Tech Week - redux

[Deb in IA]

OK, since the "search" is disabled, I can't add this to the previous thread.

Just wanted to commiserate again with those parents and kids going through the infamous "tech week".

Our DS is playing Johnny Casino in "Grease". (He sings the "Hand Jive").

Opening night is tomorrow.

They have been doing tech run-throughs all last week.

Last weekend, they had load-in at the auditorium. (We are a really small school and have no auditorium of our own. We are renting a performing arts center in town.)
They have had full dress/Tech week this week.

Monday, they got out at 10:20 pm.
Last night, during a snowstorm, they got out at around 10 pm.

DS had a test today in AP Calculus. He doesn't think he did very well, because he has had no time to study.

Last rehearsal tonight, then shows Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7, Sunday at 2.


He is a senior, and this is his last show. While I'm sure he will miss it when it is done, I just hope we can all survive until then!!!

 

[momz]

my kids are in a community theater (we can't be in the school production because of scheduling conflicts). But, I can totally relate to tech week

it only lasts a week though. And they have soooo much fun. It's all worth it!

 

[superme80]

Good Ol hell week. Tell you son to Break a leg! I'm sure the show will be awesome. Tech week is rough.

 

[3doodlebugsmom]

I feel your pain-We're going through the same thing right now for a community theatre group- my girls are 10th and 11th grade, and I worry about survival also!

 

[Mkrop]

DS15 is a freshman and decided to join stage crew so this is our first time dealing with hell week. It is extremely long days.

And since he doesnt drive, I am up late to go pick him up.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

DS14 just finished tech week last night! He opens tonight as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. Tomorrow he does a performance as a villager. Friday he's a villager at 5:00 and Tevye again at 8:00. They've had between 4 1/2 and 6 hours of rehearsals everyday since Saturday. He's tired, but so excited! We'll all need to do some serious decompression this weekend.

His school just started working on Grease. He'll be playing Danny in two of the four performances in late April. So we have two months before tech week hits again!

 

[EclecticWAHM]

Yup...waiting to get a text from my kids. They're on stage crew. Tomorrow is opening night. I wish my dd would get her license already so I don't have to drive so much!

 

[elgerber]

My dd, 17, 3 weeks from tomorrow is opening night. And we just started building the freakin set last night! Talk about hell! Somehow it has dragged us in also. She is playing Lucy in Charlie Brown. We will be in tech week soon enough.
Tons of other stuff going on also, all the way through May.
Including a trip to Chicago next weekend to see Pink, because her concert here in MN Is during tech week LOL.

 

[tar heel]

Deb -It doesn't have to be his last show! My son, who I posted about in last year's tech thread, auditioned his first week of college. He just started rehearsals for his third college production! It has been a great way for him make friends.

 

[Geoff_M]

It's amazing how, somehow, these productions manage to come together when during Tech Week it looks like a disaster in the making. Probably the worst for us, when the kids were doing community theater, was Peter Pan. I was Peter's flier, and our oldest son was Michael. The first time we managed to get through the entire show in one evening was the last rehearsal of Tech Week! I thought we were doomed... But somehow, we made it work Opening Night... and for the rest of the run.

 

[scrapquitler]

OK, since the "search" is disabled, I can't add this to the previous thread.

Just wanted to commiserate again with those parents and kids going through the infamous "tech week".

Our DS is playing Johnny Casino in "Grease". (He sings the "Hand Jive").

Opening night is tomorrow.

They have been doing tech run-throughs all last week.

Last weekend, they had load-in at the auditorium. (We are a really small school and have no auditorium of our own. We are renting a performing arts center in town.)
They have had full dress/Tech week this week.

Monday, they got out at 10:20 pm.
Last night, during a snowstorm, they got out at around 10 pm.

DS had a test today in AP Calculus. He doesn't think he did very well, because he has had no time to study.

Last rehearsal tonight, then shows Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7, Sunday at 2.


He is a senior, and this is his last show. While I'm sure he will miss it when it is done, I just hope we can all survive until then!!!

