Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Sweeney Toad...



Attend the tale of Sweeney Toad...
His skin was pale and his eye was cold...
He hopped on the faces of gentlemen, who never there after hopped again...
He hopped a path that few have hopped, Did Sweeney Toad.
The Demon Toad of Fleet Stream...



Proof that I have to much time on my hands during rehearsal...
-Nick

Between rehearsal and "Big River"

Okie, so I know I'm a tad late with this, but just in case some of you check the blog more often than you check your e-mail:

Is anyone staying at the Arvada Center tomorrow between rehearsal and the showing of "Big River"? If enough people were staying we could order a pizza from Old Chicago and just hang out there and eat. Please let me know ASAP if you can, so I don't end up ordering a pizza by myself

e-mail: vbgirl22jr@yahoo.com or
Call 720.937.6550 or text 214.727.8833
Thanks =]

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

MOAR PEEEKTURES (lol)

A bunch of pictures from rehearsal today and yesterday, some taken by Celina, some by me.
Creepy people at the piano, lol
Creepy man hiding in the curtains... lol

Awesome picture of Erik creepily lurking


Selling pies


Mrs. Lovett's meat pies... ("One of them pies that gives the stomach cramps to 'alf the neighborhood?" Apparently not.)


Ta da!


It's the girl(s) from the Ring!


Must stay hydrated for play camp!

Singing, singing, singing...

Our leads


Celina grows a mustache


The man who makes us sound good



Singing...


Stephanie, Kira, and a very demonic looking Jen sitting in (and imitating) Zane

How Doug is Special to me.

Hello everyone. I want you to know that I care for Doug very much and I am hoping he will pull through. You may not know this, but I used to be very shy with very low self-esteem (I still do a little). Doug helped me realize that I am worth something. He helped me realize that I am a good actor and a good singer. In fact, Keith and Lily have been telling me that my singing has improved dramatically. He helped me realize that I am capable of doing anything if I try. Doug is also a cheerleader for all of us. He never fails to encourage us in all of our endeavors. Without Doug, I would still be shy and have no confidence in myself.

These are the reasons that Doug is special to me. I really miss him, as do we all.

'Ello all!

This is Mark Hashman, and as this is my first post on the blog, there are a few things I would like to say.

1: "Nitro" is what I will be using as a nickname. REMEMBER IT!
2: Jeff, Carrie and Keith are doing great and the show is coming together nicely.
3: Planet Woooo, Sara's private la-la land, is temporarily closed. No entry permitted.
4: Planet Loco, Woooo's sister planet, has swung into Earth's orbit, and its gravitational field has been collecting certain cast members and making them lose focus *cough-T-cough-J-cough-cough*.
4.5: I really must do something about this nasty cough.
5: Doug is greatly missed by all, and we hope he gets well soon.

On a sentimental note:

Doug, we all miss you greatly, and although my sister told me not to mention the subject of D-E-A-T-H, I have to say this: You have always pushed me to do my best in the theatre, and even when I sucked at singing, you gave me a chance. You believed in me during HSM; now it's my turn to believe in you. In the aftermath of this last hailstorm, I saw many massive trees lying on their sides, never to blossom again. If you can outlast an eighty-foot-tall blue spruce or a fifty-foot tree with a base larger than a car, I know you can pull through this disease. You were never one to give up in the face of adversity. I have never done a show in memory of the director, and I am NOT going to start now. So pull through, Doug. For us.

And besides, you still haven't picked Sara as your favorite yet.

--Mark

Monday, July 20, 2009

Can you feel the terror!!!!

Horror Movie Morning In The Black Box

So, today, as per usual, Khea and Erik and I were the first three people to arrive for rehearsals. We decided that we would go put our stuff in the Black Box. When we opened the door it was pitch black inside but for the street-lamp style light on the stage. Those of you who have seen the Black Box in the dark know that the light on the stage does not cast light very far, but only in a circle around it, while the majority of the theater remains so dark you can't see your hand in front of your face. We were laughing and joking about the school Khea and I went to together and how the hallways on the lower level were extremely creepy in the dark. I love being down there at night but Khea reminded me that a senior had startled her down there once, so she didn't like it.
I laughed and said, "Well, you know the seniors and their ghost stories." (For our school is reportedly haunted.)
And at that second a whirring noise came from backstage.
We looked at eachother in silence for a moment and then I said, "Um, let's go..." We stumbled to the door in the near total darkness, Erik reaching it first, then Khea, then myself. As Erik ran his hands over the surface of the door he exclaimed, "There's no door knobs on this side of the door!"
"What?!" Khea and I exclaimed as Erik attempted to pull the doors open.

Then a thought struck me.
"Is it a push door?"
Sure enough, with a slight push, the door opened. "Oh, thank god," Erik said.

Needless to say we all had a good laugh over that one. It was something like a horror movie, minus the chainsaw sounds which Erik later decided to provide himself.

Fun times at play camp.

~Cassandra

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Thanks...

Hi.

I wanted to let everyone know that i have never been so happy in my life. I was so nervous to start camp. Actually more nervous than the auditions. haha. And when I got there (at the Arvada Center) I felt so welcomed and felt happy. And everyone was so nice and happy to be there so it made me happy to be there. When I got home I couldn't stop talking about the first day of rehearsal. I just wanted to thank you guys for such a wonderful week.

~Khea

How I Spend My Weekends During Play Camp Season

Hey everyone, it's Cassandra.

