Book Music and Lyrics by
Jim Jacobs
and
Warren Casey
Summer Show 2001
Book Music and Lyrics by
Jim Jacobs
and
Warren Casey
Summer Show Dates: July 12, 13, 14, 2001
Visit the Main Opera House Players Page
Cast
& Song List
New
Cast Picture July 11, 2001
Grease on Parade
Garnavillo
July 4, 2001
Pics from the Show!
New
July 13, 2001
July 15, 2001 - It's official. Grease is now one of many previous OHP productions. It will also remain a very fond memory for lots of cast members and crew. Wonderful show and wonderful crowds. Thanks to all of you who came out for the experience. We're looking forward to the next show. Tryouts for Hello Dolly are next Tuesday and Wednesday July 17 & 18, 2001 as you can see from the main page. This show had the added benefit of infecting a few other people with the OHP theater bug both on stage and behind the scenes. We get our lives back for a few weeks now, but don't worry... We love this so much, we'll be back for more soon. Cast members and family: Photos are available for printing online throught the internet service Ofoto.com. You must be officially invited to see and order the Grease photos. There are 130 high quality digital photos to choose from for your memories. Write with your email address and I'll send you the official invitation. ohp@icsbbs.com Here's a link to see thumbnails of the pictures before you go to the site. Click here
July 13, 2001 - It happened again. Saturday is sold out as well. The only possibility of tickets remaining for any performance of the show are no-shows and tickets turned back in. As of this morning, there were 4 special front row cushioned reserved seats yet available for Friday and 2 for Saturday. These tickets are available for a special donation to the Opera House Players. All proceeds are being turned over to the Opera House Restoration Fund. Contact us at 563-873-2378 if you are interested in these seats. The response to this production has been tremendous, and after watching the show last night, and hearing the audience reaction, I can say it has been an appropriate response. This is a fantastic show! Lots of action, song, and dance. High energy and high entertainment. As usual, we'll be sorry to see this one go. If you have tickets for one of the remaining two nights, congratulations. You have a treat in store for you.
July 12, 2001 - I'll try to keep things updated in these last few frantic days. The cast is doing wonderfully and the show is great. We're more than ready for the full house tonight. Plan to get there early to get a good seat. Tickets have been selling at a rapid pace for Saturday night. At last count, and I haven't talked to our ticket people today, there were still over 100 seats available for Saturday. Please note however, that more than 80 tickets were sold yesterday. Call quickly to make sure you are one of the lucky people to see the OHP production of Grease!
July 11, 2001 - Well, it happened. We are sold out for Thursday and Friday's performances. The only possibility for tickets at this time are no shows at the "will call" window. I'm excited that there is such a phenominal response for this show. There are, as of yet, plenty of tickets left for Saturday's performance. Don't wait though, call soon to get your tickets to be sure to have a seat. Also, I would recommend you show up early to get the best seats. This show is so dynamic, with great music and dance that it will be fun to watch from any seat in the house, but you will want to get there early to see it from where you want to see it. Doors will open between 7:15 and 7:30pm. Curtain is at 8pm.
July 10, 2001 - I had to return to these pages to let you know that the show is coming along wonderfully. You have a real treat in store! The cast has been working hard find tuning the show for our audiences. The orchestra is as good as any I have heard. Our cast and volunteer artists are working their magic on drops and props that bring the show to life. Lights are making sure the effects are just as we want to dazzle you and make the experience complete. I'm looking forward to seeing the results in terms of audience response, as is the cast. Ticket sales are going wonderfully, but that means if you want to see the show, you better get a ticket! As of now, there are tickets left for all three nights, but they are becoming in short supply for the first two nights. On a bragging note.. the Grease cast and their song & dance at the Garnavillo Parade on July 4th won 1st prize in our category! Congratulations to all who participated! We're ready for you. Are you ready for Grease? Grease is the word!
July 5, 2001 - While some of you were eating hamburgers, watching parades, and enjoying fireworks, most of us involved in the GREASE production were marching in parades (check out the photos above) and talking over final details for the show. (Okay.. we ate hamburgers and watched fireworks while we did that...) The show continues to come together well. I want to start the thank you's early. Please, notice as you listen to this show, the fantastic sounds of the orchestra. They are doing a terrific job and it makes the cast's job that much easier. The back stage crew and light crew are likewise doing their normal OHP great jobs! It's fun to watch the show transformed by the proper touches. Still some technical details to work out, and definitely some set detailing to go. We always laugh and say it isn't a show unless the cast has to be told where the wet paint is on opening night. This show will NOT be a "wet behind the ears" production however. Come see GREASE in OHP style!
