It's Only Life - LIVE in Chattanooga!

A new musical event coming to Chattanooga's ReCreate Cafe Jan 31-Feb 1, 2014!

[iolchatt]

What a Run.

It's been a crazy whirlwind.  All at once, we had no time to do anything but work, and then the show was suddenly...over.  Just gone, like that.  Now we'll all have time for our lives, of course.  But it's been a truly beautiful experience all things considered--and touching base on here with all of you, dear readers, as been one of my favorite parts.  I hope those of you who watched the performance will carry some nuggets of truth with you into whatever season of life you're in.  We invite you all to keep supporting local theater and engage with some great stories over the next year.  Blessings!

[iolchatt]

When You Reach That Point

So I've got a little surprise for you all tonight.  We've been a little silent this past week, mostly because we've all been insanely busy fitting all the bits and pieces together to make a beautiful experience for all of you to enjoy in just a little over 2 weeks!

No, it's not more video clips (although a few more of those might surface next week). It's actually about something that happened in rehearsal tonight that made me think about the importance of trust between director and performer, and a spirit of love and respect that should rest in our rehearsal space.  

As an aside, I think musical theater has a reputation for drama.  Of course, I'm talking about off-stage drama.  You know, that stuff we hear about--jealousy, the unquenchable desire for fame, the great lengths we will go to get what we want.  The truth is that all this stuff is a human problem--but musical theater is just especially known for it because of how out in the open it is.  

Tonight, we had an uncomfortable experience.  We had to deal with frustration, disappointment, and reevaluation.  This is never a fun process.  But I found the response the artistic team came up with to be quite beautiful--sad in some ways, but beautiful just the same: we take a night to think on things before making some pretty big decisions, and then be prepared to do what needs to be done.  We did not choose drama.  It could have gotten much more ugly, and even though we've had our moments of frustration or just being downright mean, I was so proud of my team tonight.  As Billy discovers in the show, I have so much to be grateful for--and I'm most definitely grateful to be working alongside each and every one of these very talented individuals.

I decided to write about this because weakness is something no one ever wants the world to see--but that's what's so different about this experience.  It's like a crash course in learning how to be transparent about the highs and the lows in our lives, and how we find hope to grow in the midst of this roller coster ride we call life.  It's only through openness that we can hope to foster any sort of connection, and if there's one thing that I as a director want to foster, it's that--a connection with you, our audience.  

We are not perfect people.  We are people who have tools to tell a great story with excellence, and we hope to share something challenging and moving with you.  We invite you to take part in this experience with us--with all of its highs and its lows.  

~Jonathan (Director/Gavin)

[iolchatt]

Set Design.

Set design is like banging your head against the wall.  Some of you know what I mean.  But in all seriousness, especially for a show that's not necessarily realistic, it's proving to be a major challenge.  Do we want literal, visual sets or something more abstract?  What are the themes we want to present?  What is the environment which these characters inhabit, and why/how does it affect their choices?  The list of questions could go on for quite a while.  

Thankfully, we've got a secret weapon: Phil Hartsuiker (Stage Manager/Sound Designer/Set Designer/General Awesome Person).  After a three hour long meeting filled with dinner, banter, and laughs, not to mention some serious groaning on my part trying to work through this headache, he came up with something simple and beautiful, and quite honestly, perfect for Chattanooga.  I am SO excited to watch it come to life on the stage in just a few short weeks!  

~Jonathan ("Gavin"/Director)

[iolchatt]

Let's just say I'm not the whispering kind...

Rudy ("Billy"/MD)

[iolchatt]

Note Clusters, or LOL at this Vocal Arrangement

Y'all. Rehearsal was GREAT tonight! This music is definitely tricky, but we have five incredible, experienced singers who can tackle it. I can feel that this show is going to be super special because this gorgeous music (kudos to John Bucchino) really shines when you have singers who can knock it out of the park. We do! It's tricky material, but we do! Running toward the off-book date, Rudy

[iolchatt]

Directing & Why?

Hey! Thanks for checking out our brand spanking new blog.  

Here you’ll find an insider’s view of what goes on not only at rehearsals, but also production meetings and all the behind-the-scenes stuff.  Several of us will be posting entries, pictures, videos, etc, and I thought I’d start us off by giving all you awesome readers a look at my job right now: directing this project.

That word carries a lot of weight—and rightly so, I suppose.  It involves creating a “big picture” vision, and then letting go enough to pull together the many details it takes to tell the story.  

It’s not every day the audience gets the director’s vision before the show, but here it is: Five characters (a lot like you and me) learn to deal with their fears and insecurities (or not).  It’s plain, it’s simple, and the staging will show that.  The ending is beautiful only because the journey is painful sometimes, right?  I’m not going to say a lot here about the practical side of things.  You’ll get some glimpses of that in future posts.  

Many of you may be asking, why this show?  Why here? Why now?

Answer:

1. We’re doing this show because this piece screams REALITY.  I think a lot of times, we run away from reality, even if we might not realize it, because it just seems too big or too hard for us.  It’s a battle to make the choice to hold back or reach out, to live in fear or to live into love.  What I love about this show is that it admits this about us, and then it owns it.  It shows us just what an adventure something as painful as facing our own personal reality might be.  In other words, it is authentic.

2. We’re bringing this show to Chattanooga because we don’t have enough compelling, high quality theater in this town that screams reality.  Of course, this is by no means a dig at other local theaters—big shows, classics, or new and edgy pieces are all great, and I love interacting with all of it.  Each of those genres has its place.  But this is something that confronts a real life issue head on.  It’s almost like a sort of commentary, if you will.  And it’s not often we find such candid commentary in this medium.  In other words, it is rare and unique.

3. We’re doing this now because we can and we must.  And I mean that, quite frankly.  In my opinion, this sort of theater is long overdue.  But beyond that, I’m part of a generation that values candid authenticity more than any before it.  We live in a city that prides itself on its continued efforts at revitalization.  It’s time to keep taking steps forward and use this opportunity to revitalize the reason why we appreciate the arts, and why we interact with theater at all.  This show might be a baby step, but it’s in the right direction.  In other words, this show is befitting of the time in which our city finds itself—moving forward.

So that’s it.  That’s the reason why this show is happening.  Feel free to keep the conversation going on our Facebook, or feel free to email us with questions (or shout outs!) at [email protected].  See you January 31st!

~Jonathan

[iolchatt]

Two Beers and an iPhone, or the Revenge of the Color Wheel

Tonight, I met with our esteemed director, Jonathan, to figure out some costuming and color theory stuff. We met at a local dive, one of our fave hangout spots. Beers were had, food was eaten, words were exchanged, swatches were looked at on my phone, and decisions were made. Yay!

I’m thrilled to be working on It’s Only Life because even though I’ve been working on it for 4 months and Jonathan has been working on it since high school, there’s still so much to discover!

Here’s to creation and inspiration!

—Rudy

[iolchatt]

And we're going live!