STONC Summer 2011

Last Carousel Preview Tonight!

2011-07-21T10:55:00.000-07:00

Pictured above, Billy Bigalow and Julie Jordan

Rodgers & Hammerstien's Carousel will have its last preview tonight, July 21st at 7:30pm.

Being a preview, this show will be different to the first two previews performed, while in preview process, we've altered the show based on the audience and design team observations. The finalized show on opening night will be beautiful indeed!

Carousel opens tomorrow night, Friday July 22nd at 7:30pm in our tent in Waveny Park.

Directed by Allegra Libonati

Coloring Contest Winner!

2011-07-07T13:59:00.000-07:00

The winner of our Frog & Toad coloring contest won a party at the show for her and his friends!

check out the Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse coloring contest at Walter Stewarts Market.

A Note From the Director of Frog & Toad on Costumes

2011-07-05T11:26:00.000-07:00

As we have taken Frog and Toad to different schools and to the New Canaan Library, my favorite question that has come up repeatedly is "Why aren't the actors dressed like animals?" or "Why aren't the actors wearing costumes at all?"

Kids are used to seeing their favorite characters in theme park style animal costumes, and while of course that wasn't an option for a musical where we want to be able to see the actors' faces and hear their own voices, it's easy to see why they would wonder.

When a director and design team get a script, there are so many possibilities for what world we would create. I was particularly drawn to this material because the possibilities were endless. There are 30 animals we have to portray... turtle, mole, squirrel, lizard, etc... (when you watch the show try counting them all).

While we are lucky to have the beautiful illustrations of the famous books, even with all the resources in the world, it would be really tough to recreate those two dimensions in a 3D world. I wouldn't want to. The great thing about plays and this one in particular, is that they force the audience to use their imaginations. We have just five actors playing a whole forest full of characters and representing an entire world.

So there's our challenge! In April before we even had auditions for actors, I sat down with my costume designer, Erin, and set designer, Chris, to decide what would be the most compelling way to represent the story with what we have. We have a tent, we have five humans and we knew we would have the sets of two other productions that we are performing in rep with (...Charlie Brown and Carousel).

We started to talk about solutions to specific animals, the bird toys whose wings can flap and the idea for someone to wear(!) a turtle sandbox. It became clear that by using props rather than costumes to represent different characters we could be more creative and make super fast changes from one character to the next. Furthermore, we started to realize that some of these animal toys were iconic backyard toys, which felt right.
This thought path led us to decide the world of our play: a backyard, more hardware store than toy store.

The actors' general denim costumes are sort of gardening clothes and almost all the other materials are real objects from a yard - an umbrella, a sandbox, a pool toy - used in theatrical ways. We tried to keep these objects bright and neon where possible to visually pop out of the background.

The audience won't necessarily be aware of these decisions, but they hopefully sense a clear Frog and Toad visual unity whether we perform in the tent, at a school or on the moon. Let's go do a performance on the moon.

We still have several performances at Waveny Park
http://stonc.tix.com/Event.asp?Event=372284

and a special engagement at The Katherine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Saybrook
http://www.katharinehepburntheater.org/blog/events/event-details/?EventsID=422

Join us!

DramaRama!

2011-07-01T14:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a very special day for STONC and the community. We had our first, and certainly not the last, DramaRama performance! Our DramaRamas were seven children in the area with special needs, ranging in ages from 8 to 17. In only 10 rehearsals we created a shortened version of A Year with Frog and Toad. The DramaRamas performed with the help of the adult actors performing in Frog and Toad at STONC, as well as the help as some interns like myself. The show was a huge success and the STONC theatre was packed with supporting fans.

Working on this program has been one of my favorite parts of this summer, and something I will never forget. The DramaRama kids were always so excited to perform and so kind. Their happiness spread throughout the theatre to everyone there. Many parents came up to me after the show thanking us for this experience, but I thanked them in return for the chance to work with their children. It was truly an honor to work with each and every one of them, even for just a short time.

We definitely saw some future stars on that stage, and I hope to see them back next summer with some more DramaRamas as well!

- Allison (Intern)

First Carousel Rehearsal

2011-06-30T11:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our first full rehearsal for Carousel. We started the rehearsal with a few words from our director Allegra Libonati. We also heard from our set designer Charles Pavarini, our choreographer Doug Shankman, and our costume designer Sarita Fellows. The cast and creatives are all very excited and eager to bring this classic to life.

Here you can see Charles Pavarini (next to Sarita Fellows on the left and Allegra Libonati on the right) showing the cast the model for the Carousel set.

The Carousel cast sitting around for their first full read through.

