Media Attention!

Media and Communications at Ithaca has worked on developing more attention than usual for this particular show since Brett is a student, a senior, at Ithaca and a student created musical or play has not been produced in the main stage season in 25 years.
At the first dress rehearsal on April 23rd at 8PM, IC Media and Communications interviewed Brett and video taped the show. Media and Communications also took pictures of a rough draft of the score as well as other production artifacts. Brett, Susannah, Britney, Gregory Woodward (Brett's composition teacher and mentor) as well as others have been interviewed along the way for various newspapers and online articles. Brett also got the chance to talk with Friends of Ithaca after the show on April 29th.

Links to various media and articles on The Count of Monte Cristo at Ithaca:

http://www.wtvh.com/Story.aspx?NStoryID=4778

http://youtube.com/watch?v=DaFjhxi7xPc&mode=related&search=

http://youtube.com/watch?v=slZnCoLLNiQ&mode=related&search=

http://youtube.com/watch?v=giElc8s7Pno&mode=related&search=

http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070426/ENTERTAINMENT03/704260304/1082

http://fuse.ithaca.edu/110/

http://fuse.ithaca.edu/136/

http://departments.ithaca.edu/theatre/main/montecristo/

http://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20070420093318617

http://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20070413105941213

http://theithacan.org/am/publish/accent/200701_Writing_for_the_stage.shtml

http://theithacan.org/am/publish/theaterreview/200704_Senior_discovers_treasure_in_The_Count_of_Monte_Cristo.shtml

http://theithacan.org/am/publish/accent/200704_Actor_goes_for_the_gold.shtml

http://theithacan.org/am/publish/news/200703_A_whole_new_triple_threat.shtml

Honors Convocation Performance!

Today from 10AM-11AM, the School of Music held its annual Honors Convocation to recognize outstanding music students and their achievments in music and academics. Brett was recognized for his composition achievements, including his work on The Count in writing the lyrics and libretto as well as composing and orchestrating it.

At the end of the convocation, Brett accompanied Michael Mott and Aaron Morris in their duet from the show, Pieces on a Chessboard. The choreography was only slightly changed to fit the fact that the two actors could not use the props they usually have during the show. It looked and sounded great!

Lessons in stage combat!

The actors, above their normal lessons for any show, have had lessons in French diction as well as stage combat. There are a few scenes between a few different characters in the show who take part in friendly sword fighting. For the past few weeks of rehearsals, Casey Matteson an IC Drama major who is trained in stage combat, has given lessons to the actors that need it before rehearsals. Since late March, Casey has been giving consultation on fencing props and has done choreographing for the fencing scenes in the show. Both scenes look great!

The Dress Rehearsal!

Tonight was the formal dress rehearsal. It started a little after 8PM and will go to the end at around 11PM. The dress rehearsal includes the actors in full dress as well as makeup this time. Everything is run as it would for opening night. However, there is still allowance for stopping in the middle of a scene if absolutely necessary to fix props, lighting, sound, etc. Tonight, the show needed to be stopped for fixing props on the revolve as well as fixing the lights.
For dress there is usually a small audience as there was tonight. The audience included ACE (Access to College Education), which prepares high school students for college.
Even since last night there are still changes being made such as a word added or taken away which Susannah, the director, is capable of doing since the playwright, Brett, is always at hand to ok it. There are also changes still being made to the props in order to make the show run smoother.
Everything is continuing to get really exciting!

Tech/1st Dress!

Yesterday the actors and production crew were all at the Hoerner from 12PM-5PM with a two hour break and then from 7PM-12AM. It was the last tech rehearsal as well as the first full dress run-through. The full orchestra was present providing the accompaniment. The orchestra includes keyboard, timpani, drum set, french horn, trumpet, clarinet, flute/piccolo, oboe, trumpet, bass trombone and strings. Adam and his assistants for lighting, as well as Britney were in their usual tech positions in the audience. Both have tables set up in front of them. Adam has computers to control and keep track of the lights and Britney has two tv screens, one showing Joel in the pit and the other showing the stage. The dress run-through is set up to go right through as if it would on opening night, however there is no audience yet so the show stops if some technical aspect needs to be fixed or smoothed out. Britney informs everyone of this through her mic.

