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We had a tremendous weekend of performances of The Dixie Swim Club.  Our audiences really loved the show and were delighted with the terrific performances turned in by the cast.  It is so much fun to hear an auditorium full of people burst out into a giant “wave” of laughter.  It’s invigorating to laugh out loud isn’t it?

As you probably know, we have started our balloting process to help select next season’s Mainstage plays and musicals.  I know our patrons enjoy the opportunity to participate with that process and we appreciate getting their feedback.  One thing I mentioned on Friday night was to remember that picking only titles you know is not always the best way to go.  I can assure that most of our patrons had never heard of The Dixie Swim Club until we put it on last year’s ballot.   I also know that Moonlight and Magnolias and The Light in the Piazza were relatively unknown to much of our audience until we introduced them this season.  All three of these great shows have proven to be popular hits with our patrons.

We have a number of terrific new works on this season’s list of plays and musicals.  We have put a brief synopsis of each play on the ballot to help our patrons have an idea about each show on the list.  I hope that you will vote for the shows that sound appealing to you rather than just the ones that seem familiar.  Of course, there are some wonderful old “chestnuts” on the list that will be lots of fun as well.  Our goal is to come up with a mix of shows that will prove as popular as this year’s has been.

If you haven’t made your reservations to see The Dixie Swim Club, I hope you will do that today.

Allen Shankles

A couple of incidents occurred during the final performance of The Light in the Piazza that reminded me how “fraught with peril” producing a successful performance can be.  For us to be successful, which equates to presenting a performance with no obvious problems, truly hundreds of things must all fall into place each and every day.  Of course, musicals typically present more pitfalls than plays, but each show has its own unique problems.

To better understand this, let’s examine our recent production of The Light in the Piazza. The first and most obvious challenge was getting a cast of 15 people committed to four nights of rehearsal each week for about six weeks.  We counted on these folks to learn their lines, learn difficult  music and (for some cast members) learn Italian dialogue.  We depended on these fine folks to be at every required rehearsal, despite the fact that most have full-time jobs, families and other obligations.  We also hope that every cast member stays healthy, because we don’t have understudies.

For The Light in the Piazza we had many scene changes with lots of furniture and other pieces coming and going.  We depended upon a crew of backstage volunteers to help make this “magic” happen.  If one person failed to do his or her job at any given moment, problems would occur.  We also had over 100 light cues.  The timing and correctness of these cues was dependent upon two different people – one calling the cue and another “pressing the button” to initiate each cue.  There were also two spotlight operators who had to hit their “targets” consistently and smoothly throughout each performance.  Of course, the lighting was created by 50-60 lighting instruments, any one of which could burn out at any time, just like our lights at home can.

At least twelve wireless microphones were used during the production.  Each of these must perform flawlessly or our audience hears the problem.  In addition, seven musicians performed the difficult music from the show. Each of these also required one microphone or more.  Connecting all of this to the sound mixing console (also a delicate piece of equipment operated by a highly skilled technician) are literally hundreds of feet of electrical and audio cable.  I also must mention that  Jim Gardner could not see the stage from his position above the set, so he was watching the show via a video monitor which was receiving a signal from a digital camera set up by the sound board.  There’s even more, but I think you get the idea.

At every performance, we depended on all of these people and equipment to perform as expected.  Most often they do and if they don’t it is usually dealt with without our audience knowing there was a problem.  On that particular Sunday of The Light in the Piazza, a $20.00 piece of audio equipment that transmitted the piano signal to the audience failed.  It caused the final song of the first act to perform without piano.  This was unnerving for the cast members on stage and for most of us backstage, but the show went on.  However, if that piece had failed earlier in the show we might not have been able to make through the entire first act without having to stop and fix the problem.  How lucky we were!   Truly, every successful performance is a major accomplishment.  That success is due to wonderful talent, lots of preparation, quality equipment and technical personal and a large dose of “good luck.”  It really is magic.

We had a terrific time in Dallas over the weekend.  It was such fun to see Phantom of the Opera with Annika Johansson in the show.  It will probably be no surprise to anyone who has seen her perform, but it was easy to pick her face out even when the stage was full of people.  She has a special “glow” about her.  What a gift!  The group got a chance to “fellowship” with Annika after the show in a reception I arranged in her honor.  She presented me and ALT with a Phantom poster signed by the entire cast of the touring production.  We will treasure this gift.  I was also overwhelmed that Annika has thanked ALT in her bio in the Phantom program.  That is certainly a wonderful gesture on her part and we are honored by it.

On Saturday night, most of the group saw a fun production of Bedroom Farce by Alan Ayckbourn at Theatre 3 in Dallas.   Our group got a good opportunity to see how ALT stacks up to a “professional” production in Dallas.  I think the consensus was that our productions compare very favorably to what we saw on Saturday night.

In addition to these fun activities, we got to make some new friends, fellowship with old friends and share a lot of laughs and stories.  I think it was a great time for all…..at least I hope it was.

