The Voices are Sounding . . . and It's Outta the Park!

Last night - Porthos and Coquenard - the comedy team of Jack and Lynda - or "Jalyndack" - met at the first rehearsal for 'You Are Mine' - a song from A4O . . . and the perfect balance of sincerity, edge and humor emerged . . . it's sure to be a great moment on stage for everyone . . .

Can you believe that April is coming up . . . and the Senior Vocal Recital is right around the corner on the 25th . . . the girls have prepared so well . . . It's hard to believe that they'll be moving on . . . but you know what, - they're ready . . . now!

Props go out from the Voice Studio this week to Jasmina, Paul & Tommy . . . Jasmina for her ever developing bel canto . . . Paul for his song from 'The Magic Flute' . . . and Tommy for his 3 1/2+ octaves. Solid! . . . and, the A4O Group Wednesday did a great job . . . Celebrate!

- Doug

Comédie et Tragédie . . .

Comédie . . .
So . . . if you happen to be anywhere near C.W. Post Long Island Campus this weekend . . . check out Dov in his show at college - Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings at 8pm - It sounds like a fun show - Musical Hits based on Shakespeare . . .

Tragédie . . .
Last night's rehearsal of sword fighting left a few scars - nothing 'tragique' - YET! We're moving faster now -

Comédie,Tragédie, Comédie? . . .
On another note, the Four Musketeers are beginning to live and breath their roles - They had their full costumes on last night for the first time - including their wigs - oh yes, wigs! - you will have to decide who looks best in long hair - Oh, and before you comment - you might want to find out what we'll be doing to your hair to go period correct - you know the saying "People with Bad Hair Days . . ."

That's it for now - See you in rehearsal - Just 2 months to show time!

Randy

p.s. We should have the High School Musical Scripts in today - so if you have a speaking role, bring in a deposit for your script - $30 -

Hold On Tight . . .

Spring Break is officially over - which means we have hit the top of our "Roller Coaster of a Ride" to our Grand Finale of the Season! - Hold on tight, because it's going to be a fast and furious adventure from here on in!
- Randy
p.s. - It's OK to scream with excitement!

Two New Members of the NYCA Family . . .

. . . and they each have a beautiful set of 88 teeth!

No - they're not a pair of bottlenose dolphin calves - they're two new pianos for our studios!

The piano studio now has a gorgeous Yamaha with the sound of a nice concert piano - perfect for inspiring the piano student to love music and enjoy playing. The voice studio has a nice Kimball, really pulling the studio together and providing a great working piano for voice lessons and rehearsals.

The arrival of the new pianos also confirmed what we, and everyone in our area, have known for years: Vincitore's Hudson Valley Piano Center of 748 Main Street in Poughkeepsie is exactly that - the Piano Center of the the Hudson Valley. Michael Vincitore's service was friendly and professional. We could not be happier with the service and attention received, and we recommend to all of our students, as well as anyone in the area, Vincitore's as the store to find the perfect piano. Vincitore's phone number is (845) 452-4990.

Doug

Who Swiped the Duck's Lunch?

Really Good rehearsal for Disney's High School Musical yesterday - we were missing quite a few people, but we managed to clean up the lunch room. I'm sure we'll have to do it again when those messy people join us at the next rehearsal.

Sword Fighting! - Well, what can I say . . . It's probably a good thing we're working with dowels presently - I think everyone is realizing although fun - this is not as easy as they thought it would be - putting maneuvers together and getting some speed is a lot more challenging than just doing drills. DUCK! - What? - Where? - When? - Why? (So that you don't lose your head!) . . . Swipe!

Randy

Spring is Here . . . Music's in the Air!

It's Spring Break . . . which means . . . our rehearsals this week will be great without all the pressures of school work - YEAH!

On another note - I wanted to take the time to start to spread the word with your help!

BAND CAMP - Our newest full day Summer Program - ages 11-14 - dates are June 30 - July 11.

Tell your friends, etc. It's a fun way to spend some Summer weeks with music. All of the cast members in the Musical Theatre and Band Division will spend their Swim and Lunch time together - so if you are in the Musical Theatre Division and have a friend who isn't an actor, but plays an instrument - it'll be cool to share this time together!

'CATS' DVDs Show An Extraordinary Team!

We just received the DVD of 'CATS' last night, and Doug & I sat down to watch it . . . and, my sincere congratulations on a superior job go out to everyone who worked on it - Dave, Laura, Kayla, Marley and Sabrina. When you watch it, you'll forget that this DVD was put together by just a few hands - truly professional.

And by the way . . . Wow! and Congratulations goes out to all of the 'CATS' cast and crew - what an outstanding performance! It reminds all of us that when a team pulls together and sets their goal high, they can achieve anything.

'CATS' was a challenging production, but we did it! And, we can do more . . . Many people think we are a bit crazy trying to produce 2 shows in one weekend this year, but I say bring it on! With the NYCA Group - it'll be sheer magic!

Randy

A Thankful Frame of Mind . . .

To my very special Adult Acting Class - Thank you -

You have brought me to a new height of awareness . . .
. . . in bowling.

Randy

Shouts Going Out . . .

Shouts go out today to Michael C. for landing a NYC job for a "Ben 10" Cartoon Network spot, to Joe M. for working really hard at getting Tap down for Troupe, and to Lilly V. for always knowing the work from the previous Jazz class!

Who Will Be the Next Great Sword Fighter? . . .

The turn out at sword fighting rehearsal has been great! - There are more people learning than I'll probably need. Not a bad place to be!

