It has been said that you can't have the complete Nauvoo experience until you have left Nauvoo. And so it was with some sadness that we "took one last look at the temple and crossed the Mississippi into Iowa".
Straining the comparison, you may remember that Brigham Young and the first group of Saints had hoped to quickly cross Iowa and perhaps reach the Rocky Mountains the first year. However, they were bogged down by bad weather and took far longer than expected in Iowa. Well, we had hardly boarded the train when it stopped and the conductor informed us that we had to wait out some bad weather ahead. (How bad does weather have to be to stop a train?) For the next hour it was stop and go as they watched the weather. As we pulled into Ottumwa, Iowa the conductor informed us that wind had overturned a coal train just ahead of us, and that the tracks were out. It would be 12 hours and a long bus ride across Iowa before we would be able to get back on the train and be on our way home.
So the adventure was exciting to the end. We are home and filled with memories of that wonderful place. We all learned so much and grew so much. We made lots of friends and gained a better appreciation for the things that the pioneers did.
This is the loveliest place and the best people under the heavens.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Final Performance
(Posted by Craig)
In just a few minutes we will be off to our final performance. I can't believe how fast it has gone. It has been so great. The weather has been wonderful, the Spirit has been powerful, and we have loved it.
There are volumes of things that I would love to share about our experience, but there has been so little time to put it all down in words. I hope to post a couple more times before we return, but some things we may just have to tell you about when we return.
But as we have strolled the streets of Nauvoo and attended the sites and the vignettes and participated in the pageant, I was reminded of something the Prophet Joseph Smith said while he was here:
Generations yet unborn will dwell with peculiar delight upon the scenes that we have passed through, the privations that we have endured; the untiring zeal that we have manifested; the all but insurmountable difficulties that we have overcome in laying the foundation of a work that brought about the glory and blessing which they will realize; a work that God and angels have contemplated with delight for generations past.
It has been with delight that we have dwelt on the scenes of old Nauvoo.
Wish us well on our closing night...
In just a few minutes we will be off to our final performance. I can't believe how fast it has gone. It has been so great. The weather has been wonderful, the Spirit has been powerful, and we have loved it.
There are volumes of things that I would love to share about our experience, but there has been so little time to put it all down in words. I hope to post a couple more times before we return, but some things we may just have to tell you about when we return.
But as we have strolled the streets of Nauvoo and attended the sites and the vignettes and participated in the pageant, I was reminded of something the Prophet Joseph Smith said while he was here:
Generations yet unborn will dwell with peculiar delight upon the scenes that we have passed through, the privations that we have endured; the untiring zeal that we have manifested; the all but insurmountable difficulties that we have overcome in laying the foundation of a work that brought about the glory and blessing which they will realize; a work that God and angels have contemplated with delight for generations past.
It has been with delight that we have dwelt on the scenes of old Nauvoo.
Wish us well on our closing night...
Thursday, July 24, 2008
First performances
(Posted by Jill)
Tuesday was our first performance! We hardly felt ready, but we did it without any major problems. Wednesday's performance was a little less nerve racking, but there were still minor issues.
The part I was the most concerned about was the 4 concentric circles at the end of the evening dance. In none of the rehearsals has that part of the dance come together. Craig and I have to very quickly move from one side of the stage after our circle breaks apart to the other side while the biggest group is still circling. I've often run into trouble (literally) as I try to get around the circle and through all the people at the back of the stage. Being short makes me nearly invisible so I very often get stepped on or run into. Tuesday it all came together and felt great to be dancing will all these people that we have come to know.
One snag we still have to work out is getting props on and off the stage. After the dancing while we are in the relative darkness of the gathering for family prayer scene, Jezi has to go get a lantern, Weston gets a book to hand to Paul (the Robert Laird character) and Erin goes down the ramp off stage to get a dress and another book. During the "prayer" (we are just kneeling, no sound), I arrange the dress and book so that when the lights go out completely, I can quickly dress Meagan, changing her from one character to another and handing her the book. Weston gives his book discreetly to Paul (Robert) as he walks by and I take Meagan's day cap and stuff it up the sleeve of my dress so it is out of sight when the lights come on for the next scene which is the founding of the Relief Society.
