STAGE NOTES
The WICA Blog
Everyone Can Dance at WICA
We are so thrilled to announce the newest addition to our arts and education programming. Walter and Celina Dill of Everyone Can Dance will be leading two five-week Swing Class Sessions beginning on Sunday, September 28! Read all about it below:
Everyone Can Dance at WICA
part of WICA’s Arts and Education programming
with Walter Dill & Daughter, Celina
in Zech Hall @ Whidbey Island Center for the Arts
5 Sundays: September 28–October 26
Swing 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:30-6:30pm
East Coast Swing is the best place to start learning partner dance and is probably the most useful and fun dance in our culture. Most local bands that play Swing. There is an immense variety of music that inspires Swing dancing – Rock and Roll, Rhythm and Blues, Pop, Western, and even Big Band! No prerequisite.
Swing 2: Double-time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:45-7:45pm
There is a marvelous selection of rockin’ out music that is too fast for Triple-time Swing and too slow for Single-time Swing. If you want to feel good about life, this is the dance for you. Prerequisite: Any Swing class.
Registration
$60/person for a 5-week class series; $45 for 18 & under. $30 for 12 & under with paying adult.
Pay online at www.EveryoneCanDance.com or download registration form here.
Pre-registration encouraged.
Make checks to: WALTER DILL.
Mail to or drop off at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts
565 Camano Ave, Langley, WA 98260.
More info: 360-301-4755, walter@everyonecandance.com
Why dance?
• Contrary to popular belief, everyone can dance. The Dills have proven this thousands of times. All you have to do is show up and try.
• Get exercise and develop “plays-well-with-others” skills. Name another activity where people of all ages can collaborate and respectfully touch. Bring your kids, parents, partner and friends.
• Find the joy of being creative and experience the satisfaction of finding your own “groove”.
• Dancing was the only physical activity associated with a lower risk of dementia, as reported in a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, 6/19/2003
Walter & Celina
Walter, whose formal education was in art and design (see www.WalterDill.com), co-created Living Traditions Dance (1990-2004) in Seattle, which taught dance to over 14,000 people. Many dance instructors in Seattle took their first dance classes with Walter. Since moving to Whidbey Island in 2006, the Dill’s have hosted over 1,000 islanders in their classes. Celina has now taught with her dad for a decade and is a deeply knowledgeable, skilled and caring instructor. They have been teaching together in Seattle for the past two years and are ready to offer classes again on Whidbey Island.
Dancing for the Dill’s is about becoming conscious of how we move through life, relating creatively and in harmony (non-competitvely) with our partners, friends, families and community as a whole, and of course, having fun.
Under the Hood, Volume 2
by Katie Woodzick
What is the first image that comes into your head when you think about Little Red Riding Hood? Most likely the cape, followed perhaps by the basket, the woods and the wolf.
For me, creating character starts with visual elements. In our musical, Little Red Riding Hood’s crimson cape is one of four items that the Baker and the Baker’s Wife must collect in order to reverse a spell that The Witch has cast upon them years ago.
This week, we started the process of costume fittings. Our costumer, Mira Steinbrecher, has pulled pieces for each character. There are three racks filled with potential costumes, sorted by large plastic tags. These tags are used for each production, and have painters tape on each side: the front-facing side has the character name, and the back side has the actor name.
Costume pieces are pulled, borrowed, or built. Pieces that are “pulled” come from WICA’s costume loft, which holds hundreds, if not thousands of pieces, organized by clothing type, color and time period. Pieces that are borrowed (or rented) come from local theatres. Pieces that are built are constructed using fabric or taking apart existing costumes and repurposing them.
The costumer looks at the costume plot, often provided in the script of a given play. A costume plot details how many costumes each character has over the course of the play.
In our show, Little Red has one base costume, on top of which two different capes get placed. Our production has a traditional aesthetic, in that each of the fairy tales is costumed from the era in which it originally takes place. Little Red’s inspiration was pulled from the era of Heidi, with an Alpine flair. The base costume is a navy blue dirndl with red embroidered flowers, a vintage piece borrowed from Studio East in Kirkland.
The first cape is the iconic red one with a hood. Mira pulled a beautiful vintage wool cape donated to WICA that was originally from Saks 5th Avenue. Costumes must be adjusted for function as well as their visual appeal. In our show, the Baker temporarily steals Little Red’s cape off her shoulders, so Mira will modify it to have a front clasp that easily comes apart.
The second cape is made from the skin of the wolf. Little Red proudly proclaims to Jack: “My granny made it for me from a wolf that attacked us. And I got to skin the animal—and best of all, she gave me this beautiful knife for protection.” Mira is crafting the wolf cape from a piece originally used in Gaielle Remembering.
In addition to the dirndl and the capes, Mira has built a red and white mop hat with red lace trim, for comedic effect as well as to age down the appearance of a 29 year old actress playing a 14 year old character.
Mira then secures pins to create new hems for petticoats and mark spots to later place fasteners, etc. In the five weeks between now and production, Mira and her crew of volunteers will finish costumes for the other 24 actors in the production.
Mira reminds me to let my readers know that there is always room for volunteer stitchers and wardrobe/dresser folks for the run of the show! If you’d like to be part of the magic, you can email Mira: MiraJean@whidbey.com.
Katie Woodzick is an actor, director, writer and feminist who lives on Whidbey Island. By day, she can be found working for Hedgebrook as an External Relations Manager. By night, she can be found rehearsing at local theatres, writing for Whidbey Life Magazine and singing karaoke. Learn more at katiewoodzick.squarespace.com and woodzickwrites.wordpress.com
Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine is directed by Robert W. Prosch. It runs October 10-25. Visit the event page for more information.
