbye" and then you should start walking down towards him.

COME FOLLOW US: Just to clarify, what you are moving before you start singing is the chairs, crates, boxes, baskets and loot that were being used as set for the tavern scene, this needs to be put at either side, so you can pick it up during the song, when the people in the back line pass the item to the front line - "heedless of country you will be".

The dance for this was a little messy , the two middle lines need to make sure they are a lot closer and the people in the front line need to come to the front of the stage to make sure the lines aren't too squashed, the song sounded fantastic though!

ACT II

COME FOLLOW US(REPRISE): Remember the "liberty fist", you always remember in the first one!Also remember the arm movement on " a wandering sky".
More and more I'm considering taking the lift out with the three girls and guys it is a little out of place, I may take out the kneeling people at the front and just do the lift, I will get back to you on this.

RISKY OUR GAME: To clarify on this also, you are not frozen at the start of Risky our game, I want to see lots of movement, you just need to keep hunched over and head down until everyone starts singing. The head up on "risky" looks awesome!

The dance is looking good, just need it a little creepier, the lights will be quite low at this point and some smoke on stage, so we need to build on that atmosphere.

FATE: The freeze was almost perfect. Once again, you freeze on "death".

This song had a really sinister feel to it on Sunday, i loved it!

Chorus need to unfreeze as soon as rob and dobie enter as soon as song finishes.

Take time to exit, remember the numbered groups I gave you Sunday for end of Come Follow Us(Reprise), go off in this order and take time to pick up your belongings.

I have now realised that the only arch that will be available on stage is the centre arch and it is the cave, so people will need to exit SR through the wings. The set will be changed for the mountain scene to flats almost in a straight line so the wings will not be covered. So from now on everyone exits SR through the wings during Passing the Guard!

PASSING THE GUARD: This was lovely and fantastic for breaking the intensity of what has just happened. We just need to sort out Rob stopping Andy from leaving with them. Quintet, you must also exit SR now, instead of through the middle arch.

AIR: This was beautiful, great reactions or the lyrics about Carmen. You showed great fear but determination at the same time - perfect!

DON JOSE ANF ESCAMILLO SCENE: This is always good it has just lost some of it's intensity, the knife swings need to have more power in them, this is the first time we really know Jose has gone mad.

We need to be sure of the cue of David to sing Toredor song and make sure the toreador song doesn't run to far over the memories reprise scene. Andy, don't enter for memories reprise scene until music is nearly finished.

MEMORIES(REPRISE): Kirsty, you were really in character for this, fantastic! The dialogue flowed very well before the song. Kirsty wait for blackout before you leave the stage at the end of the scene.

MARCH AND CHORUS: Try and keep the action flowing in the scene before the song, this scene looks lovely though. This song is one of my favourite points in the show and I can't wait to get it on stage!
Exiting from this song always seems to be a problem, don't wait for the other side to start moving, just go after singing "Bravo, Viva".

FINALE: This was fantastic the second time round, just make sure the scene keeps flowing even if the rehearsed movement is lost at points, but this has only ever happened in the first run we did of Act II we did on Sunday, so I not worried about it.

Cast who come on at the end, please space out, so that I can see David at the end. The reactions to Carmen's death were very moving and made for an amazing ending, blood and all!

TO CLARIFY, GROUP 1 WILL DO THE PRELUDE ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT, FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY NIGHT AND WILL DO THE FINALE ON THURSDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY MATINEE.

GROUP 2 WILL DO THE PRELUDE ON THURSDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY MATINEE AND DO THE FINALE ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT, FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY NIGHT.

THE GIRLS SHOULD KNOW WHAT GROUP THEY ARE IN - GUYS AND DANCERS YOU ARE ALWAYS IN THE PRELUDE BUT I WILL SORT OUT YOUR FINALE GROUPS ON THURSDAY.

SORRY THIS WASN'T BRIEF AT ALL BUT JUST WANT TO ENSURE I HAVE COVERED EVERYTHING, WELL DONE AGAIN FOR SUNDAY AND I HOPED I AM WOWED EVEN MORE ON THURSDAY, SEE YOU THEN!

MAZ XXX