Late July Update

The above photograph by Julia is from our Sunday dress rehearsal in Bradford which accomplished almost all of the aspects of production I needed to know in order to have a smooth-running piece. The only thing missing was a larger audience. In each run, we averaged ten, which was wonderful but I couldn’t test out what it was like logistically with the full compliment of thirty. That will happen in the Washington dress rehearsal runs, August 9th.

The ensemble is nimble, skilled and can problem-solve in the moment. I treasure working with them. One example: I brought the wrong costume for one of the dancers which wasn’t discovered until they were changing in the woods. They shared parts and pieces so that the scene could go forward. After each of the two runs, we talked through aspects that were bumpy and made group decisions that were successful. 

You, the audience, are the other half, a vital partner of performance work. Those of you who gathered for Sunday’s two dress rehearsals gave us lovely responses, either shared in person as we walked up the road, and/or by writing in the exquisite Audience Response Books made by Marcy Kass, Leslie Anderson, Linda Provost and Erin Hanley. 

Earlier this month, I went to The Media Factory for an interview with Gin Ferrara. They have been my media partner for thirty years. What they offer to the community is invaluable. Here is the link to the conversation which will air on their channel, August 3 at 8pm. 

We have just completed a page on the website with the evocative film of Jude Domski’s made from footage taken last September, a group of photographs from the same time period taken by Julia, and the portrait gallery of the ensemble taken by Emily Boedecker.

Seven Days’ article by Amy Lilly will be in next week’s paper and Marion Umpleby from the Valley News will publish an article. Both women were at the dress rehearsal in Bradford and have had extensive conversations with me and a few of the ensemble. I will send a link next newsletter to the articles.

If you haven’t gotten your ticket yet, I encourage you to go to the ticket section of the website. Already, most of the shows in Washington have sold out.

For 35 years I lived in Burlington and had hardly any relationship to the rest of the state. Bradford, for all I knew, was almost in Maine. But it turns out, Bradford is 59 miles and takes 1hr and 30 minutes from Chittenden Co, an easy ride and basically the same amount of driving time as to the Washington site. It is a beautiful forest. And after the show, you can go to the famous Farmway and shop for winter boots!

For ticket holders, please go to this page to know what to expect and what to bring. 

I will end with this photograph of the costumes, airing out, swaying in the breeze after two hot runs on Sunday.

Hannah