What's been happening recently?
fleetfootmike, demoneyes and I met on Sunday 7 July 2013 to discuss how we were going to proceed with this project and what needed to be done, and by when etc. I have prepared detailed notes of the meeting.
BEFORE THE DAWN AT LONCON 3
NOTES OF MEETING HELD ON
SUNDAY 7TH JULY 2013
Present:
Phil Allcock (PA)
Valerie Housden (VH)
Mike Whitaker (MW)
1) Feasibility and desirability:
• A number of members of the cast from the AXXIdental production had
expressed an interest in taking part again but were unsure that they would
be able to afford to attend rehearsal and/or the Worldcon. Fund raising
options were considered, to help pay for people to attend rehearsals and
the con (e.g.day memberships). It was also noted that not everyone
needed to attend every rehearsal, and that, with careful planning,
rehearsals could be arranged at venues local to relevant cast members.
• Other cast members from the AXXIdental production had indicated they
would be attending Worldcon and would like to take part again.
• The following roles would definitely need recasting:
- the Prince,
- the Magdalene,
- the Sergeant.
It was agreed that there was plenty of talent within the filk community, and
it should not be too difficult to fill these roles.
• It was agreed that we should submit a formal request for a three-hour slot
for a performance of 'Before the Dawn' at Loncon 3. VH to prepare a
request in principle, with a view to submitting before the end of July 2013.
• The formal request should include references to the extracts from the
AXXIdental performance on the BtD website.
2) Scope and size of projected production
• The production at AXXIdental had consisted of two one-hour acts with a
35 minute break. It was agreed that the band would need a half hour
break after Act I after playing non-stop for an hour or more.
• It was noted that the Worldcon audience would probably be less forgiving
than the AXXIdental audience, and would be less likely to make
allowances for plots points dealt with fleetingly in the narration or lost in
songs. Therefore some rewriting of lyrics and narration was probably
necessary.
• Bringing the Warlord on stage as a singing character, singing a verse of
"Before the Dawn" and having two stand alone songs of his own would
address some of the plot problems mentioned.
• The structure of both Acts needs to be revisited, so that Act I can finish
with a "showstopper".
• It was noted that West End musicals, such as Les Miserables, were
usually structured so that the first act lasted one and a half hours, and the
second act lasted an hour with a long intermission between the two acts.
• It was agreed that rearranging the script, moving certain scenes from Act
II into Act I and inserting some new material, so that Act I lasts one and a
half hours and finishes with a suitable showstopper, and inserting some
new material into Act II so that it still lasts one hour, with a half hour break
between the two acts, should make the show more coherent to a general
Worldcon audience.
• The AXXIdental Band consisted of five musicians. Three have indicated
that they would be happy to be in the band again for Worldcon. MW has
found another drummer, and has certain musicians in mind if the bass
player is unable to take part. It was agreed the band needed a second
keyboards player, and MW would like a second lead guitar player as well.
• VH produced a list detailing a minimum requirement of 12 non-solosinging
performers, most playing multiple roles. As this included the
Warlord as a non-singing role, it was agreed that the final list of nonsinging
roles could not be agreed until the script revisions had been
finalised.
• It was agreed that understudies would be needed. How this would be
organised would depend upon casting.
• The possibility of providing an Autocue for those performers who need it
was discussed.
• As we have no idea of the size and proportions of the eventual
performance venue, the question of having scenery as well as props was
parked. It was felt that the Tower could be conveyed by a backdrop of a
brick wall with a door in it.
• A site visit to the performance venue before the Worldcon is vital.
• We could use back projection again, as we did at AXXIdental. The slides
would need revising.
• Stage lighting. We will need some! (E.g. the Not For Sale scene at the
Tower, when the Captain kills his fellow Reivers, with a thunderstorm in
the background and lightening flashes illuminating the stage now and
again.)
• Two scenes require a bed on stage. There was some discussion about
how practical it would be to get a real bed on and off stage quickly.
3) Responsibilities
• VH - Organisation, butt-kicking, Worldcon Programming liaison and
negotiation
• MW - Musical Director, general branding and graphics
• PA - Over-analysis, reality checks and over-analysed reality checks
• Other known responsibilities: Stage management - Kathy Westhead
• Suggested staff members: Costumes - Miki Dennis (to be invited
sometime)
4) Rehearsals
• To be worked out in detail once we have a cast.
• Not everyone needs to attend every rehearsal.
• Some rehearsals can be held at the Mill House
• Where possible, rehearsals to be held at venues that are easy and
convenient for the appropriate cast members to get to.
• Check out possible rehearsal venues, e.g. the pub in Walthamstow being
used by the nMC for their July and August rehearsals.
• MW prepared to act as rehearsal accompanist when he is available
• Backing tracks/mp3s needed for rehearsals where we haven't got an
accompanist.