Erin, Mom and I have to change our costumes twice during the show. At a certain point we change our bodices to the lighter color, then just before the finale we change our skirts. We go into one of two shipping pods that have been set up as dressing rooms back stage. Even walking by you can hear the sound of ripping velcro as everyone changes. The men also change, usually just reversing their vests to the lighter colored side. The effect is gradual during the show such that most people don't notice until the final. Although we are all wearing shades of beige for the finale with the huge spotlights we all look like we are wearing white.
It's hard to believe that 4 days from now we will be heading for home. It really doesn't seem like we have been here that long. I think it's going to be very hard for me to leave. We will miss all the awesome people we have met, the joy of the pageant, and the city of Nauvoo itself.
Tuesday was our first performance! We hardly felt ready, but we did it without any major problems. Wednesday's performance was a little less nerve racking, but there were still minor issues.
The part I was the most concerned about was the 4 concentric circles at the end of the evening dance. In none of the rehearsals has that part of the dance come together. Craig and I have to very quickly move from one side of the stage after our circle breaks apart to the other side while the biggest group is still circling. I've often run into trouble (literally) as I try to get around the circle and through all the people at the back of the stage. Being short makes me nearly invisible so I very often get stepped on or run into. Tuesday it all came together and felt great to be dancing will all these people that we have come to know.
One snag we still have to work out is getting props on and off the stage. After the dancing while we are in the relative darkness of the gathering for family prayer scene, Jezi has to go get a lantern, Weston gets a book to hand to Paul (the Robert Laird character) and Erin goes down the ramp off stage to get a dress and another book. During the "prayer" (we are just kneeling, no sound), I arrange the dress and book so that when the lights go out completely, I can quickly dress Meagan, changing her from one character to another and handing her the book. Weston gives his book discreetly to Paul (Robert) as he walks by and I take Meagan's day cap and stuff it up the sleeve of my dress so it is out of sight when the lights come on for the next scene which is the founding of the Relief Society.
Erin, Mom and I have to change our costumes twice during the show. At a certain point we change our bodices to the lighter color, then just before the finale we change our skirts. We go into one of two shipping pods that have been set up as dressing rooms back stage. Even walking by you can hear the sound of ripping velcro as everyone changes. The men also change, usually just reversing their vests to the lighter colored side. The effect is gradual during the show such that most people don't notice until the final. Although we are all wearing shades of beige for the finale with the huge spotlights we all look like we are wearing white.
It's hard to believe that 4 days from now we will be heading for home. It really doesn't seem like we have been here that long. I think it's going to be very hard for me to leave. We will miss all the awesome people we have met, the joy of the pageant, and the city of Nauvoo itself.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Rehearsal Rainout
(Posted by Craig)
Last night was the blue cast dress rehearsal...at least it was supposed to be. It is well known around here that the Pageant has never been rained out. The joke is that Farmers around Nauvoo hate the pageant because it means 6 week without rain. The truth is that although the pageant has never been rained out, that same divine providence does not extend to other events, and the Blue Cast (of which we are a part) Dress Rehearsal has been rained out three years in a row.
Just as we were in place, ready to take the stage they called for us to take cover. We gathered our families and our props and crowded under the stage. It was a serious thunderstorm and after a few minutes they told us to regroup at the High School where we have been practicing. Once we got there we had a quick "Family Council" and decided to postpone the dress rehearsal until this morning.
So what do Mormons do at the end of a long difficult day? They Dance! Several members of the cast pulled out their string instruments and we had a good old-fashioned hoe-down. Everyone from the grandparents to the youngest children joined in and we had a great time.
We did manage to have our dress rehearsal this morning (in the sweltering heat), and tonight is opening night for our cast. We are very excited and I think we are ready.
By the way, we love reading your comments, and we are happy to respond if there is anything in particular you are curious about.
Last night was the blue cast dress rehearsal...at least it was supposed to be. It is well known around here that the Pageant has never been rained out. The joke is that Farmers around Nauvoo hate the pageant because it means 6 week without rain. The truth is that although the pageant has never been rained out, that same divine providence does not extend to other events, and the Blue Cast (of which we are a part) Dress Rehearsal has been rained out three years in a row.
