On Six Weeks From Wave 2008

April 3, 2008 by maureen.ulrich.

Wave 2008 Walk Like An Egyptian is well underway. This will take the stage on May 15th at Pleasantdale School in Estevan.

Rehearsals have been phenomenal this year, with kids really THINKING about their characters and problem solving and staying in their roles even when they DON’T have lines. And memorizing their scripts! My goodness, I have never seen so many students abandoning their scripts this early in the game.

That means I need to come up with props – and a sarcophagus very soon!
With six weeks left until Wave 2008, there’s still lots of opportunity to do some fine-tuning.

Of course, it really helps to be working with a play that isn’t so word heavy. Previous productions were simply too wordy for kids to memorize quickly. And it’s easier for them to deliver a short line with confidence and volume.

Although I’ve written at least thirty plays, I guess I’m still learning!

Here’s a plot summary:

Dick Carter and his assistant Jane Potts are determined to get funding from the London Historical Society to finance an expedition to Egypt. Dick is certain he knows the location of Cleopatra’s tomb, and nothing will stop him. Canada’s newest popstar Aphrodite plans to shoot a music video in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. Her artistic director Johnny Francois has his own ideas about how to get the most out of Aphrodite’s back-up dancers.
Meanwhile Ms. Montoya and her personal secretary Abigail Ross are busy planning a business trip to Cairo. Abigail soon finds herself saddled with the responsibility of entertaining Ms. Montoya’s annoying niece Sally and nephew Jeremy. What happens when these three groups meet up with tribal Bedouins led by Baboo, Scourge of the Desert – and henpecked by his wife Fatima? Or mysterious mummies that emerge from an equally mysterious sarcophagus?

I guess you’ll have to wait until May 15th to find out!
The Region One Drama Festival, which Lampman is hosting, is one week away. My play “Excuse Me While I Kiss the Sky” will be presented by the Lampman High School. I can’t wait to see it. I am helping out as stage coodinator, making sure tech rehearsals run smoothly for the three other schools competing – Oxbow, Redvers, and Moosomin. The winner will advance to the provincial festival in Regina in early May.
Randy and I were up in Saskatoon last weekend for the Huskie Salute. We were eager to see the girls again – and their parents. It was a different format from other years. Instead of supper, there were appetizers and a jazz trio. Very classy!
Steve Kook and Wayne Grund, the coaches of the female Huskies hockey team, took home the award for Coach of the Year.
Brian Towriss, the football coach, made some thought-provoking remarks at the close of the award ceremony. He pointed out that although 11 out of 15 Huskie teams made the play-offs, this is the first year U of S has not brought home a national title in at least ONE of the sports. He urged the athletes not to be satisfied with the “middle of the road.” Good advice. Complacency should have no place in sports at this level.
The award ceremony took only one hour, and then the athletes headed downtown for a post-award “social event.”
Hmm.
Can’t imagine what the itinerary was there.

Posted in On Sports, On Student Productions, On Writing | 1 Comment »