A Brief History of the Show

THE CONCEPT

In 2009 I was fortunate enough to direct Dames At Sea at Guerin Catholic High School in Noblesville, Indiana. We had a week off between performances, and I was listening to some music my Dad left me. June Christy’s song Something Cool, which I had known for a while, really struck me. The lady in the song really told a story about herself. Then I listened to two more songs, these by Lola Albright: A Man, A Man, A Man, and Aren’t You Kinda’ Glad We Did?

Well, these songs told me about two more characters… those characters told their stories…those stories helped me choose more songs. And then the actresses appeared. More about them in a little bit.

So I sketched out a story which turned out to be dreadfully depressing and cautionary. So I immersed myself in 1950s radio shows to get a better feel for the time period, and then found a little twist in the plot that moved the show in a different direction.

THE ACTRESSES

Something Cool had to be Kelly Krauter. Kelly is an accomplished actress in the Carmel area. Astonishingly beautiful and equally talented, she had to sing this song, and play the role of Maggie. Kelly named her Maggie, by the way.

Aren’t You Kinda’ Glad We Did? had to be Ellie McCracken. Ellie makes you happy. Beautiful. Engaging. Uplifting. Curious. I didn’t know much about her talents (although I had known her the longest of the three girls) but I just guessed that there was something there. I was right. Ellie named her character Phoebe.

A Man, A Man, A Man could only be tackled by one actress I knew: Beautiful Lauren Elaine Bowers. Lauren, peculiarly talented, was one of the brave souls who took a chance on a first-time director (me) and starred in Dames At Sea. She was my Ruby. She is my muse. Lauren named her character after June Christy.

PERMISSION

At Christmastime I texted the girls to see if they might be interested in having dinner and hearing about an idea I had. On Saturday, January 9th, we had dinner in the Carnegie Room at The Library Restaurant, the four of us. I came with music, old LP albums, photos, video clips of Lola Albright in Peter Gunn, and video clips of Lauren in Dames, and Kelly in Little Women (I still had not heard Ellie sing a single note!). I also had several possible songs, and an outline. We ate and talked, and the girls were so very generous of their time and attention. I asked them to give me a yes or no in two weeks’ time, so that I could get started writing (or not). Ellie, bless her, said yes that night. Kelly said yes Monday.  Lauren, because she loves to see me get all nervous & anxious, made me wait until January 29th, closing night of a show she was in.

WRITING

This was a particularly fun/unnerving time. I promised the girls that I’d get them the script in March, so they could have a lot of time with it. This would mean that our rehearsal times could be short, as they were all seniors in high school at the time. I packed a few suitcases, and junk I never even took out of the car, drove to Oxford, Ohio, and started writing. Oxford, because my daughter is a student there, they have a nice bed and breakfast (Old Schoolhouse No. 5), and a library with my own private little corner (PN 56 – PN 1129). I went back 2 more times, did a little writing in Carmel, and then decided to have a readthrough with all the actors.

FIRST READTHROUGH

The other actors were 2 more Dames veterans. John McLean is a gifted young man (a year younger than everybody else) who is so very “directable”, but has dead-on instincts. Chris Wood (relation) reached his peak in Dames. His comedic flair and vulnerability were key to the role of Joey. Neither of these men got to name their characters. Sorry, but those names are dictated by the script. First readthrough: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, at DWA Healthcare Group, Carmel, Indiana. 6 of us, around a conference table, with notebooks, a CD player, Jimmy John’s sandwiches, Arizona Ice Teas, and Oreos.

THE MUSIC

Bernie Hirsch, a true genius, created from scratch all the music… replicating so much of the feel of those 1950s jazz tunes. Clara Duray signed on to help the girls with understanding the genre. Clara is gifted.