Just as we were in place, ready to take the stage they called for us to take cover. We gathered our families and our props and crowded under the stage. It was a serious thunderstorm and after a few minutes they told us to regroup at the High School where we have been practicing. Once we got there we had a quick "Family Council" and decided to postpone the dress rehearsal until this morning.
So what do Mormons do at the end of a long difficult day? They Dance! Several members of the cast pulled out their string instruments and we had a good old-fashioned hoe-down. Everyone from the grandparents to the youngest children joined in and we had a great time.
We did manage to have our dress rehearsal this morning (in the sweltering heat), and tonight is opening night for our cast. We are very excited and I think we are ready.
By the way, we love reading your comments, and we are happy to respond if there is anything in particular you are curious about.
Monday, July 21, 2008
More Photos
(Posted by Jill)
Lots of photos to post today if the internet access doesn't bomb out - it's not great here. Some photos of the family, some of the cast.
Emily and Christy: Emily plays Emma Smith and is a super fun person. Most of the day on performance days she walks around all day with 3 small curlers on each side of her head to form the ringlets for which Emma is known. Christy is the blond women - she plays Heber C. Kimball's wife. She has an excellent voice - obviously she has had performance training.
All the kids with Jeff and Matt post-show.
Paul (aka "Wally" because there are 3 Pauls in the core cast) is Parley P. Pratt. This photo is from a district meeting in the grove. You can see how he gets down to talk to kids on their level. You can also see the Joseph Smith quote on the back of the cast shirts this year.
Playing dueling cameras with Mom. I'm sure she has one of me, but since she doesn't really know how to put photos in a blog post I don't think I have to worry about it showing up here.
Reed checking out his whisker growth in the condo mirror.
Lots of photos to post today if the internet access doesn't bomb out - it's not great here. Some photos of the family, some of the cast.
Emily and Christy: Emily plays Emma Smith and is a super fun person. Most of the day on performance days she walks around all day with 3 small curlers on each side of her head to form the ringlets for which Emma is known. Christy is the blond women - she plays Heber C. Kimball's wife. She has an excellent voice - obviously she has had performance training.
All the kids with Jeff and Matt post-show.
Paul (aka "Wally" because there are 3 Pauls in the core cast) is Parley P. Pratt. This photo is from a district meeting in the grove. You can see how he gets down to talk to kids on their level. You can also see the Joseph Smith quote on the back of the cast shirts this year.
Playing dueling cameras with Mom. I'm sure she has one of me, but since she doesn't really know how to put photos in a blog post I don't think I have to worry about it showing up here.
Reed checking out his whisker growth in the condo mirror.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Bugs etc.
Nauvoo has tons of bugs, all of which fascinate Jezi. She goes out almost every night and catches (and releases) a bunch of fireflys. She also catches frogs and is always on the lookout for other interesting creatures.
This "thing" (we're not quite sure what it is) was spotted by Jezi in the water under the stone bridge:
This little frog was too fast for Jezi to catch, but she did get his picture as he hid under a rock.
Friends from out ward are here in the same condo complex for a few days. A couple of them went out this evening and caught a snake, so I'm quite sure Jezi will be out snake hunting tomorrow night.
This "thing" (we're not quite sure what it is) was spotted by Jezi in the water under the stone bridge:
This little frog was too fast for Jezi to catch, but she did get his picture as he hid under a rock.
Friends from out ward are here in the same condo complex for a few days. A couple of them went out this evening and caught a snake, so I'm quite sure Jezi will be out snake hunting tomorrow night.
Cast Organization and Families in Nauvoo
(Posted by Craig)
The family cast, of which we are part, is divided into Districts, and the members of the core cast serve as district leaders. We are in the Becky Laird district. (I should mention that all of the core cast members represent real people except for Robert and Becky Laird who are composite characters.) So the Becky Laird district leader is the cast member that plays Becky Laird. Her name is Shanti Rose. The Becky Laird district is just the 8 of us from our family.