A little taste of the SET!

The set only has one large piece to it that takes up the whole stage from bottom to top. It looks like the front of a building with an aged-plaster treatment. The color is black and blue. It includes 5 balconies about 12 ft. off the ground spaced evenly across the stage. The balconies have tall windows with shutters. There are also 3 windows with shutters on the bottom with 2 wide doorways in between. The 2 doorways are where the revolve rotates in order to bring props and actors on and off the stage. The props, lighting, sound, and a projection directly below the top, center balcony stating when the action changes to a different location all act as a means to change the setting. This is rather than having extra set changes.

Night 2 of tech rehearsals!

The first tech rehearsal was yesterday night. Tonight is the second night where everything is starting to be put together and really smoothed out! The first few hours of rehearsal started with mic EQ-ing which included one actor at a time going onstage and singing or stating lines as loud as they do during the show. This lasts for about 5 minutes or so at a time in order for Tina and Don, the sound technicians, to balance the sound of each person's unique voice on stage so that the audience will be able to hear them clearly. However, I'm sure there is a lot more to mic EQ-ing then this.

At 7:30PM, the tech run of the show continued. All of the actors were in costume as they had been during mic EQ-ing. Tech is always a very intense time for any production because it is when everything is being put together and smoothed out. It includes the actors going through scene by scene in order for all of the production staff to get all the lighting, sound and stage managment cues set up. The actors are getting many things asked of them at the same time. At one point, while the actors are standing in place on stage waiting to start the scene, they could be getting instruction from Mary and then shortly after from Susannah about choreography or lines while Greg, the Costume Designer, will go onstage and fix something on their costumes. At this same time, the actors also have to be listening for Britney, the Stage Manager, to give them the cue for when and where to start the scene.

During tech, Britney sits in the audience with head phones and mic so that she can be heard around the whole theatre, including backstage. She listens to everyone working on the technical aspects of the show in order to inform the actors on stage and backstage when everything is ready to start the scene and from what point in the scene they should start. It is a lot of starting, stopping and then re-doing whole scenes. This is so that all the technical aspects can be smoothed out to fit with what the actors are doing. Each light, sound, and stage management cue is tested and taken note of for each scene and transition between scenes.

At this point in the process, the assistant stage managers are working with the backstage crew to figure out where and when to move props for each scene. While the actors wait for their cue to start, they sometimes practice the scene on their own together and from right where they are standing on stage. They will run lines or speak or sing quietly through the song in the scene that they're going over. During all of this, Don, the head sound technician, walks around the theatre and even onstage to listen to the sound coming through the mics to check how it balances in the space, etc. At this time, there is still just piano accompaniment being used but from the pit down below in the front of the stage.

While tech is going on in the Hoerner, Gail, the Assistant Director, is working with the actors who are not onstage to go over and smooth out/fine tune any scenes that need it. This takes place on the red carpet outside of the Hoerner.

Tech will continue until Monday, which will be the dress rehearsal!

Load-in! Monday, April 16th, 2007

Today is load-in on the Hoerner stage! For those who do not know, this is when the carpentry crew and others put all of the various pieces of the stage in place as it will look for the actual performance. They also were loading in the orchestra, including setting up stands, stand lights and other equipment for the musicians, in the pit.

By around early April, the carpentry crew was beginning to build various pieces of the set in a big room in the back of Dillingham where all of the carpentry equipment and materials are housed. What usually happens is that any IC student can sign up to get credit for some form of theatre production. All students who sign up are split into the various production postions such as sound, carpentry, paint, lighting, costumes, props, etc. Therefore the students who are in the carpentry crew work with Colin, the Technical Director, and a theatre production major who is concentrating in carpentry. The students get instructions on what to specifically do to actually build the set each day they have theatre production.

