saturday, March 17, 2007

Hope everyone is having a safe and happy St. Patrick's Day! I had a chance to see another run through of one of the shows from the Infinity today. The cast did great job...even better than yesterday! We had to replace one of the members of that cast today, which is always a very tough thing to do. But the cast took the change in stride and are stepping up to the plate to help out the new singer. Thanks gang!

Here are some more pics from rehearsal yesterday. Enjoy!

March 16, 2007

Today was a busy day, but a great one in every way! I spent some time this morning with my buddy David Holloway and his wife, Karen. David is back in the swing of things after his stint in the hospital earlier this week. I then had a rare father/daughter lunch with Anna, my middle daughter, who is home on spring break from the University of Tennessee Anna and I have always been special pals since she was a little girl. Somehow, the conversation turned to new cars, apartments, and summer jobs...needless to say, I almost always come out on the short (expensive) end of those conversations! I then spent the afternoon watching run-throughs by casts from two of our cruise chips - Celebrity Cruises' INFINITY and CONSTELLATION. Both casts did an awesome job with a lot of energy and heart. My vocal coach/producer friend Brandon Thomas came by to watch and offer his encouragement to the cast. Here is a link to his blog with a review of the cast of the INFINITY. Thanks for stopping by, Brandon!

http://www.brandonscottthomas.blogspot.com/

A special thanks goes out to choreographer Bruce Stegmann and assistant choreogrpahers Kelly Hirt and Claire Williams for their dedication to the quality of these shows. Also, a big shout out to assistant musical directors Jeff Lisenby and Stephen Kummer for their work with the singers.

These are pictures of the CONSTELLATION cast rehearsing "Celebrate the World". Great cast!! The INFINITY cast will be leaving us for the ship later this week. They will be polishing their choreography and vocals for the remainder of their time in Nashville. We wish both casts the very best for outstanding contracts!

Thursday, March 15, 2007

I had a great trip to Louisville yesterday! We've been invited to partner with our friends at Axxis, Inc. (Louisville) and Fire and Rain (Evansville) on a proposal for the production of the RYDER CUP Opening and Closing Ceremonies. For those of you who may not be avid golfers, the RYDER CUP is the most important and prestigious golf event in the world. The 12 best players from the United States team up to compete with the 12 best players from Europe. It is the oldest competition of its kind in the world. It will be held at the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville in September 2008. Valhalla has been acknowledged as one of the top 100 modern golf courses in the world. It is a beautiful course and has hosted some of the most prestigious golf tournaments in America. We met with RYDER CUP tournament directors and toured the site of the ceremonies. An estimated 35,000 golf fans and VIPS will be in attendance at the ceremonies. That is a LOT of folks for an outdoor event like this! The RYDER CUP could be a great opportunity for all of us. Our company also produced the opening ceremonies for the World Cup soccer games in Dallas in 1994, as well as designed and produced the decor for the US Olympic Committee opening event during the Atlanta games. The RYDER CUP project would be a great addition to our sporting event resume. I'll let you know how the bid goes!

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Good news! Our buddy, David Holloway (Holloway and Associates), went home from the hospital today. His condition suddenly turned around on Wednesday and seemingly disappeared as quickly as it started. The docs ran numerous tests only to find...nothing! The power of prayer is, indeed, an amazing thing! Many of you called David or Karen, his wife, or sent flowers and cards. He and his family are very appreciative of their many friends who wished David a speedy recovery. Now comes the waiting game to see if the condition is gone permanently. Let's continue to believe the best! Welcome home, buddy!

Monday, March 12, 2007

Today was unsettling. Our good friend, David Holloway, went into the hospital yesterday with a bleeding colon. The severity of the bleeding caused the hospital to move him into the critical care unit for observation. After having his colon scoped today, the doctors were unable to find the source of the flow, and have decided to keep him overnight for another try at a colonoscopy tomorrow morning. I just came from visiting David and his wife, Karen, and he is in pretty low spirits. Those of you who know David understand that this is not the active, energetic fun-loving guy we all know and love. Please say a prayer that his tests are successful tomorrow and the doctors are able to use a laser treatment to seal the wound. The alternative is surgery, and that would mean an entirely different path to recovery. I know he would love to hear from his friends if you want to email him (he can't receive or make calls from the ICU):

davidcholloway@aol.com

Sunday, March 11, 2007

I've just completed a great weekend at the North Carolina School of the Arts job fair. Some 28 potential employers spent the enitre day interviewing the 68 seniors in the department of Design and Production. The above pictures were taken in the rooms where we all did a 'speed dating" round of interviews with the grads. They are an impressive group, indeed! I talked with about a dozen eager scenic designers, carpenters, costumers, and stage managers about their careers and employment opportunities. A big SHOUT OUT to the faculty of the NCSA for creating a fabulous enviroment for nurturing creativity and excellence in the arts. I'm planning to come back in May to see their production of "West Side Story". This promises to be a major production produced at a fully professional level. Looking forward to seeing the show! If you don't know anything about NCSA, here is a link to their website.

http://www.ncarts.edu/

Saturday, March 10, 2007

I am in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, participating in the North Carolina School of the Arts Job Fair. There are about 28 potential employers from major theaters and productions companies who are here interviewing the graduates and graduate students. This is an amazing school! I have never seen so many arts and technical production curricula under one roof. If you are interested in a graduate degree in theatrical or technical production, you should definitely check out NCSA. Tomorrow, we have a chance to talk to the kids individually. This should be a very enlightening opportunity!

Hope you are all having a terrific weekend!!