Effective Immediately: Unless you have a doctor’s note, there will be NO MORE EXCUSED ABSENCES from WOOZ practice.
- I will still consider “extreme circumstances” but they must be PRE-ARRANGED. (Pre-arranged does NOT mean calling/texting me during practice.)
1 Miss = The child AND parent must contact me to “reapply” for entry
2 Misses = The child will be removed from the cast.
Note from the Director:
Please understand… I do not enjoy being the Wicked Witch of the West, but I have no choice. Monday night I had 25% of my cast missing. Tuesday night I had 37%. Maybe that doesn’t seem like a big deal to you, but let me tell you what I saw. Tuesday night I saw 21 kids (along with their parents) who had rearranged their schedules to be at practice. They were on the stage working hard and following directions…. and with all of that, there were still not enough people there to give me enough of the story for the audience to even know what was being done. Crew members who are there to sit in the back and listen and give evaluations on the performances so I can help the kids be better at their parts said to me after practice, “I’m sorry Renee, I was so confused with all the parts being gone, I couldn’t really follow what was happening.” This simply cannot continue. Do you know why? Of the 12 children missing last night, 11 were speaking parts!!!!!! Is it any wonder the story never came across?
So from this point forward, I have to be tough and demand that the cast be here as scheduled. Please follow the existing schedule as planned until I get final word from the schools on the days in August that surround the start of school. They are the only days that will change.
Trust me, I am not enjoying being mean, but if I don’t the performances will be utter chaos and that is not fair to the cast - they have worked hard all summer to make it great.
From the Director:
The schedule will be posted as soon as possible. I have to have approval
from the school and the folks who will do that have been out of town so I need
to allow them time to review it. The schedule will remain the same for
the next two week regardless. The only changes are for August.
Thanks for checking in and I will get back to you as soon as I know something.
Participation Fee:
We still have about 1/3 of the cast who has not paid their participation fee. It is $10. For this fee, the kids will get a 5×7 photo of the cast in costume, a WOOZ t-shirt and the use of a TRP costume. This fee is paid up-front so I can afford to purchase all of the costumes and fit them prior to the show. We must have this paid by Sunday, July 18th so that we know who intends to perform and who does not. If you are uncertain if you’ve paid or not, email me or check with the ladies at the table out front at Sunday’s practice for confirmation.
Crew Volunteer Assignments:
Assignments are being posted later today to Facebook and the TRP Website (www.tallahatchieriverplayers.com). Please note, some jobs like hair/makeup and costume mommies make work both nights prior to show, but you will be done early enough to join your family for the show of your choice. Backstage crew will be asked to work one night only so you can watch the show on the opposite night. You may email me directly (grreid31@gmail.com) for your assignment or you can pick it up Sunday afternoon (July 18th) during practice, 2-4 pm if you are unable to view the list in these places. It is very important we hear from you immediately to confirm your willingness to participate in producing our show.
Ticket Sales:
Tickets will go on sale this Sunday TO CONFIRMED CREW ONLY! If you work for me, you get the perk of getting first selection of seats. It’s the only tangible thank you I can afford, but I hope it will please all of my worker-bees!
In addition, I will allow all parents the chance to get tickets before general sales open. You may come during practice to purchase your tickets. Please see below for details:
Sale Dates:
Crew – 18th during practice 2-4 pm
Parents – 19th, 20th & 22nd during practice 5:30-7 pm
General Sales – 26th @ Main Street 8 am-5 pm M-F
Special Notes:
On special sale nights, you must have cash or check in hand. We can not reserve them for you.
On special sale nights, you can only buy 6 tickets per person. If you need additional tickets you may purchase them at the end of practice on the 22nd or during general sales. This allows us the chance to let each child’s family have seats close to the stage.
Special Purchase Items:
We will have several things connected to the show that you may purchase if you wish. These items are PRE-ORDER only so make your plans to order between now and the show time. Volunteers will be on hand during next week’s ticket sales dates to assist you.
