h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Pimms, you should be able to reply to the moderation e-mail and make the case that partial quotation is acceptable. They may or may not agree with you, but it's worth trying. For what it's worth, the post ~(and I did see it) didn't set my librarian copyright-violation alarms off.

I have replied to their moderation e-mail (but only this morning, as it came to my work address). I have just repeated the relevant points made in this thread since it was yikesed.

What a rebel eh?

Last week rehearsals were hectic - every day for me except Tuesday. This was due to presence of the director. We employ a professional director for our shows, and they come over for week-long bursts to block the show, between which we practice what has been set. Now it is back to 'merely' Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday. But the break before he returns is a scant two weeks. The pressure is building

It should be a relief to get radio mics. In rehearsal I sometimes feel I am straining my voice to get my lines out audibly over the cacophony of my hell scene and the harmony of the backing voices in the song in the first scene. I have reduced the number of chains I wear to appear encumbered (it was taking me ages to re-drape them each time I puut them on) and am gaining a reputation for making tea for the assistant director (and anyone else who can't easily get out of the rehearsal room) during all the scenes I am not on. On Sunday it looked like I was chained to the sink.

tick... tick... tick ...17 days until I

We're at the early stage with just two rehearsals a week (but the director is there for all rehearsals), which will soon rise to three and then into that sleep-work-rehearse cycle with breaks for food if you're lucky! It sounds like you have that schedule every time the director appears.

Will you have to swap radio mics with other people? When I did shows at school, it was always a frantic race to get the mic to the next soloist before their next entrance. I'd assume that in grown-up productions, there'd be more mics available, but I don't really know.

It usually works with a radiomic for each principal, with the company unmic'ed. Sometimes though, a couple of minor characters might share a mic if each only needs it in one act.

In G&S shows I've been in no-one is mic'ed, which is looked on with pride by them, but as a downside their choreography is generally more tame and pedestrian, mostly sung in a choral manner.

It can be nice to get back into the company, as usually company reheasals are only twice a week. It is more with this show because of the children, who are called Thursday and Sundays, and because I have a principal role which adds Wednesdays.

The operas I did were all sans microphones, but it was a small theatre and thankfully I was never a soloist! There were times that my voice could be heard, though, due to staging. We were very rarely static, so you would get points where there was only one tenor on one side of the stage or whatever.

Do you do much with the children? I don't know the show at all, but I would have assumed that Marley and the children don't cross paths much, if at all. I've observed that in shows with kids and adults, the kids always get an extra-loud round of applause at the curtain call.

For reference, since it isn't mentioned anywhere I've found, if you want to quote copyright works on h2g2 the general rule of thumb for the length of an acceptable 'insubstantial extract' is no more than a couple of lines. I have rewritten the offending post to reduce the amount quoted, so it may re-appear 'as if by magic' (C) Mr Benn's Shopkeeper

Pimms

This is the first show with children we've done in the last five years (not counting the extremely talented young adults already in the cast, sometimes only fifteen when they are one of the lead roles).

I am only on stage in character with any of the children at the curtain call. I am already prepared for the kids getting louder applause than anyone else. It has been my lot to be the one frequently serving them the inexhaustible amount of fizzy drinks and lollipops that they subsist on while not in the rehearsal room.

Post 10 is back (amended but back)

Origami bugs counted and recounted. Still need to make more The children in the red team* will get red ones, those in the blue team* blue, and the adults green bugs. All made with shiny metallic wrapping paper.

*If you have never been in a show with young children there are rules about how often they can perform, which means that the most effective solution is to have two alternating teams, and to avoid any unintentional bias it was decided in this show to go for 'red' and 'blue' rather and A and B, 1 and 2 or anything that provided an order.

Now when and how should these be distributed to ensure the greatest chance of them being cared for and not ending up as a scrap in the bin? I also need to get something attached to them somehow to provide the message from me...

