June 21 - Guinea PC

All the computers in the lab have been updated, so I become a test case for the new Cubase program -- works pretty well, and record more Waiting for Godot orchestration: 20, 21, and 25 -- so now 1-26 are in final orchestrational form....

June 20 - Best of Times...

Two run-throughs of Act II of Waiting for Godot in dress rehearsal.  First time among our weakest, with line lapses and character breaks, then we turn around and turn in our strongest performance of second part to date -- Hallelujah! Lawd willin, we are ready for opening night...

Before this, lunch at a new Mexican restaurant (for me, anyway) in Walnut Creek -- nice outdoor seating, mimosas, and grading papers, a block away from the Apple Store, for another session. Find a workaround the errant Photosmart program, so perhaps I can use it in class after all...

June 19 - Student / Teacher

Am taking another class this semester -- Tim White's Digital Production again, as last summer. Good to hang around with him and just take in the general recording and computer wisdom....

June 18 - Academic Elision

First day of the summer semester, and first day using iTunes and iPhoto in class, rather than CDs and overhead visuals.  A lot easier -- will take quite a while to completely make the transition, but a good start.  Nice classes, then back to Kinko's to finish printing books and off to SF for second week of Fresh Voices VII tech rehearsal.

Good to hear Cynthia Weyuker's saw, Dave Mecker's Albion Deity, and Ray's The Hired Man from light booth....  We are finding a new dramatic flair in Godot Act II -- now all we have to do is continue to review music and lines....

June 17 - Godot and Go

Three-hour Waiting for Godot Act II rehearal at noon today was a quick turn-around from last night -- lots of good work done, including slow-motion, weightless, tai-chi movements for the extended scene when all four main characters are grounded.

Then back to Montara continuing to walk south adjacent to the coast road,

this time from what amounts to downtown Montara to the outskirts of

Moss Beach, via the Montara Lighthouse Hostel, the Santitation District building (right on the ocean..., and a beautiful side trail between designer houses to spectacular cliffs...

Checked in re Father's Day on both generational fronts, then home to prepare for first day of summer semester. Astouded to learn that the local Kinko's is closing yet an hour earlier (suspect it is all Fed Ex's fault -- a lamentable coming together), so will have to get up early and publish both Music Fundamentals and Music History Volume I texts at next printhouse to southwest....

June 16 - At Last

Great show tonight -- capacity responsive audience at Goat Hall, the computer worked, and our cast, and other performers, in top form. "Well, shall we go?" -- indeed!

Filmed part of Act I up close an hour before the show, plus some more stills, and it looks like we'll do both Act I and II excerpts next week (rather than just the latter). Lea might have to be out of town due to family emergency, so Kat has agreed to understudy, as she is never on stage as Lucky/Pozzo when Boy is on, aside from the Doppleganger addition....

Wonderful to have Dawn Chambers with us again from New Mexico / New York for her Spinster Song -- sung this time by Meghan (previously by Dawn and Sarah Hutchison -- all who have done bang-up jobs in this appealingly outrageous music). Harriet and Dawn and I hit C.Y. late, then took D back to airport before the trek home...

Also in audience, good to see Jane Goldsmith, Debbie Haun, Peter Josheff (again -- so he was able to hear the tracks, not that he hasn't from hearing Elisa rehearse....), Maggie Tennenbaum and beau, Kat's crew, Ken Bullock from Commuter Times (who seemed to enjoy it, as appeared to be the general consensus -- certainly diction apparently was pretty good, as the jokes got laughs) -- fluidity and tunefulness (to the point of "earworms") were among the comments (and, OK, difficulty). Keisuke and cast outdid themselves, and KN and I beefed up the volume just a bit, which probably actually did help projection.

Back in town by noon tomorrow for 3 hours for Act II...

June 15 - Waiting for an Amp

Waiting for Godot, Act I tonight, as part of Fresh Voices VII at Goat Hall, 400 Missouri Stree, San Francisco (also tomorrow), the selections performed are

I. Nothing to Be Done

V. Wait for Godot

XIV. I'm Hungry

XV. Bozzo

XXVIII. Stop! Back! Turn! Think!

XXIX. His Hat

XXX. Now

XXXI. Thank You, Gentlemen

XXXIII. Mister

XXX. At Last

Cast is

VLADIMIR - Eliza O'Malley
ESTRAGON - Meghan Dibble
POZZ0 (LUCKY in Act II, next week) - Janet Lohr
LUCKY (POZZO in Act II, next week) - Kat Cornelius
BOY - Lea Grant

With Keisuke Nakagoshi, piano, augmented by computer tracks, which cut out during the third selection, as amp suddenly became disconnected. The cast and Keisuke carried on admirably despite all, and the audience was apparently entertained and appreciative. I was stuck in the lightbooth, so concentrated on the situations at hand, including filming a show that will proved difficult to sync up with the MIDI version....

Looking forward to a more urtext performance this evening...

Also on show Dawn Chambers's dynamic Spinster Songs (a pleasure to now have experienced Meghan, Sara Hutchison, and Dawn all interpretting this material in their unique ways), plus a commited selection of pieces (with Harriet, Lea, Bianca Showalter, Kat, and our Fashion God friend) from John Partridge, Brian Holmes's winning Updike's Science (with another expert Philip Glass parody), and Allan Crossman's evocative Lorca Songs, with Eilene Meredith....