Since the sets are so big and there needs to be room for the actors to rehearse up until the show on the stage, it is decided ahead of time how the set will be split up in order to build it in smaller pieces first. Then during load-in, the same students work with Colin and the theatre production student to put it all together on the stage. As pieces of the set are built, the paint crew starts to paint them. So, for the most part, every piece of the set is finished before being put into place on stage during load-in.

I was on the paint crew for The Waiting Room and the carpentry crew for Yentl my freshman year (2003-2004). It was a lot of work, but exciting and so much fun!

Dramaturgy!

Here's a little tid bit about dramaturgy...specifically the details of the job of a dramaturg for The Count of Monte Cristo!:

Jim Utz and I, Gina Randall, went to the very first meetings with Susannah, Gail, Joel, Mary, and Brett to read through the whole show for everyone to give input/suggestions. For the first rehearsal, Jim and I were asked to put together a presentation outlining in detail the background and history of the show as well as the author, Alexandre Dumas, of the novel upon which it is based. Jim and I had a few discussions with Susannah about what would be helpful for the actors to learn in order to understand the society which their characters lived. We decided that Jim would research the geography and history that goes along with it and I would research the history of Alexandre Dumas. Our next task was to write program notes to hopefully enhance the audience's enjoyment of the show. We decided to write separately and on what each of us had researched for the dramaturgical presentation. After spending about two weeks on writing and editing, Susannah looked them over and sent in the final draft with her director's notes. Now I am focusing on attending rehearsals and writing this blog while Jim is attending rehearsals and answering any history questions.

Happy April Fools!!

This afternoon from 1:30PM to about ten of 5PM, the cast did a full "stumble through" of the show. This means of course that the show was run straight through as if it would on opening night even with some parts which have not been choreographed or really rehearsed yet. A few things Susannah mentioned which have not been worked on yet at this point is pacing and volume. It was so exciting to see it all start to come together!

The full run through did end up being 2 hours and 40 minutes, so Brett is working on cutting it down by about a half hour. Along with myself, most of the main designers on the show (lighting, costumes, sound, set, etc.) and their assistants were all there watching from the audience seating. The actors, when not needed, watched from the audience seating as well. This time Mary and Susannah were in the audience to allow for the cast to have the full space and I'm sure so they can watch from a patron's view in order to take notes on what to fix. Britney, the Stage Manager, and her assistants, Hannah and Laurel, were still on stage, but just off to the side in order to keep time, prompt lines if the actors needed it, and move props on and off the stage. They have a very hectic but fun job, I'm sure!

The "stumble through" was done without any costumes, except for mic packs (which goes around each actor's waist) and any shoes or boots that the actors wanted to get comfortable using. At this point, we are still just using the rehearsal pianist, Amy, for accompaniment.

The run was only stopped if something needed to be fixed in the music, such as transitions not going smoothly between songs, dialogue and the scene music.

March 28th Rehearsal!

Rehearsal on the Hoerner stage began with the actors getting fitted for mic belts. These are the body mics which each actor will have underneath their costumes during the show.

Next, the cast went over the Act I Finale again which is coming along really nicely! While the actors were going through the finale, Mary was sitting with Adam Frank, the lighting designer for the show, and describing to him what sort of lighting she wants for each part of the scene in order to enhance it.

As I think I mentioned before, the understudies go on for those who are not able to make rehearsals so that the scenes can continue to move smoothly in rehearsals.

Brett, as always is at every rehearsal to help the accompanist and be there for any consulting that the director or anyone else needs on the script or score.

Orchestra rehearsals are now taking place at other times.

Scene Work!

Tonight the principles were spread throughout Dillingham. The rehearsal went from 7-10PM as usual, but at different times there were different principles on the Hoerner stage working on scene work with Susannah, in Studio 1 working on dancing with Mary, or G-16 (a classroom in Dillingham) working on individual solos with Joel. The rest of the cast was mostly on the Hoerner stage when they were needed for particular scenes. Ensemble work was done for Act I Finale which is going to be very exciting! In this scene the ensemble is split up into groups of one, two, or three, and they freeze in different poses multiple times. They go between action and freezing in poses to go with the music. It looks awesome!

