Outdoor Summer Theater Camp programs are always a bit risky...even in an arid climate. When we moved from Maryland to Utah a few years ago, I fell in love with a house that had a wide cement patio in the back that I envisioned would be perfect for outdoor theatrical performances. I had been doing Children's Theater for years and had given performances in utilitarian school rooms, church halls, and on the oddest stages imaginable. Here was a house that had a perfect stage area and a nice grassy area for the audience to sit. So, we bought the house.
The first show we did was actually produced and directed by my daughter and her friends, "Never Cry Wolf." I helped with costumes and sets. They had pretty good weather...up until showtime in the evening, that is. A big wind came up and started to blow the drapes and set pieces away. Some of us helpers jumped into action and grabbed the drapes and set pieces from behind and held on for dear life! That was a very long 45 minutes, but we kept the show from blowing away! (Lesson #1 - Winds tend to come in by late afternoon.)
The next summer, my daughter and her friends produced another show, "A Successor to the Throne." This time the monsoon rains came mid-week and flooded the house and threatened the set pieces and drapes we were starting to hang. But by showtime, the weather cooperated and the performance went smoothly. (Lesson #2 - Beware of monsoon rains in Utah.)
The first show I produced in the backyard was "Stone Soup." During the two weeks of rehearsals we could not have asked for better weather. Sunshine and cool in the mornings. What I did not anticipate was how hot the cement patio could be by the evening of a 100 degree day. The children were going barefoot and really had a hard time. The day before had been a perfect 75 degree day! They were real troupers, but it was tough. (Lesson #3 - Evening performances can be brutal in hot weather!)
The next production I did in the backyard was "The Tale of Chicken Licken." I figured that I would benefit from lessons learned in the past and have the performance in the cool of the morning. We encountered rain mid-week, but by the showtime on Saturday morning, conditions were good. By all accounts, the audience and performers were not in discomfort during the show. All went well. (Lesson #4 - That was a June performance.)
This year, because of Mormon Tabernacle Choir Tour in late June/early July, I elected to schedule the Summer Theater Camp performance for August 8th. I had been told that the monsoon rains usually did not come until late August/early September. Well, this year 2015 has been a very odd weather year. We had a mild winter with barely any snowfall, a wet spring, an incredibly hot and dry June, and monsoon rains in early August. I watched the weather forecasts like a hawk and hoped and prayed for good weather---at least for the show. We had rain storms that pulled our rehearsals inside during the mid-weeks, but fortunately my house could absorb the activity of the 27 kids. But big thunderstorms with lightning, fierce winds and drenching rains were in the forecast for the weekend. As showtime approached, we did not dare put up any of the drapes or set pieces until the danger of the storms had passed.
The first show we did was actually produced and directed by my daughter and her friends, "Never Cry Wolf." I helped with costumes and sets. They had pretty good weather...up until showtime in the evening, that is. A big wind came up and started to blow the drapes and set pieces away. Some of us helpers jumped into action and grabbed the drapes and set pieces from behind and held on for dear life! That was a very long 45 minutes, but we kept the show from blowing away! (Lesson #1 - Winds tend to come in by late afternoon.)
The next summer, my daughter and her friends produced another show, "A Successor to the Throne." This time the monsoon rains came mid-week and flooded the house and threatened the set pieces and drapes we were starting to hang. But by showtime, the weather cooperated and the performance went smoothly. (Lesson #2 - Beware of monsoon rains in Utah.)
The first show I produced in the backyard was "Stone Soup." During the two weeks of rehearsals we could not have asked for better weather. Sunshine and cool in the mornings. What I did not anticipate was how hot the cement patio could be by the evening of a 100 degree day. The children were going barefoot and really had a hard time. The day before had been a perfect 75 degree day! They were real troupers, but it was tough. (Lesson #3 - Evening performances can be brutal in hot weather!)
The next production I did in the backyard was "The Tale of Chicken Licken." I figured that I would benefit from lessons learned in the past and have the performance in the cool of the morning. We encountered rain mid-week, but by the showtime on Saturday morning, conditions were good. By all accounts, the audience and performers were not in discomfort during the show. All went well. (Lesson #4 - That was a June performance.)
This year, because of Mormon Tabernacle Choir Tour in late June/early July, I elected to schedule the Summer Theater Camp performance for August 8th. I had been told that the monsoon rains usually did not come until late August/early September. Well, this year 2015 has been a very odd weather year. We had a mild winter with barely any snowfall, a wet spring, an incredibly hot and dry June, and monsoon rains in early August. I watched the weather forecasts like a hawk and hoped and prayed for good weather---at least for the show. We had rain storms that pulled our rehearsals inside during the mid-weeks, but fortunately my house could absorb the activity of the 27 kids. But big thunderstorms with lightning, fierce winds and drenching rains were in the forecast for the weekend. As showtime approached, we did not dare put up any of the drapes or set pieces until the danger of the storms had passed.
Early morning view of Set for "Momotaro." Notice the wet pavement.
By midnight Friday the forecast changed and predicted sunshine and clear skies by showtime Saturday morning. My husband and I got up at 4:00 am and began arranging the drapes and sets. At 7:00 am my nephew came over and helped set up chairs and shade canopies for the audience. It was a lot of work, but we got everything set up in time for the audience to start coming at 9:00 am. The agreement I stated up front was that we would set up a few chairs but everybody else would need to bring their own or sit on blankets on the grass. It was so wet, though, that we laid out all the tarps we had.
We live in the shadow of the mountain. The sun did not shine over the mountain until 8:49 am. Fortunately it did its work and dried things out on the stage sufficiently by 10:00 am that we could set up the sound system just in the nick of time. The 110+ audience members took their places and the show went on. "Momotaro, A Tale of Bravery" The kids did their parts as if there had been no worries at all. Whew! It was a miracle!
We live in the shadow of the mountain. The sun did not shine over the mountain until 8:49 am. Fortunately it did its work and dried things out on the stage sufficiently by 10:00 am that we could set up the sound system just in the nick of time. The 110+ audience members took their places and the show went on. "Momotaro, A Tale of Bravery" The kids did their parts as if there had been no worries at all. Whew! It was a miracle!
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