We have district meetings everyday which includes scripture study time. Most of the discussions have been from the "Preach My Gospel" manual. The Preach My Gospel manual is the foundation from most things that happen here. And to make our district meetings even better, we hold them in "The Grove". The Grove is a grove of trees down the hill from the temple, where the Nauvoo saints often gathered and were Joseph, Hyrum, and other early leaders often preached.
Here is a meeting of the entire Blue cast in the Grove.
The core cast, in addition to being incredibly talented, are just amazing individuals. I have come to appreciate that from the time we arrived in Nauvoo, they have been modeling family relationships, and have been teaching us about the importance of families. To begin with, there are many children in the cast, but instead of referring to them as "kids" all the time, they have given them the nickname "Mojo"s. Some of the rehearsals are nuts, with the adults trying to figure out the blocking for a scene and the bored Mojo's getting rowdy, but the response of the core cast and the directors is to figure out ways to involve the Mojo's more, or find diversions for them, or let them show off the moves that they have learned.
In the nearly two weeks since we have been here, I have not heard a single criticism of anyone or anything from the core cast or the directors. We have had plenty of "opportunities to improve", and if we really miss something during a rehearsal, the directors will model the desired behavior, but they have not once been critical of anyone.
They have also made it very clear that if, during the performance, we have to choose between helping a child find his place or getting our own performance right, the child always comes first. It has made the whole experience a delight. And the cast quickly picked up on the attitude and the example. Everyone is very upbeat and helpful; we really have become unified and I think it comes out in our performance. I also think that all of us parents have learned to be better parents by watching their direction.
It was not until last night, however, that I realized that this is one of the great things about Nauvoo. It was a thriving and blessed community to the extent that these people from all over the world came together, and worked together, and served each other, and had a deep love for each other.
So we came to Nauvoo to be pioneers, and we ended up learning how to be better parents and neighbors.
The family cast, of which we are part, is divided into Districts, and the members of the core cast serve as district leaders. We are in the Becky Laird district. (I should mention that all of the core cast members represent real people except for Robert and Becky Laird who are composite characters.) So the Becky Laird district leader is the cast member that plays Becky Laird. Her name is Shanti Rose. The Becky Laird district is just the 8 of us from our family.
We have district meetings everyday which includes scripture study time. Most of the discussions have been from the "Preach My Gospel" manual. The Preach My Gospel manual is the foundation from most things that happen here. And to make our district meetings even better, we hold them in "The Grove". The Grove is a grove of trees down the hill from the temple, where the Nauvoo saints often gathered and were Joseph, Hyrum, and other early leaders often preached.
Here is a meeting of the entire Blue cast in the Grove.The core cast, in addition to being incredibly talented, are just amazing individuals. I have come to appreciate that from the time we arrived in Nauvoo, they have been modeling family relationships, and have been teaching us about the importance of families. To begin with, there are many children in the cast, but instead of referring to them as "kids" all the time, they have given them the nickname "Mojo"s. Some of the rehearsals are nuts, with the adults trying to figure out the blocking for a scene and the bored Mojo's getting rowdy, but the response of the core cast and the directors is to figure out ways to involve the Mojo's more, or find diversions for them, or let them show off the moves that they have learned.
In the nearly two weeks since we have been here, I have not heard a single criticism of anyone or anything from the core cast or the directors. We have had plenty of "opportunities to improve", and if we really miss something during a rehearsal, the directors will model the desired behavior, but they have not once been critical of anyone.
They have also made it very clear that if, during the performance, we have to choose between helping a child find his place or getting our own performance right, the child always comes first. It has made the whole experience a delight. And the cast quickly picked up on the attitude and the example. Everyone is very upbeat and helpful; we really have become unified and I think it comes out in our performance. I also think that all of us parents have learned to be better parents by watching their direction.
It was not until last night, however, that I realized that this is one of the great things about Nauvoo. It was a thriving and blessed community to the extent that these people from all over the world came together, and worked together, and served each other, and had a deep love for each other.
So we came to Nauvoo to be pioneers, and we ended up learning how to be better parents and neighbors.
The supermodel and the friendly girl
(Posted by Erin)
This is me Erin (supermodel) and my: trustful chaperon, sidekick Jezi (The friendly girl, smiling in the tinker bell shirt) training for our secret performance held in an unidentified place in which we'd have to kill you if we told you, this computer will self-destruct in 10 seconds after you've read this...so don't read this!!!
