"TO DANCE!"

Well, folks. We did it - ACT I IS OFFICIALLY ON IT'S FEET!!! We've completed our first stumble through of the Act, and have moved on to Act II, which, for me, is an even bigger sob-fest than the first Act! As a stage manager, this is where some tracking gets important. I've started working on this monster piece of paperwork called a shift plot, seen below. A shift plot tracks literally every movement of each prop or piece of scenery in the show and how it is moved. This document will take weeks to complete as we move through the show, but is important for preset, reset, and finding a home for everything backstage.

Excel Spreadheet sample of our shift plot

As we continue to work through the show, I keep thinking "Okay, this is it, we're doing rent, it's your last show, it's real now", but I have literally had this thought about 120 times throughout this process and I still don't think it's hit me. I love working on this project with this group of people, and I feel so fortunate to have this experience. I could be having the worst day and going into rehearsal makes it all better. When we staged "La Vie Boheme" the other day I literally could not sit still...I may or may not know half of the choreography myself. I'm really trying to work on this, because I know I need to stay focused, but I'm just so excited to be working on this show that I love so much. It's been such a blast so far and I'm so proud of the work that's going into it.

HA - Finally got Griff in a photo. He can't avoid it when he's singing and dancing.

I'm really excited about this week's blog post because I'm trying for my first cast member profile! First up is the lovely & talented Katie Mitchell. Because she's a queen, she agreed to answer a few questions about her perspective on the show. Katie is one of (but of course not the only) my hardest working, most dedicated & enthusiastic cast members. Her spirit amazes me every day. Enjoy!

Favorite RENT song:

Halloween

Favorite RENT song to perform:

La Vie Boheme

Favorite Musical

Sweeny Todd

Favorite Post-Rehearsal Meal or Snack

Leftovers - all of them.

What is RENT to you?

The show is about us. It’s not necessarily plot-based but about the people and the characters representing this community. There is something in it that can resonate with everyone, it might not necessarily be the specific subject matter of the show, but I think it's still very relatable.

This is the first musical you have performed in during your time at Xavier. For your first musical, how do you feel about it being RENT?

It’s kicking my ass. In the best way! It’s very challenging, but in a good way, and I knew it was going to be challenging, but it’s kind of blowing my mind. The cast is pretty big and it’s the biggest I've worked with. Probably the hardest thing I’ve tackled in my Xavier Career.

We do have a 25 person cast – what about it?

The cool thing about this show is that every single thing everyone does matters, and there’s no hiding. You can’t lag behind.

Of your fellow cast-mates, who are you enjoying watching the most?

Alex Antonelli – I hadn’t met him before and had never seen him perform so I am enjoying the experience of watching the new things he brings to the table each day.