"When You See a Guy, Reach for Stars in the Sky..."

New York City.  1950.  Horse races and dice games.  Cheesecake and strudel.  Guys.  Dolls.  Missionaries.  Redemption.

Saints on Stage is staging "Guys and Dolls Junior" for its next production.  Think this is a wild and crazy choice for a small, midwestern, Catholic elementary-middle school?  Well, we are certainly not the first.  Did you catch this article just a couple months back in The Catholic Spirit?  "Guys and Dolls" is a classic story of sin and repentance, with the usual big-time musical elements of catchy tunes, dazzling dance, friendship, conflict, romance and humor.  Our version will be suitable and enjoyable for all ages of participants and observers.  We know you are going to love it!

The 2013 production will kick off with auditions in late-December/early-January, followed by three-afternoons-a-week rehearsals, and performances the second weekend in March.  Once again, Saints on Stage welcomes any interested actors of ALL grade levels, and crew members in grades 5 and up.  Please note that this show has very limited crowd roles for young actors, something important to consider for those in grades K-2.  They will likely appear in the large crowd scenes, with only one or two musical numbers.  As always, we will need strong actors, singers and dancers-- both male and female-- for this show to be a success.

The Saints on Stage production staff is also seeking a couple more dedicated volunteers to fill pivotal roles for this next season.  If you love theater, love STFX School, are looking for a way to get involved and meet more students and parents, or if you just like the idea of hanging out with some really cool and talented kids, this is for you.  Please prayerfully consider joining us, and see Michelle Feldman or Andrea Krinke for details.

Stay tuned here for more information late this year, including an introductory parent meeting and ways for all of you to get involved with Saints on Stage!

What Did He Say?

Saints on Stage and Red Barn Video Productions are aware of the video/audio sync issue toward the end of the DVD of "Disney's Beauty and the Beast Junior." New copies have been run, and all DVDs will be replaced after Spring Break. Stay tuned here, or watch for an email with detailed instructions on how to make the swap. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Wish You Could See It One More Time?

Red Barn Video Productions, operated by one of our volunteers Don Schmidt, recorded the Saturday night performance of the musical. The DVD will include the complete show, along with slide shows of photos taken during rehearsals and video outtakes/bloopers.

The cost for this DVD is $20; a large portion of that goes to fund Saints on Stage. There is no obligation to purchase, but we wanted to clear up some confusion, as a couple parents thought the DVD was included in the $25 registration fee.

Order forms were included in your show programs and are also available in the school office. Orders can be turned in to the school office through Friday.

Bravo!

Our warmest congratulations and heartfelt thanks to the dazzling cast, hardworking crew, and dedicated volunteers of "Disney's Beauty and the Beast Junior!" Opening night was a spectacle of grand proportions. We accepted many compliments on behalf of all of you. We look forward to another wonderful-- could it be even better?!-- show tonight!

Ready to Go!

Thank you so much for sharing your children with us! The final dress rehearsal got long-- for everyone-- but much was accomplished, and we think you will be very pleased with the product when your stars take the stage in "Disney's Beauty and the Beast Junior." Here is some important information about the performances:

TIMES
Kids should go home the way they would typically go home on Friday afternoon (pick-up, bus, or day care) and then return at call time. SOS production staff will NOT be available to supervise after school.
Performances are at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. on Sunday. The CALL TIME for all actors and crew members is two hours before the curtain (5 p.m., 5 p.m., noon.)
The show runs one hour 20 minutes. If you are dropping off and picking up your child, s/he will be ready to go at 8:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., respectively.
**DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE TIME CHANGE ON SUNDAY. "SPRING AHEAD" and set your clocks ahead one hour!**

PRE-SHOW
CHECK-IN: The check-in table is by the front door. Each child should give his/her name before proceeding to the assigned dressing areas. If a child does not check in within 15 minutes of call time, a volunteer will call to check on your child.
HAIR: You are welcome to do your kids' hairstyles at home before they arrive, or we have volunteers to assist them here. As our costumer said, "Moms always know how their kids look cutest." Some characters have been given specific instructions about hairstyles; all girls should have a style that keeps hair out of their eyes and off their faces; boys can just stay shaggy.
MAKEUP: If it makes you and your child more comfortable, you may also apply makeup at home, but we do have plenty of volunteers to assist with this here at school, too.
FOOD: Please feed your children before they arrive. We will provide a small snack once they are dressed and ready to go, but it will not be enough to fuel them for the entire evening or afternoon. Volunteers will be selling concessions before and after the performance-- actors will be allowed to eat concessions only after their costumes have been taken off and put away.