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Photos
Plotting boys...
Mom and Jill
These darn costumes add so much "weight"! My bodice is both too big and too long (or maybe I'm just too short) and the skirt wraps around so many times that I lose my waist.
Dancing Jezi...One of the pre-show activities is the string band. They play a number of old dance tunes and the crowd grows throughout the evening for square-dancing and circle dancing. It is very popular among all ages. Even the teenagers and small children flock to the dance floor.
Ruffian Reed...
Joseph and Hyrum
(Posted by Jill)
In any presentation of the restoration story whether in film or live theater, the casting of the roles of Joseph and Hyrum Smith are crucial to the success. In our pageant this year we are especially blessed to have 2 brothers playing these roles - Joseph is played by Jeff and his brother Matt plays Hyrum. In one of our very first rehearsals we were introduced to these amazing men. Matt is the older of the brothers, by 4 years. Hyrum was older than Joseph by 5 years. Matt is 6'4", Jeff is 6'2", which are the exact heights of Joseph and Hyrum.
Originally Jeff (above) was cast to play Hyrum, but then the actor who was cast in the role of Joseph was unable to come to the pageant. Jeff was moved to the role of Joseph, but the directors were now left without a Hyrum. They contacted Jeff's brother Matt to try out. Matt has had much more acting experience than Jeff and he initially laughed at the thought of taking the summer off to work in the pageant. When he did tryout, he thought he was trying out for the role of Joseph, so the decision to play a supporting role to his less experienced brother was a difficult choice for him, but he eventually agreed and his love and support for his brother really shows. You can tell in the way these 2 men act together that they are very close which makes to portrayal of Joseph and Hyrum that much more real.
This shot is actually just a candid, not a pose. They were just observing the action at the rehearsal. They are both very fun-loving individuals. When there is a break in the action they are often found playing with the "mojos". (Mojo is the pageant word for child, more on children and families later.) The mojos love both Matt and Jeff, you will almost always find a mojo hanging on them, or being tossed in the air by the brothers, just like Joseph and Hyrum may have played with children.
Then when the situation calls for it, they each have an incredible spiritual intensity. In costume or even in shorts and flip-flops, they radiate an incredible spirit.
Since they are single guys sharing a condo 2 doors down from us we invited them (and their roommate Jonny) over for dinner one night. With our hectic schedule we were only able to share about 45 minutes, but it was a treat to talk to them and learn more about their experience and be entertained by their wonderful sense of humor.
In any presentation of the restoration story whether in film or live theater, the casting of the roles of Joseph and Hyrum Smith are crucial to the success. In our pageant this year we are especially blessed to have 2 brothers playing these roles - Joseph is played by Jeff and his brother Matt plays Hyrum. In one of our very first rehearsals we were introduced to these amazing men. Matt is the older of the brothers, by 4 years. Hyrum was older than Joseph by 5 years. Matt is 6'4", Jeff is 6'2", which are the exact heights of Joseph and Hyrum.
Originally Jeff (above) was cast to play Hyrum, but then the actor who was cast in the role of Joseph was unable to come to the pageant. Jeff was moved to the role of Joseph, but the directors were now left without a Hyrum. They contacted Jeff's brother Matt to try out. Matt has had much more acting experience than Jeff and he initially laughed at the thought of taking the summer off to work in the pageant. When he did tryout, he thought he was trying out for the role of Joseph, so the decision to play a supporting role to his less experienced brother was a difficult choice for him, but he eventually agreed and his love and support for his brother really shows. You can tell in the way these 2 men act together that they are very close which makes to portrayal of Joseph and Hyrum that much more real.
This shot is actually just a candid, not a pose. They were just observing the action at the rehearsal. They are both very fun-loving individuals. When there is a break in the action they are often found playing with the "mojos". (Mojo is the pageant word for child, more on children and families later.) The mojos love both Matt and Jeff, you will almost always find a mojo hanging on them, or being tossed in the air by the brothers, just like Joseph and Hyrum may have played with children.
Then when the situation calls for it, they each have an incredible spiritual intensity. In costume or even in shorts and flip-flops, they radiate an incredible spirit.
