It begins!

Hello all.  For those of you who have viewed my summer blog previously, welcome back.  To those of you who are new to this....WELCOME!  My intention with this blog is to keep you informed on life here.  To keep you in the know about my life (and my dog's), but also to give you a little behind the scene's look at life at a summer theater from the eye's of the music director.  If you come to see show's here at all this summer, you'll meet some of the people that I speak of in this blog....and let's just say that there are always a few characters and undoubtedly some great tales!  Hence the name of the blog, "A Music Director's Tales"!

So I've decided this year that I won't be using anyone's real names for security purposes but that it'll be easier to keep things moving if there are some names involved.  (NO ONE that works here will be viewing this blog....hopefully!)  I'll try to use fun nick names when possible but as things grow crazy posts may get slightly shorter and nick names may become slightly more generic.  Let the fun begin...

The dog, let's call him "Crazy P", and I arrived here on Sunday night.  On the drive up here, I got an email telling me that there was a meeting to read through and original musical that is being performed here this year.  They wanted to start at the exact time that I was beginning.  So the Artistic Director, let's call him "The Man" (that's so fitting on so many levels because I REALLY LIKE HIM...despite this situation) had a moment of absent mindedness and decided that he really wanted to do it, with or without me.  Here's the kicker with this situation...it's an original musical and the plan is that the music, which has already been written, needs to have some adjustments made to fit the actors in the show.  We also need to add some harmonies and kind of add some shimmer to what already exists.  So knowing that my role will be large in the success of this show.....shouldn't I be at a read through?!?!  Needless to say, I arrived passed "Crazy P" off to a friend for dog sitting, unpacked my car quickly and then ran to my first meeting of the summer within ten minutes of arriving.  I was not so happy at the time.

All of this must be water under the bridge because in this place, there simply is no time to stay upset, hold a grudge, etc.  It's just not worth it.  I think this is one of the biggest reasons why I find myself being successful here.  I tend to be very forgiving when problems like that arise.  Part of it is because my brain shifts so quickly to the next thing and part of it is just my nature to move on with situations like that.

So this morning I start officially working.  "The Cherubs" (that's what we'll call the student interns) are auditioning for their roles in the shows this summer.  While there is not too much available after casting the pros there are a few small solos and bit parts in the ensemble of the three shows they are in.  Right now, they're scurrying around the house picking out the perfect outfit to wear while simultaneously warming up.  I wish that you could all see and hear this happen....every shower in the house is running and the sounds coming out of the watery echo chambers are the most ridiculous fits of rage you've ever heard.  I want to ask, "Seriously?!?!  Who taught you that warm up and what is the intention of such ridiculousness?"  But instead I just smile at "The Cherubs" and just think how ridiculous it is that they are all going to such lengths to prepare to audition for "The Man" and me.  I wish my "cherubs" at home worked so hard to impress!

Farewell for now from the mountains of musical madness!
CK