Week Thirteen

Rehearsal Week

Click here... SCRIPT AND MUSIC to read the final script and music

(Monday evening rehearsal at Nexus)

Fun!  Fun you call it?!!!! No, seriously, it's wonderful.  But at the moment I am terrified.  One moment I think I have it under control, and all is smooth sailing.  Then I think, how will I keep my finger on everything.  Then I think, oh, it doesn't matter, everyone knows what to do.  And the last part is true, really.  Aaron is totally switched on and never misses a cue.  Joe has the lighting down to a fine art, and though his verbal encouragement (sometimes the four letter variety) of the performance with his mike switched on is distracting, his enthusiasm cannot be faulted.  The backstage crew get on perfectly without my help, Nicole has the follow-spot down to a tee, costume never needed me anyway, and props have been disciplined and remarkably acquisitive! And the actors.  Well, they're a constellation on their own.  Quite a collection of stars there.

What's really impressed me, Andrew, is the teamwork - the esprit de corps. Having done organisational and social behaviour (a business psychology unit) I was reminded of the work I did on the formation of teams.  Here we had a natural team, formed with everyone expecting the same outcome, and it has worked perfectly.  

Valerie O'Neill

(Bluebeard inquires on the whereabouts of his insolent wench)

Hows it going??? it's friday and I can't believe i'm actually feeling a little bummed cos we're not all in the theatre rehearsing, hahahaahAHAHAH!!

I've created a website as an add-on to the CD, which is in no way meant to detract from the fine work and quality that you've put into yours... It's for additional fun stuff related to the music and the show, such as "missing songs" (i.e. those that were cut) and lyrics (since I couldn't stuff 'em all into the CD booklet).

Thanks so much for your help!! And well done with your portrayal of Katz (catz! I just understood the pun!) - really entertaining, great job! Oh, the URL for the website is http://captainquokka.tripod.com  <--- fancy that!

okie then, will see you sunday! cheers and thanks again

Nick Choo

(Tuesday rehearsals are going as planned) 

(Wednesday sees the first (semi) dress rehearsal)

"WHAT A TEAM!  We survived the tech run; poor Joe must have been exhausted. Well, we all were, but still we carried on and, as Darren said at the end of act 1, "we've got a show!"

I am so glad we don't have a rehearsal tonight.  Lots of people said to me last night, before we got started, that they dreaded having to come in again tonight, so I think it would have been counter-productive to call another rehearsal.  Considering how tired everyone was after the tech run, they performed very well.  I expect to see a huge level of enthusiasm on Sunday night for the dress rehearsal.  Please, please, please, let everyone turn up and remember their lines.  I have to go through the prompt book today and make a working copy of cues (lighting, sound, backstage) that anyone can understand.  Although, given how one the ball everyone is in the production crew, I don't think anyone would miss me.  Sunday night will be the scary one for me, in the booth, working from the monitor instead of the front desk, and having more people to cue.  But the people I have to cue do their jobs so well, it's not something that is worrying me.  What does concern me is having to follow every line, and due the cuing as well.  I'm sure I'll forget something, or forget to prompt someone.  Must been even more worrying that way for the actors - their slip ups will be a lot more noticeable! Having said that, they're such an amazing team that their support of each other makes them cover any mistakes and they all pull together.

Roll on tomorrow week.  Or rather, roll on Sunday week when I shall expect to be brought tea and the papers in bed and taken out to lunch with champagne and smoked salmon.  Unless, of course, I screw the whole thing up completely, in which case I'll be wearing sackcloth and ashes and dining on the scraps thrown under the table."

Valerie O'Neill

(Lauren and Caris take a quick nap during the long day)

CAPTAIN QUOKKA’S ADVENTURES ON THE HIGH SEAS

CALL SCHEDULE COMMENCING SUNDAY 5 JUNE

(Colonel Cucumber, Desire the Dugong and Theresa the Turtle, can you guess which one is unimpressed?)

It seems to me that since we've moved into Nexus everyone's energy levels have picked up and they're more enthusiastic about the whole thing (that's my impression anyway). I guess it's because it seems so much more real actually being on stage (for the actors) and working backstage (for the crew). I don't know if I'm explaining this clearly, but I think everyone knows what I am saying. I loved sitting up at the back of the theatre (working on the ed pack of course!) and listening/watching what was going on stage. I was really good for me because I don't really have much contact with any of the others in the unit (being so busy with trying to get the ed pack done).