• NB. The main rehearsal period will be May and June, with musical notelearning
sessions in April and dress rehearsals in July. This will not be
convenient for cast members taking exams, such as the Crooklets.
Unfortunately, Worldcon is taking place in the middle of August in 2014,
not at the end.
5) Timetables
• The overall draft timetable circulated by VH was broadly accepted, with
some small tweaks. It was noted that the deadline for items that really had
to finalised by October was in reality middle of September. VH to start
nagging and chasing at the beginning of September.
• To be done by the end of July:
- MW to write a short piece for the WiGGLE Newsletter;
- VH to submit request for three-hour slot to Worldcon Programming
Committee
• To be done by mid-September to get to the Worldcon Programming
Committee for their October meeting:
- A detailed list of Tech and staging requirements - MW to supply the
band's tech requirements.
• To be done by mid-September:
- draft revisions to the script incorporating song rewrites and new
songs; first pass at timings;
- First drafts of lists for props and backdrops
• Preparing scores, scripts, midi files, mp3 files: as many as possible by
October. Absolute backstop deadline beginning of December.
• Rehearsals timetable to try and take cast members' other commitments,
e.g. exams, into consideration.
6) Publicity
• Rebrand 'Before the Dawn' as "A Fantasy Rock Musical". Although only
the narration is spoken and all the cast's lines are sung, it was felt that
"Rock Musical" better described the work, rather than "Rock Opera".
• MW to draft piece to go in the August issue of the WiGGLe newsletter,
letting UK filkdom know that we're planning to do this, and that we may be
auditioning for some of the major roles.
• VH has already approached Semibreve, the 2014 filkcon, for a slot in the
programme to discuss the production at Worldcon.
• VH has already announced to German filk fandom (at DFDF, the recent
German filk convention) that we are planning to stage BtD at the London
Worldcon.
• MW to organise BtD T-shirts to sell as a fund-raiser to enable cashstrapped
performers to get to rehearsals and the Worldcon.
• As we will have to prepare decent sets of lyrics and scores for the songs,
it was agreed in principle to prepare a BtD songbook separately from the
official Worldcon Songbook. MW(?) to approach Roger Robinson re
publishing the book.
7) Amendments to script and score
• Prior to watching the video recording of the performance at AXXIdental,
the following amendments were noted:
- Make the Warlord an onstage singing role
- Give the Warlord a song near the beginning, telling the Prince to lead
the City's army into battle against the Reivers
- Rearrange 'Before the Dawn', with the Girl singing verse 1, the
Warlord singing a slightly rewritten verse 2 (e.g. Watcher on the
Tower, you'll hear their hoofbeats), the Prince singing verse 3, and all
three singing verse 4 in harmony/counterpoint. This would then segue
into the Warlord's song to the Prince.
- Give the Warlord a song halfway through Act II to explain his
continuing motivations and thought processes
- Include the duet between the Sage and the Rumour Monger "I Cannot
Understand". This may need some minor rewriting, depending upon
where it's inserted.
- Need to have the Reiver High Priest on stage.
- Consequential amendments to narration to incorporate above.
8) AOB
• Next meeting to be held at the end of August or at the beginning of
September, probably at the Mill House. Suggested weekends: 24 - 26
August, 31/1 September, 7/8 September. PA to confirm which dates he is
available for.
9) Watch DVD
• Points arising from watching the video recording:
- Rework the arrangements for certain songs, so that they are in keys
that better suit the singer's voice
- VH to rewrite 4th verse of "Walkabout" (Now Done!)
- MW to consider rearranging the accompaniment for "Walkabout", to
make it less "swing" and more Carole King/Jimmy Webb.
- VH to rewrite "Sisters" in the 2nd person, rather than 3rd person. (Now
done!)
- Where to place the new songs
- Foreshadow the Starsent earlier in the story, so that "The Answer" in
Act II is less of a 'rabbit out of the hat' trick.
- Consider merging the Resistance and the Knights of the Drunkard's
Moon (VH is NOT in favour of this!). Having two different, other, antireiver
movements can be confusing.
- The Warlord's Act II song to include him stating that he knows about
her 'friends', and he Does Not Approve Of Them.
• VH and PA downloaded copies of the video on their computers.
• PA, VH and MW (and ZN, who also has a copy) to watch the video again
at their leisure with a copy of the script in front of them, so that they can
annotate as appropriate, with a view to getting a revised draft script out for
October.
• Need to liaise with ZN about amendments to narration.
For those who just want a quick summary:
Yes, the project is going ahead. I am preparing a detailed submission to the Loncon 3 programming committee asap.
While the script will be based on the script used at AXXIdental, there will be some changes to take account of feedback received after AXXIdental.
Major change: the Warlord will not only be an onstage character, he will sing two songs.