Since they are single guys sharing a condo 2 doors down from us we invited them (and their roommate Jonny) over for dinner one night. With our hectic schedule we were only able to share about 45 minutes, but it was a treat to talk to them and learn more about their experience and be entertained by their wonderful sense of humor.
A couple pictures
(Posted by Craig)
I made up my mind that the next post I do would include pictures. But the result has been that I have just delayed posting and I still don't have good costume pictures. So here are a few quick pictures to for now, and I will try to do more posting.
Our family was assigned to help with Tug-O-War and Sack Races for the preshow. Here I am looking very serious about my job.
When I get up in the morning, I try to tame my hair, but by the end of the day it gets a bit wild...
I will have to get permission from the others before I post pictures of them. I might get in trouble...
We are doing well. Tonight is our last performance as the supporting cast, then it is our turn.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Clothes and Hair (the Trials)
(Posted by Jill)
Craig mentioned a bit about the clothes, but as a man he really has no idea what it really feels like. Every night we women have on bloomers, big full (HEAVY) slip, a bodice that Velcros to the skirt and the very full wrap-around skirt. The skirt is not fitted but has Velcro all the way around - you wrap it around and around you until it fits then stick the Velcro together. We also have hats and cloaks for the traveling scenes.
Almost everyone changes their costume at some point in the night. Men turn their vests inside out, women have 2 tops and bottoms, and switch out the darker color from the beginning to the lighter color by the finale. The core cast (speaking parts) have many more costume changes, and it is not unusual to see Joseph, Hyrum or Brigham thundering down the path behind stage madly ripping off clothes.
Hair is a big issue also. The pageant staff have very strict guidelines for what is appropriate or not. We carefully studied the photos and diagrams to figure out what would work for each of us. After all the stress of trying to find a hair extension that would work, it turned out that my hair is just long enough to work without any fake hair. We have to part our hair down the middle and pull it back from the back of the ears to put into a bun. The front part not in a bun has to "swoop" back towards the bun, covering the top of the ears. Jezi can wear braids and Erin has quite a few options - she is experimenting with ringlets.
As promised we have many pictures coming. I took quite a few pictures in rehearsal today, but it's almost midnight and we've been singing and dancing (emphasis on the dancing) since 8:00 am.
Craig mentioned a bit about the clothes, but as a man he really has no idea what it really feels like. Every night we women have on bloomers, big full (HEAVY) slip, a bodice that Velcros to the skirt and the very full wrap-around skirt. The skirt is not fitted but has Velcro all the way around - you wrap it around and around you until it fits then stick the Velcro together. We also have hats and cloaks for the traveling scenes.
Almost everyone changes their costume at some point in the night. Men turn their vests inside out, women have 2 tops and bottoms, and switch out the darker color from the beginning to the lighter color by the finale. The core cast (speaking parts) have many more costume changes, and it is not unusual to see Joseph, Hyrum or Brigham thundering down the path behind stage madly ripping off clothes.
Hair is a big issue also. The pageant staff have very strict guidelines for what is appropriate or not. We carefully studied the photos and diagrams to figure out what would work for each of us. After all the stress of trying to find a hair extension that would work, it turned out that my hair is just long enough to work without any fake hair. We have to part our hair down the middle and pull it back from the back of the ears to put into a bun. The front part not in a bun has to "swoop" back towards the bun, covering the top of the ears. Jezi can wear braids and Erin has quite a few options - she is experimenting with ringlets.
As promised we have many pictures coming. I took quite a few pictures in rehearsal today, but it's almost midnight and we've been singing and dancing (emphasis on the dancing) since 8:00 am.
Our roles
(Posted by Craig)
Our family (Jill, Craig, Bob, Karen, Reed, Erin, Weston, and Jezi) has been cast as an immigrant family. That means that we are not dressed as nice as some of the other more established families. But even then, the women have several different pieces to their wardrobe. When the costumes were issued I could not believe how heavy their pile of clothes was. It is hard to imagine that they have to wear all that. The men get by with fewer layers. We wear period trousers (that button up the sides and across the top), a shirt, and a vest. Reed and Weston have a hat and/or suspenders. They did not give me a hat, I guess they wanted to see my curls ;-) . It is strange to say, but it is really fun to be all dressed up and start to feel like a pioneer family. I promise that I will get a picture, but our schedule is so crazy this week that it seems we can barely get from one place to the next on time, and by the time we are done it is very late and all we want to do is crash. We will remember to get the camera out one of these nights.