DVD:
We have asked a local videographer to come in and tape our performances for us. He will be producing a DVD for you to purchase. The cost is $15 per DVD and must be paid for in advance. You may order DVDs as late as the night of performances.
T-Shirts:
If you would like a WOOZ t-shirt that contains the poster art design, you may order one for members of your family. Orders are due by August 2nd. The cost is $12 per shirt and must be paid for in advance.
Photographs:
We will have a professional photographer who will take photos on August 8 prior to our first dress rehearsal. Each child will received a 5×7 of the full cast photo as part of their participation fee. However, individual and group packages will be available for purchase. Package price sheets will be available for pick up during our special ticket sales nights so you can make plans.
Practice Calendar:
A revised practice calendar will be posted to Facebook and the website by Sunday, July 18th. Please download and print it for your convenience. All practices and performances will be at the high school. We are still finalizing arrangements on the school day performances. I will let you know those details as soon as I have them.
Dear Parents -
Due to some changes in the availability of the Cine Stage, we will be moving our practices for the months of July and August. The New Albany High School, along with Principal Evans, have worked hard to help meet our needs. Most of the practices will take place at the New Albany High School Auditorium. We may have to occasionally meet at the Women’s building at the fair grounds as well. We plan to meet according to schedule as much as possible.
I strongly encourage you to check the TRP Facebook Page or the website (www.tallahatchieriverplayers.com) each Monday for confirmed practice schedules for the week.
In addition, since we will not longer be “playing in our own house” I will require more assistance during practices. I will need more parents to remain during practice sessions. I will need at least one parent for each side of stage and one for the seating area to help supervise the children. As the groups grow larger on half-Act rehersal days, I will need more adults on hand then as well. I feel VERY STRONGLY, that we MUST take care of this building as it does not belong to us and the school has gone out of their way to allow us more practice time than is typically granted a production group with a regular venue rental.
I apologize immensely for the inconvienience. This change was something that could neither be anticipated or avoided. I greatly appreciate your understanding and patience with us during this transistion. The TRP Board Members have been very involved in this change and have taken great measures to make sure this change causes as little disruption to the production as possible.
On a positive note, the practices have been going great! The children are very excited and have picked up blocking and staging much quicker than I anticipated. We are very excited about continuing to move through the play to add characterization and “zing” to the whole thing. It is a humbling experiene to be around all of these children daily and realize that it is not just one or two kids with talent, but 116!!! There are many great things that can be said for our area, but one I see more clearly than before, is that our children have a wonderfully bright future and we are blessed to be able to witness their intellectual and creative development. I personally can not wait for you to see the production. Our large cast has afforded us the opportunity to bring you glimpses of pantomiming, modern dance, classic ballet, and gymnastics on stage with traditional acting. This is not your typical children’s production and it will do our area proud!
Tickets will go on sale very soon! Be watching for notification of our special Parents Purchase night where you will be able to come and buy your tickets before they go on sale to the public. Keep in mind, the crew gets to buy their tickets first so VOLUNTEER now for a chance at the best seats in the house!
As always, if you have questions, please feel free to call, text, email or facebook me. I will get with you as soon as I possibly can.
Thanks!
Renee Reid, WOOZ Director
662-538-8317 Cell
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TUESDAY, JULY 6th PRACTICE:
NA High School
5—SC2 & Fire
5:30—ALL Act 1, Scns 1&2 Cast
6—ALL Act 1, Scns 1-4 Cast
Pickup @ 7 pm
Announcing Auditions for TRP’s production of “The Monster Monologues” an original play written by Mississippi theatre The Fondren Group. First time ever to be performed in North MS. Production dates are Oct. 28-30. A funny, quirky humored play about the trials and horrors of being a monster in Hollywood, but all centered around a fallen comrade, ‘The Fly’. Lots of fun parts to play, some classic, some modernized. Minimal sets, but awesome costumes and make up! Minimal practice times since half of it is monologues, you can learn that on your own with individual practices with the director. Then about four weeks before the show we will bring everyone together to block and practice the second act.
