It’s the Little Things

“Cast, please make your way to the front of the 103 & 104. We’re about to begin notes.”

At 5:30 on Saturday evening everyone did their best to muster what little energy they had remaining and gather at the front of the millennium theatre. It was the end of a 6-day work week. 8 hours of rehearsal each day. We’d been going what seemed like non-stop for four weeks. The past couple of days I had been more tired than ever. Long days, lots of concentration and focus…everyone was ready for a good night's sleep and a day off. 

We gave our attention to our director, Wally Calderon, as he began to talk through his notes, encourage the good things he saw, and make requests to improve the performance next time. Out of the corner of my eye I saw stage management walking toward us carrying two large boxes. I watched them curiously, and before long everyone’s attention was caught.

Wally paused for a moment and smiled. “Anybody want a Frosty?”

The boxes were filled with at least one hundred small Wendy’s Frostys. Wally had gotten them for everyone in the cast and crew, to celebrate the hard work that we’d all been doing for the past four weeks. The auditorium was filled with sounds of surprise and delight and countless exclamations of, “Thank you Wally!” As we returned to ours seats with cups of ice cream and spoons, the level of contentedness that settled over the cast was a wonder to behold. We all paid pretty close attention to the final batch of notes.

It's the little things that make a huge difference, and that's referring to more than chocolate and vanilla Frostys. I consider working under the direction of Wally Calderon to be an honor and a blessing. His leadership style is full of little acts of kindness and consideration that add up to making that enormous difference and setting a wonderful tone.

I asked a few of the cast members for words that they thought described our director. Here are a few of the adjectives they gave me: prepared, organized, tranquil, purposeful, efficient, pristine, consistent, balanced, communicative. Aaron described him as a “genius” and JT compared him to BBC’s Sherlock. Those compliments aren’t too far off. Although he is working with a cast of nearly 60 people, he knows exactly where he wants everyone to be. When giving direction or feedback, he'll pause for a moment (going into his "Sherlock mind palace") and we can all see the wheels turning. After that moment he's able to articulate extremely well the idea he wants to get across. He gives very specific direction, but not to the extent that we aren’t allowed to make our own decisions. Like any artistic endeavor, we flourish best when we are given boundaries. Wally knows exactly where to put them to yield the best product.

I also asked what everyone appreciated most about working with him. Ronnie said, “His patience and his intentionally." Aaron told me, “His self-control. Even when things don’t go according to plan or don’t look right, he is still encouraging and never looses his temper.” My favorite comment was from Allegra, who said, “He doesn’t make me feel replaceable. He values me and my contribution to the show. I’m not just a body taking up space on the stage. I’m a human being and he validates that. Some directors don’t.”

Anyone who has worked in theatre for any amount of time will tell you that your director makes all the difference. He or she has remarkable power as they set the tone for every team involved. As a performer you’re either edified by your director or downtrodden. From the very first day we began working I have been so appreciative of Wally, and throughout these long weeks of rehearsal my admiration has only grown. He creates a low-stress, positive environment with room for laughter and lightheartedness. But he sure does know how to get stuff done! We've stayed right on schedule, and yet nothing has felt rushed or stressful. I hope to have many more chances to direct in the future, and I know I’ll always remember this experience and Wally’s style. He is kind of director that I want to be. 

From what I have seen so far, the attitude of kindness "in the little things" permeates this entire company. The Lighting Operations team left us a kind note on the whiteboard of the CMR. The Costume Team is determined to help us with any issues we’re having so that we can be comfortable and perform well. Anytime there’s a birthday, Stage Management makes sure we celebrate and sing to the person (and I’ve never heard Happy Birthday sound so lovely and harmonized!) One day last week the Administration department set up a “Build Your Own Trail Mix Bar” in the stage right lobby. It was adorable and pretty and just right for a pick-me-up.

Small acts of kindness have also come from the other Cast members. For the last week, Patricia has been very sick. She plays the role of Jonah’s grandmother and performs so excellently! Unfortunately, she hasn’t been able to come to rehearsals lately because of how poorly she’s been feeling. Cassie, her understudy, has been marvelous in stepping in, but we've definitely missed Patricia's sweet spirit. Blair (one of the other Conservatory students) wrote some get-well notes for her. We all signed them and then Blair took them to Patricia’s home to let her know we were thinking of her. Thankfully she’s on the mend and should be all ready to go next week! I thought the kindness and intentionality shown by my friends in reaching out to her was so meaningful.

After our notes on Saturday evening and our Frosty surprise, we had Sunday off to recoop. Then it was back to the grind on Monday. This past week has been “integration week”. And no, that’s not a political statement, despite how it sounds. ;) The week has been focused on getting every single element for the show up on the stage.

We started by integrating the costumes. And oh my goodness they're so cool! Layers and layers of fabrics of all kinds of textures and colors that speak perfectly into the story we're trying to tell. I can’t post any pictures until we open, but hopefully I’ll be able to share some once the show run begins.

We also had a day for “animal integration” during which the trainers worked to get the animals comfortable with their scenes. There are several different animals involved the show. Horses, geese, sheep, llamas, dogs, macaws, donkeys, goats and camels to name a few. We spent a portion of our day running and re-running the scenes in which they appear, to get the animals used to the way things will look and sound. Another element that sets Sight & Sound apart and makes the shows so fantastic!

Finally, the second half of our week has been focused on “lighting integration.” It’s pretty tedious. We’re having to run small portions of scenes over and over again to get the lighting design just right. We spent a full day just on Act I, and the following day on Act II.  As humdrum as these days are, seeing how dramatically the lighting changes the feel of the show, and how much it adds to the story, makes it worth it. Plus, the times of simply standing about waiting have created moments of fun spontaneous games with the cast members. I've also had some really great conversations with people that I haven't been able to talk to before now. So for me "lighting integration" has gone pretty well! 

And now we’re just one week away from opening! Although we’re only selling tickets for the shows from March 11th on, Friday March 10 will be what I consider our “official opening.” That night will be our Friends and Family performance. Sight & Sound will also be broadcasting a Facebook Live event as they officially announce their new show that will premier in 2018! Be sure to tune in on Friday, 6:30 EST and join us for the announcement and the celebration. Here's the link to the Facebook event.

We're almost there! It's been amazing to watch this show go from the script to the stage in such a short amount of time. I can't wait to begin full runs next week!