With Susannah on the Hoerner stage, the actors mostly went over blocking and dialogue. Susannah would describe the movements for each actor throughout the scene. They would then run the scene and Susannah would stop them whenever she thought of something else to try or if the actors didn't quite do what she had originally wanted right away. After running the scene, the actors and Susannah would discuss each person's motivations for their actions in the scene. The actors were free to give their input if they felt more comfortable moving or talking in a different way than what Susannah had suggested. Susannah even asks the actors at various times how they feel about a scene and what they would feel more comfortable doing in a specific situation which occurs in a scene. In staging the scenes, it is all about how to portray what the playwright wants in a way that the audience will understand and believe. So it is important for the actors to give their input since they are the direct connection between the playwright and the audience.

It is great that Susannah, as the director, and Joel, as the musical director, have the convenience of having Brett, the playwright, at hand at all times incase either director wants to ask about a change in the script or score. This happened tonight because Susannah felt that a word should be added for further clarity to the scene.

Tonight's Rehearsal On The Hoerner Stage!

Tonight's rehearsal began with announcements from Susannah about some changes in certain scenes. Then the cast dived right in again to running (performing) the Act I finale that had been rehearsed last night. After running the Act I finale once, both Mary and Susannah began describing to the actors the blocking/staging for Act II, starting with the first scene and continuing on from there. The structure of this rehearsing begins with Mary and Susannah describing where each person is and their actions during the scene. Then the scene is run. This begins all over again with the next scene.

Britney, the stage manager, and her assistants bring on or take off the necessary props in between scenes or while scenes are being described to the actors. These props include of course only the ones which are on hand at this time and are mostly ones which the actors need to get comfortable manuevering around or handling, such as furniture and a basket of flowers. The assistant stage managers remove any props while the scene is being run, if necessary, to keep things moving as close to the actual performance as possible.

At this point, the actors are still using their scores/scripts to perform the scenes, but are trying wherever possible not to look at their lines in hopes to keep getting farther with their memorization of the show.

Last Night's Rehearsal On the Hoerner Stage!

Last night the cast dived right into practicing their waltzing for the ball scene which takes place in the beginning of Act II. Under the direction of Mary, the cast began by learning and practicing bowing. This was customary in the 19th century before taking part in dancing. During the bow the partners are supposed to make eye contact with each other, otherwise it is considered an insult. Then the partner's may only make eye contact if they choose to chat while dancing. There are two different bows for women and men. The women do something like a curtsy with their arms creating an open oval in front of them and the men bend over slightly from their wastes while also creating an open oval with their arms in front of them. This is a very rough description of the bows!!

Most of the actors wear sneakers or jazz, soft, or character shoes when they know they are going to be dancing in rehearsal.

Dewie Fleszar played the accompaniment until Amy could arrive. Live piano music from the score for the show is being used for rehearsing the dancing tonight, unlike the first dance rehearsals where period music from a CD was used.

The cast also learned and practiced how to lead and be lead onto the dance floor. The men lead the ladies after exchanging a bow. This included the ladies placing their hand gently over the gentleman's hand. The ladies may also drape their arm around the gentleman's arm. An interesting fact from Mary is that at the time the musical takes place (19th century), it was frowned upon for ladies to walk around the ballroom by themselves.

The cast also practiced in character going from chatting in small groups, to bowing to each other, to being lead onto the dance floor and finally waltzing.

The dance rehearsals are structured as follows: Mary demonstrates, often using one of the actors as her partner. Then everyone else tries it with their own random partner from the cast without music first. After Mary sees that everyone has pretty much got it, they all begin practicing with the music.

At around 7:40PM, the cast went over some of the music with Joel. They stood on stage with their scores and facing the audience while being directed by Joel who was facing them.

