Woo Hoo!

Hey guys! Sarah here. I would say I was bored so I decided to contribute to this wonderful blog but I think Debbie would kill me! Well, I'm super excited for next week! I think we are going to be absolutely AWESOME! Everything is coming together really well and even though we do get a little sidetracked at rehearsal at least it's because we are having too much fun with this show! Snaps to Debbie for writing a show that we, after so many weeks of hearing it over and again, can still laugh at and have fun with! It doesn't hurt that we have a kick ass cast either. Well, we have our last (AHHHH!) rehearsal tomorrow and I can't wait to see everyone! I like you. (Sorry Beth and Debbie. I had to!)

5 days until "White Bread" opens!

The festival starts in three days and "White Bread" opens in five. Yesterday we had our second to last rehearsal and ran through the show two full times. The first time was a little rocky, but the second run-through went really well and gives me confidence that we'll do great on Saturday. Our next rehearsal is on Wednesday and we'll be perfecting everything, including the curtain call. I really feel we're going to have an awesome show, I just hope we have a great turnout.

"White Bread," so far, will be featured in both the Stillwater gazette and the White Bear Press. Look for it near the end of this week. I really hope it helps gather an audience. In the meantime, word-of-mouth is one of the best means of advertising, so talk about us! Tell your friends, parents, cousins, roommates, sisters, brothers, cats, dogs, fish, guinea pigs... tell anything will ears. And in return, we will give you a killer show.

White Bread at the Fringe-For-All

Ten Days Left!

The Fringe Festival begins in 8 days and White Bread opens in 10. The past two months have flown by. Monday was the Fringe-For-All which was awesome. We presented the show in under three minutes and got a great response from the audience. To the right is a picture of them onstage. I think the audience especially liked  Marc's (as Ted) shirt, which read, "Everyone Loves a White Boy." I feel that if the first scene of the show was well received, then it can only go uphill from here since the opening scene is the most mild in terms of humor. Now Marc and Beth are relearning the original and extended version of that scene, which may be difficult,  but I know they can pull it off.

We have two rehearsals left which will mainly be brushing up the the scenes, working on transitions, and doing run-throughs. Our tech rehearsal is the morning of August 2, the day of our performance. Although that makes me nervous, I know that if we have everything ready it will work out fine.

Marketing is going well so far and I am currently putting together the program. Thanks to Kelly Johnson, they will be printed for free. Gotta love friends!... and fringe... and french fries... and everything else that starts with an "f."

Peace out.

Two Weeks Left

Wow. The festival begins two weeks from today. It's pretty nerve-racking, yet exciting. Monday is our Fringe-For-All which I think we're ready for. We already edited our first scene so it will fit in three minutes. I'm sure it will be a blast.

Last rehearsal I felt was really productive. We ran through the show using nearly all the props, and we even had some costumes. The Open Mics are coming together and we'll work more with those next rehearsal. Also, everyone was pretty much memorized which was awesome. We're still working out some minor things like line delivery, but for the most part, we just need to concentrate on really getting into character and not getting side-tracked, which tends to happen quite often.

One Week Closer

Last week seemed productive on my part, but not so productive during rehearsal. I finished the open mic nights and we practiced them during rehearsal. They were still new though, so the actors didn't have time to "make them their own." We were also missing an actor so we weren't able to run every scene. Next week we're going to bring possible costumes to rehearsal and do a couple run-throughs with hopefully all the props. Everyone should have everything memorized, but calling line will be acceptable until the following week. The Fringe-For-All is July 21, only 11 days away. Today Marc and Beth are coming over so we can rehearse the shortened version of the first scene. It can only be three minutes... so it better be a good three minutes.

PRIDE and more

We are well on our way to a fantastic fringe show. On Sunday, we ran through each scene once or twice, although it was difficult because we had problems being serious, laughter would ensue, then we'd go on some tangent about the most random things. I'm just going to say that with this group, rehearsal is never boring. We focused primarily on the delivery of the lines. Next week I'll try to use as many props as possible.

I decided on the first scene for the showcase, but I have to edit it since it goes over three minutes. PRIDE was awesome. Fringe signed on a ton of possible volunteers and I was able to hand out flyers to promote the show. Most people seemed genuinely interested, which is really exciting. The Festival starts in 30 days! I know the time will just fly by.

Off to spread the White Bread Word!

Peace!

Debbie

Advertising Begins!