16 days to

Can't have more than a dozen left to make . Have made good progress folding bugs in rehearsals, as now I'm not covering for absentees I have plenty of time to fold paper and watch (being in only two scenes has its advantages). Looking forward to laying them all out on the dining table (an army of bugs ) and taking a photo

The singing and acting is also coming together with a nice manic level being achieved in my teasing of Scrooge.

Flying countdown > 13 days

Oops. I may add a comment after I've read the back log. The topic sounds very interesting.

I'd love to see your army of bugs when you've made and photographed them! That's a lot of folding...

Pimms:
First off, I haven't been in a stage production since High School nor a musical production since 8th grade. I think it is awesome that you are doing SCROOGE.
Secondly, I will have a bourbon and coke, thank you.
And I love the idea of the "humbugs".

I will check back here to see how the production is coming along. It sounds delightful--espcially the flying part.

Good morning my lady.
You can ask for bourbon and coke, but all you'll get is this

Any sibling of Hypatia's is worthy of a drink. With no musicals to perform in where you are what opportunities do you get to exercise your acclaimed singing voice?

We (the cast of Scrooge) will all be singing in front of the local Town Hall on Thursday evening when the Christmas lights are turned on. We will be decked out in our snazzy black sweatshirts emblazoned with "Scrooge", and provide three songs from the show before joining in with a brass band for some carols in an effort to boost the ticket sales even more. We'll then take the long route, along the shopping street, back to the rehearsal rooms (for a rehearsal - no slacking ), handing out flyers to interested late-night shoppers.

10 days to tick.. tick.. tick..

My singing is now limited to singing silly songs with my grandsons, but I used to sing in the Church Choir and have even been known to participate in duets or trios at local events. Solos are not my

The music of Christmas speaks to me. I have a piano that I play occasionally. It's electric and has headphones. I can play and hear my mistakes, but no one else can.

Thanks for the . It was almost as good as bourbon and coke.

In the last week I have had a couple of opprtunites to assist in proofreading the Programme for the show. I may be a LOONy (A1095716) but it is not a quick job .

It has allowed me to count up how exactly many humbugs are needed - a cast of 68 including me (two teams of 14 children and 40 adults), plus offstage participants such as the Director, stage manager and crew. The dining table has a good array of bugs on, but I may require up to a dozen more.

From Sunday there may not be a day off doing some performing until New Year (except Christmas Day).

8 days to

You will certainly be an expert at humbugs when you're finished.

As for my own singing - I only sing for my cats and dog. Opera, actually. For some reason they usually hide.

Hyp's opera is an experience in itself!

What are your opera-singing preferences? I quite often belt out bits of Cavaradossi's aria from Tosca, 'E Lucevan le stelle' (excuse my spelling!). I really must learn the whole thing properly.

I'm glad they're getting you to proofread the programme - I hate it when they're full of typos!

I am only admitting this because I am among friends, but I write my own songs for the animals. Each one has their own, which includes their names. I know, I am totally batty. The Chico Bandito song is actually quite entertaining.

It all started (I am not making this up)when we had a little ginger tabby named Sandy. She was a bit quirky. For example, she liked to eat canteloupe seeds and would "plant" melons in my flower beds. And she was probably the reincarnation of a secretary because she liked to file. She used to get on F's desk and would take her paws and lift the 3X5 cards out of their box and move them to another box. Really! She refiled his cards. Several times.

Anyway, Sandy used to be a pill to get inside at night for her supper. She had a favorite tree and would sit on a hugh lower branch and just ignore me when I called her. The only way to get her in the house was to stand underneath the tree and sing to her. Her favorite was "Baby Face". Well, the other cats were jealous because I sang to Sandy and not to them, so I started giving them their own songs. Because I'm insane when it comes to my cats.

You are a step ahead of me there, Hyp. I have never made up songs for the animals--only the grandsons. However, they were both very appreciative and both of them love music, soooo