The Dreamlight Production Blog

On Saturday evening, December 18th, The Extraordinary Ordinary played it’s last performance at The Clurman Theatre.  It is a show we are extremely proud to have produced; we are thrilled to have been able to share it with audiences night after night.  On Sunday, the crew tore down the set and packed it away in a truck… the lights came down and the sound equipment shipped out.  We painted the whole place to black – returning the theatre to the way we found it four weeks earlier.  And just like that, we were done.

The next important step for Dean and I happens when the dust starts to settle.  Once all the numbers are tallied and all the bills get paid, we can sit back and make a judgement on how we did.  A “post mortem” of sorts… it’s always important to identify the things we did well (“The Good”) and the things we could’ve done better (“The Bad”).  This is the only way we can learn from our experiences, so we can do better next time.  So in the interest of growth… 

“The Good”

- We pulled together an incredible cast of actors that brought these 6 characters to life.  Each and every one of them was a joy to work with.  They were smart and focused – very talented professionals.  They worked at a breakneck pace during rehearsals and fought through a very trying tech schedule.

- Our design team provided us with a sharp, stylish production that not only solved many of the script’s challenges, but also elevated it to something greater.  Most important though, was how they all came together to work within the budgetary constraints to find creative solutions again and again.

- Our crew was incredible… starting with our PSM, Kat West, and ASM, Shae Candelaria… straight down to the Master Electrician, Tim Ruppen, and our painters, electricians, strike crew, etc.

- Dean Carpenter (Executive Producer) did a fabulous job packing the theatre each night… Finding an audience in December is difficult enough for an Off-Broadway show, but add in the fact that this was an unknown musical by a relatively unknown writing team with no stars and no flying superheroes… it’s impressive.  Finally, you must consider our “marketing budget” was just a couple thousand dollars – enough for some posters, postcards, and programs.  Against all odds, Dean employed creativity to fill the house.  It was a joy to watch.

- Our Board of Directors viewed this show as Dreamlight’s “re-launch”, and so we were determined to build on our past successes and exceed all expectations.  Mission accomplished… Dreamlight continues moving forward with authority.

“The Bad”

- By the end of the run, tickets sales started slipping.  By all accounts this was due to the Christmas holiday approaching.  We had to resort to last minute ticket discounts to entice patrons to brave the sub-zero temperatures and come out to see the show.  In the future we will be more aware of this busy time of year, and plan accordingly from the beginning.

- On Wednesday of our final week, one of our actresses became violently ill.  She thought she could make it through the performance and so we started the show.  But about 30 minutes in it became very clear that she could not continue.  We were forced to stop the show and refund everyone’s money.  Some of the difficulties about producing on this contract (Equity Showcase Code) are the limited rehearsals we’re given and the budgetary constraints we must follow.  Because of that, we don’t have the luxury of emoploying understudies.  In the future, we must seriously consider the realities of taking on that kind of risk.

- We started producing the show before we had successfully “capitalized” the show.  In the commercial theatre, this would never happen.  (Legally, it can’t happen.)  But in the non-profit world this happens quite a bit.  It’s not comfortable, and I don’t recommend it.  But that was what we had to do.  We had a great show on our hands, a theatre that was available, and a clear idea of how to progress.  So Dean got very creative with cash flow, and did a brilliant job keeping the show afloat.  It wasn’t what we wanted to do, but in the end we realized that we needed the ticket sales to help pay for the show.  In the future, we have agreed not to ”pull the trigger” on a project until every last cent has been raised.

- We went over budget in many areas… some of the overage expenses were unavoidable, and a handful of others happened because we just didn’t know any better.  For example – our insurance coverage was more than double what it was last time we produced.  (We’re not sure why, but there was no escaping it.)  The costume budget kept growing because we had to replace our Costume Designer 6 days before Opening Night.  New clothes had to be found… and bought.  And on and on… we live, we learn.

And the list continues like that… the only way to grow is to admit the mistakes and identify ways to avoid them in the future.  Check in next week for our Budget Analysis.  Once Dean finishes crunching the numbers, he’s going to put in his two cents.  Until then, have a Merry Christmas (if you celebrate…) - and if you don’t then go out for dinner and see a show!