Into the Woods looking for actors!
Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine runs October 10-25 at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts. The production is directed by Robert W. Prosch and is seeking actors and singers to fill the roles of:
Birds/Demon: movement-oriented role, non-singing part.
Mysterious Man: Intellectual, pleasant. Strong story telling skills. Mostly acting role. Age 40-65, Bass/Baritone
Cinderella’s Father: A well-meaning drunk: Male, Age 40-60 - speaking role with some ensemble singing
Rehearsals are weeknights from 7-10 and some weekend hours. Rehearsals require more hours closer to opening night. Please Contact Director, Robert W. Prosch at rob.prosch@gmail.com for more information.
Under the Hood, Volume 1
by Katie Woodzick
I was introduced to musicals from an early age. We didn’t have a television in our apartment in the suburbs of Madison, but we would borrow my father’s TV/VCR combo from neighboring Milwaukee whenever I was sick.
My mother picked out a handful of VHS tapes to entertain me while I stayed home from school with the chicken pox when I was seven. I started grabbing for the Disney movies, but she stopped me.
“Why don’t you try this one first?” She held up a copy of Yankee Doodle Dandy, staring James Cagney.
“Aw, Mom, it’s in black and white. It’s gonna be SO boring!” I whined.
“How about this: just try watching the first ten minutes. If you don’t like it, you can pick another movie.”
I begrudgingly agreed to the bargain, and a life-long love of musicals was born.
I would go over to my neighbor’s house after school and spread Cheez Whiz on Ritz Crackers and watch Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse sing and dance their way across her television screen.
I first experienced the work of Stephen Sondheim through the film of musical West Side Story. I would watch it on a seemingly endless loop when I visited my grandparent’s house. I danced through the olive green tiled kitchen snapping my fingers and singing, “When you’re a Jet, you’re a Jet all the way!”
The first time I saw Into the Woods, I was twelve years old. I was mesmerized by the music and the storyline. I was amazed that a musical could transition so quickly from being hilarious to heart-wrenching.
I was (and still am) big fan of Weird Al Yankovic, and was struck by the similarities between the way he would take a song that everybody knew and alter it to make it more entertaining. Into the Woods takes fairy tales that everyone knows, such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Jack and the Beanstalk, and tells them in a different manner, making them intersect.
Act One follows the characters through the arc of the story with which people are familiar. Jack slays the giant, Cinderella gets her prince, etc…But Act Two goes further in imagining what happens after each of the characters respective “Happily ever afters.”
Currently, we are in our fifth week of rehearsal. Our director, Rob Prosch, is teaching us our music with the assistance of Jess Monett, our accompanist. The score has over sixty-five musical numbers.
Many of us participate in community theatre because it feels like family, like home. The rehearsal room is a place where it is safe to try and fail: a place to be held by castmates, the stage manager and the director. And, finally, after weeks of putting it all together, it’s ready to share with you, the audience.
We’re so glad you’re part of our theatrical family as well.
Katie Woodzick is an actor, director, writer and feminist who lives on Whidbey Island. By day, she can be found working for Hedgebrook as an External Relations Manager. By night, she can be found rehearsing at local theatres, writing for Whidbey Life Magazine and singing karaoke. Learn more at katiewoodzick.squarespace.com and woodzickwrites.wordpress.com
Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine is directed by Robert W. Prosch. It runs October 10-25. Visit the event page for more information.
Welcome to the 2014-2015 Season!
Mark O'Connor Band - DjangoFest Northwest, September 2011 by Scott Bookman
Gwen Jones as Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit - Theatre Series, October 2013 by Tyler Raymond
Wonderheads' Grim and Fischer - Family Series, November 2013 by Tyler Raymond
Local Writers - Literary Series with Hedgebrook, March 2014 by Kathryn Morgen
This season's theme, Stage Notes, is inspired by the notes a director gives to actors and crew during and after rehearsals--where to stand, what to keep, what to change, a new idea or mood or feeling to convey--the myriad nuances which facilitate the process that eventually leads to opening night.
The 2014-2015 WICA Season is a result of hundres of "stage notes" spread over several months of planning. Last November, a call for programming was distributed to the community through our website, press releases, DrewsList, newsletters, and inside our show programs. The responding notes from our community consisted of requests for more of this or that (more literature, more classical music), requests to book specific artists (Weatherside Whiskey Band, Poet Laureate Elizabeth Austen), new programming ideas (One Act Fest NW), submissions from artists for booking, and play proposals from directors (see Theatre Series line-up).
The new season's artistic choice is driven by "notes" from you, our WICA constituents. We believe in an open process and opportunity for all. We believe this so strongly that we have created the very blog you are reading called, of course, Stage Notes, where you will find a virtual home that shares stories, process, backstage content, news and updates. We invite you to visit the blog and share with us what is working--what do we keep, what do we need to improve--and new ideas and opportunities.
While you're at it, book the best seats for the 2014-2015 season!
See you here,
Stacie Burgua
Executive Director
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown - Theatre Series, December 2013 by Lucy Brown
Rehearsal for Literary Series with Hedgebrook - March 2014 by Kathryn Morgen
Mark Findlay Rehearses - PianoFest Northwest 2014 by Kathryn Morgen
Our Town Rehearsal - Theatre Series, June 2014 by Tyler Raymond