The flyers are here! Two thousand flyers arrived at my doorstep this afternoon and they look simply divine. Thanks Kaylin. I would like to start handing them out now, but the festival doesn't start for another five weeks so I am thinking people may forget in that time. I did already put some on display at my work, the River Market Co-op, but I think I'll go easy on the advertising for now—at least until July. I am just glad I got a jump-start on things. It will be especially nice to have this weekend when I am volunteering at the Fringe booth at PRIDE in Loring Park.

Last night was our fourth rehearsal and the first time the whole cast was together. I think everyone works really well together and the chemistry between the characters is better than I anticipated. We finished the blocking and did a run-through which ended up being 35 minutes. With the "interludes" though, the show should be about 50 minutes, which I think is perfect. The show is going to be in the Fringe-For-Alls on July 21. I am really excited to see how it turns out. Well, that's all for now. Peace.

Debbie

Third Rehearsal

On Sunday we had our third rehearsal. My how time flies. The blocking went well, and the actors are really getting into their roles which excites me, especially since I created them. Next week will finish blocking and hopefully run through the show to get a rough estimate on the length. My goal this week is to work on the open mic night bits. I have so many ideas, but carrying them out is much more difficult. The actors have already given some really great suggestions for the mic night and for individual characters. I am having so much fun. I am signing us up for the Fringe-For-All showcase which will allow us to present 3 minutes of the show as sort of a preview, which will be really good advertising. The first showcase is July 7. I can't believe how fast everything is happening.

Second Rehearsal

The first and last scenes are blocked, and man, it was exhausting work. Hah. Actually, the blocking was a piece of cake. White cake with white frosting. They both take place at a bus stop, so there is limited movement. It is really a great feeling to watch people acted out what I have written. It's an entirely new form of art for me and I know it will be an incredible experience. Marc and Beth had some good suggestions for the script and I am pleased with the changes made. I also wrote another scene, one between Colleen and Remy. It doesn't serve a real purpose but it gives the two unforgettable characters more stage time and allows the audience to watch them interact.

This week Kaylin and I will hopefully get two more sponsors for the show. So far we have three—The Stillwater Boats, The Lowell Inn, and Kaylin's dad's realtor business. This is going to help us so much in terms of marketing costs, and I am so thankful that Kaylin actually knows what she's doing. I have such awesome people helping me make this show possible.

Debbie

Excitement!

Hey all!! This is Beth VK here, just thought I would give this whole blogging thing a try! I am very very excited for everything about this play we have going on here! I'm excited to be in the Fringe, excited to be performing alongside some very awesome people and mostly excited to be working with the wonderful Deb! Seriously, this woman is putting in such hard work to this show and making everything happen, and that reason alone is enough to make me want to do this! But after our first read-through, and now that the cast has been announced and everything, and tomorrow Marc and I have our first blocking rehearsal as Kate and Ted and I'm just so pumped for everything! That is all for now!

First Rehearsal

The first rehearsal was a success. Actually, it was more of a read-through. I still haven't cast anyone yet... I think the best idea is to sleep on it. Forgive me for my cliché, but that is what White Bread is all about, right? That's all I really have to say right now. I finished writing the play this afternoon, but my actors had some great ideas for another scene. I am tempted to write it right now, but I won't.

I am so pleased that my cast enjoys the script as much as I do. I was really nervous about their feedback, but things are going well. That doesn't mean I won't be making changes during rehearsal though. I know I'll be making a ton of them, but I'm just glad to know that for the most part, what I have doesn't completely suck. Either that, or my actors are good liars, which, given the situation, could quite possibly be the case.

Well, it has finally started. I am already looking forward to the next rehearsal.

Debbie

Welcome!

Well, here's the start of a hopefully successful process in creating my first show. I'm Debbie, the writer and director of White Bread, and I would first like to thank you for checking out the site and showing an interest in my show. I also want to mention that feedback (on the blog or show) is always appreciated... especially when on the positive end.

Right now I am finishing up the script; I plan to have it completed by Sunday, but right now that seems slightly far-fetched. The first meeting with my actors will also take place on Sunday and I am beyond thrilled to talk to them about what I came up with.

Thanks to my best friend and graphic designer, Kaylin Martin, the flyers are well on their way... I just wish I could say the same thing about the rest of the show. However, I do see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it's so bright it's blinding me.

Peace,

Debbie