We will be looking for performers to play the Prince, the Magdalene and the Sergeant.
That's all for now, I think.
BEFORE THE DAWN AT LONCON 3
NOTES OF MEETING HELD ON
SUNDAY 7TH JULY 2013
Present:
Phil Allcock (PA)
Valerie Housden (VH)
Mike Whitaker (MW)
1) Feasibility and desirability:
• A number of members of the cast from the AXXIdental production had
expressed an interest in taking part again but were unsure that they would
be able to afford to attend rehearsal and/or the Worldcon. Fund raising
options were considered, to help pay for people to attend rehearsals and
the con (e.g.day memberships). It was also noted that not everyone
needed to attend every rehearsal, and that, with careful planning,
rehearsals could be arranged at venues local to relevant cast members.
• Other cast members from the AXXIdental production had indicated they
would be attending Worldcon and would like to take part again.
• The following roles would definitely need recasting:
- the Prince,
- the Magdalene,
- the Sergeant.
It was agreed that there was plenty of talent within the filk community, and
it should not be too difficult to fill these roles.
• It was agreed that we should submit a formal request for a three-hour slot
for a performance of 'Before the Dawn' at Loncon 3. VH to prepare a
request in principle, with a view to submitting before the end of July 2013.
• The formal request should include references to the extracts from the
AXXIdental performance on the BtD website.
2) Scope and size of projected production
• The production at AXXIdental had consisted of two one-hour acts with a
35 minute break. It was agreed that the band would need a half hour
break after Act I after playing non-stop for an hour or more.
• It was noted that the Worldcon audience would probably be less forgiving
than the AXXIdental audience, and would be less likely to make
allowances for plots points dealt with fleetingly in the narration or lost in
songs. Therefore some rewriting of lyrics and narration was probably
necessary.
• Bringing the Warlord on stage as a singing character, singing a verse of
"Before the Dawn" and having two stand alone songs of his own would
address some of the plot problems mentioned.
• The structure of both Acts needs to be revisited, so that Act I can finish
with a "showstopper".
• It was noted that West End musicals, such as Les Miserables, were
usually structured so that the first act lasted one and a half hours, and the
second act lasted an hour with a long intermission between the two acts.
• It was agreed that rearranging the script, moving certain scenes from Act
II into Act I and inserting some new material, so that Act I lasts one and a
half hours and finishes with a suitable showstopper, and inserting some
new material into Act II so that it still lasts one hour, with a half hour break
between the two acts, should make the show more coherent to a general
Worldcon audience.
• The AXXIdental Band consisted of five musicians. Three have indicated
that they would be happy to be in the band again for Worldcon. MW has
found another drummer, and has certain musicians in mind if the bass
player is unable to take part. It was agreed the band needed a second
keyboards player, and MW would like a second lead guitar player as well.
• VH produced a list detailing a minimum requirement of 12 non-solosinging
performers, most playing multiple roles. As this included the
Warlord as a non-singing role, it was agreed that the final list of nonsinging
roles could not be agreed until the script revisions had been
finalised.
• It was agreed that understudies would be needed. How this would be
organised would depend upon casting.
• The possibility of providing an Autocue for those performers who need it
was discussed.
• As we have no idea of the size and proportions of the eventual
performance venue, the question of having scenery as well as props was
parked. It was felt that the Tower could be conveyed by a backdrop of a
brick wall with a door in it.
• A site visit to the performance venue before the Worldcon is vital.
• We could use back projection again, as we did at AXXIdental. The slides
would need revising.
• Stage lighting. We will need some! (E.g. the Not For Sale scene at the
Tower, when the Captain kills his fellow Reivers, with a thunderstorm in
the background and lightening flashes illuminating the stage now and
again.)
• Two scenes require a bed on stage. There was some discussion about
how practical it would be to get a real bed on and off stage quickly.
3) Responsibilities
• VH - Organisation, butt-kicking, Worldcon Programming liaison and
negotiation
• MW - Musical Director, general branding and graphics
• PA - Over-analysis, reality checks and over-analysed reality checks
• Other known responsibilities: Stage management - Kathy Westhead
• Suggested staff members: Costumes - Miki Dennis (to be invited
sometime)
4) Rehearsals
• To be worked out in detail once we have a cast.
• Not everyone needs to attend every rehearsal.
• Some rehearsals can be held at the Mill House
• Where possible, rehearsals to be held at venues that are easy and
convenient for the appropriate cast members to get to.
• Check out possible rehearsal venues, e.g. the pub in Walthamstow being
used by the nMC for their July and August rehearsals.
• MW prepared to act as rehearsal accompanist when he is available
• Backing tracks/mp3s needed for rehearsals where we haven't got an
accompanist.
