Pirelli! da King of da Barbers, da Barber of Kings!

One of our own Wolf Trap Opera alumni comes back to make a guest appearance as Pirelli in Sweeney Todd... We finished preliminary blocking of the entire show this morning! (That is, except for Pirelli’s scenes, as he doesn’t arrive until next week.) ... Load-in began today and the set is arriving from the warehouse... Enjoyed a much-needed day off yesterday after 7 days in a row. Thinking much more clearly now. And it’ll be even better tomorrow after yoga class! (Our very own Mrs. Lovett is a fabulous Kundalini yoga teacher.)

Transcript of audio post

It’s Tuesday, May 31. Able to think a little big more clearly today after a day off. We work pretty much a 6-day week –we get one day off a week, and it sort of rotates through the week. We started last Monday and went 7 days straight, and by yesterday, we were really feeling it.
Having time off helped, and the other thing that helped is that we have achieved Pirelli. It took about a week. We’re bringing back a friend. What happens here is that because we’re a young artist program, you can only come here twice as a performer because we have to keep the revolving door going, making these opportunities available to new singers. So after two seasons maximum ,our singers move on with their careers. Occasionally, though we have a chance to bring an “old” friend back as a guest. One of our tenors who was with is in 2003 & 2004 has just enough time off in his schedule – he’s actually in Europe right now doing a series of auditions in Austria, Germany, and the U.K. A big load off my mind.

We finished blocking this morning, in pretty much 7 days, and that’s really pretty quick. Now we get to start over again at the top, make some more decisions, refine things. Overall in pretty good shape. Load-in (when we bring the scenic elements from the shop to the theatre) and finishing the build.

We rehearse here at the Center for Education, our relatively new facility here on site. Our rehearsal room is within spitting distance of the theatre – incredibly different from when we used to rehearse several miles away. We’re right next door, and it’s simple to borrow pieces of furniture or props when we need them.

So, things are starting to speed up.

We start tomorrow morning with yoga – our Mrs. Lovett is great Kundalini yoga teacher. Not a typical combination – Mrs. Lovett and yoga, that is – and we’re fortunate that she said she wants to keep practicing herself, and she’s happy to give us classes and keep us limber and focused. I’m all for it.

We get to turn the calendar over to June tomrorow - that nice little shot of adrenaline that tells us we’re on our way. One of the great things about being in a business like this – you can only micromanage things for so long. Eventually the curtain has to go up.