If you wanted to see the Saturday, April 17th performance of “Once Upon A Caterpillar” you should know it has been sold out.
So you can feel better by picking up tickets online for tonight’s April 8th performance, or tickets for April 12th or 13th. Purchase here: http://bit.ly/bJWnp7
Holla!
Last night was historic. Ezzy killed it with her “Once Upon A Caterpillar” presentation. All three characters were alive and breathing. Each had a compelling story and she commanded the stage with each one.
As a director and friend, I was very proud of her performance. I truly can envision her expanding what is now a 30 minute show into a full length 75 minute one-woman show.
Big ups to Ez!
Last night we actually ran through the whole show. It was a little bumpy at times because Ezzy was diagnosed Monday with an upper respiratory infection. She had a fever, was a little weak, and had a cough. Yet she was a trooper. She did all three characters including costume changes.
So yes, we are ready for the festival. God has definitely given grace for such a time as now.
I really am proud of Ezzy for her boldness, her creativity, and her determination. She does some really amazing work in this show and I am glad to be directing and collaborating with her on it. It has taken eighteen months for us to get to this point from opening conversation to opening night. Wow, it has been such a fun journey.
So I hope you get to enjoy the premier presentation of “Once Upon A Caterpillar: A One-Woman Work In Progress“.
Showtime is at 8pm on April 7, 8, 12, 13 & 17. Purchase $15 tickets online at: http://bit.ly/bJWnp7
So Ezzy got sick Friday evening, which made Saturday’s tech rehearsal very interesting. Actually it worked out because I spent the first hour designing the lighting scheme for the show, which I had never done before. Although I felt a little out of my league, I trusted my instincts and kept asking God for help.
After the lights, we worked on sound cues. Dennis handled that very well which made my job much easier.
Unfortunately I was not able to test out the image and video projection as the theater did not have an adapter to a Mac laptop. So I will be testing this out the day of the show which should be rather interesting.
Ezzy and her crew of three ladies worked out the business of costume changing behind the curtain. Since Ezzy is performing three character monologues with full costumes, she basically has a 90 second window in between monologues to change. I am sure that will be fun for them.
All in all the production has been coming along well.
Last night’s rehearsal was actually amazing. First we recorded a hilarious video for Booshiee‘s story. Then we recorded some VoiceOver in line with the theme of the production.
Afterward, we focused on the presentation and memorization of the lines. As an exercise I had Ezzy attempt each monologue as a different persona. I did this to help break up the monotony of the lines and to help breath life into the line memorization.
For example, I had Ezzy read Miss Sophie‘s lines “as if” she were a female escort…lol. Let me tell you that was ridiculously funny. It loosened Ezzy up, gave us a great laugh, and proved to be of assistance in her remembering more of the lines.
I had Ezzy read Booshiee‘s lines “as if” she was a cowgirl. That was truly a laugh fest. Rehearsals can be so enjoyable. :O)
But the best part was when Ezzy read Alma‘s lines. This character deals with some very dramatic material. So I had Ezzy do it as if she was a drunkard. As she started the first two sentences, it was a great deal of slurred words. Then I had her change the “drunkenness” to “being strung out”. That is when amazing happened. The character we knew as Alma became this new character called Bling-Bling. We were both blown away at how the same words done as a different character brought such depth to the part and sincerity to a character type which is usually overlooked.
Ezzy and I discussed this new Bling-Bling character and who she was/is. So even though we have six days before we open the show, Bling-Bling will now be inserted in place of Alma. I wish I could fully explain how amazing the experience was. All I can say is you should experience “Once Upon A Caterpillar” for yourself. You will meet three people who you have never seen before. Trust me, you will be touched, encouraged, and definitely brought to much laughter.
Meet Miss Sophie from “Once Upon A Caterpillar” by Esmeralda Castellon. Watch short video here.
Seating is limited in the LaTea Theater for Ezzy’s “Once Upon A Caterpillar” show. In order to get tickets for the show dates (April 7, 8, 12, 13 & 17), you have to purchase tickets online at http://bit.ly/bJWnp7.
See you at the theater.
The “Once Upon A Caterpillar” script is taking on a new life. It’s exciting to see Ezzy taking the script to a higher level at each rehearsal.
Interestingly enough we visited the ONE Festival producers on Monday for a “Meet & Greet” gathering of all the artists. Ezzy is one of seven artists performing in the festival. She will now be performing five nights (Apr 7, 8, 12, 13 & 17) in the LaTea Theater, which seats only 74 people.
We had a chance to walk on the stage and envision the production in the space. Since then, I have seen a new boldness and confidence in Ezzy. She’s starting to break through the cocoon.
When she arrived at our Thursday rehearsal, she had new jokes and a clearer focus. With eleven days left until the first performance, I’m excited to see the butterfly come out of the cocoon.
Last night was the first official rehearsal for “Once Upon A Caterpillar”. It was very productive. We attacked the entire script and created a revision which breathed life into Ezzy’s performance. She is brilliant at creativity and improv and we used those elements to enhance an already written script.
We were also able to imagine the rhythm of the show as it relates to music. The selected songs are consistent with the characters, as well as the theme of the show.
Oh, how much fun it is to watch the parts slowly join to form a whole. We are still in the cocoon, but in 20 more days, the butterfly will take flight.
As previously mentioned, I will be directing “Once Upon A Caterpillar”, a one-woman show created by Esmeralda Castellon. It is presently a work in progress with three character monologues. As for time, it should come in at about 20-25 minutes.
Last week it was accepted in to the ONE Festival which is taking place at LaTea Theater down in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. This festival of one-person shows is from Apr 5-18, 2010.
Esmeralda, aka Ezzy, will be performing her show on April 7, 8, 13 & 17, all at 8pm. As as festival, each night showcases two or three artists performing their show.
I do not have the exact ticket information as yet but I will share it once I do.