July 3, 2001 - It's here... that frantic crunch time. You can see it in the cast, and you can sense it from the crew. The cast has done a wonderful job up to this point, now the details that really make the show are starting to pile up. It always takes a concerted effort from ALL the people involved to change this from a good show to a GREAT SHOW. Those details are what the OHP are famous for. Those details are what we are making sure everyone involved doesn't forget. While that may mean things can get a little hairy for a while, we can't forget that we are all doing this out of the sheer enjoyment of it all. That enjoyment from the cast and crew is what spills over into an audience experience that you won't soon forget. I hope to have new pictures tonight to put up on the site tomorrow. With the summer schedules of cast members, this has been an interesting production. Talent continues to shine through. Thanks to all those who are working so hard! Nine days and six rehearsals to go!
June 26, 2001 - Several things happening that I want to tell you about. Tonight is the big kick-off of the fund raising campain for the restoration of the Opera House. Please notice that I said restoration, not renovation. It is the intent the the building will be restored to it's original 1903 glamor and beauty as close as we can accomplish. To that end, I'm proud to say that the Opera House Players will be contributing a substancial amount to this project. Part of tonight's festivities will be a tour of the Opera House, including a sneak peak at the ongoing Grease rehearsals. We worked very hard to get a major part of the set work done this weekend. I have some pictures that I hope to get on the site later today. There is a lot of detail work to do yet, but that's normal for a production at this point. I plan on attending most of the remaining rehearsals as I'll be working on the technical aspects of sound as well as helping out with lights. As the excitment builds toward opening night, that will give me a chance to keep you even more up to date. Remember... Grease is the word!
June 21, 2001 - I've had the opportunity to work with the cast and the orchestra over the past two evenings due to some unexpected conflicts of our current director. I have been stepping in occasionally to work on music with the cast, but not to the extent that we worked music and scenes the past two nights. I've got to tell you, I'm impressed. I'm also sure that the cast thinks I was rather hard on them. The problem is, I see what kind of characters they can become, and what kind of show they can create. I refused to allow them to be anything less than what I know they are capable of becoming. That can be difficult sometimes, but both they and the show will be better for it. They are a great cast and a lot of fun. I've included a picture of the cast that was present toward the end of rehearsal last night on the cast and song list page. I know it's not everyone, and I'll work on that, but it gives you an idea of the fun we are having working together.
June 19, 2001 - Where does the time go?! Things are going fast and furious at the Opera House. The kids are getting their lines, their songs, and their dances memorized. The adults are trying to keep up. The orchestra has joined us and has added a lot to the intensity of the practices. Set work is going on in in earnest and is coming together nicely. I meant to bring the camera to set building over the weekend and didn't. (I *did* remember my tools however!) I'll work to bring along tonight to get some new shots of where we are going. Costuming is coming along as well. I hope to get a picture of the entire cast to include on the site very soon. Keep the excitement going. We've got a great show coming together for you!
June 6, 2001 - Music rehearsal last night. These are some of the most enjoyable to me (other than watching the kids really get into a dance number!). Lots of good voices and fast learners. Not that there isn't work to do... (Have to keep everyone jumping) Many of the songs are really very solid already. I'm amazed at how well the cast is able to get into the style of the 50's music (considering that the majority weren't born until many years later...) The difficulty of a musical such as this one, is that as you are learning songs, you are also learning dance. Trying to remember steps, lyrics, rhythm, and notes at the same time is difficult. (Gum chewing is out). Parents and cast members, - we've taken a hard look at the schedule and have made some modifications that we think will work better for cast and the show. Please remember to pick up a new schedule and tear up your old one to avoid confusion! Pit orchestra starts working on things this Thursday and hopefully will be able to join in some of the rehearsals by the end of next week. Set work will begin soon. As soon as it does, I'll be sure to begin asking for help as well as posting some pictures of our progress.
June 3, 2001 - I finally got the tickets printed for this show, so they are now officially onsale. I plan on getting them to the standard selling places yet this week. If you know cast members, they will be selling as well, so feel free to talk to them about your tickets for the show! I will be heading over to Elkader today, so I'll bring my digital camera and update you on the "happenings" at rehearsals. Look for new pictures in the next day or so.