Just thought I'd tell a story.
On Friday afternoon, I called Khea to talk about the camp, because I'm always just so happy during play camp time, and I wanted to talk about the show and the day and everything. So she asked me, "What are you doing this weekend?" And I thought about that for a second, and I said, "I don't know. There's no play camp, and I don't know what to do with myself." It was a funny realization. Play camp becomes pretty much my life during this time of the year. Khea agreed, saying she had no idea what she would do this weekend either. So here we are at my house, about to do some rehearsing for the show because that's all we can think about!


Three cheers for play camp!
Huzzah!
Huzzah!
Huzzah!


~Cassandra

Amazing First Week of Sweeney!!

Hey Guys! It's your friend Stephanie!!

So I'm new to this, so I'm not sure what exactly to do so here goes nothing!


As we know, I did this show at Pomona High School, and I was really nervous that I might have been wasting money by doing it again. I was afraid that no one would like me, that we would all make little clicks, like our high school production all over again, and honestly, I was expecting the worst of it.

Well, I was wrong. Already, I've made more friends than I thought possible, we've learned some of the hardest songs that I've ever sung, and we've come together as a family. I have no sour feelings towards anyone in this cast, and I'm really having a blast. I love how we all support each other, and instead of putting each other down, we try to help one another. I've only known you guys for a week, and I love every single one of you. I can't wait for rehearsal tomorrow, and seeing all of my new friends again.


Thanks for an amazing first week everyone!!

It only goes uphill from here :)

~Steph

Friday, July 17, 2009

Wisdom and Power and Steve Todd, the sort-of-angry Barber of Freet Street.

Hey guys,
I was talking with Cory at a break in rehearsals today and I kept trying to remember this famous quote by the well known Chinese philosopher, Lau Tzu.
I couldn't remember the exact wording this afternoon, but it came to me later tonight. I thought you might also like to share in it.

Also, a cool story below that. Have a great weekend!
-Jeff

"Knowing others is Intelligence, Knowing yourself is WISDOM.

Mastery over others is Strength, Mastery over yourself is POWER.

If you can stand in the circle and face adversity with love, laughter and compassion, you will endure forever." -Lau Tzu



Everyone has strength and weakness. Just when you are thinking that something may be your weakness, think twice. Sometimes your weakness may turn out to be your greatest strength.

The story of one 10 year old boy who decided to study Judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident.

The boy began his lessons with an old Japanese Judo Master. As the boy was doing well in his lessons, he could not understand why after three months of training and his master had taught him only one move.

"Sensei," the boy finally asked. "Shouldn't I be learning more moves?"

"This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you'll ever need to know." the sensei replied.

Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher , the boy kept training.

Several months later, the sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy deftly used his one move to win the match. Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals.

This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to be over matched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a time-out. He was about to stop the match when the sensei intervened.

"No." the sensei insisted. "Let him continue."

Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him down. The boy had won the match and the tournament. He was the champion.

On the way home, the boy and sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind.

"Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?"

"You won for two reasons," the sensei answered. "First, you've almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of Judo. And second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grip your left arm."

The boy's biggest weakness had become his biggest strength.

-Anonymous


The First Week as a Newbie!!!

Coming in on such a tight knit group of people is something that I find very intimidating, so on day 1 of rehearsals, I felt like a total wierdo, one-eyed alien walking in, and not being very familiar with a lot of people in the room freaked me out!!

But I can honestly say that this is one of the most warm and inviting casts I've ever worked with. I've learned some interesting things about people (for example if you ever need CPR, Nick can do it because he is a lifeguard) and some things that made me cringe and think TMI (those things I won't say here...). But everyone is totally rad, and I'm super stoked to continue to create this show with everyone in this crazy talented cast!!

Now, I'm no future predicter, but I have this gut feeling that this show is gonna rock the roof off the Arvada Center.

Rock on, Sweensters*.


*Sweensters means Sweeney cast members.
It's a new word, and yes I invented it. Be jealous, very jealous.

Videos: The Jump!, The SuperHero, This Is What You Look Like When You Sing





(The Jump)




(The Superhero)

(This Is What You Look Like When You Sing (Courtesy Of Haleigh's Filming Skill))


"This is an extremely auspicious moment. As of this moment, we have learned all of the company tunes. And we did it in one week!"


Keep up the hard work, everyone! Continue to review and sing all of your songs over the weekend!
~Cassandra

WeEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeee First post!!!!!!!!

Yay!!!!! and Cassie i didn't have to have a g-mail account... :)

Rehearsal Photos (7/17)

Some pictures from today's rehearsal:

(Table A's Glamour Shot)

(Everyone looks kind of creepy...)

(The hat takes much concentration)


(T.J.'s glamour shot)



(Listening intently *coughnotcough*)




(The Dancing Mrs. Lovett)
~Cassandra

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Grand Opening of the Blog!

Welcome, Sweeney Cast and Crew, and our guest of honor, Doug!

I am pleased to officially open "Doug's Theater '09" Blog! All cast and directors have been given permission through e-mails to post on this blog, so start putting up pictures and videos and writings and everything!

To demonstrate, this is how pictures and videos will appear:


(Doug, you taught Erik well! The second he saw the broom handle, he remembered last year's posture excercises.)



(This is just a quick video from the beginning of rehearsals one day.)

So, get on it, folks! Start posting!

~Cassandra