The Cast of FROG AND TOAD visits East School!

2011-06-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

This morning the cast of A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD did a performance at East Elementary School in New Canaan. Below is a picture of the cast with East school students after the show. The show officially opens this Saturday, June 25 at 10:00am. See you there!

Getta Load of Toad! First Thoughts from Frog and Toad Director Jeremy Bloom

2011-06-09T09:03:00.000-07:00

"Our first rehearsal was a total success! We learned more than half of the music, we tried on costumes, and we had a quick photo shoot. I couldn't be more thrilled about the entire cast! This is gearing up to be a great show. I'm excited to bring this fabulous children's classic to life!"

-Jeremy Bloom, DIRECTOR

Last Chance to Bid in our Online Auction!

2011-06-08T09:10:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

This is the last week of our auction at biddingforgood, it closes on Friday, June 10th and 10pm. All of the money goes to support the Summer Theatre of New Canaan. We have awesome prizes that include tickets for different broadway and tv shows as well as different sporting events. Please go to www.biddingforgood.com/stonc and start bidding!

A Production Stage Manager Job Description from Phillip Rudy

2011-06-07T11:26:00.000-07:00

"Some people may be wondering, what IS a Production Stage Manager (and is this the same thing as a Stage Manager?!).

When I was in college, I asked a professor exactly what a stage manager did. His response was "Everything, now let me get back to work". That's pretty accurate. Stage Management is a specialized field that has evolved out of the need to have a person who is both a go between for the management and creative team of the show (Director, Designers, Producers etc) and the Actors to make sure that everyone shows up at the same time, on the same day, to rehearse the same pages from the script. This is often much more difficult than you might imagine. The Stage Manager is represented in a collective bargaining agreement by Actors' Equity Association, the largest performing arts union in the country which also represents all of the Cast of Charlie Brown so the "SM" is responsible for making sure all rehearsals are safe, run in a timely manner, and are in accordance with the Equity Rule Book (The LORT book that governs this show is 113 pages!). His most important job is scheduling. The Stage Manager makes many different forms, calendars, and "break downs" (Graphical representations of different elements in the show and when they happen such as props, costumes, and set

shifts) which all go into the prompt book. This book is so important we call it "The Bible." It contains all the information about the show as well as serves as a record of all the meetings, rehearsals, and performances since the show opened (Imagine what Phantom of the Opera's looks like! It's been open 23 years--with the same Production Stage Manager!). This prompt book is also what we use to "call" a show. Have you ever wondered how everyone knows when to do what light cue so it happens with the sound cue at the same time the set pieces are flying? That's the Production Stage Manager! Every light, every sound, every set move is done on his cue. It's the most exciting thing I've ever done--and it's an immensely satisfying experience to be sitting backstage 5 minutes to curtain on opening night ready to call the complex

opening, it happens and you pull it off flawlessly! That's what makes the long hours and stress all worth it!"

-Phillip Rudy, PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER

You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown Photo Shoot

2011-06-07T09:02:00.000-07:00

The whole gang! Charlie, Lucy, Snoopy, Schroeder, Sally, Linus and Snoopy!

Come see the show opening next weekend at Waveny Park!

A Thought from Box Office Intern Ali Tesluk

2011-06-03T11:42:00.000-07:00

"Today was super busy, I went on a staples run, answered the phone and took ticket orders, went to the ticket website to add new discounts available to people who support our sponsors, and now I'm labeling 1,000 envelopes for our Opening Night Announcement. Busy, but even office work when it's for theatre is rewarding and fun."

-Ali Tesluk, INTERN

First thoughts from Kate Bodenheimer who plays 'Lucy Van Pelt' in Charlie Brown

2011-06-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

"Our first day of Charlie Brown rehearsal was GREAT! Seriously- the whole team is amazing- cast and creatives. To start we played some games of hide and seek, and looked at pictures we all brought in from our childhoods. Getting back in touch with our five-year-old selves and playing games is pretty fun- not a bad day at work! I also saw the set and costumes... it's gonna be a pretty sweet show...get those tickets now...seriously!"

-Kate Bodenheimer, CAST

Welcome to the backstage blog of the Summer Theatre of New Canaan!

2011-06-02T14:32:00.000-07:00

This is the Summer Theatre of New Canaan. We are a regional theatre company in New Canaan, CT. This summer season includes YOU'RE A GOOD MAN CHARLIE BROWN, A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD, CAROUSEL, and LILLY'S PURPLE PLASTIC PURSE.
This blog will be updated all summer with videos, photos, events, cast member posts, crew posts and more! check back for all the insider information on The Summer Theatre of New Canaan! www.STONC.org