Shop! Shop!

The people of Abaddon in These Are the Voyages love to shop. We got in some of our own shopping yesterday. So many black ankle boots - but which ones fit? Which ones don't come with 3-inch spiky heels? And can you dance in them?

We took in 6 actors and found 4 pairs that fit. Guys are harder to find black boots for than girls. I will be conducting more tours of the Goodwill shoe department soon.

Meanwhile, I noticed yesterday that our wonderful acting coach and choreographer has also purchased black ankle boots. Hm. I might get myself a pair, just to fit in.

We're now a two-car family again!

After months of mostly not looking punctuated by spurts of research, and confused by dithering over whether to get a gas-saving sedan or a multiple-teen-carrying second minivan, Randy and I finally bought a second car yesterday!

We also got a lesson in how different we are in our approaches to shopping, especially for big ticket items. In short, Randy goes for the first car that fits all his criteria, while I have a burning need to check out all the other possibilities.

In the end, I may have spent months off and on researching, but when we saw the listing Monday night that fit the bill - the next morning we went in, checked it out, and bought it. By the way, 2005 Hyundai Sonata.

And all this while I'm trying to get publicity going, working on blocking notes, making props, shopping for props and set stuff . . .

But now we have a second car - and this one has air conditioning!!!!

Radio Shack, what happened to you?

We went to Radio Shack today to get some electronic parts for Aaron to make the beacon with. He drew up a design and figured out the lights and all that. When we got to Radio Shack, an employee showed us where the LEDs were and resistors and other little things like that. Aaron examined them all and was figuring out what he needed, but having never designed a multiple-flashing light + moving platform-all controlled by a couple of batteries and wires he was putting together himself . . . he was not quite certain if he had everything needed.

So we asked the nice Radio Shack employee for help. He came over, took one look at Aaron's assortment and froze. When Aaron asked him his question, the employee stammered out, "Uh, I don't really know much about this electronics parts stuff."

So much for the days when Radio Shack was staffed by people who knew about electronics! He'd obviously never even put together one of their kids' snap-on circuits toys. Now, they only know how to sign you up for DISH Network and cell phone plans.

Speaking of DISH Network, the entire time we were there in that parts alcove, 4 TVs featured two perky DISH Network hosts telling us the wonders of DISH Network. It reminded me of the Kurt Vonnegut story (Harrison Bergeron) in which the society tries to make everyone equal, so the smart people have to wear earphone helmets that transmit a constant stream of noise in order to break up their concentration. And Aaron was supposed to figure out electronics circuitry in this environment?!

How geeky can I get?

Here's how geeky: I have the bridge of the Enterprise in my carport!

I finished building 3 consoles today: one for Uhura, one for Spock and Tiffinee to share, and one for Sulu and Chekov.

These are not the chairs we will be using for the show; they're just place-holders for me. And there's obviously more space on stage than in my carport, so there will be more space between the pieces. A friend is going to build the base and frame for the command chair (currently sitting on a wooden block) and of course it all needs to be painted.

Still, I have my major bit of carpentry work out of the way.

Casting is Completed!

In record time, we figured out who would play which parts in "These Are the Voyages." I have never sent out the cast list the same day as the last audition before.

And while I'm thrilled with the cast and very much looking forward to working with them all to create a great show . . . I'm starting to feel overwhelmed with everything else I have to do: design sets, help build them, work with the costume makers, order wigs and Vulcan ears, build props, work with volunteers on painting and sound and light and concessions and a bunch of other stuff, work with others on getting the word out . . . not to mention blocking scenes and actually directing!

I am very thankful that I have two choreographers, one adult and one student, and an acting coach, plus Randy, to help me out.

We probably had more fun at these auditions than any others I've ever done. A big part of our enjoyment was how talented the kids were. I loved hearing and seeing different interpretations of the characters. As usual, casting is a puzzle - and one in which you're not guaranteed that you have all the right pieces. I take that back: I felt that the Lord had promised the right cast for this show, and He definitely provided. He even provided a couple of innovative solutions to the inevitable casting difficulties.

Some say that casting is 90% of directing; others say it's 60%. I think I go with the latter. While the actors are learning their lines and their songs, I will be working on sets and blocking and directing notes and a myriad other details. And I will also be re-reading the script, because even as its author, I keep finding more things inside it.

Today's craft project: make a Communicator!

This evening I made my first communicator, a prototype and an experiment. I have a few things I'll do differently on the next ones, but I'm still pleased with this first effort.

I started with some brass wire that I bent and straightened into the shape of a communicator. Then I used a special clay sculpting mesh to form the body. Happily, the mesh looks like the mesh screen found on the original communicators, so I left some sticking up for that.



For the body, I used black Sculpey III clay. Once you knead it for 10 minutes, it's pretty supple to work with, and since it's black, I don't have to paint it! I rolled out the sculpey and tucked it around the frame.



I need to keep the brass wire showing, however. That's part of the look.



Here's the finished product.

Hair, hair, hair

One of the things the original show was noted for was the fabulous hairstyles for the women. Here are a few pictures I've gathered.
Yeoman Janice Rand is known for her basketweave hair style. This is definitely a wig. I made one for the show we put on in 2002. I will make a new one for this show.



Here's Uhura.



And here. Her hairstyle varied a bit from time to time.



Nurse Chapel changed her hair more often than anyone else. This is the soft blonde look, needing just a quarter can of hairspray.



There's another Nurse Chapel hairstyle in which her hair is steel bluish grey and looks like it was created in a welding shop instead of a hair salon! I don't think we'll be copying this one.


She looks so sad in this picture. But wouldn't you too, if you had to wear that on your head?