Closing Night of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers!

So Monday night was closing night! I couldn't believe it was over. The theater was just packed. Our ushers were sitting in the aisles. It was great to see the place full to capacity. It was a very touching performance and I actually found myself crying on stage, in character of course ;). What a wonderful run it was. I had such a wonderful time. The rest of the family enjoyed it as well! It will be something that we always remember. We have a wonderful DVD slide show and picture CD from Erica and her mom. I also took some fun backstage video on Monday night. I have about 30 minutes of footage. One of these days when I convince Wes to reinstall our video editing software on this computer I will post some clips. It takes a LOT of room on the computer and slows it down. Anyway, here are some pictures of closing night. Ralph, our rad drummer!!
Wes and I after the show was over.
Adelle while I was recording her. I think Lydia was changing in the dressing room.

Steve kissing his real wife Charlie :)
Michael, Steve and Charlie's son and one of our suitors.
Chaz! All the girls like to flock around him every night.
Sweet Erica! She is such a wonderful lady! We respect her so much!
Jordan and his smooth moves.

Stephen, our loyal Ephraim!
Dallon, Adelle's new best friend.
Adam who played Frank. Here he is sporting his new haircut.
Jordan and Skye.
Troy!

Our wonderful stage crew girls! Every night they had to lug really heavy boxes.
Erin showing the dress that Wes made for her.
Our sweet Innocent Macall. Well, she looks innocent...
Carianne all ready to leave.
Austin out of costume.

Curtis! He ended up in the video a lot!
And Mary! Our faithful assistant director.

After we had cleared out the dressing room a few of us headed over to Village Inn to hang out and eat. Besides that we probably had the grumpiest waitress ever, it was really nice to have some closure to the show. We didn't get home until aroun 1:00 AM. It was good I took Tuesday off. I am going to miss being in the show and seeing everyone. At the same time though it was really nice this weekend to be able to relax, read and spend time with my family. My house is even clean again. Perhaps in the near future I will need to set up a cast party!

Only 7 Shows Left and My Love for the Empress.

Well I can't believe it, but we only have 7 shows left until Seven Brides for Seven Brothers ends. Ticket sales are going well and we have been enjoying playing to full houses. If you haven't seen us yet we'd love to have you join us! Go to http://www.empresstheatre.com/ and click on the buy tickets online link.

It really has been a fun show for all of us. It has been the most challenging show that I've ever done. I have learned a lot and have been humbled. I think I am gaining confidence as time goes by. It has been wonderful to have all of us involved. Wes does great in his part. One day I really hope he can enjoy a larger role. I think he is just getting better as time goes by.

The girls have smaller roles in the show but it is so cute to see them dancing on the stairs during the challenge dance. The other night Adelle said "I kicked so high I almost kicked the audience". I think our girls have a lot of maturity for their ages. We haven't had any problems with Adelle trying to talk to audience members or run off. She seems to have a pretty good grasp of what a play is all about. I hope all of this will be a good experience for them. I wish I had been exposed to theatre when I was their age.

Thank you to everyone who has come and seen the show. It is so wonderful to have people that we know there. Some of you have even come more than one and we can't thank you enough for your support! We really love the Empress Theatre and the full houses really helps them out in their goals and helps keep the theatre running. I would be so sad if it ever had to close its doors. I hope she will be around for a long time for many people to enjoy.

It is so neat when people greet the cast at the end of the night and they say "This is my first time at the Empress. I will come back and see another show for sure!". I want to thank all of the people who donate so much time, energy and money to making the theatre a success! Thank you!!! Some people have made great personal sacrifices and we will never be able to say thank you enough for everything that you do!

Fun at Rehearsals

So Erica Jones (Ruth) and her Mother have been taking pictures at rehearsal and I just had to share some of them! Thanks Erica for letting me :) Porter Williams, our director. He looks very serious and focused here.
The brides and suitors dancing. There is a lot of great dancing in the show!
Even more dancing. Here is Tyler (Caleb) and Erica (Ruth). I think Erica's character is looking shocked because she just got kissed!The brothers at the end of "Goin' Courtin". Boys put your arms down so we can see your faces!

Here I am with Steve who plays Adam.
Here I am with all of the brides! They are my girls in the show! I love all of their different expressions!
Now when I saw this picture I just laughed. Is that what I really look like when I am upset? This is probably the part in the show when I find out that Adam has 7 brothers that I am expected to cook and care for.
My serious discussion with Adam at the Window "Did your really want to marry me?".

Me and my real Man! How I love him!
There he is putting the finishing touches on Erin's Belt for her dress! He received a wonderful compliment from the director last night. His work really has been appreciated.
Lydia and Adelle in the town social scene. Is it just me or does it look like Adelle really needs a hair cut! It really isn't as bad as it looks!
Happy little Adelle enjoying rehearsals. She likes to dance on stage when there is any kind of break.
Lydia occupying herself coloring. She also likes to bring her game boy to stay entertained.
Adelle loves hanging out with the brides, especially Erica Jones. Thanks Erica for not getting tired of her. Carianne is really cute in this picture as well.
This is the doll that Lydia carries around in the show. Her Aunt Becky made it a few years back.
So everything at rehearsals has been going pretty well. I am really looking forward to the opening! Tomorrow is going to be a fun day as well. We will be walking in the Magna 4th of July Parade. If you are looking for something to do, come on down. The parade starts at 12:30 on Magna Main Street. Bring some water, some shade for yourself and sunscreen. Oh, and if you haven't bought your tickets you may want to soon. We will be passing out fliers during the parade so other people will probably be buying their tickets soon.

