Nov 9 2009
A few days before Tech (Halloween to be exact), stage manager Sarah Smiley sent me a blog post describing how Nicholas Nickleby was affecting her dreams. I absolutely love it and have to share it with you below. One of the characters in this dream you’ve already met – Sarah’s dog Tug. After attending only… Read more »
Nov 6 2009
As promised, I made it to another costume fitting. This one was just as much fun as Jeff Meanza’s. This time up – company member Jimmy Kieffer. Jimmy is a second-year MFA candidate in the Professional Actor Training Program here at UNC. During his time at PlayMakers, Jimmy has been seen as the lead fisherman… Read more »
Nov 4 2009
Are you enjoying the behind-the-scenes picture you’re getting from this blog? If so, you can see a live-action version tonight at PlayMakers! Join us for the Vision Series as directors Tom Quaintance and Joseph Haj answer you questions and give you the scoop on what’s going on in the rehearsal hall. You can also get… Read more »
Nov 3 2009
Before we get to Rachel Pollock’s newest post – I need to make a correction to a previous post. Randy Handley’s notes (as mentioned in the last photo of this post) are actually kept using the award-winning system he designed, CAPS (Computer Aided Paperwork System). Co Star is the system that catalogues the PlayMakers/DDA vintage costume… Read more »
Oct 30 2009
It’s a quiet Friday morning, so I thought I would post some “just for fun” pictures from around the building. An abbreviated tour, if you will… First up… co-director Tom Quaintance in the wee hours, three weeks into rehearsal. This was taken from a Skype conversation he was having with friends back home. Tom actually… Read more »
Oct 29 2009
As one might imagine, if one has been following us on our journey to bring this play to fruition, there are many idiosyncrasies to this process we’ve undertaken. So it seems a bit redundant to say something like “this is unlike any other production I’ve been a part of.” Not only redundant, it can’t begin… Read more »
Oct 28 2009
Nevermind that I’ve worked in this building for nearly a decade. I’m not sure that I’ve ever gone to a costume fitting here. I have definitely been missing out! Today I went to a couple, and they were a ton of fun. Of course all I had to do was take pictures. Because this show… Read more »
Oct 22 2009
As PlayMakers’ resident crafts artisan, in addition to all the millinery, another of my responsibilities is to function as the company dyer, assisting the costume designer in careful control of the color palette of the show by making adjustments in fabric hues. Because we share space with the facilities for UNC’s nationally-known Costume Production… Read more »
Oct 21 2009
Here’s a tiny sneak peek at some pieces costume designer Jan Chambers and associate designer Jade Bettin have pulled for the show. I’m told that there are over 600 pieces in this room. Costume designer Jan Chambers inspects pieces pulled for the Crummles Company. The men’s dressing room served as a temporary staging area as… Read more »
Oct 15 2009
Video production has hit a small technological snag, so today I’m posting some fun character analyses of the Nickleby “Power Couples,” as seen by our dramaturg Anthony Fichera. Enjoy! Long before Bill/Hillary, Nicholas/Elena, Bennifer and TomKat, Dickens seems to have made considerable use of the Power Couple. Here are a few of them. Mr. and… Read more »