Working the Box Office...

I spent last night working the box office for You're a Good Man Charlie Brown. We had a really nice sized house of around 120 people. Considering that was Tuesday night of the run, that is phenomenal. That is more than some Closing Nights I have been too. Well done I say to everyone who has worked on the show and worked to get the people in the house! I also sold 3 books (For Love, Not Money by Wayne Arthurson) to a member of the audience. A Woman inquired and fortunately I am on the executive and could get into the proper places to help her out. It was a nice night. There are 4 more shows including tonight. If you plan to go, I'd advise buying tickets in advance.

The Season at a Glance...

The Edmonton Sun Review of YAGMCB

http://www.edmontonsun.com/entertainment/columnists/colin_maclean/2009/07/10/10084346-sun.html

A Sell-Out and Then Some...

We had a sell-out for You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown tonight. A sell-out in itself is not unusual, but a sell-out on the 2nd night of the run is VERY unusual so I encourage people to get their tickets in advance if they want to see the show. We had to turn away a dozen or so people who put their names on a waiting list.

A Fun-Filled Evening...

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown had a great opening last night (well, this evening, but I imagine that no one is up reading this late). The house was almost completely full and the show was a lot of fun. It is a nice even cast and they were clearly having fun and sending it out to the audience. We took the boys. This was Gibson's first 2 Act play and he did quite well. It was great to hear the both of them laughing. Snoopy was the favorite for the boys. This is not to detract from the others in the show. There is something about grown-ups dressed up like animals that kids really like (they also really liked the Woodstocks!). Great singing, great dancing, and wonderful characters. If you plan to go, I'd advise getting your tickets early as I hear they are going fast!

Opening Tonight!

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown! opens tonight at Walterdale Theatre. Although not technically part of my season, I did work on it (all those backdrops - that was me and my paint brush - well, not just me...) and I am looking forward to seeing it. I am taking the boys and I think it will be a great show for them to see. I hope that it sticks to it's promised 2 hour running time because I am bringing children, but the nice thing is because it is summer they can sleep in tomorrow if need be. The boys saw the Silly Summer Parade and uncoached declared the YAGMCB to be the best thing in the parade, so they are keen to see it.

I had hoped that the new season brochures would be ready for tonight's opening, but unfortunately they are not. I am not sure what the hold-up is. I had thought we got it together soon enough to have it be finished in time. It appears not. It highlights one of the frustrating elements to this position. If you lack the skills to get something done yourself, you are always relying on someone else to do it for you and it's hard to manage the situation without nagging. Almost everyone at Walterdale has another 'day job' so you have to respect that to a certain extent. I feel frustrated because if I could do it myself, I would.

A New Technical Director

I forgot to mention, yesterday the Board voted in Brent Jans as our new Technical Director. This will come as a relief to many of our membership as we have been struggling in that area for a little while now. I know that Brent plans to network with the techies at the theatre and I hope that those who have been clamouring for the help will take the time to share and share alike!

Welcome Brent!

It will all come together...

The most challenging week of most productions is Tech Week. There are exceptions, but generally speaking the number of components that merge during tech week is exponential and the amount of time all participants must contribute also increases. This can lead to crabbiness, fuzzy-headedness and pure panic. That is the week when you realize that all those little things that looked inconsequential 2 months earlier are a lot bigger when the time has slipped away. You just have to get it done. Once the show opens, it will all be alright. The audiences will clap and the actors will shine and come closing night you will have forgotten how you felt a mere 2 weeks earlier and you will be saying when's the next show?

Come see You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown! It opens on Wednesday, July 8th at 8:00 p.m. Thursday, July 9th is 2 for 1 Thursday (at the door). It's great for kids and adults alike. And it will be worth all the trauma of Tech Week!

Practically a Full-Time Job...

It's what I wanted, but I thought I would actually be doing AD-stuff. I spent Sunday afternoon, Tuesday morning, all of Wednesday (Canada Day - and we are talking 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. with a short break in the early evening), Thursday morning and Friday Morning at the theatre this week. I was painting and/or watching paint dry. The show needed help, and there didn't look to be anyone else to do it (there were 4 other people at various times also painting). That is what it is about. It is about 'no job too big or too small' and it is about pitching in when needed. If I couldn't be there, I wouldn't have been, but I could and it has helped a lot in this situation. I won't always be able to help out in this way, but when I can, I will.

A few other things were completed and screwed up this week. My job, which hours-wise feels full time, seems to be all about trouble-shooting and fixing problems.