• NB. The main rehearsal period will be May and June, with musical notelearning
sessions in April and dress rehearsals in July. This will not be
convenient for cast members taking exams, such as the Crooklets.
Unfortunately, Worldcon is taking place in the middle of August in 2014,
not at the end.
5) Timetables
• The overall draft timetable circulated by VH was broadly accepted, with
some small tweaks. It was noted that the deadline for items that really had
to finalised by October was in reality middle of September. VH to start
nagging and chasing at the beginning of September.
• To be done by the end of July:
- MW to write a short piece for the WiGGLE Newsletter;
- VH to submit request for three-hour slot to Worldcon Programming
Committee
• To be done by mid-September to get to the Worldcon Programming
Committee for their October meeting:
- A detailed list of Tech and staging requirements - MW to supply the
band's tech requirements.
• To be done by mid-September:
- draft revisions to the script incorporating song rewrites and new
songs; first pass at timings;
- First drafts of lists for props and backdrops
• Preparing scores, scripts, midi files, mp3 files: as many as possible by
October. Absolute backstop deadline beginning of December.
• Rehearsals timetable to try and take cast members' other commitments,
e.g. exams, into consideration.
6) Publicity
• Rebrand 'Before the Dawn' as "A Fantasy Rock Musical". Although only
the narration is spoken and all the cast's lines are sung, it was felt that
"Rock Musical" better described the work, rather than "Rock Opera".
• MW to draft piece to go in the August issue of the WiGGLe newsletter,
letting UK filkdom know that we're planning to do this, and that we may be
auditioning for some of the major roles.
• VH has already approached Semibreve, the 2014 filkcon, for a slot in the
programme to discuss the production at Worldcon.
• VH has already announced to German filk fandom (at DFDF, the recent
German filk convention) that we are planning to stage BtD at the London
Worldcon.
• MW to organise BtD T-shirts to sell as a fund-raiser to enable cashstrapped
performers to get to rehearsals and the Worldcon.
• As we will have to prepare decent sets of lyrics and scores for the songs,
it was agreed in principle to prepare a BtD songbook separately from the
official Worldcon Songbook. MW(?) to approach Roger Robinson re
publishing the book.
7) Amendments to script and score
• Prior to watching the video recording of the performance at AXXIdental,
the following amendments were noted:
- Make the Warlord an onstage singing role
- Give the Warlord a song near the beginning, telling the Prince to lead
the City's army into battle against the Reivers
- Rearrange 'Before the Dawn', with the Girl singing verse 1, the
Warlord singing a slightly rewritten verse 2 (e.g. Watcher on the
Tower, you'll hear their hoofbeats), the Prince singing verse 3, and all
three singing verse 4 in harmony/counterpoint. This would then segue
into the Warlord's song to the Prince.
- Give the Warlord a song halfway through Act II to explain his
continuing motivations and thought processes
- Include the duet between the Sage and the Rumour Monger "I Cannot
Understand". This may need some minor rewriting, depending upon
where it's inserted.
- Need to have the Reiver High Priest on stage.
- Consequential amendments to narration to incorporate above.
8) AOB
• Next meeting to be held at the end of August or at the beginning of
September, probably at the Mill House. Suggested weekends: 24 - 26
August, 31/1 September, 7/8 September. PA to confirm which dates he is
available for.
9) Watch DVD
• Points arising from watching the video recording:
- Rework the arrangements for certain songs, so that they are in keys
that better suit the singer's voice
- VH to rewrite 4th verse of "Walkabout" (Now Done!)
- MW to consider rearranging the accompaniment for "Walkabout", to
make it less "swing" and more Carole King/Jimmy Webb.
- VH to rewrite "Sisters" in the 2nd person, rather than 3rd person. (Now
done!)
- Where to place the new songs
- Foreshadow the Starsent earlier in the story, so that "The Answer" in
Act II is less of a 'rabbit out of the hat' trick.
- Consider merging the Resistance and the Knights of the Drunkard's
Moon (VH is NOT in favour of this!). Having two different, other, antireiver
movements can be confusing.
- The Warlord's Act II song to include him stating that he knows about
her 'friends', and he Does Not Approve Of Them.
• VH and PA downloaded copies of the video on their computers.
• PA, VH and MW (and ZN, who also has a copy) to watch the video again
at their leisure with a copy of the script in front of them, so that they can
annotate as appropriate, with a view to getting a revised draft script out for
October.
• Need to liaise with ZN about amendments to narration.
For those who just want a quick summary:
Yes, the project is going ahead. I am preparing a detailed submission to the Loncon 3 programming committee asap.
While the script will be based on the script used at AXXIdental, there will be some changes to take account of feedback received after AXXIdental.
Major change: the Warlord will not only be an onstage character, he will sing two songs.
We will be looking for performers to play the Prince, the Magdalene and the Sergeant.
That's all for now, I think.