All part of the job

Guest writer: Brian Walker, Production Manager
 
I’m stopping work briefly to write about the prop process for Stanton Welch’s new ballet The Core. We have been making, buying and acquiring props for the ballet for about two months now. Our first big batch of props started when we were told that everyone in the show would need some sort of bag, purse, or other personal item to carry during the street scenes. So on to eBay I went to look for vintage items. I was surprised at the number of things I was able to find. We ended up with around 20 different items from the 40’s, none of which we paid more than $25 for. My personal favorite is the alligator skin purse that still had the original sale tag inside.

                               

Once we got our initial list of props that Stanton was planning to use, we started working on building and buying those items. I made several period replicas of Time Magazine (we didn’t want to use a real vintage one that would end up being destroyed). We also had to come up with a newspaper for the show that wasn’t specific to any city even though the ballet is based in New York. So I took several newspapers with no color images and changed the headers and covered any pictures on the front page. So now we have a few Gotham Gazettes and Gotham Daily News newspapers. I also ended up making fake money that has George Gershwin’s photo on the front.

We generally have to respond pretty quickly with prop requests. As the ballet is created, new prop needs arise, so we try to fill them as fast as possible. Any time someone is heading out of the office, they can end up with a list of things to buy while they are out. This week, one of the production staffers ended up in a smoke shop to buy cheap Zippo lighters for both The Core and Swansong. It was particularly interesting when they were told that we are tax exempt and having the employee call the owner to find out how to handle that.

All in all, it’s been an interesting process making props for the new work. We’ve certainly had some fun making some of the more creative ones. That said, back to work on the props.

-Brian

The Wizard Behind the Curtain Speaks!

Guest writer: Sarah Stern, Marketing Manager

Some would say I’m the “wizard behind the curtain” of this blog.  I’m the person who finds the writers, makes sure their blogs are turned in by deadline, and posts them to this site.  I figured it was high time that I actually made an appearance on this thing.

I wanted to give you a taste of what’s going on here at the ballet, post-Nutcracker-madness.  You would think we’d have a lull after our busiest time of year, but that’s not really the case:

The company is back, after taking an 8-day hiatus to rest their feet from dancing 36 performances in 38 days (and that’s not including studio time, tech and dress rehearsals!).  They have immediately delved into preparing Cinderella, Swansong, Serenade, and Stanton’s world premiere, all of which are part of our upcoming spring repertory performances.

Our development department, hot off a very successful Nutcracker Market year, is busily preparing for the Houston Ballet Ball, which will be held on February 16.

Our production department, unfortunately, never gets much of a break.  Right now they are preparing for Stanton’s new ballet which will premiere on February 21 as part of our “Gershwin Glam” triple-bill.  Our production director, Tom Boyd, designed the sets, so the sketches have been sent to the shop to be built and painted.  The rest of our production department is putting together small props for the show.

Wardrobe also has their hands full.  Stanton’s new ballet is no small undertaking.  It’s set in 1940s New York, so the costumes (which were built by our very own costume shop) are very period and glamorous.  Fittings for Cinderella, which we rented from Australian Ballet, will begin soon as well.

The artistic staff will begin traveling the U.S. beginning this weekend for company auditions.  The first auditions are on Sunday in San Francisco and Chicago, followed by New York, Houston, and Montreal in the upcoming weeks.

As for our very own marketing and public relations department, we’re in overload.  Believe it or not, we’re about to start marketing our new 08-09 season, which includes lots of mailings and even more brochure editing (my specialty).  Fear not, the announcement of the new season will be coming soon!

I hope you’ve been enjoying the blog.  I’m always looking for content suggestions, so if there’s something specific you want to hear about, or someone specific you want to hear from, let me know!

 -Sarah