- Chip Klose (Artistic Director / Dreamlight Theatre Company) 

Our Opening Night party was hosted at 44 1/2 – a terrific little restaurant/lounge right in the heart of Hell’s Kitchen… A great time was had by all, and we’re happy to share some photos of the event.

Hell's Kitchen hotspot, 44 1/2

Quite a crowd!

Wardrobe Supervisor, Rachel Guilfoyle & Props Master, Joshua Yocom

Shae Candelaria (ASM), Andrew Resnick (Music Director), and Kelly McCormick (Bev)

Bookwriter/Lyricist, Scott Burkell (center) with Marin Mazzie & Jason Danieley

Shae Candelaria (ASM) and Billy Bustamante (Asst. Director)

Paul Loesel (Composer) with his husband, Chuck Ragsdale (Costume Designer)

Dreamlight's Board President, Richard Reyle (center)

Dreamlight's Artistic Director, Chip Klose, and Executive Producer, Dean Carpenter

Team Extraordinary!

After months of planning we have finally arrived… the show is indeed open.  Many of our donors are aware of just how much work Dean and I did to get the production to this point, and so they’re asking us, “… what now?!?” 

It’s a good question.  Once the show is up and running, the day-to-day management will be handled by our Production Stage Manager (Kat West).  She will be responsible for maintaining the show as it was set by the creative team.  The producer’s job now becomes packing the house every night.  To do that, we monitor daily ticket sales and box office statements to predict where our “trouble spots” may be.  If certain performances are light, we may decide to offer last-minute discounts just to get butts in the seats.  Alternately, when a given performance sells out we want to try to push patrons to other dates.

We are very proud of what’s been accomplished here with The Extraordinary Ordinary, and it’s important that we get as many people as possible to see this show.  We want to be on everyone’s radar so that it becomes that much easier for us the next time around.  So with that being said, do you have your tickets yet?  Only two weeks left… the show MUST close on December 18th.  Hope to see all of you there!

- Chip Klose (Artistic Director / Dreamlight Theatre Company)

After two years of development, six months of pre-production, and four weeks of rehearsal, The Extraordinary Ordinary finally opens tonight!!!  Please enjoy this exclusive first look at the show…

Jonathan Parkey (Joey)

Kristoffer Cusick (Sam) and Patrick Oliver Jones (Zach)

Patrick Oliver Jones (Zach)

Kelly McCormick (Bev)

Pamela Bob (Kate)

Courtney Balan (Karen)

The Act 1 Finale... "Resolutions"

"The History of Us"

Patrick Oliver Jones (Zach) and Kristoffer Cusick (Sam

Get your tickets at www.TheExtraordinaryOrdinary.com !!!

- Chip Klose (Artistic Director / Dreamlight Theatre Company)

The most expensive item in our budget is the theatre rental, and because of that everyone has to work quickly and efficiently to get the production up and ready for performances.  Tech for a show like this could normally take two weeks, plus another week of dress rehearsals and previews.  Unfortunately, we don’t have that luxury… our schedule only allows for seven days in the theatre before our first audience.  A schedule as tight as that requires coordination and teamwork from all departments.  Here’s what’s been going on this week at the theatre:

Sunday, November 21 – Jo Winarksi (Scenic Designer) and Gary Levinson (Technical Director) pulled together a small team to paint the stage floor and the back wall.  When you come to see the show, be sure to look for this beautiful little touch.

Monday, November 22 & Tuesday, November 23 - With the paint dry, the electrics crew began bright and early getting all of the lighting equipment “up in the air”.  After that, the load-in crew was brought in to install our two-tiered steel set (including two staircases, and a ladder).    

Wednesday, November 24 – Once the set got in and up our Lighting Designer, Jeff Croiter, and his team got to work focusing lights.  Every single lighting instrument needs to be hung and wired properly, and then focused to a specific spot on stage.  This job can be very time-consuming and can typically take days (or weeks for larger Broadway shows) to accomplish.  For this show, we only had about seven hours to give.

