rehearsal Day 8

We worked on the singing at the beginning of rehearsal and then Rita Carver brought some of our puppets to work with and showed us how to handle them. It was very exciting! The Eagle and the Osprey look great soaring through the theater.

We then ran the first four numbers of the show. We continue and the show goes on.

Photo- Some actors try out the new Eagle puppet.

Rehearsal Day 7

We are getting closer to getting all of the songs "on their feet".

We worked today on staging the opening of the show and then on the "Ice" number.

Everyone has so much to do and remember on top of singing loud and strong!

It gets tiring but all of the hard work will pay off.

                                      

Rehearsal Day 6

We had a great day working with Regina our choreographer today.

The end of our first week and we have a great start on five of the songs and some of the text.

By the end of next week we will have the whole show blocked!

Also today some of our actors went to Clermont to make an appearance with Hudson Talbott who was doing a book signing of his book River of Dreams. They sang some of the songs from the show in between selected readings by Hudson. It was great fun and a good commercial for our show!

Rehearsal Day 5

We continued to stage more of the songs today since we get to work on the set.

We worked on "Ellis Island Story" which is a beautiful song about the immigrants who came in through Ellis Island and their hopes and dreams.

                       Author Hudson Talbott visits rehearsal.

Rehearsal Day 3

We started to stage some of the songs today even though we didn't have the set yet.

We worked on "The Old Dutch Sloop" which is about the sailboats that went up and down the river and helped get from one side of the river to the other. The song is also about Robert Fulton's steamboat and how it changed the way the ships went up and 

down the river even faster and, as the song says' "The Dutch Sloop died".

Producer Casey Biggs conducting the singers

Director David Little staging "The Old Dutch Sloop"

Rehearsal Day 2

The second day of rehearsal found us reviewing the songs we've worked on and learning the remaining ones. There are 12 in all. It was exciting to start putting in the harmonies. We will continue this way for one more day and then we gat the set and will start blocking and staging the show.

FIRST REHEARSAL

We have begun the official rehearsal process!

We have moved into the large theater in Catskill High School. It is a 700 seat theater and we look forward to filling the seats.

We began the rehearsal by signing in and receiving the scripts and then a vocal warmup with David the director. We then reviewed the songs we learned in the workshops and moved on to some new ones. The set was explained to us and we did a few theater games that reminded us of what "upstage and downstage" is.

The rehearsals will be everyday but one day a week until we open the show on May 15th.

Director David Little working on a song 

with a new cast member from Catskill High.

The Reason

The Reason we do what we do.

The workshops

Working on being a "sick river".

Frank Cuthbert, our composer, playing the cast the songs he wrote for River of Dreams.

Wrapping Up

Learning the songs!

                                                                     Our Journals
We are coming up on our last few workshops. We have been very busy during our weekly meetings. Investigating the book by doing improvisations, learning the songs that will be in the show, and writing in our journals. We've had between fifty and ninety students join us consistently every workshop and everyone is looking forward to the actual rehearsals beginning April 20th!