Recently, I heard this line from my daughter as she was attempting to explain to her children some important events that happened previous to when they joined the family.  She began, "In the time before remembering..."  Now that line is every bit as good as "Once upon a time..." or "Long ago and far away..." don't you think?  It sets the tone for a timeless tale.  Don't know if it has been borrowed from some fantasy novel or not, but I intend to use it sometime, somewhere for some title.  It is THAT good!

Don't we all feel as we go through life, that we have forgotten key elements of our history.  My teachers always told me that I should keep a journal of the important events in my day to day life.  My problem was that as I was living those events, I couldn't tell if what I was going through was an important event or not.  And then, after time went by, I didn't really remember the details of the events as I became aware that they were actually very important.  Seems that only with hindsight do we discover the meaning we should attach to events in our day to day lives.  And then those days truly become "the times before remembering."

Fortunately, for me at least, I have family and friends who share enough of my life to help fill in the gaps when I forget details of the past.  My sister has a good memory for people, places, and events and somehow remembers random facts from my life, too.  And then, I tend to leave "breadcrumbs" strewn behind me.  You know, the scribbles in notebooks or margins of papers that provide dates of past appointments, rehearsal times and locations, performances, etc. to help me remember what I was doing back then and when I did them.  Eventually, when I get around to emptying out my purse, the excavations reveal a lot of archaeological evidences and clues to historical dates.  If I was wise, I could make a record from those sources.  I also do enough work on the computer to document many of the things I do and the computer furnishes a date for most of those activities.

But, no matter the mixed-up details of my own life, the line "In the time before remembering..." seems to open up a timeless tale.  At this time, however, I just don't remember what that tale might be. 

​A song from "Parizade's Quest" comes to mind, though.  It is sung by the weeping Queen Kazhira as she remembers the loss of her three beautiful babies.  "By Morning's Light" is probably the saddest song I ever wrote for a Children's Musical.  But it sets up the story of how a Family is reunited and all ends well.  The Queen wishes she had something happy to remember.  It is a time before her current reality, "in the time before remembering..."

          "How's that video coming along?" was the question on many a person's mind during the entire month of April and most of May.  The reality was that even though I had graciously received donated video footage from three different performances and the dress rehearsal of "Parizade's Quest," I really did not have the software or the knowledge to do anything with it.  As I was researching how to proceed, I discovered that I needed first to convert the contents of the seven DVD's into a program that my computer recognized.  During that process, my computer crashed.  Apparently, the conversion software I downloaded from the internet contained malware.  So, my computer got to spend a week in the shop waiting to be repaired.  Before I got the computer back, I took a trip to visit grandkids in Pennsylvania for another week.  Once home again, I was able to retrieve the computer.  AND -- I also signed up for lessons to actually learn video editing.

          In the first lesson, I learned some of the beginning steps to edit a video.  I was to go home and practice those new skills.  I quickly found out that I truly did not want to start at the bottom rung of the ladder!  I wanted to instantly be able to do what my director's eye wanted to see happen.  The biggest problem was that I needed to learn a boat load of new vocabulary in order to work the software.  Back to the shop for Lesson Number 2.  Okay, this lesson was enlightening and gave me some courage that I could do what needed to be done.  So, still with trepidation, and a looming deadline, I marched back home to get the job done.

          A week of soaking rain storms made my office in the basement seem like a dark dungeon.  In spite of dampening skies and my ever dampening mood, I kept on keeping on!  There were so many problems with the footage that made the vast majority of it unusable.  One night, the camera was positioned behind a man with a bald head who kept reaching up to take pictures with his arms way high or reaching to scratch his head sores.  Eeeeoooh!  So gross!  Another night, the camera was located to the side of the hall at a very acute angle.  Much of that show's footage was usable, but the show had other unfortunate malfunctions.  The last show had the best camera angle from a tall height, and it was by far the best show performance-wise, but the camera was located so far to the back of the hall that it picked up incredible audience noise -- babies crying hysterically, loud rustling and coughing, and the creaking and moaning of constant walking on an ancient gym floor!  I tried to patiently go through all of the footage one scene at a time, comparing all of the takes, hoping to find bits of good performances that could be spliced together.  Well, one thing is certain, I certainly learned a lot in the process.  What an agonizing process!

           Just in the nick of time, and I am sure with some divine intervention, I got 25 copies of the keepsake DVD made for the cast members and their families -- packaged and delivered to the school.  I hope the kids enjoy seeing their show!  Whew!

