Opening!

Tonight is the preview performance of Sound of Music at Lakeshore Players Theatre.  It has been a real treat getting to know my character, Baroness Elsa Schraeder, and I am ready to put her out there to be loved or hated (sometimes simultaneously) by the sold-out crowds in White Bear Lake.  This weekend will mark the end of a tech week of nightly rehearsals, and I am looking forward to being able to shift my focus to other projects again during the week.

A Good, Good Friday

Occasionally when singing at church, I get an opportunity to reflect upon the importance of music in worship services.  It's easy to get complacent or to unintentionally shift focus from the celebration of the Mass to the performance of the cantor.  When you have a particularly complimentary congregation, or a song that you know will really show off your voice, sometimes you slip into performance mode and forget that as Cantor you are responsible for leading the people in worship.  It's not because of any great ego (though there is certainly no shortage of that among musicians in general), but perhaps you sense the great power of your position.  The Mass is driven by ritual and tradition.  Certain texts spoken at certain times by certain people.  Traditionally as Cantor, you have the responsibility of proclaiming the Responsorial Psalm and leading the congregation in the responses (e.i. Sanctus, Angus Dei, etc.).

Neti Pot!

After having a cold about 2 weeks ago, I am still having lingering problems with my sinuses.  This is a recurring problem for me and one that always complicates my ability to prepare for performances.  So I finally invested in a Neti Pot yesterday.  For anyone who doesn't know what that is, see here.  I have been hearing good things about it from other performers for a couple of years now, but last week my chiropractor emphatically suggested I get one.  I have used it a few times now.  It's comfortable to use, but I can't say that my sinuses have completely cleared up yet.

Regardless, my range is now back completely so I will have no trouble singing for the myriad of performances I have in the next two weeks.  In fact, I sometimes find that it is easier to sing with sinus problems because you can feel so much more when the sound is resonating in the right place.  So I just aim for the sound to resonate where it hurts, and hitting those high notes are no longer a struggle. :)

Performance Day Arrives!

Tomorrow are the two performances of the Living Stations of the Cross by the 8th graders that I have been directing.  The kids have really come around and are display more maturity and focus.  In other news, we have now broken TWO crosses during the last weeks of rehearsal and are still trying to find a final solution.  The problem is that we need a cross light enough for an 8th grader to carry, stable enough to lift up an 8th grader, but strong enough not to split when dropped 3 times onto a tile floor.  Our first cross which we used last year (and also split last year) was reinforced with bolts and screws, but split the entire length last week anyway.  The second split right through the middle.  So we are awaiting a solution that will last through the two performances tomorrow.  We will need to address this for next year, but at this point I just want to get through tomorrow!

Sore Throat

Ah, the joys of having children.  At the first sniff and nose wipe on sleeve I knew I was in for it.  My 3-year-old has picked up a cold from some unknown source.  And of course he bounces right back and I, in my old age, am debilitated.  We managed to venture out to ECFE and went for a walk around the lake today, but yesterday I had to cancel all my appointments and both of my rehearsals.  This is one of those rare cases when I am actually glad I am sick now and not next week (when the kids are in final rehearsals for Stations) or in a few weeks (when Sound of Music opens).  So I am taking this as a blessing and as another reminder of just how closely linked my health and my profession (performing arts) are.

In other news, we are switching to a monthly plan with our chiropractor so I will get to go get an adjustment every week!

Fellow Musicians, Take Note

Paulus Premiere: Celebrate 150 Years with Luther College

Okay, shameless plug for my brother, Benjamin Cramer, who will be performing with the Luther College choirs at Orchestra Hall on Palm Sunday.

Good luck, little brother!

Challenges of Redesign

While I am confident that this year's Living Stations of the Cross will turn out just fine, I have been feeling more stress as we get closer to our performance date.  Somehow, going into this, I had assumed that because I had directed this the year before, it would simply be a matter of plugging the new actors into the same characters and blocking and that it would be a calm experience for everyone involved.  I am learning, however, that even though you directed a show once, IT WILL NEVER BE THE SAME SHOW in subsequent attempts.

Now granted, part of the stress is stemming from the fact that my expectation of just plugging people into an existing vehicle was inherently flawed and unrealistic.

Secondly, I THOUGHT I had remembered my blocking from last year, but find myself having to go back and change things to accommodate unforeseen complications.