MUSIC REHEARSALS

We started little music rehearsals at Clara Duray’s house on April 26th, 2010. The girls gathered around Clara’s living room piano and got acquainted with the music, and more importantly the feeling of these great jazz works. Clara’s kids were always around keeping things light. Dominic would be upstairs playing videogames, or trying very hard to ignore these 3 stunning young ladies who had invaded his home. Sophia would hand me a jewel or a no-longer-needed bag of bracelet making supplies. I had to hold Bella down to three popsicles before dinner. Maria would come in, make a face and melt our hearts. While we didn’t know it at first, Clara and I came to realize that these little rehearsals (half hour to an hour a few times a week) were invaluable in the bringing together of these three girls. Sandwiches (“No tomatoes!” -Kelly), cookies that “taste like butt” (Ellie), and hot tea (“Thank you Mr. Wood, you’re so nice.” Still can’t get Lauren to call me Willie.) all helped the process.

DANCE REHEARSALS

May 24-27th, 2010

The Martins (Anne the mom, and Sarah & Megan the daughters) are also veterans of Dames with me.  Anne was one of the choreographers, Sarah was a magnificent Joan, and Megan was lead dancer and dance captain.  These ladies create such quirky, mind boggling, fun dances and moves.

REHEARSAL REHEARSALS

May 29th, 2010

We moved from our first space (Anchors Away: cozy and perfect) to our second space (2nd floor end of Deborah’s office building) today.  Much larger.  We can now leave our stuff up all the time.  Air conditioned.  DWA breakroom down the hall.  With the larger space, it seems a little easier to get distracted.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Jeannie brought some great costumes, and we spent the first hour mixing and matching.  Ellie looks adorable in every costume she puts on.  Colleen, SG, Sean & Valerie were there with good opinions.  We had a visitor, Mary Caltrider.  Pizza.  We are still dealing with some tardiness, but overall things have been ok. Poor John does a lot of sitting and waiting.  He’s probably thinking about his big kiss scene with Lauren.  (JK)  Lauren, as always, does everything, and then some, to please.  Kelly & Chris seem to having a little trouble focusing during their scenes together.  Scenes they were able to work through a week ago, they just look at each other and crack up.  Not sure about that.  We chose the paint color for the wall we are going to paint at my house for the cast photos.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

I walked in to see Ellie eating “the world’s best nachos.”  Deborah Wood & Maureen Bowers visited for a little while.  At our first break, Chris could be seen throwing popcorn into Kelly’s mouth, and making fun of the looks on her face.  We discussed adding “There’s A Small Hotel” to the show, as a duet between Lauren & John.  Risa Krauter visited for a bit, and was able to watch the first 15 pages.  Took 32 minutes (Thanks John!)  Awards: Best Line Knower – Kelly Krauter.  Funniest Actor Tonight – Ellie McCracken.  Chris announced Something Pool at the house, directly after the photo shoot tomorrow!  Got home last night… and the painted wall looks great.  Meet with Val tomorrow to see if it’s the right color.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Val & I set up the photo shoot.  I deciphered “There’s A Small Hotel”.  I think this might be a nice addition to the show.  But, do we have time to get it in?  At rehearsal I played it and Lauren & John liked it.  We’ll see what we can do tomorrow night.  Individual meetings went well.  After dance (the Martins) and costumes (Jeannie) and hair (Mallorie & Colleen), we all headed over to my house for the photo session (Val).  Went well.  Then upstairs for a Glee Watchers vs. Pizza/Taquito Eaters party.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Music with all the Durays.  The little kids each had to go to the bathroom at different times… about 5 minutes apart.  We learned the new song.  John and I stood outside talking about the show he is writing.  It sounds interesting & brave.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

11:00am.  Chris out of town.  John  at A.C.T. testing.  In the first 45 minutes we ran “We Belong Together” once.  Then they ate Panera.  At 12:30 we started running scenes. VERY strange rehearsal.  Kelly is really stepping up and doing some directing.  Ellie was actually pretty focused today.  Lauren, when asked what I could do better for rehearsals told me that she could do better.  This is Lauren.