A little after 8PM, Mary started describing the blocking, or positioning and movements, for 4 of the male leads-Edmond, Danglars, Villefort and Fernand-for the Act I finale. The actors took notes and then went through the music while holding their scores/scripts and singing.

A while ago, maybe about a month, the stage manager and assistant stage managers took some time to map out where each piece of the set will be on the stage according to the measurements of the set design. This is so that the actors can begin to get a feeling for how to maneuver around the stage when the set will actually be in place, since it is still being built at this time.

After blocking the 4 male leads, Mary started blocking the tableau of the rest of the cast in the Act I finale. Mary gave each actor a basic idea of their specific action and then let each play with different poses and choose one to freeze for the tableau. While this was happening, any actor not rehearsing had the freedom of asking Susannah to go over their specific character with her offstage. This could include going over specific motivations or feelings of the character during specific scenes or events within a scene.

The 2nd Read/Sing Through!

Tonight's rehearsal was the first after Spring Break and with all the seniors back from Field Studies. The full cast did a read/sing through of the full production. I could only stay for the first act, unfortunately, but it went much smoother than the first read/sing through since there has been two weeks of rehearsals! The sound crew recorded the rehearsal this time with special mics and other sound equipment. The first read/sing through recording was done with a simple tape recorder. Dewey Fleszar helped out Brett with the accompaniment on the piano before Amy could arrive to take over as rehearsal accompanist. It went really well!

Tomorrow's rehearsal will be in the Hoerner and the full cast will be going over entrances and exits to start getting a feel for the blocking, or movement around the stage, throughout the show.

March 6th rehearsal - First Ensemble Dance Rehearsal!

Tonight everyone in the cast besides the seniors, who are at Field Studies for the week, learned the period dances which I believe will be done during the ball scene in which Mercedes sees The Count of Monte Cristo for the first time. The dance that was learned tonight is called round dance which Mary, the choreographer, told everyone is extremely hard to learn. By the middle of rehearsal, however, Mary pointed out that everyone was doing really well for how hard the dance is to learn.

The dance is a couples dance and the rehearsal started with Mary demonstrating the first step to the dance, using one of the actors as her partner. Then each ensemble member grabbed another member near them and started practicing. Some would practice by themselves first and then try it with another or vice versa. Mary went around and made sure everyone was getting it. She then moved on to the next step. Mary started playing period music a little while into the rehearsal. The actors switched partners every now and then.

The second dance which was taught tonight was a particular 19th century slow waltz which Mary said went out of fashion because it was so hard to do. The waltz is done in a big circle where the couples move counter clockwise. The couples' orientation to the circle is extremely important in this dance. Also in this waltz, the guys and the girls have the same step, yet they are three beats apart.

An interesting fact about these dances is that in the society of the time, it was not right for women to look into the eyes of their partner for too long as it was seen as scandalous.

Sunday, March 4th rehearsal

Rehearsal today consisted of "one-on-one" rehearsing between Joel, the musical director, Amy Radics, the rehearsal accompanist, and four different actors, Patrick Hunter (Morrel), Kyle Johnson (Albert), Matt Musgrove (Faria) and Dan Greenwood (Villefort). The stage managers were the only other ones there keeping everyone on schedule, besides me taking notes. Each actor worked for about 15 minutes to a 1/2 hour on each individual's solo singing parts throughout the show.

This, I believe, was the first time that I heard Matt Musgrove use his old/wise man voice to portray the character of Faria. It works so well to make one believe he is an old and very educated Italian priest and sage!

The senior Theatre Arts majors are away at what's called Field Studies where they go to NYC to network for a week with alums of IC in the theatre industry. So all rehearsals this coming week will be mostly ensemble work, since most of the principles of the show are seniors.

Production Meeting on March 1st at 12:10PM

Design meetings began on November 30, 2006, giving the design crew 5 weeks to come up with a final set design for The Count of Monte Cristo. However, since this will be the very first production of this new musical, it is expected that changes will have to occur along the way. The design meetings focused on discussing occurring or potential problems with the set and the actors, how scenes will be staged and potential costume and lighting designs. This is all working towards finalized designs by February 20th for the pre-production meeting. Starting February 20th, everyone from the design meetings will be switching over to production meetings, adding construction, prop and front of house crews.

