Hi Again!

It's been a long time since I've last posted. I decided to get this up and running again. for real this time! haha

The one thing I really want to talk about is my school musical which took place april 7-9. It was a production of Willy Wonka! I played an oompa loompa! I was often referred to as the best oopma loompa by everyone in the cast and a cross over scene which featured me has been called the best and funniest part of the show. It was only giving the audience something to look at while Charlie, Grandpa Joe, and Wonka got in the Wonkavator. Myself and another oompa loompa "oompa shuffled" center stage when they went to get into it, standing at attention with arms behind our backs because since we were oompa loompas we were hard workers, often very serious. I then made a gesture as if pushing a button on my suit and techno music started playing, making it look like a turned on music and I started doing the robot. Then the other oompa loompa smacked me really hard and loud, music stopped I jump up, reacting to it, then we shuffle back and open the wonkavator doors.

I will have pictures of the show up eventually

ANYWAY we put together a very professional looking show in only 3 weeks. Granted we practically lived in the theatre, choir room, and band room for those 3 weeks, but it was worth it! It was so much fun!! The people I met and became friends with, and the times we had were just amazing! Such a wonderful experience.

We also had the pleasure of working with professional actor Dan Lasby, who played Willy Wonka and was a wonderful friend and mentor. It was such a talented cast!!!

In the three weeks of non stop rehearsal, if i had an hour or something between school and rehearsal, I spent it in the art room doing set work and set painting.

Our rehearsal's often went from 3:00pm-9:00 pm, then a little later from 3:00 pm to 11:30pm. That's not including rehearsals during school hours, such as specific singing, dancing, or acting rehearsals for certain scenes.

We had so much fun during the whole process.

Two days before the opening show we had to do rehearsal then start cue-to-cue. cue-to-cue was REALLY late, we didn't even get to start it! So we started the next day, right at 9:00am, through the whole day. If we weren't doing anything, Nicole (one of the dancing oompa loompas who was the sweetest and took on the role of mother figure) kept us entertained with riddles and jokes in the girls dressing room (the big one).

Long story short we only finished cue-to-cue at 10:30pm that night! So we never got to have a dress rehearsal!!! So, our dress rehearsal was in front of an audience... We never considered it our first show but a dress rehearsal infront of an audience. So we did the best we could but a lot of things went wrong of course because it was only our dress rehearsal! The wonkavator didn't move!! So they got that and other things sorted out. Later that night (thursday night) we killed it! When we went into the big dressing room like we do after every show our director was there greeting us with applause. Saying how he was thrilled and we were amazing... and I have to say, it truely was amazing! He was especially proud of our wonderful stage manager! who did soooo much! and Also of Violet's mother (in the play) who made the "perfect save". She lost a high hell during a scence, so when she walked off, she kicked it sidestage!

That wasn't the only save made though! Yours truly made a save on the friday morning show. In the scene where Agustus got stuck in the pipe and got sucked into it, I shuffled out, hands behind the back, standing at attention and take direction from Wonka. Dan made many gestures with his Cane when playing wonka. My cue line to come out was "3... 2... 1" Right on "one" his can flew out of his hand near where i was ready to come out, offstage. I quickly grabbed the cane, shuffled out and presented it to him ever so elequently, leaning towards him and everything as if to say "here is your scepter, sire". Every laughed so much and they thought it was planned.

Also after that show, Sarah, the stage manager, made it a point to tell me that I was amazing. "Greg. You are amazing! Really you are! Not just the robot either! Seriously, thank you so much, you are soo great! I was sitting in the booth, hoping and praying 'please make your spikes everyone please get in your light. and both last night and today, you were the one who never failed! Every time, you are right there! You hit every one! It is perfect!"

That was one of the best things anyone said to me during that process... the reason it meant so much is it came from her, and being the stage manager, she was the backbone of the whole show.

Friday night my parents came and everything went awesome again! My parents went with my grandmother, my aunt, and even my brother who i was really surprised to see there! They were all soooo impressed and couldn't have been prouder. My aunt thought I was absolutely amazing and hilarious! My father and my mother mentioned how they were impressed that I excourted Ms. Gloop offstage on one side and then appeared in the line of oompa loompas marching in on the other side all of 10 second later. Everything went awesome at the Saturday shows as well.

I will talk much more about the whole thing soon and as time goes on! I will have photos and everything!