Little Shop Scenery in Progress...

I have been bouncing around with the scenery for this play- running the gamut from excited to terrified to clueless to irritated, and that was just after school yesterday.  I have a wonderful group of students helping me, let me be clear on that!  HOWEVER, they are goofy after school.  I'm just sayin'.  And now I have to tell the juniors and seniors not to yell at the freshmen!!  SHEESH people.

Play nice folks

They actually laughed at me when I told them that they all would be gone next year and I need the new people when they leave.  I don't think they thought about it in quite those terms.

Please just paint the bricks- not each other

I am going through my hardest part of the  school year.  End of the third quarter is tough, long weeks, rotten weather, cooped up kids.

Meanwhile back in the art room, they are dressing my skeleton......

 Spring sports are here, ready to take my workers away after school.  Seniors are getting kooky, the stress of getting everything together for a production is getting to the cast and the crew. And the director and the queen of the stage. I will spend a huge amount of time at school for the next 2 weeks, and then grades are due right after the play is done.  There will be a couple art shows that go up soon after the play is finished, as well.....  Along with my grade school teaching and lack of time in that school, it is going to be a tough spring for me.  But, I will get through it, one task at a time.

Power tools, paint brushes, all the same to me...

So Little Shop has a set stage, not much moving to do this year, not like last year had!  But this one will have it's own little set of challenges.  Most of them involving Audrey- do you know how hard it is to keep people out of the mouth of the giant plant?  I'm sort of wanting to go take a nap inside of her, myself.

Taped up flat for bricks- exterior scene

Here are a few shots of taping and painting.  This will all look so totally different in one. short. week.  Full dress and makeup rehearsal next Monday!

Which reminds me, I have to go and check out the makeup supplies.....  and on I go.

Oh look- an actor snuck into the area!

Putting a brace back on- for some reason they don't want the flat to fall on them!!

Fine, paint the door red!  

Step and floor painting

The endless bricks

Will become the dentist office

floor painting

Another awesome painter!

Bricks, bricks, bricks

Somedays, you have to search a little more for your joy!  It's there, keep looking.

Potter's wheel and play......

Certainly a double meaning!  HAHA. There is playing on the potter's wheel, which I indulge in occasionally

Playing with clay

 and there is the PLAY which I am beginning work on.  Which means also, kids, that I have been blogging for almost a year!  Hard to believe, it seems like so long in some ways and in some ways like I have just begun.  But my first posts were for the makings of the play "Honk" (Against my better judgement)   (<-that is a hot link- click it!!) last year, and this year it is..............

We have purchased the rights to this particular design for advertising!

Feed me!!

FEED ME!!!

FEED ME!!!

 Who... I mean... what did that plant eat last night? 
 Uh... about a million Japanese beetles. 




You have perhaps an explanation for this?
 No, but if you give me a minute I'll think of one. 

Baby Audrey

I love parodies and this play is so much fun.  We are going to be doing some way cool things this year. AND I have a mostly new crop of awesome stage hands and scenery painters.

I have sort of  "before" pictures here.  We are just beginning, we have stripped flats and stretched muslin.  Painted broad swaths of color and are just beginning to work on the outside scenes.  Some construction needs to be completed yet (not my job!) so interior design will begin next week.  Fortunately we have rented puppets, so that is an enormous job we didn't have to do!

Painting day 1!

Busting through!

Good bye, striped wall paper!! Bon voyage!

And she handles those giant flats with no problem at all!

Did you stretch that canvas from center to edges??? NO?? Do it again!!!  lol

Try not to even think about this!

Props in waiting....

This is what the stage looks like every night when I close up shop.... quiet, dark..... waiting for the voices of awesome singers and the activity of students who love what they are doing. Whether through singing, acting, painting or working behind the scenes.  This is the ultimate collaboration, the culmination of many people's skills, strengths and dedication.  The adults not only teach the kids; we become their friends- people they can trust. People who can pull the best out of them, even when they are tired, hungry, crabby, sad or just 17 years old.

 Here is the Mad Art teacher doing one of her favorite things ever.  I have noticed that I do occasionally refer to myself in third person these days, must be because of this blog!

I try to find a few moments every couple of weeks to throw a little on the wheel- I love it so much and the kids like to see me do it.  It kind of makes them get excited and want to try more.  I spend a lot of time centering clay- I have triceps of steel!

JOY!!!  I think I'm going to sneak in another session next week!  I do have to introduce it to my beginning art students!  :)

And on a completely different note- we had an impromptu accordion concert the other day-- long long story, doesn't matter why.  One of the boys owned the instrument and let the other one goof around a little bit with it.  So funny!

sorry for the blur!

I just never know what my day will bring!

Until next time, find your joy!