The Medicine Goes Down...

Sooooo….how are we all doing? 

I started writing this post back on Friday, and it’s now Tuesday. Information has been changing like crazy, and that has affected my draft of this next post! We always complain about not having enough time to do many of the things we want to or need to…well, with everything being closed, it appears that now we do! The universe is giving us time to get caught up, and it’s the perfect opportunity to dive in and get some fulfilling work done! Unexpected free time should be filled in unexpected ways. Use it as a time to grow. Read a book you’ve never read, watch a movie you’ve never seen…or heck, write a book nobody has ever read or make a movie nobody has ever seen. Inspiration finds you whenever and wherever it wants, and you can’t be quarantined from it. IF you just absolutely have to be on a device, then at least Google a topic you’ve always wanted to know more about, and just let that rabbit hole consume you for a while. You’ve got the time. No need to stare at the same five Corona memes and articles that the same five people keep posting. They’ll be obsolete in five minutes anyways. 

My heart breaks for the many concerts, plays and musicals who have had to delay, cancel or in any way been affected by all of this. One thing I’ve come to learn is there will always be more shows and more experiences coming down the road to look forward to, so be as sad as you need to about these recent disappointments, but also appreciate whatever experience you did get from them. Did you make a new friend or learn something you didn’t know before? Then they were still worth it. Be hopeful and look forward to all the opportunities that still lie ahead for you. 

I feel very fortunate this whole phenomenon has disrupted my life far less than it probably has many others. The classes I’m in will adapt to an online setup (but it’s “spring break” this week), my job responsibilities are changing a bit but I’m still working for now, and Mary Poppins is far enough down the road to be in any kind of worry yet. Walt Disney himself (apocryphally) said “Keep moving forward” and me being ever the optimist is embracing this extra free time and using it to catch up on work for the show. The amount of additional time I have to plan and think about things can only make the end result that much better. I believe the more you work at something, the better it becomes. Right before I began this blog, I signed on for two additional directing projects coming AFTER Mary Poppins. They needed a bit of my attention at first, (as did my senior project) so maybe I got a little distracted for a bit but I can very easily get “caught up” now.

Some of the show stuff I’ll be focusing on in the next few days/weeks includes finishing my set model (yes! I’ve never done a set model and I’ve got one underway), figuring out how we will run auditions, what the “Supercal” set pieces will look like, plus numerous other things, so there's plenty to do. I’ve also been thinking about some of the questions I was asked at the Get Acquainted event that distant week and a half ago when life was normal. I suppose it’s as good a time as any to start answering them!

First up….”How many children will you cast?”

Despite what the title might suggest, the true leads in Mary Poppins are the Banks children Jane and Michael. This is their story, and they rarely get time offstage. Given the major responsibility of carrying a big show on their young shoulders, maturity and reliability are as equal to their singing and acting abilities. We are looking at children between the ages of 9-14 for these roles. Jane is also older than Michael, so while it’s not vital, having a Jane that is older or at least taller than Michael would be ideal. 

There is not a children’s ensemble written into Mary Poppins, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be some children in the ensemble and I don’t want to see lots of talented children audition but then only get to use two. One of the main reasons I wanted to direct this show was to be as inclusive as possible. That being said, Mary Poppins is still a show for children to see more than it is for them to be in. It’s the perfect introduction to becoming a theatre patron, a practice necessary to ensure a healthy future for the performing arts. I still believe the reason I do this is because of seeing a production of Peter Pan when I was seven and being so inspired by it. Nothing would thrill me more than to have some young person discover what they love from seeing a show I directed. But now I’ve digressed and am dodging the original question! The best answer I can give to this question right now is “a handful”. Well, how much is a handful? I can comfortably say that means as few as four, but I don’t anticipate hitting double digits on the total.

A similar question was also asked: “How big will the cast be?”

Like I said earlier, I want to include as many people as possible, but I don’t want the number to get out of hand. I never want an actor to feel like they are expendable, that if they missed a show nobody would notice. I never allow people to “miss” performances, because a hole on stage always sticks out, and if you’re cast in the show then I consider you essential to it. In the past, I’ve directed a lot of “niche” shows that were more narrow in their casting needs: shows with smaller casts or very specific in what was needed. “Oh, I’m not a dancer” or “I’m too young” or “I’m too old” are things I’ve heard through the years. While there are certain specific factors that certain roles need (I mean, not just ANYONE can be Mary Poppins), there is literally something for everyone in this show, and I look forward to having a large diverse cast of all ages to present something special, much more now than even before. So on the low end, a cast of 40. On the high end, a cast of 50. This will be the largest “adult cast” show I’ve ever had, and I am hoping doing one so universally loved will attract a lot of new faces.

I’m also very excited for the response to auditions already! As of this writing, approximately a third of our available spots are already spoken for. We still have two months until auditions, and I think once the world gets back to normal, people are going to be ready to SEE or BE IN a great show. And I plan to be there ready and waiting with one! But in the mean time, let's tidy our nurseries, clean our chimneys, or go fly a kite...at least six feet away from anyone else.

Look forward to normal life again and CLICK HERE to sign up for auditions

OR use this free time to watch one of the Mary Poppins movies