PHOTOS AND DVDS
TAKING SNAPSHOTS: We ask that you not take flash photography during the show, simply because it is a huge distraction to young actors and can really throw them off. You can, of course, take photos after the curtain call. Some rehearsal photos are posted on Facebook and many more are displayed on photo boards in the main hallway at school. Please, before you upload or share any photos on blogs or social media, be aware that not all parents are comfortable with their kids' names and images being posted.
GROUP PHOTOS: A Saints on Stage production volunteer will be taking a variety of group photos on Saturday, during the on-stage warm-up time. We will notify you of plans with these photos, which are for archiving purposes, but will likely be available for purchase or as part of the DVD.
DVD: Red Barn Video Productions will again be videotaping this show, on Saturday night, and DVDs will be available for order/purchase. The profit from the DVDs go directly to support Saints on Stage. Order forms will be in your programs. We ask that you NOT record the show with your own video cameras, as this stretches the rights under our licensing agreement, and also can distract and obstruct the views of other audience members.

Thank you, thank you to all the dedicated volunteers who have joined in this production. It would not happen without your help! We thank God for the blessings of all of you!

Last-Chance Rehearsal

THURSDAY is our final dress rehearsal for "Disney's Beauty and the Beast Junior." Can you believe it?!

As parents ourselves, we fully realize how crazy this week has been, and continues to be. But the children have worked so hard, we want to double-down on this final push. The goal for Thursday is to run the show from top to bottom, TWICE.

Here's an estimated timeline:
2:10-3:00 middle school actors get into costumes, hair, makeup
3:00-3:25 middle school actors and other primary actors warm up, get microphones, run mic checks, set stage and props
3:10-3:15 elementary school actors get settled, eat their snacks
3:15-3:25 elementary school actors get into costumes (with hair and makeup, only as time allows)
3:30-4:50 first run-through
4:50-5:00 notes, instructions
5:00-5:10 snack, bathroom break
(Saints on Stage will provide a small snack and water here to tide over actors and crew.)
5:10-6:30 second run-though
6:30-6:40 notes, costume returns
6:40 GO HOME. EAT. SLEEP.

**Call time on FRIDAY is 5:00. Opening night curtain is 7:00!**

As long as the children are ready to go and barring any unforseen technical difficulties, we will do our best to stick to this schedule-- but there are no promises, so please plan accordingly. You are welcome to come and watch rehearsal until we are finished. If you prefer to not wait, we will make a phone available for your child to call you when rehearsal ends. Thank you for your understanding as we grasp this last chance to pull it all together!

Tick Tock

Thank you so much for your ongoing support and patience with "Disney's Beauty and the Beast Junior." The kids are all working so hard, and everyone is getting excited about our final product. We would like to particularly thank those parents who have been volunteering backstage and offstage with the children. We all knew the first dress rehearsal would be chaotic, but the chaos was much more pleasant with plenty of helping hands around!

Just to clarify, the remaining rehearsals-- Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday-- WILL RUN PAST 5:00. When everything goes smoothly, the entire run time of the production is approximately 1 hour 15 minutes. Tack onto that time for getting into and out of costume, picking up and putting away costumes and props, notes from the director and stage manager, technical glitches, and prayers, and we will be lucky to wrap up sometime between 5:30 and 5:45. We do not wish to waste your time, but that is the reality of live theater, with a large, young cast and volunteers who are learning as we go. You are welcome to come and watch dress rehearsals, or you may wait to arrive closer to 6:00 for pick-up. We will keep your children safe and supervised if we happen to wrap up earlier.

Also, please note, all required costume pieces are due at school; we had a number of actors without black pants or with the wrong color tights/socks. See one of the costume volunteers with questions or concerns. Wednesday will be our first attempt at adding stage makeup. If you have already sent your child's makeup to school, we will keep it with his/her other things.