All parts are for adults although we are cleaning up the language to allow for a younger audience. If you are interested let me know. Since I don’t like cold read auditions, I will be releasing portions of the script to see what you can do with it. Memorizing not required for auditions, although it might help. See list of Characters below…..Let me know the part or parts you want to audition for and I will send you the script selection and a characterization of the part. Some of this will be played up with ’50s camp style others just in a humorous fashion. It’s going to be a lot of fun and I’m really looking forward to it! Spread the word!
AUDITION DATES: JULY 10th - 12 to 2pm and JULY 11th - 2 to 4pm and JULY 12th - 6:30 to 7:30. Where: Magnolia Room of the Civic Center.
The Blob (several people, possibly older children as the body, but with one main Adult voiced part)
The Mummy (female, male, fat, skinny, doesn’t matter, forgetful)
Dracula (classic, suave)
Witch (the caterer, disgruntled and taken advantage of)
Zombie (think 70s lounge lizard, SNL’s Wild and Crazy Guys!)
Invisible Man (Partly the star of the show even if we don’t see him half the time!)
Bride of Frankenstein (a bit of a tart)
The 50’ Woman (this one will have interesting special effects involved)
Frankenstein’s Monster (partly the funeral home director. lol.)
The Wolfman (think male gigolo)
The Creature from the Black Lagoon
Jekyll & Hyde (do you have a dual personality you’ve been dying to show off?)
Igor (loyal friend of the Fly, misunderstood, not really a monster, but ended up on the list somehow)
The Ghouls *Note: The director added “Ghouls” as the crew, but in full costume.
Check out the Theatre Camp Page for pictures from our first week of camp!
http://tallahatchieriverplayers.com/?page_id=731
Good Day Cast & Parents!
I hope your week is off to a great start! I know mine is. Thanks to the diligent work of my Assistant Director, Christy Grant, I now have all of you in my database and can contact you easily! And since the MCT2 tests are over and school is winding down, its time to get our journey to Oz under way.
We will have a cast and parents meeting this Thursday, May 20, 2010. It will be at 7:30 p.m. and will be at the Cine Theater in downtown New Albany. (I know - I know, there are a ton of things going on and I have TRIED my best to schedule around as many of them as I can. If you can not be there at 7:30, come on a little later or earlier and I will be happy to meet you there.)
Here is what we will do:
1. Practice schedules for the entire summer will be distributed
2. Each child will be measured so we can start making costumes for them
3. Scripts will be distributed to speaking cast members
4. 7:45 pm - Director will speak about the program and process
5. Small group meetings with all of the cast members (by character groups to briefly describe what they will be doing in the play)
6. Parent Volunteer Sign-Ups
This will be an exciting night! We will have some scenery and costumes on-hand so you can see the caliber of performance we intend to produce. It is my prayer that the children will pick up on the crew’s enthusiasm and will be prepared to start practices very soon.
Again, it is my privilege to work with your children and I am excited your family has decided to join me, my crew and TRP as we journey the yellow brick road this summer.
Until Thursday!
Renee Reid - WOOZ Director
538-8317 Cell
NOTE TO PARENTS: You might not want to bother the kids at school with this info and wait until school is out. Let it be released to the kids so they all find out at the same time instead of one finding out during the day and the others having to wait.
If you have trouble downloading these pages please email us at tallahatchieriverplayers@gmail.com and we will forward them to you.
Thanks
TRP
Hi! We’ve had a lot of interest in our Summer Theatre Camp so far and we are very excited to finally announce the dates.
1st thru 6th grade - June 14-18
7th thru 12th grade - June 21-25
Only 25 students will be accepted for each week. And the cost is $20 per student plus there will be a small list of items the students will need to bring with them to help with costumes and props. This covers the cost of the camp and a t-shirt for each student. The camp runs from 8:30 to 12:30 with a light snack served around 10am.
Each Friday night (18th and 25th) students’ family and friends are invited to attend a mini production for the students to show off what they’ve been working on. There may be a small fee for this to cover expenses, although that will be announced later.