At the production meeting today, Steve TenEyck, the scenic designer, went through scene by scene and talked about how the set will change including what props will be in each scene. He projected a technical, yet detailed and very visual series of pictures of the set design. There was a projection for each scene change.

The setup of IC Theatre's specific production of The Count of Monte Cristo, the very first production of this show, has been compared to the presentational style of the 10th Anniversary in-concert production of Les Miserables in which the set consists of one background with minor scene changes and props to depict the different settings throughout the show. The set design for The Count of Monte Cristo roughly includes a two story set of about four windows along each level. The windows include long French, rectangular shutters with a balcony on the second level. There will be a black scrim projecting "The Count of Monte Cristo, France 1815" which will change to fit each new place and time throughout the show.

Costumes and props were also discussed.

The hard thing about putting on a brand new show is that it is hard to know what's going to happen and if the costumes, props and set are all going to work together. Producing shows which have already been done before allow a template and example for what worked well and what did not. The cast and crew for this show do not have this luxury. However, it allows for an exciting challenge which everyone is highly capable of taking on!

February 28th rehearsal!

Like the start of each rehearsal, Feb. 28th's rehearsal started with a warmup for all the actors with Joel leading. Each warmup includes physical activities to warm up the body as well as vocal exercises (vocalises). Each actor follows along, however some do their own exercises which work better for them.

After the warmup, the cast finished what was left of the sing/read through from the rehearsal the day before. Then Susannah, the director, lead everyone attending the rehearsal in a discussion on the meaning of the main themes and connections of the show. Each person described their personal connection to the show and its main theme. There were various personal connections, but most talked about their connection and feelings about the true meaning of "wait and hope" which is the common phrase throughout.

It was mentioned within this discussion about how The Count of Monte Cristo is different from other stories because it starts with a big tragedy and the characters are struggling to pick up the pieces throughout the rest of the story, rather than having the story gradually develop to the climax and tragedy much later.

It was a very interesting rehearsal!

The Second Rehearsal (February 27th)!

Tonight the rehearsal started off with help on French diction from Juliette Dubroca, a TAM originally from France. She went down a list given to her by the director and pronounced each of the French names and places which the actors will need to know how to pronounce in the show. It was perfect to have her with us in the theatre program! Thanks Juliette!

Like every rehearsal before acting or singing, the actors were led through a complete warmup by Joel, the musical director.

The actors then dived into the read/sing through. Director, Susannah Berryman and Choreographer, Mary Corsaro, recorded and timed the whole thing for future reference. It was hard, however, to get an accurate recording since the actors' scores are separate from their scripts. They had to go back and forth. It was great to hear those first chords though! Patrick Hunter who plays Morrel gets the excitement of beginning the whole show!

Brett is and still will be a huge part in the production of this show up until opening night since it will be the first time it is being produced and there will need to be changes here and there to the script and score. During rehearsals Brett usually sits at the piano with Amy Radics, the rehearsal accompanist, and gives advice or help to anyone when it is needed.

I had to leave early, but they finished more than half way through the second act.

CAST LIST!

PRINCIPLES:
Mercedes: Marisa Dargahi
Edmond Dantes: Jeremy Jordan
Danglars: Michael Mott
Villefort: Dan Greenwood
Fernand: Aaron Morris

MALE ENSEMBLE:
Patrick Hunter (Morrel)
Jared Zirilli
Jay Schmidt (St. Merain and also Luigi Vampa)
Matt Musgrove (Faria)
Larry Komrower
Kyle Johnson (Albert)
Jeremy Reese (Franz)
Eric Morris

FEMALE ENSEMBLE:
Hillary Patingre (Renee)
Catherine Stephani (Mme. de St. Merain)
Shauna Goodgold (Heloise)
Elise Riveron (Valentine)
Lysie Shutrump (Haydee)
Meredith Beck
Melanie Beck
Lauren Shusterman (Assisting Mary with Choreography)

MALE SWINGS:
Parker Pogue
Kevin Hegmann

FEMALE SWINGS:
Mariah Ciangiola
Rachel Tolzman

First Rehearsal!