Last night, I got a chance to see The Dixie Swim Club in rehearsal.  This show is truly funny and is going to be lots of fun for our audiences.  If you haven’t made a reservation, you better hurry.  Tickets are going quickly.

Allen Shankles

I am leaving in the morning with a group of 50 people who are off to see Annika Johansson in the National Touring production of The Phantom of the Opera. I have seen the show a couple of times previously, but it will be really exciting to see it with someone I know in the cast.  I bet Annika shines on that stage just as she always has on ours.  I am also excited to share this fun experience with so many members of the ALT “family.”

We reluctantly closed The Light in the Piazza on Sunday.  What a great show and a wonderful cast to work with.  I have never had more fun directing a show, nor have I ever felt more gratified with the results.

I have begun rehearsals for Equus. This show promises to be a really strong production for ALT (possibly earth-shaking), although it is certainly not a production that will appeal to everyone.  It is a very intense drama.

ALT’s next production is The Dixie Swim Club. I know that our audiences are going to love this hilarious new show.  Of course, it should be hard for us to go wrong with the great cast that is performing in the show.

During the final performance of The Light in the Piazza, we had a couple of minor technical problems that could have been disastrous.  This is the subject of a blog I am already formulating for next week.  Stay tuned.  Have a great weekend.  I know I will.

Allen Shankles

ALT’s outstanding production of The Light in the Piazza will conclude with three special hold-over performances this weekend.  I don’t mind saying that I hate to see this show close.  As I mentioned in previous blogs and to anyone else who would listen, I have loved this show since first seeing it in New York in 2005.  It “speaks” to me on a number of levels and I really appreciate the story of “young, passionate love.”

This may be one of the most challenging musicals we have ever attempted and I believe our efforts have been very successful.  I am so very proud of our production.  Our cast for the show has reached levels of performance, both vocally and dramatically, that have exceeded even my high expectations.   I also want to applaud our fantastic technical team of Gregg Dunlap and Tana Roberson and the many talented volunteers who helped them create an extraordinary setting for this show.  It is certainly one of the most impressive sets we have created at the Adventure Space.  Finally, I want to thank our audiences who have once again given us outstanding support for a new and challenging piece of theatre.

Today, I post the cast list for Equus, the next show on my directing itinerary.  This is another show that I really like, although it will certainly be a show that will only appeal to a certain segment of our audience.  So, that is the way things evolve around here.  As one show closes, another show begins its life.  Prior to Equus, Jeff Jarnagin and a wonderful cast of five women will bring us a delightful evening of fun with The Dixie Swim Club. This is a show I know our Mainstage audiences are going to love. We just keep plugging away.

For the next three days, I am going to simply relish in the success of The Light in the Piazza. It has certainly been a good run and a show that will be a highlight in my career.

Brett Spalding and Natalie Nelson in "The Light in the Piazza."

I have talked a lot about the beauty of The Light in the Piazza. I believe that the story and the music from the show are beautiful.  I also think that there are many beautiful moments of staging during the show. We value our photos of every production because they help to preserve memories of the many great moments from each production.  Our “super-duper” photographer, Chriselda Reyes, puts together a slideshow of each production using just some of the large number of photos she takes.  These are all posted on the gallery page of the ALT website.  Chriselda has a fantastic eye and her photos usually capture the real essence of every production.  I believe that the slideshow for Piazza is no exception.  Click on the link below to take a look.

http://www.amarillolittletheatre.org/gallery_piazza_ss.html

We had a terrific weekend of performances of The Light in the Piazza with full houses on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Though it is unlike “traditional” musicals, our audiences are embracing it for its beautiful score, captivating story and excellent performances.  We have added a third weekend of shows for February 19, 20 and 21.  Make your reservations today.

Speaking of great performances, attached is a photo of Jeni Roller from the production.  Jeni is turning in a truly brilliant performance as Margaret Johnson.

Allen Shankles

Jeni Roller in "The Light in the Piazza."

ALT’s production of The Light in the Piazza officially opens tonight to a full house.  Our preview performance went great last night and I am anticipating a wonderfully successful run of this production.  We have already added some hold-over performances due to strong ticket sales.  I am so proud of the show.  The cast has really brought this difficult show to life and it is truly a beautiful production.

I want to applaud our technical team of Gregg Dunlap, Tana Roberson, Nick Palmieri and many great volunteers for their excellent work on the set for this show.  They have created a breathtaking Italian background that really helps the overall feel of the show.  We are blessed with such talent in so many areas of endeavor.

Attached are some “sneak peek” photos of the show.  We will be posting a slideshow for the production on our website in the next few days.

Have a great weekend.

Allen Shankles

Natalie Nelson and Brett Spalding as Clara and Fabrizio in "The Light in the Piazza."

Natalie Nelson as Clara in "The Light in the Piazza."