March 16, 2012

  • Our Music Director Quit Just Before Curtain Last Night

    We had our Preview last night.  The group that comes in a number of buses is from some place called Oakwood Village.  Not quite positive, but I believe it's an apartment complex with both seniors and lower income people, because it's always a very diverse group in the audience.  They made us late last night.  One bus was there at 6:45pm.  The last bus was not there until about 8:45pm.  Curtain went up about 8:50pm.  Was supposed to have gone up before 8pm.

    But not before some more drama went down.  We were all gathered into one dressing room around 8:30pm while still waiting on the last bus and told that our Music Director had up and quit on us just before 8pm.  Word has it that she wanted her contract re-written and when the theatre would not comply, she up and walked.  Not only that, but the video camera and monitor which was hooked up so that the orchestra could see the stage from where they were down in the pit belonged to here, so she took those with her as well.

    Classy, eh?  After belittling us, after making excuse after excuse for what was going on with them and never ever just saying, "You're right, I need to correct that.  It won't happen tomorrow," she just up and walks out. 

    Does she really think she's going to find work again as a Music Director after that?  Does she not know how connected a lot of these theatres are and that they will hear about this?

    The remaining 4 people in the band decided to stick by us and stay.  Luckily, it turned out that the director of the Chagrin Valley Light Orchestra was also there and he volunteered to be in the pit to help conduct. 

    Thank you Jeebus!!!

    It went GREAT!!  It was as if a big weight were lifted off everyone's shoulders.  As another person in the cast put it "I have never seen a show where the announcement that the music director quit just before the first curtain would make everyone so happy!"

    The tempos were (for the most part) were they needed to be - FINALLY!!

    It went very well.

    And now I finally care about the show.  About time.