Only 9 Days until we Open!

So rehearsals have been going well. Monday night Adam and I, and the Brides and Brothers learned a new dance. Adam and I actually just dance in the beginning which I can't argue with. The brides and brothers then do a pretty dance! What talent they have to pick up a brand new dance so quickly. I actually am feeling like I can do some dancing. I feel like I am getting it! Yeah!! I got a compliment last night from one of the brothers that Adam and I are looking graceful. He probably had no idea how much that meant to me! It is a big feat for me to look graceful.

Last night we ran most of the show. We didn't quite get to the end. Tonight we will be running just Act I. Last night was interesting because we had to really start kissing each other. I think everyone that has to do that was a little nervous. The first time Adam (Steve) kissed me he planted one right on my nose! He He! All of the brides were just laughing. One was even snorting in fact!! Everything else went smoothly from there. Wes seems to be doing okay with it. It must be really hard to see your spouse kissing someone else. Adam and Millie actually kiss more than anyone else in the whole entire show. It was cute to see some of the other brides and brothers having to kiss each other. Most of them were so nervous! The director was kind enough to bring us all mints!

I really am enjoying things again which is great (not because we have started kissing!). It is great to get into character! I think Wes is relieved to see me less stressed and more confident. The girls seem to be having a fun time. Lydia found out last night that she is going to be in pajamas for her "big scene" where she has her line. The main costumer for the show is going to modify some pajamas that the Empress already had. Thank heavens she is doing it because Wes really is so busy right now feverishly making the other costumes. He has to finish two over skirts (one is almost done), make belts for 3 of the skirts and then make bloomers for Adelle. I will be excited when he is done with the costumes so he can get back to starting up our business.

I am getting really excited for the show to open. There is nothing like performing in front of a live audience! It is great when I see familiar faces in the audience as well.

Getting Ready for the Tribute Concert and a Family Affair.

Here are some fun pictures of the practice on Friday night for the Mr. Moore Tribute Concert. Things are actually going pretty well. Some of the songs that I was worried about are really coming together. It is a amazing to me that you can take a group of people who haven't sung for years and throw them together to form a pretty good sounding choir. The woman who started this all is Deborah Peterson. I really appreciate all of the hard work she is putting into everything. I have put together events before and they are stressful and time consuming. She really deserves a lot of thanks!! The concert is only a week from today! Wow how time flies.

There is something magical about getting together with everyone. It is really fun to see old friends and to feel that power and passion that can come from singing in a choir. Do you know what I mean? There is an amazing energy and sometimes you get the chills!




Here is a picture of my Dad and Lydia practicing "I'm Thankful". Lydia is sounding really good. I never knew she could sing so well. Her voice really is maturing and she is blossoming into a young lady. She is actually going to be 9 years old tomorrow!
We decided to move into the gym towards the end of the rehearsal and practice some of the numbers acapella. I know! Shocking! We did manage to stay on key though.

I love this picture of Kyle, Eric, Rodney and Keri. Yes those are Kazoos! You will have to come to the concert to see what fun we are planning. Shhhh. They are a secret though!

So, some great news on the family front. Adelle is now in the show! Can you believe it. My baby is going to be in her very first play. She is going to be appearing in the first scene and in the Town Social scene. She is really excited. So now it is official. Our whole entire family is going to be on stage. I love that we can make it a family affair. I think practically every night now is family night for us.

Wes is SUPER busy making costumes. I think he is looking forward to the day when they will all be done. I think he may regret letting everyone know that he can sew. I know Erin Fair is happy that he can sew though. She was going to have to wear a horrible dress that made her look like a high necked pumpkin. Wes has almost completed her new dress and I think it is going to look very cute on her. Erin plays Dorcas.

So I realized today that the show opens 3 weeks from yesterday! Aaaahhhhhhhhh! Panic Mode. I memorized some more lines today, but I really need to finish that soon. I am also going to go to rehearsal early on Tuesday to polish up some of my singing. I really wish that singing was more of a strength for me. Don't get me wrong, I can do it, but sometimes jitters can get the best of me. I just don't sound as well on stage as I do in my own house. I feel more at ease I guess. Perhaps I am just trying to belt to much on the stage. I assume I am going to have a microphone. Who knows! Really just ignore this paragraph. It is just my ranting. Wes says that I sound great, but don't you think he may be biased? Honestly, I feel most at ease acting. I really enjoy it. Oh, I bet you are all reading this and thinking "Oh great I don't want to come see the show if she can't sing". Now, that isn't what I am saying. What am I saying? Really, come see the show! I can sing! I promise :)

Well I'll be posting more soon! I'll have lots of pictures of Lydia's Birthday party.