Every Single Rehearsal

Kelly has a ceremony regarding the Flavia coffee machine in the breakroom.  She makes a cup, decides she wants a different kind, then pours the first one down the drain.  Happens every single rehearsal.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Kurt Krauter & John  Long put up the walls in 35 minutes.  That’s pretty fast.  Deborah, Miranda and my sister Julia came over and we brainstormed on some great ideas for the set.  Sat with Risa Krauter & Lorri Raffel and got some great staging ideas, as well as great ideas for set pieces.  Tomorrow we move in and start making it pretty!

Monday, June 14, 2010

The set: Walls up.  Bar up, blocked & skirted with wood paneling.  Wood paneling across the bottpm 4 feet of the wall.  Ceiling fan hung. (not working, though.)  Jukebox works.  Rehearsal?  Well, Chip & John  had some work to do on the set, so I sent the cast and Colleen up to Kona Grill to run the script a few times.  Then they came back and we got started.  Maureen texted with Tornado watch info.  Risa called with the same.  Siren went off.  Lauren screamed (really).  I opened the front door, and a car alarm was sounding.  They all started talking at once and SG finally said: “A car got thrown upside down???”  (We all thought Lauren SG was the level headed one!)  We went to the dressing room… Kelly insisted on pressing her little face against the windows, though.  More screaming from Lauren.  We rehearsed a little bit more.  I made them all call parents to make sure it was ok to drive home.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Patrick and I went prop shopping.  Lauren SG came in with some great props herself!  The Martins choreographed There’s A Small Hotel.  It’s great, and as usual much more than I expected!  3 cast members were late to rehearsal, so we had a little talk.  Colleen ran book.  Miranda painted.  Rehearsal ended up being swell!  Clara was here to help with music and acting notes.  During notes, Maria took a spill and got quite the boo-boo on her forehead!  Stayed after with Kelly & Chris to do the smooch in One For My Baby (One More For The Road).  Pretty awkward at first, but wow… this scene ended up sending chills up my spine.  These actors of mine are so very good.  Such good instincts.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

The show’s producer, Risa, and i went to The Phoenix Theatre and borrowed set decorations.  Cigarette machine!  Then we decorated the set.  Looks great!  Lauren SG did more prop shopping.  Ellie spent a few hours with Deborah learning the secrets of memorization!  Lauren had to leave early to go see Jersey Boys with her family.  We worked spots, with John playing utility!  The Krauter family showed up to give moral support.  Bernie came to figure out the “kissy pause” in One For My Baby, and Kelly sent her family away so we could practice!  Took SG’s notebook over to her house and had some of her first ever pancakes!  (tasty, if you must know)

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Planned a few things with our cast mother.  Picked up the Rangeline banner.  Finalized & ordered the t-shirts.  Colleen painted & then babysat the cast on script.  Mike Panasuk & Patrick Martin hung & focused lights while I tried to keep the kids on task.  Jeannie (with Frank) stopped by to organize costumes, and try some pieces on Kelly.  Looks great!  John wrote the curtain call encore.  It’ll be GREAT!

Friday, June 18, 2010

Had to rehearse Ellie & Chris at 3:00. (Toy Story Opening Night – Ellie could not get out of it.)  Had to rehearse Chris & Kelly at 5:30 (Lauren couldn’t make it until 7:30 – Hanover college orientation.)  We re-worked the One For My Baby scene, including the kiss.  This version gives Kelly to be more aggressive, and lets her stalk Chris.  We went over the curtain call that John  wrote.  We choreograph it tomorrow.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

The Kings Girls visited, Chyrise & Sam had great comments.  Thankfully Syd kept quiet.  (Sam actually cast Chris in his first feature role: as the actor playing The Fairy Godmother in Final Dress Rehearsal.)  Rehearsal was goofy.  Ran almost through it, and got to 62 minutes.  My guess is that we have about 15 more minutes.  The curtain call is cute as Sarah & Megan did their magic.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Gary came in and put up the chair rail & crown molding.  I think this bar could do very nicely!  More work on the set.  The old cigarette advertisement posters really make the place look a little more authentic!  12 hours, and it seems like there is still so much to do!