The first rehearsal, which was really exciting, went from 7PM-10PM and was held in Studio 1, one of the dance studios in Dillingham. It started out with introductions from everyone. This included name and position/character of the production crew, cast and front-of-house staff, or TAMs (Theater Arts Management majors). Stage Manager, Britney Smallwood, organized and ran the meeting, keeping track of time and the agenda.

The set, costume, and lighting designers gave brief, overview descriptions of their ideas for their designs for the show in order for the cast, as well as everyone, to see and get an understanding of what will be happening around them on stage. Jim and I, the two dramaturgs, gave a detailed background of the novel. I talked about Alexandre Dumas and the sources he used for inspiration to write the novel. Jim went into great detail for everyone about the geography and historical/political context of the novel according to how it relates to the characters and the different societies within the show (Marseilles, Paris and Rome).

The last hour was saved for the cast to learn music. Joel began with probably the hardest ensemble song in the show, "Carnival". This opens Scene ii of Act II. The cast did well in learning this difficult song quickly!

Show Dates!

Tuesday, April 24th, 2007 - 8PM - PREVIEW

Thursday, April 26th, 2007 - 8PM - OPENING NIGHT!
(Opening Night Reception after the show!)

Friday, April 27th, 2007 - 8PM

Saturday, April 28th, 2007 - 2PM and 8PM

Sunday, April 29th, 2007 - 2PM

A list in progress of those involved in the design/production of the show! Any additions I missed?

Brett Boles - Writer/Lyricist/Composer
Susannah Berryman - Director
Gail Belokur - Assistant Director
Mary Corsaro - Choreographer
Lauren Brooke Shusterman - Assistant to the Choreographer
Joel Gelpe - Musical Director
Amy Radics - Rehearsal Accompanist
Don Tindall - Sound Designer
Tina Grant - Sound Mixer
Colin Stewart - Technical Director
Andrea Stewart - Assistant Technical Director
Matt Farrow - Technical Supervisor
Steve TenEyck - Scenic Designer
Kelly Syring - Assistant Scenic Designer
Kelly McCaffery - Scenic Charge
Binky Donley - Prop/Paint Mentor
Greg Robbins - Costume Designer
Lilly Westbrook - Costume Shop Manager
Sara Levine - Wardrobe Supervisor
Adam Frank - Lighting Designer
Jeff Strange - Lighting Supervisor
Jim Utz - Dramaturg
Gina Randall - Dramaturg
Britney Smallwood - Stage Manager
Hannah Dorfman - Assistant Stage Manager
Laurel Smith - Assistant Stage Manager
Sara Cleary - Production Liason
Mary Scheidegger - Stage Management Mentor
Casey Mateson - Fight Choreographer

The first step to the workshop process!

The start of the workshop process included smaller meetings consisting of Brett Boles (Creator or lyricist/composer), Susannah Berryman (Director), Gail Belokur (Assistant Director), Mary Corsaro (Choreographer), Joel Gelpe (Musical Director), Jim Utz (Dramaturg), and me, Gina Randall (Dramaturg). These meetings, of which we had about three, consisted of a full read-through of the most updated script and score at the time. Each person randomly chose a character to read for and Brett played the piano and sang all the songs as we came to them in the script. This was mainly to get a feel for how the musical will flow as well as being an opportunity for anyone's suggestions for changes.

The First Clip!

Click on the link to view a clip of the final callbacks for The Count of Monte Cristo!

http://webdev.ithaca.edu/baker/mCristo/source/callbacksp.htm

The Play Logo

Welcome!

The Ithaca College Theatre department is workshopping and producing a musical of The Count of Monte Cristo, based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas. The new musical was written and composed by Brett Boles, a senior composition major at IC. Check back here for updates as the production progresses!