Nicole Pfeiffer

(Bluebeard puckers up for the camera)

Greetings from the underwater world... Haha, so I stole your line... meeeeow! 

"I find that my character is evolving. I used to think that Cordelia was scared... just like her other crabs, but as each show goes along, it's like she's breaking away from the group. She's beginning to act like a gung ho crab... she's still somewhat terrified of Octavia and Bluebeard... but then there's those moments when instead of being scared and hiding behind her claws, she has that shocked look of 'What nerve!'... haha, does that make sense? Like when Jan tells his story, she's more in awe of the adventure that he went through... instead of being scared..."

Anyway, here's the URL for the photos taken during the week... will be uploading new photos as I go along... feel free to post it on your website as well...

http://photobucket.com/albums/v508/murdochuniversity/Childrens%20Theatre/

Carol Li-an

(The final dress rehearsal sees Quokka and Bluebeard about to end it all)

The following is a part of Stephen Pearce's journal...Children are fascinating creatures! They have a way of creating their own imaginary environment. This is why I personally  feel children need to be exposed to all sorts of arts, including; drama, poetry ,orchestra, community concerts and of course children's theatre.

How children learn and the role that the arts can play in that process has been studied for a number of years. The results increasingly conclude that study and participation in the arts not only produces knowledge of and proficiency in an art form, but affects the process of learning itself. The results show that the arts are cognitive,  they embody and develop knowledge and mental skills-habits of mind, risk-taking, focus, and self-discipline. Start sharing your interest in the arts at an early age. Listen to music in your home and go to live performances, experience theatre, dance, and literary events together. Take your children to art exhibits. Make it a part of family outings. Keep a journal of your next vacation, or even of short outings, such as a trip to the zoo, a walk in the park, or a special birthday. Collect memorabilia, like tickets, flowers, shells, or pictures. Write a description of the event and paste the mementos in a spiral note book or journal. For very young kids, take dictation of their words or make oral recordings to encourage their ideas and make connections with other experiences.  All this deals with parents and teachers being effective in introducing and educating children about the arts.

Another entry reads...This week I looked into two aspects of theatre which I felt was important. I chose to explain spectacle and freedom I feel is crucial to children's theatre spectacle because children's theatre can be an awe of exhibition with colourful backdrops, fun characters and catchy music which in my opinion our play the Pie-Rats of Rottnest displays. Freedom as in of expression to put messages or meaning into the play which you may not get to do when doing a play for adults.

Spectacle in performance is designed to make you think when you see a performance. " The construction of situations begins on the ruins of the modern spectacle. It is easy to see to what extent the very principle of the spectacle-non-intervention" is linked to the alienation of the old world. Conversely, the most pertinent revolutionary experiment sin culture have sought to break the spectator's psychological identification with the hero so as to draw him  into activity by provoking his capacities to revolutionize his own life. 

This is really an attitude to life. It is sometimes called 'living in the moment'. Opening your heart is difficult for people in life as well as in the class workshops. It implies freedom, which presents another problem. Supporting Freedom means that one is responsible for one's own choices and actions in dealing with current issues. The word 'responsible' may be used in a variety of ways. Sartre said that to be responsible is to 'be the author of our own lives. We are condemned to be free. He described anxiety as 'the happiness of freedom. Freedom

(Yes! I finally just worked out that Van Dyke is inadequate)

We must engage with others and with the present moment, to open our hearts and minds

Stephen Pearce

(The make-up rehearsal finalises the look of our characters) 

View other Notice Board entries... Week One - Week Two     Week Three - Week Four

Week Five - Week Six    Week Seven - Study Break: Week One     Study Break: Week Two - Week Eight

Week Nine - Week Ten     Week Eleven - Week Twelve     Week Thirteen     Week Fourteen

View other 'Quokka' production extras...  Draft     Music - Act One     Music - Act Two

Script and Music - Act One     Script and Music - Act Two     Photo Gallery     Production Wrap-up     Cast and Crew Party

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Contact Andrew @ thechaseison@optusnet.com.au

This page last updated: 22nd December 2005