I can relate....my DD is the backstage coordinator for the musicals at our school, no singing in public for her. Our school is doing Once Upon a Mattress this year, but our show isn't until early May. In fact, auditions are just happening this week, so this is just the beginning for our kids.

 

[Parkhopper]

I'm a Drama Mama. My DS18 has been through so many hell weeks that I just don't know how he has managed. He has one more in about 2 weeks. He sure loves performing though!

 

[Katy Belle]

It is Tech Week here too! DS17 is Polonius in Hamlet. Show opens tonight! We had a snow day Tuesday and the roads were clear by noon. The rehearsed from 1-7! No snow day for Drama kids! DS17 said that he and some others ran errand during Advanced Acting class yesterday...to Wal-Mart, etc. He got home last night before 9, not bad!

Saturday is also Solo and Ensemble Contest for Band. Mr Band Director is attempting to have rehearsals...but DS cant attend! He is using his lunch time for Band and every other waking moment for Hamlet!

Break a Leg!

 

[elgerber]

It's amazing how, somehow, these productions manage to come together when during Tech Week it looks like a disaster in the making. Probably the worst for us, when the kids were doing community theater, was Peter Pan. I was Peter's flier, and our oldest son was Michael. The first time we managed to get through the entire show in one evening was the last rehearsal of Tech Week! I thought we were doomed... But somehow, we made it work Opening Night... and for the rest of the run.

This is so true! Last year our production of Little Shop of Horrors was cursed, with disasters from start to finish. First director quit, had to hire a new director (who turned out to be terrible), so we only had 6 weeks to rehearse, set builder ended up in the hospital twice, set was finished by the beginning of tech week (mostly finished), snow day the week before tech week, when we were already behind etc etc.
The final dress rehearsal was AWFUL!! I was so worried! Yet opening night, they somehow pulled it all off!

 

[marcyinPA]

My middle schooler has his final dress rehearsal this morning- they are performing for the local elementary school. Opening night is tomorrow night. They are doing Fame Jr., and he is Nick. This week has been terrible for him. He is saying they are NOT ready and kids are fooling around, and they are going to look STUPID up there. His director had a temper tantrum during rehearsal on Monday and stomped off the stage. The costume and makeup moms are lecturing the kids. He came out of rehearsal on Monday in tears- with serious stage make-up issues (he looked like a CLOWN )

I hope today goes well, and that tomorrow night they shine!!


DS17 has two more weeks until his HS show goes on. They are doing A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, and he is Erronius. His part is small-ish and he's not in many scenes, so he has found this show to drag. There has been some director "drama" this show, so morale has been low. He loved theater the past two shows, but this one not so much. He is a senior, so it's his last one, and I think he is OK with that.

 

[erincon23]

Our tech week was last week - this is the week between show weekends. DS17 has been in a couple of other plays, but this is his first musical (and judging from his reaction, may be his last! we'll see). Hasn't been too bad, 9:30 or so, but the set -- very elaborate with a 12-foot turntable that had to be built into the stage -- took much longer to complete than expected, so everybody (including all the actors) had to put in extra hours. They're doing Into the Woods, and DS is Cinderella's father. Break a leg to all the Dis actors!

Oh! and they had auditions for the spring play yesterday - rehearsals start on TUESDAY. 1 day off between shows.

 

[Deb in IA]

DS15 is a freshman and decided to join stage crew so this is our first time dealing with hell week. It is extremely long days.

And since he doesnt drive, I am up late to go pick him up.

Yes, DH and I were extremely relieved when DS started to drive himself, although we still were very worried when he had to drive home in the snowstorm Tuesday night.

DS14 just finished tech week last night! He opens tonight as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. Tomorrow he does a performance as a villager. Friday he's a villager at 5:00 and Tevye again at 8:00. They've had between 4 1/2 and 6 hours of rehearsals everyday since Saturday. He's tired, but so excited! We'll all need to do some serious decompression this weekend.

His school just started working on Grease. He'll be playing Danny in two of the four performances in late April. So we have two months before tech week hits again!