              In thinking about casting a nefarious character, my heart is often troubled.  Whoever
is cast must be of sufficient self esteem to realize that I am casting them strictly by their acting abilities and not because I think they have evil traits.  Fortunately, a pair of just such actresses were available for the roles of Beheshteh and Chaman Banoo, the jealous sisters of the Queen, in "Parizade's Quest."   These girls needed to portray jealousy, cunning and craftiness with a hint of comedy during the course of the play. 
The audience need not have any sympathies with them for their evil deeds.  In fact, in the end, their banishment should prove to be satisfying to all.  
             
              And yes, I was glad they got a nice ovation for their hard work during the bows.  They gave wonderful performances.

          So kudos to Kaylin Wilson and Candace Taylor for being such great Supporting Actresses!  You both did a great job!

In my experience with Children's Theater casting calls, the overwhelming majority of applicants are females.  Also in my experience, these talented and often-times well-trained dancer/singer/actresses are vying for the same one or two prominent roles in the play.  How heart-breaking it is, also, when the pretty little girls are asked to play male lead roles because not enough boys showed up for auditions or because there simply were not enough good roles for girls in that production.  Knowing this predicament, I have constantly been on the lookout for stories that could be adapted to feature five or more strong female leads in important roles.

          "Parizade's Quest" is just such a story.  The play opens with a story teller (female) reciting her story to a master storyteller (male).  He gives her some pointers and tells her he would like her to start over again but this time they will try out the story on "these good people here" (audience).  The audience dutifully applauds to give encouragement, and Jamileh begins again. Master Ghalandar promises to be with her and lend support throughout the retelling.  In fact he, he inserts more than Jamileh actually expects -- "Why not, it is an unexpected twist.  You want to lead the audience on adventures in the mind and just when they think they know what to expect --- you surprise them!"

           The character of Jamileh, the storyteller, however, goes on to control the entire story including jumping in to play other characters to move the plot along.  The actress for this part needed many skills, not to mention having a great memory.  Because she was included in nearly every scene, she had no choice but to have the entire show memorized.  Fortunately, just such a talent appeared for auditions.  Ellie Geslison gave a stellar performance as Jamileh, the storyteller, the Gypsy dancer and fortune teller, the Old Woman, and was the glue that held the whole production together.  She is quite the triple threat -- a beautiful singer, actress and dancer and she even learned some tap dancing (new skill) in order to do the Finale.  


          Kudos to Ellie for her talent and grace.  Thanks for lending such elegance to this premier performance of "Parizade's Quest!"

Hard to believe, but it was one year ago precisely that a friend told me about the story of "The Speaking Bird."  She said that it was a tale from the Arabian Nights stories that she had only just become aware of.  She had been struck by the notion that it would make a great Children's Theater play or better yet, a musical.  I happened to be looking for a new project at just that moment. She liked the piece because it was not a romantic "love" story, but a reuniting of a family "love" story.  When I read it, I liked it because it had great elements that make for good theater: mystery, comedy, magic, fantasy characters --- and a bonus for children's theater --- the opportunity for good roles for more than one GIRL.  A beautiful "weeping" Queen, a "lost" princess, a clever storyteller, two jealous sisters, Gypsy dancers, and the magical Speaking Bird.

        Creating a fantasy character that must be acted by a human can be a daunting task --- unless you have a great model for inspiration.  One of my friends has a bigger than life persona and a rare and unique personality.  I informed her frankly one day that I intended to model a character for my new play after her.  And, in her inimitable fashion, she answered, "Absolutely!  I have always thought that I would make a great character.  You'll have to invite me to see the show!"  So, with permission granted, I set off to give Shazelle, the Speaking Bird the funniest lines and the sassiest attitude possible!  Thank you, Anne-Marie St. Felix!

         But, then there is the casting dilemma.  As a director, you wonder if you will have a young actress come to audition with the talent and ability to pull off such a character.  Fortunately, just such a girl showed up.  Lizzie Jensen was perfect for the role.  She summoned enough inner "sassy attitude" to play this over the top character and even learned how to do a tap dance routine for the Finale!  Way to go, Lizzie!

         Here are the two of them together after the last show of "Parizade's Quest." And as Shazelle, herself, says in the play, "Girl, I am here to make sure the story is told right!  I am the magic and mystery!  Comedy, too!" And she really was!  This wonderful fantasy character was a pure delight! "And trust me, honey!  I am telling the absolute truth!"

          Here are a few photos of our preliminary costume check for "Parizade's Quest."  Making the turbans necessary for all of the male characters has been a job.  Making sure they fit the heads has been an added challenge!  Now... if we can only get the other 30 characters costumed and ready in time for our show March 27th and 30th!

