Thursday, May 31, 2012

Opening weekend - Recap

Whew! We did it! We finally opened this past weekend, Memorial Day weekend of all times, and to great success! Not only did we have great, full houses, but the reception in regards to the show has been terrific as well!

Last week was definitely a whirlwind of getting things done, last minute rehearsals, prepping for opening night reception, previews, etc. And in the end, it was all worth it as everything came together in a splendor that was once just a vision, but is now pure, dynamic, artistry. It's amazing when all the elements come together!!!

Huge thanks goes out to EVERYONE who has touched this show in one way or another, whether it be through our Kickstarter campaign, designers, volunteers, etc. All of you have helped bring this show to life, and as always, we are most grateful for you!!! What an awesome team!

With this said, here are a few photos from our opening weekend, including some awesome photos taken by our friend Keri Kaba of some of the scenes from the show.















If you are interested in catching the show, seats are filling up fast!!! Seriously!!! Click on this link for more details on how to purchase tickets!

Friday, May 11, 2012

A Note from Peter Kuo, our Director of Ordinary Days




I was first introduced to Ordinary Days when I started working at South Coast Repertory in November 2009. It was my first show at the theatre and I remember listening to the music and laughing and falling in love with it right away. But I didn't want to immediately share that love. I was protective of it, in the way one is protective of finding money on the street. You are afraid someone else will see it and claim it as theirs. At the same time, I knew this show was too beautiful to keep as a secret.

Just months beforehand, I had completed a run of Songs for a New World that I directed for Yes, And ... Productions, and I felt this show might appeal to its producers, Helen Ota and Mike Palma. I was right. After seeing it they called me right away praising the production, declaring their desire to produce it, and asking for information about the rights. -- My worst nightmare had come true. Someone else in my circle had discovered the gloriousness of Ordinary Days and Adam Gwon. And they hadn’t even discovered it on their own, I introduced it to them!

Now, more than two years later, that discussion has come to fruition. We're producing Ordinary Days and I'm directing it. And I don’t regret inviting Helen and Mike to see it. I'm excited about this production for two reasons. One, I just love this show. The SCR production was fantastic. It had big budgets, amazing talent and supportive audiences, but I always had a different vision of the show. To me, what Ordinary Days really focuses on is allowing the simple moments in life to be beautiful. A memory. A look. A word. These intimate moments are what make life worth living, and by putting the show in an intimate theatre, it’ll be hard not to really feel and appreciate them.

The second reason I'm excited about this production is that I love Adam Gwon's work. He has a brilliant mind and he is going to rise up to become one of America's greatest composers. And though he's growing in popularity, his work is still relatively new, so to be one of the first few hundred or so directors to bring his work to life is exciting. His humor and heart drip from the story while his music easily carries you away to emotionally beautiful places. And even in a piece that celebrates simple moments, there is complexity in the music, text and characters that still makes working with the show a challenge.

I hope you will join us for this production. I'm certain this production will make your "Ordinary Days" a little more extraordinary.

Peter J. Kuo




Me and Adam Gwon, Composer, "Ordinary Days"


Note from our Producers:

Now that we're getting closer to opening night, tickets are selling, and FAST! If you'd like to purchase tickets to our production of Ordinary Days, please visit our Brown Paper Tickets link for more information. Some dates are filling up, so please check there sooner than later :) Thanks!

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Our All Star Team!


As of this writing, we are now just 14 days away from previews for "Ordinary Days", and what a journey it has been so far.

To begin, last Friday, some of the cast and crew were able to meet our show's composer, Adam Gwon down at South Coast Repertory. His current show, "Cloudlands" is playing down there, so our director Peter said that we may be able to catch him after the show. So we did!

We have to say Adam is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. Very friendly and outgoing. It's so nice when you meet someone with such immense talent who is still grounded and personable. I say this living in an industry town where sometimes "stars" (and I use that loosely) think that the world owes them. (Yeah right). Nonetheless, Adam has our vote for being a really cool dude! Thanks for letting us take pictures with you Adam!



Adam Gwon (Center Between Peter (in blue) and me (with jacket).


Getting closer to opening, it is now our pleasure to introduce to you the rest of our creative team. The unsung heroes that literally make the show what it is through their talents and creativity. 

Drum roll please!...

Stefanie Wong Lau - Marketing/ Assoc. Producer. This is Stef's second go-around with Yes, And... Productions, and we are so grateful to have her with us! She's helping with getting the word out on the show, and with ticket sales. Yay for Stef.

Sandy Fury - Stage Manager. She's Peter's right-hand person, and essentially a second lieutenant. Without her we'd be rehearsing without breaks, and not knowing where our blocking is. 

Nicholas Pilapil - Production Director. Nicholas helps Helen and myself with all the production stuff - logistics, inquiries, etc. Without him, life would be a whole lot more difficult.

Christopher Singleton - Lighting Designer. Chris is a lighting Ninja MASTER. So much so, his e-mail address starts off with "ninja lighting". He's so good at what he does! He can make a blank, black box look magical with his lighting expertise. 

Chika Shimizu - Set Design. You've seen Chika here on the blog earlier with her model mock-up of the set. She's so awesome! I seriously can't wait to see her set built up to its fullest. 

Rachel Stivers - Costume Design. Ah, costume design. Rachel is the person who will make us look like a million bucks come curtain time. Her designs are so good, that I'm keeping my stuff once the show is done. 

Arturo Bentanzos - Property Master. Art is taking care of all the details from the libretto/script, making sure we have all the necessary props to make this New York "real". It ain't easy, but Art is pro at getting things when and where needed. 

Mark Johnson - Sound Design. A later addition to the team, but glad to have him and his assistants on board to help bring the sounds of New York to life, as well as our voices! Big job, and we're looking forward to "hearing" from him. Ha!


And there you have it. The team. I may be forgetting someone, and if I have, my apologies. So many terrific people go into making a production come to life, and we're so lucky to have them on board. Without them, none of this would happen :)

Also, now that we're getting closer to opening, don't forget to buy your tickets to see it all come to life. Click on our Brown Paper Tickets link to get info and reserve your seats. We anticipate sell out shows, so get yours today (and soon!).

And now, more rehearsal photos! Enjoy!


Another one with Adam. With Peter and Lisa. 












Thanks for stopping by everyone. And don'e forget to buy your tickets now :)