We are still the supporting cast this week, which means we help with various things backstage and we join on the finale. Each cast has about 150 people, so when we are all there for the finale there are about 300 people on stage. It is really exciting.
Speaking of the finale, we are preparing to be the "performing" cast next week, and today we rehearsed the finale. During that scene we are all on stage and Joseph Smith gives his testimony: "This is the testimony, last of all that we give of him: That he lives!..." and I realized, standing there on stage the "we" in that testimony included all of us. As he finishes his testimony the entire cast starts singing "We'll sing and we'll shout!", but it was difficult to get the words out because the spirit was so strong. We were all testifying!
That has been one great thing about all our rehearsals. We rarely know exactly what we are supposed to do, but the directors go to great lengths to help us understand why we are doing what we are doing, and the message that we are teaching. We gain an appreciation of the significance of a dance, or a scene, and from there we naturally understand what we need to do. It is not uncommon to have an impromptu testimony meeting in the middle of rehearsal.
That's all for now from Nauvoo. The girls are getting their hair ready and in a few minutes we will be in costume and on our way to the cast meeting.
Our family (Jill, Craig, Bob, Karen, Reed, Erin, Weston, and Jezi) has been cast as an immigrant family. That means that we are not dressed as nice as some of the other more established families. But even then, the women have several different pieces to their wardrobe. When the costumes were issued I could not believe how heavy their pile of clothes was. It is hard to imagine that they have to wear all that. The men get by with fewer layers. We wear period trousers (that button up the sides and across the top), a shirt, and a vest. Reed and Weston have a hat and/or suspenders. They did not give me a hat, I guess they wanted to see my curls ;-) . It is strange to say, but it is really fun to be all dressed up and start to feel like a pioneer family. I promise that I will get a picture, but our schedule is so crazy this week that it seems we can barely get from one place to the next on time, and by the time we are done it is very late and all we want to do is crash. We will remember to get the camera out one of these nights.
We are still the supporting cast this week, which means we help with various things backstage and we join on the finale. Each cast has about 150 people, so when we are all there for the finale there are about 300 people on stage. It is really exciting.
Speaking of the finale, we are preparing to be the "performing" cast next week, and today we rehearsed the finale. During that scene we are all on stage and Joseph Smith gives his testimony: "This is the testimony, last of all that we give of him: That he lives!..." and I realized, standing there on stage the "we" in that testimony included all of us. As he finishes his testimony the entire cast starts singing "We'll sing and we'll shout!", but it was difficult to get the words out because the spirit was so strong. We were all testifying!
That has been one great thing about all our rehearsals. We rarely know exactly what we are supposed to do, but the directors go to great lengths to help us understand why we are doing what we are doing, and the message that we are teaching. We gain an appreciation of the significance of a dance, or a scene, and from there we naturally understand what we need to do. It is not uncommon to have an impromptu testimony meeting in the middle of rehearsal.
That's all for now from Nauvoo. The girls are getting their hair ready and in a few minutes we will be in costume and on our way to the cast meeting.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Our first Singing practice
(posted by Craig)
We are currently the supporting cast, which means we are not on stage much yet. We all join in on the finale, which means there are about 300 people on stage (150 people from each cast). I obviously can't see it, but it feels impressive.
Yesterday we had our first singing practice. It was seriously one of the most spiritual experiences of my life. Very little was said about parts, volume, projection, technique, etc. Rather one scene after another was setup for us as we took positions and sang the accompanying music. Members of the Core Cast were there reading their lines from the pageant, including scenes like "Gathering to Nauvoo", "Healings in early Nauvoo", "King Follett's funeral", "The Martyrdom", and "Raising the Temple".
It did not matter that we were standing in the middle of a High School gym, and no one was in costume, and most of us did not really know was we were doing or what was expected of us. The music director gave us a few simple instructions and these scenes became completely real for us. We lived these moments in Nauvoo's history and it was quite overwhelming.