May 29, 2001 - I had the opportunity to talk with director Joel Ashbacher over the holiday weekend (we're working on getting set design finalized and work started) and got his feel for how the practices are coming along this early in the rehearsal time. He expressed to me his amazement at how well and how fast the cast is learning blocking and dance. For those people who haven't worked with an OHP cast before, these things can be a shock. He is anxious to see the professionalism of this group continue to production. The results should be nothing short of spectacular. The orchestra is being organized. It looks like we'll have to talk about tryouts for several orchestra parts as there are many people who want to be part of this production. The show continues to evolve. Stay tuned!
May 23, 2001 - I couldn't resist showing up at one of the early rehearsals to get a feel for the cast and the excitement level of this show. Things are looking good. The cast worked on choreography for one of the production numbers. I was happy to see the skill cast that we saw in tryouts translating directly into rehearsals. As you can see from the link above, practice pictures are available.
May 22, 2001 - Thanks for waiting, thanks for the excitement. The cast is official. The Cast & Song List above will link you to the cast for the OHP production of Grease. Thanks to all who tried out and made the task of choosing so difficult. It's a pleasure to have that much trouble deciding on a cast. It means that the audiences should start looking forward to a great show. Lots of new faces. That's always fun. I hope that many of you will be able to stay around as part of the OHP family. Also, we can officially state that with the level of interest we have been able to extend the run of the show an additional day. The opening is now moved back to July 12th! Mark your calendars for a night of music, dance, and excitement as we ready ourselves for the OHP debut of Grease.
May 20, 2001 - What can I say but "WOW!" Even more talented people last night. Lots of good dancers, good singers and good actors. Yes.. the show is officially cast. I can't release the names until all cast members have been notified and have accepted their roles, but as soon as the list is released to me, I'll have it up on the site. There were so many good people to choose from we added a chorus. This will allow our choreographer to fill the stage with a burst of excitement that will make this show a joy to behold. Can you tell I'm excited? We're looking at adding another performance date (July 12th). Stay tuned.
May 17, 2001 - The "great deal of excitement" exceeded my expectations. There were 60+ talented people at the first round of auditions last night. This is going to make the task of narrowing down the cast for this special summer show even more difficult for director Joel Ashbacher. He is working dilligently on organizing his papers and his thoughts in preparation for Saturday night's tryout. To those of you who made the tryouts last night, congratulations! Once again, we prove the quality of people we have in this area of the midwest. If you can, come on back and join us on Saturday night. It helps us to see you again, and helps the other new potential cast members by having someone there experienced with the process. It was a lot of fun and it creates a definite level of excitment about the show itself. My only regret is that we're obviously not going to be able to use everyone. As soon as the cast is announced and notified, I'll be placing the names on the web site. Stay tuned.
May 14, 2001 - I'm pleased to say that there has been a great deal of excitement about the OHP production of Grease. I'm anxious to see how that translates into people attending tryouts this week. Director Joel Ashbacher is ready to make this an exciting show. I wanted to take the opportunity to let you know that I will be doing my best to keep the web site up to date with information about how the tryouts go as well as casting information, practice schedules and information about ticket availability. Stay tuned, it's going to be an exciting two months!
May 2, 2001 - Tryout dates are set. There will be two dates available for tryout for the OHP Summer Production. The first night is Wednesday May 16th, the second is Saturday May 19th, both tryouts will be at 7:00pm in the Elkader Opera House in Elkader Iowa. As usual, enter by the rear side door on the parking lot side of the building. This lets you right onto the stage. We will provide music, and dialogue for tryout material. You only need to come prepared to sing, speak, and learn a short dance step. For those concerned about it, tryouts are always a fun event. Come, be yourself, and enjoy the company of other people interested in musical theater!
May 1, 2001 - Things are firming up for the summer show. Thanks to all of you who have responded thus far. Things look good for a tryout date of May 16th. We're investigating the need for a second night on May 19th for those who can't make a mid-week tryout (college students not yet done and those involved in Church activities). I'll post that info as soon as I can confirm. The only comment I can make to interested cast members is to be sure and spread the word! From the response thus far, we need some more interested guys. It looks like a fun show, let's make sure it happens!
April 23, 2001 - In standard OHP format, where there's interest, there's a show! The interest is appearing for a "summer stock" type musical this summer. We have a director, we have interested cast members. If all falls together, you could be in for a treat this summer with a production of the musical Grease. Stay tuned for tryout information (potential cast members) and for ticket sale information (potential theater patrons). At this point, we are envisioning tryouts by the middle of May (Wed, May 16th was suggested) with first read through and musical number practices beginning within the next week. This is contingent on contract authorization from the rights holder as well as numbers for cast and crew. Feel free to email if you have an interest and haven't let us know yet. We'll put you on our list! Click here to mail us your interest.