How do I decide? Will it be the weakest link? Put everyone up for a vote? Create a duel off? What do you think? Of course, we want to be fair - but I expect that any suggestions you give will be creative - after all, theatre people are creative. I welcome your input.

A shout out to Jack, Peter, Tom and Tommy on a good vocal rehearsal last night!

On another note, in Disney's High School Musical - is Jack Scott really shy, or does he just use that to get to Kelsi? - and . . . what's his "Neilsen Rating"?

Randy

HSMA4O Update . . . .

It's a Monday . . . and a new schedule has been posted at HSMA4O on the NYCA website - so check it out to find updates through the week after Spring Break. http://www.nyca.org/

Also, wow . . . I had Jazmin come into her voice lesson yesterday, and we reviewed her part in 'Two Heads of State' - and she nailed it strong & secure, alto on the Royalist side. Way to go, 'royally' . . .

Rainy Days & 'Sun Kings' Always Get Me Down - Not!

Even though rain poured down all day yesterday, there was a nice bit of sunshine in the NYCA world –

Our second group rehearsal for ‘All 4 One’ was quite successful. The rich harmonies created by John Trent Wallace, the composer, began to emerge and ring out during the song ‘Two Heads of State’ - a song which sets an argument on the streets reflecting the political climate during Louis XIV’s reign.

The composer of ‘All 4 One’ shared with me in his email this week: “When setting out to write ‘All 4 One’, we wanted to create a theatrical piece that could be told simply yet effectively. The music was to be almost "filmatic" in its ability to capture the moment and lift the emotional experience for both audience and actor . . . making the show a powerful experience for an actor who could sing, rather than a singer who could act. This subtle yet crucial vision, helped to shape both story/dialogue and the songs.”

And . . . One of my students came into a voice lesson singing ‘All for One’ – the song from ‘High School Musical 2’ - and it is coincidentally quite fun to know there is a powerful connection in the world between our performances of ‘Disney’s High School Musical’ and ‘All 4 One’. The students who perform in as well as those who will attend both productions will see where the phrase "All for One" really comes from.

Little things like that make musical performance and study a fun & enlightening experience for all of us . . . All for One, and One for All!

Doug

NYCA Staff Member Meets 'Batboy'

If you have some time this weekend, today (Saturday) at 2pm & 8 pm or tomorrow (Sunday) at 2pm - check out 'Batboy' at Marist College!

This show - produced entirely by students at a school that doesn't have Theatre as a major, was quite good. Excellent energy and focus!

Joanna Stein (NYCA's Ballet Instructor) choreographed the show - An outstanding job! - quick paced, edgy - and she made a cast of predominantly non-dancers look like dancers embodying their characters.

*The show may not be for everyone; so, google 'Batboy the musical' and get informed on content - so you're not surprised. (not for young children.)

Randy

Senior Student Achievements . . . Wow!

We have Great news to share today . . . . All the hard work and dedication has paid off for Marie Elaina and Elise because . . . . Marie Elaina has been accepted into the Vocal Performance Program of The College of Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon University and Elise has been accepted as a Dance Major in the Theatre & Dance Department of Montclair University.

Congratulations! You deserve it!

Randy & Doug

Puzzles & Elephants . . . .

The final piece of the 'Disney's High School Musical' puzzle is in . . . Michael Grabill will be playing the Coach (Troy's Dad.) Way to go, Michael! . . . and, by the way, he said his coworkers at Barnes and Noble all want to come see the show. Great! - Hope there are still tickets left - Last I spoke with UPAC, we're almost sold out!

'Go Wild Cats' - or 'Go Wild Elephants' if you were there in the bull pen at the end of rehearsal . . .

Randy
& Doug (the elephant man)

Two Different Duels . . . Everyone is Still in One Piece

Yesterday afternoon, the Basketball Team for 'Disney's High School Musical' learned more maneuvers and is off to a good start - only a few balls got away from them, but practice makes perfect and getting their head in the game will 'win them the Championship!'

. . . .and last night was our 3rd session of Sword Fight Rehearsal for ALL 4 One! We spent the 1st 2 rehearsals with foot work and defensive moves, but last night - the Attack! . . . . and, I'm happy to report that everyone is still alive - ready and eager for more! En Garde!

Isn't it interesting - the difference of how rivals of the 1600's and those of today settle who is better . . . Which way do you prefer?

Randy

The Adventure Begins . . . right on schedule

Three thoughts for the day:

1st - If you have not been here before, "Welcome!" On a regular basis either myself or Doug will share updated information of happenings at NYCA - with students and just random inspired and not so inspired thought.

2nd - We had our first read thru of ALL 4 ONE last night. Of course, I'm excited about the show, but I have to admit that we have some work to do on the accents. It sounded very much like what a Picasso painting would look like. (We'll work on it!)

3rd - My third and last note for today is . . . After much prodding we are going to post the HS Musical / ALL 4 ONE rehearsal schedule on our website. Just go to the sidebar on the NYCA Website http://www.nyca.org/, and click where it says HSMA4O, and it will bring you to a schedule that you can print up or copy directly to your special dates files and calendar for yourselves. Go often to get updates!

That's it for today - Have a great one!

Randy

Coming to a theatre near you...

We've just learned from Jaime Gruber, former student and current professional make-up artist, that the Zombie film she worked on is being released at select movie theatres in major cities across the U.S. in the near future.

Her most recent work with NYCA was on cat faces for our cat chorus and audience members at "Cats", and on the magnificent job that she did with The Beast in "Disney's Beauty and the Beast."

- Doug