Good luck to "Tevye" - and break a leg!
And congratulations on getting the lead for Grease!

Yup...waiting to get a text from my kids. They're on stage crew. Tomorrow is opening night. I wish my dd would get her license already so I don't have to drive so much!

Yes, before DS got his license, it was a lot of waiting late at night!
(And being very tired the next day at work! I can't imagine how those kids get through school - but I think they have much more stamina at that age!)

Deb -It doesn't have to be his last show! My son, who I posted about in last year's tech thread, auditioned his first week of college. He just started rehearsals for his third college production! It has been a great way for him make friends.

DS is thinking about some voice classes, but he is a bit shy and reservered by nature. I'm not sure if he will be in theater productions in college.

It's amazing how, somehow, these productions manage to come together when during Tech Week it looks like a disaster in the making. Probably the worst for us, when the kids were doing community theater, was Peter Pan. I was Peter's flier, and our oldest son was Michael. The first time we managed to get through the entire show in one evening was the last rehearsal of Tech Week! I thought we were doomed... But somehow, we made it work Opening Night... and for the rest of the run.

I know! DS was just saying last week that the rehearsals were "not going very well" - but they always manage to pull it off!

It is Tech Week here too! DS17 is Polonius in Hamlet. Show opens tonight! We had a snow day Tuesday and the roads were clear by noon. The rehearsed from 1-7! No snow day for Drama kids! DS17 said that he and some others ran errand during Advanced Acting class yesterday...to Wal-Mart, etc. He got home last night before 9, not bad!

Saturday is also Solo and Ensemble Contest for Band. Mr Band Director is attempting to have rehearsals...but DS cant attend! He is using his lunch time for Band and every other waking moment for Hamlet!

Break a Leg!

Same for you!
Snow days always make it crazy for rehearals, don't they?

DS also had a Pops Concert last Friday. School was cancelled, but they still put the concert on - it is a major fundraiser for the choral program.

My middle schooler has his final dress rehearsal this morning- they are performing for the local elementary school. Opening night is tomorrow night. They are doing Fame Jr., and he is Nick. This week has been terrible for him. He is saying they are NOT ready and kids are fooling around, and they are going to look STUPID up there. His director had a temper tantrum during rehearsal on Monday and stomped off the stage. The costume and makeup moms are lecturing the kids. He came out of rehearsal on Monday in tears- with serious stage make-up issues (he looked like a CLOWN )

I hope today goes well, and that tomorrow night they shine!!


DS17 has two more weeks until his HS show goes on. They are doing A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, and he is Erronius. His part is small-ish and he's not in many scenes, so he has found this show to drag. There has been some director "drama" this show, so morale has been low. He loved theater the past two shows, but this one not so much. He is a senior, so it's his last one, and I think he is OK with that.

Best wishes, and break a leg! Hope everything comes together - it always makes all the trauma worthwhile!

Here is a photo from last night's dress rehearsal - DS is singing the Hand Jive:

 

[Katy Belle]

Wow! Saw closing night of Hamlet last night. DS17 did a fantastic job as Polonius! The boy that played Hamlet did a remarkable job! So proud of them. When DS came to the lobby following the show, a huge group of people cheered. So fun! He got home at 1:45, following the Cast Party. Requested to be allowed to SLEEP today! Fine!

Hope everyone had successful shows this weekend!

Deb, thanks for posting the photo! Your DS loks great!

 

[aprilgail2]

Its always stress with the homework during hell week - some nights its 4-5 hours of homework and add rehearsals until 9-10pm on there its a killer for the kids! Between their scenes thye are all sitting there with the books open trying to get homework done. My 13 year daughter just finished her 13th play she has been in and she is starting her third round of being on stage crew for a younger kids play at the same time she will hopefully be in the play Our Town (auditions in March) so we have been through many many tech weeks LOL, but they never get easier!

 

[donac]

We start tech week tonight. I am taking a break from sewing on decorations on to poodle skirts for a local high school's production of Grease.

Good luck to all the parents out there.