Strike One: Charlie Brown

So the new Theatre Arts teacher, Greg Allen (formerly of BCLA fame), and I have been collaborating on a successful Irving Drama season. Our first project in the works is a touring show "a PR" gig as the Principal, Mr. Unobskey called it. The idea is to take it to the elementary schools from which we get our 6th grade students.
I'm all in; it'd be a December show, just before the holidays and a great way to ease into an early production schedule.
I had my heart set on doing "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown," and I rented the book and script. Then we got a letter in the mail from the library company Tams-Witmark Music Library, Inc.: "Your quotation is as follows: Royalty and Rental for first performance $275, Charge for each additional consecutive performance $105...the above quotation is based on a seating capacity of 250...and tickets priced at $5 and no charge." Did you get that last bit? Some tickets, in fact MANY of them, will be FREE. We aren't going to charge a group of elementary students to see our play! So where does this $ come from?
Needless to say we are exploring other avenues.
Ultimately it was better this way. Greg said the music was more difficult than he remembered and we both agreed a lot of the language was complex or antiquated.

When I was 12 I was in a musical called "How to Eat Like a Child." It is similar to "Charlie Brown" in that it broken up into vignettes of small groups of characters, the songs are about childhood, it will appeal to elementary school students, and it will appeal to our students. Unlike "Charlie Brown," if I read the Samuel French website correctly, we could afford to do this play! It has a really simple set: 6 cubes plus some props would do the trick, and if there is something more elaborate we can cut it and the continuity of the play is not lost.

I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of the text. Cross your fingers that we strike gold with this one!!! Time is starting to become an issue!

Retrospective...

I heard an interview on NPR this morning in the car. I was making a mad dash to the grocery before this supposed big storm hits New England. There was a time when I was excited for a snow day. That feeling is long gone, seeing that if we miss tomorrow we'll be in school an extra 5 days at the end of June.
Ugh.

So I'm in the car listening to an interview with Neko Case regarding her new album due out on Tuesday.
A song lyric of hers came up that I think really nicely and neatly packages the experience of putting on my first major school play: I try my best but I'm made of mistakes.

What a wonderful thing. And I'm so thankful that after all those mistakes, my students STILL love me!