Showing posts with label Alix Jerenic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alix Jerenic. Show all posts

Sunday, October 5, 2008

October 5 - Berkeley Heroes Sandwich

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The days are full, and this one will eventually lead to the University of California at Davis, where last Monday I caught up with the prospect of Bette's disability (via cellphone in the redwoods) and reviewed the score of Aaron Copland's Music for the Theatre for orchestrational advice.



Today begins finding the old transposition (beginning down a third on Bb from the original D) of Antigone: XII. The Pride of Oedipus for Micah (who has now joined our rehearsals as of today, above). Also, a new shifting -- m3 south -- for XX. I've Had Them Laid, plus email all the midi files to William Loney for choreography.


And, yes, the Berkeley Chamber Arts rehearsal, with our assembled forces for Antigone, including Meghan Dibble (Eurydice / Nurse), Eliza O'Malley (Antigone), Kimberley Anderman (Ismene),


directed by Harriet March Page, with Erin Lahm (Guard), Adam Broner (Chairman), Michael Desnoyers (Haemon / Guard / Messenger), Micah Epps (Creon), Terrence Bennan (Puppetmaster), Lisa McHenry (Page), and Alix Jerenic (Handmaid). Re-arriving next week are Maria Mikheyenko (Guard), Dalyte Kodzis (Handmaid), and William Loney (Guard). Perhaps I'll jump in as Guard at some point, too -- among one of our largest casts!


And Keisuke Nakagoshi at the piano, of course. John Bilata's Quantum Mechanic goes well, too, with both composer and librettist in attendance and a burgeoning subtext romance for Mrs. Schrodinger and the Mechanic. John takes the San Francisco Composers Chamber Orchestra scores to Martha Stoddard after rehearsal, as she has agreed to conduct in my stead during this scheduling times of collisions with Opera Apocalypse performances.



Afterwards, another fine singer from San Francisco Conservatory auditions for us,


then Harriet's off to Melinda's while I head home, past the Claremont Hotel,


through the Caldecott Tunnel,



to the Orinda side,


aside the Shakespeare Festival Hills,



and eventually to Davis, again, to receive instrumentation advices from the Igor Stravinsky Threni (filling tank on way back [at the least expensive price in these times and places -- $4.46 / gal] by dark, derelict trucks),



for Amazing Joseph: VI. Why Don't You Do Something?, first page of which is orchestrated upon return.

Friday, September 12, 2008

September 12 - Vaseline? What the Hell For?



Another successful Mice and Men tonight (above with Wayne Wong [George], Maria Mikheyenko [Lennie], and Alix Jerenic [Candy]), with the biggest turnout yet -- the cast has developed a tradition before going into the house that involves standing in a circle, with outstretched arms to the center, shouting a favorite line. Tonight it was "Vaseline? What the hell for?"



[Suzanna Mizell (Curley's Wife), Alex Katsman (Piano), Wong, Mikheynko, Jerenic]

As in...

CANDY: You see that glove on Curley's left hand? Well that glove is full of vaseline.

GEORGE: Vaseline? What the hell for?



Slip-sliding our way through the evening (here's many of the cast in the Act II Prelude Worksong -- Erin Lahm [Slim/Whit), Megan Cullen [Boss/Carlson], Alix, Adam Broner [Crooks], Suzanna),



it's Megan Cullen's 25th birthday (above with Wayne and Maria), so there's cake and ice cream, along with the requisite champagne reception.



Earlier, finish orchestrating the twisted ragtimic Abraham and Isaac: II. The Separation (four final pages for a total of 21) and begin conceiving the orchestration of III. The Rescue.