          No matter how hard an author tries to imagine and plan out the script and songs for a new play, there are inevitable twists and turns as it goes into production.  For example: I have always had good luck with getting many boys to come out for the shows at the elementary school level.  But this time, the ratio is roughly 4:1 -- girls to boys.  Unfortunately, that means that some girls will have to play "Royal Guards" in some of the sequences.  Although this is not unusual for Children's Theater, it is a complication and a big let down for the girls who see themselves as lovely "princesses or ballerinas."  Fortunately, these girls can be featured as females in other scenes.  That should ease the weeping and wailing.

          Another twist has been figuring and re-figuring how to do the magical effects.  In the story,  "Parizade's Quest" is to obtain the three wonderful things: a Fountain of Golden Water, a Singing Tree, and a Speaking Bird. So, just how do you create a fountain of golden bubbling water, a tree with moving branches of shimmering "musical" leaves, and a bird (played by a human) in a glittering cage?

          So, I think I have figured out how to create the Speaking Bird's cage out of very lightweight tubing from the plumbing department at the hardware store.  It is the same kind of plastic tubing that hula hoops are made of.  Once spray painted with gold sparkles, it ought to work.  

          The Golden Fountain will just have to be a painted cardboard cut-out, I'm afraid.  We cannot afford the space to bring on stage a heavy cement garden fountain and we certainly cannot have real water!  Not with elementary kids!  I am thinking that the bubbling might be accomplished through some kind of puppetry, though. 

           And as for the Singing Tree... that might be created as a "flat" with bas relief trunk and hanging shimmering leaves with concealed mini wind chimes attached to strings.  We might then have a puppeteer pull the strings from behind to work the action of making the branches of leaves shimmer and the chimes tinkle in the wind.

         Another twist -- a terrific, happy discovery -- has been a young sixth grade student artist who has volunteered to design and paint the back ground scenes.  She has already come up with some beautiful designs and is anxious to get to work.  Happy happenstances like this make my worries and time all worth the effort! 

              Here's to expecting the Unexpected!  Way to go, Ceilidh!

          Over the past few weeks I have been working on the script and songs for my newest Musical, "Parizade's Quest - A Tale from the Arabian Nights." The story, as it was told in the version I was working from, had a lot of backstory explained at the very beginning.  This wallowing through information really slows down the plot.  I had to find some way to include the necessary information, but keep the momentum going.  I decided to cloak much of the backstory in mystery and only reveal a little at a time.  The other problem was to create a satisfying culmination for the finale song.  One of my daughters read my first draft and suggested that I use the symbol of the precious pearls as a unifying element.  So I went back and tried to include "precious pearls" in the plot at important junctures so that when I used it at the end, the message of "Pearls So Rare" would tie the whole story together.

          Another problem of creating a piece of theater is to decide which characters need to meet the audience through their own theme music.  I decided that the Weeping Queen definitely needed her own beautiful theme song "By Morning's Light" to help the audience become more sympathetic towards her.  Nobody likes to be hit with sadness right at the beginning of a supposedly happy musical.  Yet, for the plot development, the Queen's sadness plays a pivotal role.  It worked out that her musical theme could also be used for the "Sultan's March" music by adding martial drumming.  That was appropriate in order to establish that her loss was also the Sultan's loss.  

         What age range is my target cast?  That is an important question to keep in mind while writing the script and songs.   Fortunately, I am writing for a school cast with about equal ratios of boys to girls.  I also know these kids pretty well because I have directed three plays at this particular school already. I have not pre-cast the show, but I have kept the particular skills of these kids in mind as I have developed characters.  Besides, I had made a promise to give them a show this spring featuring lead roles for as many girls as possible! So, by writing the show based on this story, I have provided good roles for Parizade the lost princess, Jamileh the Storyteller, Shazelle the Speaking (and tap-dancing) Bird, Kazhira the Weeping Queen, Beheshteh and Chaman Banoo the jealous sisters of the Queen, Mona and Nadia the Gypsy dancers, Rasma the Housekeeper, and assorted Maids and Servants and Dancers.  I am hoping that some talented dancers audition for "Parizade's Quest" so that the dance numbers can be mounted close to how I have imagined them.  

          My goal in writing for Children's Theater has been to tell stories that have meaningful messages.  Titles include stories about Bravery, Integrity, Sincerity, Cooperation, Work, Honesty, Loyal Pets dealing with Fears and Change and Yearnings, and now the paramount importance of FAMILY.  The "Pearls So Rare" as presented in "Parizade's Quest" have to do with precious and loving Family relationships.  This Musical is turning out to be a wonderful adventure story filled with memorable characters and singable songs and most of all --- a reminder of the importance of FAMILY!