We have been gone less than a week. We are hot and tired, but we are thrilled to be here.
Our family (at least the women) has the most costumes of anyone in the family cast. We will share more later about our parts, and I will try to get some pictures.
Craig
We are currently the supporting cast, which means we are not on stage much yet. We all join in on the finale, which means there are about 300 people on stage (150 people from each cast). I obviously can't see it, but it feels impressive.
Yesterday we had our first singing practice. It was seriously one of the most spiritual experiences of my life. Very little was said about parts, volume, projection, technique, etc. Rather one scene after another was setup for us as we took positions and sang the accompanying music. Members of the Core Cast were there reading their lines from the pageant, including scenes like "Gathering to Nauvoo", "Healings in early Nauvoo", "King Follett's funeral", "The Martyrdom", and "Raising the Temple".
It did not matter that we were standing in the middle of a High School gym, and no one was in costume, and most of us did not really know was we were doing or what was expected of us. The music director gave us a few simple instructions and these scenes became completely real for us. We lived these moments in Nauvoo's history and it was quite overwhelming.
We have been gone less than a week. We are hot and tired, but we are thrilled to be here.
Our family (at least the women) has the most costumes of anyone in the family cast. We will share more later about our parts, and I will try to get some pictures.
Craig
Friday, July 11, 2008
First Photos
(Posted by Jill)
This little guy was our first visitor (only visitor so far) at our condo. Erin and Jezi tracked him down and caught him the next day. I was a little worried they would let him go somewhere in the condo so I made them take him outdoors.
Erin and Jezi :
This little guy was our first visitor (only visitor so far) at our condo. Erin and Jezi tracked him down and caught him the next day. I was a little worried they would let him go somewhere in the condo so I made them take him outdoors.
Erin and Jezi :
No Time to Rest
(Posted by Craig)
We "signed in" as cast on Wednesday morning, but even before we had signed in, they gave us our first instructions, and by Wednesday night we were on the stage (and under the stage) for the final run-through. We participated in the dress rehearsal last night (even though our costumes are not quite ready.) And we are having so much fun.
The pageant is amazing. It is surprisingly effective at telling the story of Nauvoo and the individuals that were here, all within the time and space constraints of an evening stage performance.
We are assured that our costumes will be ready today, and tonight we will be on stage for the first official performance. Although for now we have only minor parts, it is very exciting. I am a "ruffian" that pledges to seek Joseph's life...I have been practicing my speaking part: "Aye!" (think pirate). I am sure that I am very impressive!
There is a wonderful spirit in this place and in the pageant. We are very tired, very hot, but very happy.
Craig
We "signed in" as cast on Wednesday morning, but even before we had signed in, they gave us our first instructions, and by Wednesday night we were on the stage (and under the stage) for the final run-through. We participated in the dress rehearsal last night (even though our costumes are not quite ready.) And we are having so much fun.
The pageant is amazing. It is surprisingly effective at telling the story of Nauvoo and the individuals that were here, all within the time and space constraints of an evening stage performance.
We are assured that our costumes will be ready today, and tonight we will be on stage for the first official performance. Although for now we have only minor parts, it is very exciting. I am a "ruffian" that pledges to seek Joseph's life...I have been practicing my speaking part: "Aye!" (think pirate). I am sure that I am very impressive!
There is a wonderful spirit in this place and in the pageant. We are very tired, very hot, but very happy.
Craig
Flooding in Iowa
We made it to Nauvoo! The train ride was spectacular. Especially between Provo and Denver. As we went through Iowa, we saw mile after mile of flooded and destroyed crops and overflowing river. (The train from Denver through Iowa had been shutdown until the day before we left.) When we entered Ottumwa Iowa, the train went through a temporary levee that had been through up to protect the town from the flood waters. Across from the train station was the water treatment plant. It also had a levee built all the way around it. This picture is a view looking over the levee and down on the front doors of the plant. You can just see the top of a tree that is on the front lawn of the plant. It was quite the site.
But the weather is beautiful in Nauvoo. We have not seen any effects of the flooding, all the roads are open and things are going great.
Craig
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