Monday, June 21, 2010

10:00am – all but Kelly. Ran Small Hotel, We Belong Together, and the 5 page scene.

5:00pm – dinner by Risa.  Tacos.  Hair & Makeup by Mallorie, Colleen & Chyrise.  Lights by Mike & Patrick.  Sound by Charlie D.  Ceiling fan put up by Charlie H.  Drapes by Kurt.  SG with the magazines & newspapers.  The place was abuzz.  Then we got on stage.  Well, I guess I’m embarrassed to say that I was surprised at how good these actors were.  We’re all pretty tired.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Miranda spent the day cleaning up the set.

5:00pm – dinner by Chip.  Chicken Parmesan.  Show ran well.  5 people in the audience.  Lots of laughs.  Good thing the cast is hearing this now… don’t want to have it throw them on opening!  Worked a little on Kelly in The Man That Got Away. She is inspiring. Talked to Ellie about costume.  Gelato da Vinci for the cast during notes.  I am gonna miss this cast.  What’s next?  I hate to think of them leaving, but they have to.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

The first runthrough of the show was dreadful.  No energy.  Big pauses.  My fault.  They are thinking on stage.  Well, thinking on stage is okay, but usually it is good when you think on stage when they other actor is talking!  We talked.  We went through notes.  We worked some things.  They got into civvies.  We ran it again… and it was wonderful!  Call tomorrow is at 5:30.  Guests show at 7:00pm.  Invited crowd.  Miranda, Colleen & SG are sent from heaven.  Patrick is a real trooper.  Chyrise, Mallorie, Megan… thank you.  Tomorrow we let this chick fly.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Word on the street is that The Indianapolis Star ran a nice article.  Got another wireless microphone, because Ellie’s was giving us fits last night.  1:00 at CCP… I know, too early.  But I can’t help it.

Opening Night: 93 guests.  Lots of great energy.  The cast was magnificent.  Couldn’t have been better!

Friday, June 25, 2010

OK matinee.  Kids were great… audience was a bit down.  Then we took scene shots.  It actually took longer to take the individual shots than if we had just run the show!  Abuelos for lunch.  Got back to the theatre and they all decided to take a nap in the green room.  Lauren calls it a “cast nap”.

Evening show was stellar, except that I had forgotten to turn on Lauren’s microphone.  I passed a big note to Chris under the bar door for him to tell Lauren to project.  He wasn’t able to get to her.  Then later I put a few batteries in my pocket, grabbed a flashlight, and during Something Cool I passed him a note to get her off stage.  I was either going to turn on her microphone, or replace the batteries (at this point I didn’t know which problem there was).  He walked over to her, and the only words she heard were “back door”.  She sat there confused.  So, when she went out for a drive with Peter, Colleen & Miranda descended on Lauren, turned on the microphone, tore her dress, and we were in business!  Lots of laughs in this performance!

Saturday, June 26, 2010

2 really good shows.  Lauren had no issues with her microphone!  The McCracken clan was there for the evening show.  This is the first time that they had ever seen her on stage.  John listened to and was inspired by Sammy’s version of Small Hotel and really did a fine job.  I goofed on the show t-shirt.  It shows Jeannie SanGiorgio as one of the assistant directors… not Lauren.  Need to print some more.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Last show was simply their best.  This cast kept working and working.  Lauren’s “Yes!” was magical!  Strike was so hectic!  All hands were on deck.  We started at about 4:00 and finished at 6:30.  Cast party at our house.  The house was overrun by Krauters!  The cast presented me with a very nice, thoughtful framed memorabelia piece!  Colleen put together all the cast & crew gifts.  Cast gifts were shadow boxes with items inside.  After the show, during strike, Lauren demanded to know where her knitting was (we used it in Peter’s suitcase) and Chris was fretting about his bow tie.  Well, it was Colleen’s job to get these items right after the show.  When Chris opened his shadow box and saw his bow tie, he wondered when she got it from him.  “Chris, you were there talking to someone and I just walked behind you and took it right from around your neck!”  Following is what I said to the cast members when I presented them with their presents:

I will start with the youngest

JOHN

John has been my biggest cheerleader in the cast.  John was always there to cheer me up, and confirm that what I was doing was worthwhile.  At the same time, John was solid, but more than that.  John was directable.  Once we started rehearsals, I never had a cross moment with John.  John is a directors’ dream: workable, humble, enthusiastic.  He was a better Lucky than I was, and will always be this show’s 1st Poker… PETER!

KELLY

What can I say about Kelly that other directors have not said already.  Talented?  Graceful?  “Remarkable”?  That’s all old.  No, in Kelly I have someone who makes me want to be a better director.  That’s what Kelly is.  Instead of me inspiring Kelly… she has been an inspiration to me.  When Kelly was in the room, and not down the hall making coffee, I was trying to be a better writer and director.  Kelly makes everything better.  Now… let’s see what she can do for my son.

CHRIS

Watching your child grow can is a rewarding thing.  Sam King saw something in him, and cast him twice in pretty big roles.  As the actor playing the fairy godmother in Final Dress Rehearsal, and as The Man in 2112.  Still, I did not have a part for him in Dames At Sea, but he won the role, and created one of the more memorable roles ever at Guerin Catholic.  Then came Joey.  Thanks, Chris, so much for wanting to work with me… and for the support you have given me. And Ellie… aren’t you glad I didn’t cast you as Maggie?

ELLIE

Ellie is my little friend.  From the days she used to walk here, to Chris’ 1st prom date… Ellie has had a special place in my heart.  Casting Ellie was a risk.  Untested, sure, but knowing her you just knew there was something special there.  Ellie is that amazing person who can take the funny that she is in real life, and put that same funny right on stage.  Ellie got laughs where there were none written.  I happen to know that this was a particularly hard thing for Ellie to do… and that she even considered giving it up.  Can you imagine this show without her?  A little story.  Opening night, someone who is extremely involved in the theatre, and has been for many years, was the first person I saw after the show.  She walked up to me and the only actor she mentioned was Ellie… and how wonderful a performance she put in.  Ellie, after this you can do anything.  Anything.  Except maybe go 10 minutes without telling an annoying story.

LAUREN

Lauren has inspired me in so many ways this last year.  without her, there would have been no Dames At Sea.  Lauren was my Ruby.  Lauren is my muse.  As you know, I fled the closing night speech of Dames… and Risa ambushed me for Something Cool.  So I couldn’t get away.  I was ok up there until I started thanking the cats, and I looked at you.  I started breaking up right there.  You will always be special to me.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Bernie’s house… CD recording session.  Well… the return of the squirrely 5!  He did a great job of whipping them in to shape though.  However, after about an hour, he too was mesmerized by their energetic, contahious goofiness.  Ordered pizza (thin crust… sorry Lauren).  Some technical issues with One For My Baby, so we will wait and do that and Kelly’s 2 solos at a later date.  Listening to Ellie solo, without backing, I am amazed at what a fine voice she has!

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Bernie’s house, again.  Had to record the last 3 songs: Kelly’s The Man That Got Away, Something Cool, and her duet with Chris One For My Baby. The Man That Got Away took 5 takes.  The 3rd was pretty good, but not good enough for Kelly.  Then she “warbled” on the 4th, and started giggling.  The 5th take was magic.  Chris & Kelly were again great together.  They are so comfortable.  On the way up to the house, in the rain, I hit upon the next idea.  Julie London inspired show.  Three acts.  Three actresses.  Maybe a sequel to Something Cool… but in a radically different story, and much different way of telling it.

To be continued….