Fill out the registration form and email it back, bring it to the May 4th meeting or mail it to Barbara Wise, c/o TRP, 1950 Hwy 346, Pontotoc, MS 38863. The registration fee is due by the first day of camp.
Students will learn about all aspects of theatre including, acting, auditioning, tech, props, costuming, set construction, dance, etc.
Thanks for all your interest!
Barbara
TRP, Sec.
TRP’s Auditions for the Children’s Production of The Wizard of Oz
Sunday, May 2, 2010 at 2-4 p.m. &
Monday, May 3, 2010 at 6-8 p.m.
Union County Fairgrounds: Women’s Building
Eligible Candidates: Children who are currently in Kindergarten – 5th Grade
Rehearsal Dates: Monday, Tuesday & Thursday summer days/evenings as pre-scheduled
Performance Dates: August 13-14, 2010; (Possible school day performances - TBA.)
Here’s What You Need To Know
- Be prepared to memorize a few lines on-site to perform (They will be short & easy).
- You must be prepared to have a photo taken, fill out forms and follow directions.
- Since this show has several non-speaking, but active parts, please be prepared to dance, turn flips and jump during auditions.
- Please dress appropriate to be active. Sandals, skirts or dress clothing are discouraged.
- Parents will not be allowed to watch the audition process. However, parents MUST remain on the premises during the audition time. The children will be free to leave once they have been called back to perform.
Remember, the key to a great audition is being relaxed and have fun!
After the Audition
If necessary, you will be notified by phone or by e-mail for a “call back.” If you are, you will be given a day and time to come back to the theatre. You will read scenes from the script along with others. If you are not called back, do not be discouraged. It is important that we carefully match individual actors with scripted characters that have specific qualities envisioned by the playwright. Call backs will only be used if we need additional consideration for characters.
If You Are Cast
You will be expected to attend all scheduled rehearsals. Rehearsals are typically scheduled on Tuesday and Thursdays either during the summer days or evenings for approximately 2 hours, and every day beginning the two weeks prior to the show opening.
For more information about the audition process, expected parental volunteer hours, costumes, time commitment, rehearsal hours, etc., visit www.tallahatchieriverplayers.com or contact the director, Renee Reid at grreid31@gmail.com or 662-538-8317.
More pictures here… http://tallahatchieriverplayers.com/?page_id=789
TRP Presents “And the Tide Shall Cover the Earth”
By Norma Cole. An unforgettably warm and true story of a remarkable Grandmother and her grand daughter, confronted by inexorable nature and change. We are in the world of the lakes and dams of the Tennessee Valley Authority. The setting is 1948 in Kentucky. The hydroelectric dam at Wolf Creek is finished and closed, and heavy rains lift the levels of the new lake. Soon water will cover the lands and farms long-since purchased, and people must move to new towns. Only Granny, determined to keep her promise to her man in the graveyard - - and her grand daughter, Geneva, just as certain they will leave - - are locked in a contest of “the stubborns’. Geneva gradually prevails. But Granny, in turn, brings forth her hidden treasures in blue jars, and both find a way to go forward with the changes of their lives. “A new American classic’ observed the 1994 Southeastern Community Theatre Festival in awarding Norma Cole’s play it’s “Best Play Award”.
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The play is set in the late 1940’s in the hills and hollows of Kentucky…think about Coal Miners Daughter…there are roles for 2 women…ages 35 - 70, 2 men ages 25 to 55, 3 girls ages 10 - 18, 1 boy ages 10 - 13. The main Characters are Geneva Haw age appx. 15, her Grandmother, Augusta Haw age 65-75, Dade Haw, Geneva’s father age 35-50; Mattie, Dade’s wife age appx. 35-50.
Auditions are set for: Sunday Dec. 27: 2:00 PM & Monday Dec. 28 6:30 PM…at the Cine.
Production dates: Feb. 25, 26 & 27 - 4 shows total
https://mta-online.org/calendarvt/main.php?calendarid=trp
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