Finally… please enjoy a couple of pics snapped during tech rehearsals on Wednesday.  A first glimpse of the show!

- Chip Klose (Artistic Director / Dreamlight Theatre Company)

Anyone in the theatre will tell you that the sitzprobe is probably the most exciting day of the entire rehearsal process.  To people unfamiliar with the word, let me illuminate…

Sitzprobe (German): is a term used in opera and musical theatre to describe a seated rehearsal where the singers sing with the orchestra for the first time, focusing attention on integrating the two groups. 

** (Direct translation – “Probe” is German for rehearsal and “sitz” means sitting.) **

After three weeks in a studio with only a piano, the entire team gathers to hear the full orchestrations for the first time.  Our Music Supervisor, Lynne Shankel, is also serving as the Orchestrator for The Extraordinary Ordinary and I can’t tell you how anxious we all were to hear what she’d written.  The show will feature a five piece band - piano, bass, cello, violin, and percussion.  Intimate, yet still rich.  Take a look at some of the photos we snapped today during the sitzprobe. 

The entire team sits on the edge of their seat...

Our Music Director, Andrew Resnick, has lovingly been given the nickname "Fingers".

Jonathan Parkey (Joey) sings through "Pearl Harbor Day".

Allison Seidner (cello)

Piecing together the show's finale, "Ordinary Day".

Fingers and the Band.

A round of applause for Lynne's exquisite orchestrations!

Hope you’re as excited to hear the orchestrations as we were… you won’t believe how incredible they sound!

- Chip Klose (Artistic Director / Dreamlight Theatre Company) 

If you walked by Theatre Row this weekend, you might have noticed something new.
Take a look at the marquee; is it starting to feel real yet…?

The Clurman is one of five theatres at Theatre Row.

The Extraordinary Ordinary

A view of the lobby at Theatre Row.

“Producer’s Anxiety” is one of the most gut-wrenching feelings in the world.  You have a terrific show; now you wait to see if people will show up.  So how exactly do you attract an audience?  That’s where marketing comes in…

QUESTION: What is “marketing” ???

(SIMPLE) ANSWER: Marketing is how a merchant communicates and sells a given product. 

In this case, Dreamlight Theatre Company is the merchant and The Extraordinary Ordinary is the product.  So here we are on Friday evening, November 19th… two years of development, six months of pre-production, and three weeks of rehearsals.  We have an incredible creative team and a first-rate cast of actors.  The show is in great shape and we can’t wait to share it with an audience!  So how do we get that last piece of the puzzle?  The Audience…  Well, we had to answer a few questions first:

1. What makes this show unique? (How can we make it stand out in a saturated marketplace?)
2. How do we communicate that to a potential audience? (Ads, logos, images…)
3. Who is our target audience?  (Who would be interested in seeing a show like this?)
4. What kind of communication would be most effective (Cost vs. Reach)?
5. What are our short-term and long-term goals? (Both for the show and the company…)
6. How would we establish criteria for success/failure? (Box office goals)

We took our time and spent hours brainstorming… eventually things started to pull together.  I won’t share our answers quite yet; I’ll save that for another Blog entry after the show closes.  At that point (with the benefit of hindsight), we’ll be in a better place to tell whether or not we hit our goals. 

**Incidentally, every Producer asks themselves these very same questions when they’re opening a new show.  Dean and I certainly don’t know the magic answers – we’re just putting our best foot forward and doing the best we can. **

I look forward to sharing our answers at the end of December.  In the meantime, come see the show and become part of the discussion.  We look forward to seeing you in the coming weeks!

- Chip Klose (Artistic Director / Dreamlight Theatre Company)

We thought it would be fun to share some photos that were taken this week during rehearsals. 

Enjoy!

"Who Am I Today?"

Patrick Oliver Jones rehearses "I'll Jump"

They are trouble together... two of the funniest and most beautiful actresses I've ever worked with!

Jonathan Parkey rehearses "Friday Night"

Scott Burkell & Paul Loesel

Kelly McCormick rehearses "Valentine's Day"

Team Extraordinary