She's a Blogway Baby!

written by Myrna Conn, performance intern in Hello, Dolly!
3/9/09
selections from Blogwaybaby.com

This weekend, we had our first preview of Hello, Dolly! at The 5th Ave Theatre in Seattle, with me starring (okay, maybe not starring...exactly...) as a Performance Intern! On Saturday morning, we had our first dress rehearsal. It was really useful because I got a good estimate as to how long I have to get ready. The interns' wig call is during It Takes a Woman (Reprise), so I had to do my pincurls and young girl make-up (lots of rosy cheeks!) before this song. I also started watching the show from the television in the green room upstairs, since the house wasn't available to us anymore.

After the dress rehearsal, we staged the bows. The interns have the first (and best, teehee!) bow, so make sure you cheer super loud if/when you come see the show right when the curtain comes up at the end!!! Hopefully during rehearsals before previews we'll be able to incorporate the entire Finale Ultimo (Hello, Dolly! megamix) during the bows. But right now it's just the "Hello Dolly" part of the medley when Jenifer comes out after her incredibly quick change into a white dress...

Over dinner break, my parents took me to Taste (one of my favorite restaurants), and then it was back to the theatre for our first preview!! I already had all my make-up and pincurls on/in, so all I had to do were a few touch-ups before the interns swarmed into the booth. When the orchestra started playing, it finally hit me: this was going to be amazing. I was quick to get into my wig and costume, and it seemed like the act was going on super speed. Before I knew it we were singing Sunday Clothes!! NOTE: We had our first walk-on this night!

I watched some of the show from the television in the green room. The funniest thing I saw would probably have to be that the door to the hat shop was broken/locked, so actors had to go through the invisible walls of the hat shop to get to the scene. Ah, the theatre!

Soon enough, Dancing was going, and it was time for me to grab my flag and wait backstage for my entrance! I focused up and calmed myself, and then I was walking on in the dark behind the scrim...and the lights came up! When I turned around to sing the ensemble's first lyric, I was overwhelmed by the full house! By what I can remember, I did everything well, and with more enthusiasm and energy than ever before! The confetti cannons went off, and the audience burst into applause, and it was over. I walked offstage with the best feeling in the world. I could do this all day!

The rest of the show went well, and I couldn't stop smiling during the bows. Once the curtain came down, it was a mad rush to the dressing rooms, but even so, I was still the last one out... :P It was one of the most exciting nights of my life, for I'd achieved a dream I'd had ever since I saw Camelot at The 5th during my first visit to Seattle.

Sunday brought the same kind of exhilaration during my performance, although I was able to relax a bit easier during the second act and do some homework. However, I did go to get my wig on a tad late, and had to interrupt it by running to the booth to sing Sunday Clothes just in time. Then I went back to finish the process of turning me into a blonde :)

After the show, we had our dinner break (which included some of the interns, including me, walking all the way to the end of PIke Place Market, only to decide to eat at the Subway at the beginning of the strip...sigh! :P), and then it was back to DAT5 for rehearsal. While the hat shop scene(s) were being worked onstage, the ensemble went down to the rehearsal studios to work dancing, staging, and music. We had cake at one of our breaks to celebrate Krystle and Bojohn's birthdays (cast members), and we had to say goodbye to our beloved assistant choreographer, Stephen Reed! We miss you!

It was a very long day, but full of fun and totally worth it! I made my premiere performance at The 5th Ave Theatre, and I basically lived at the theatre for an entire weekend. Stay tuned for more updates on rehearsals and an upcoming month of performances!