Yesterday at noon, the first full company rehearsal began for Paramount’s TOMMY in our new rehearsal hall in the ballrooms of the North Island Center. A good chunk of change and time went into this beautiful riverfront space across the street from our theater on Galena Boulevard. Congratulations and thanks to Director of Facilities Operations Dave Natchke and Facilities Project Manager Dan Scharlau for a renovation job expertly done and on time! It’s a sight for me, sentimental already, to see this cast gathered to sing this classic rock opera in our new space for the first time! We’ve bounced around a bit over the past three and a half years, and I think we’ve finally landed on a significant addition to our artistic home here in Aurora developing our Broadway Series productions! Thank you, Tim Rater, and to everyone who has contributed time, money and hard work to this project! Dave, Dan and their crew put a lot of sweat and planning into these rooms, and I just hope when they hear the world-class voices we’ve brought here raised in song within these walls, they feel proud!

I can’t help feel that everyone’s spirits are going to rise as this company of almost 30 sing their hearts out and rock out to a score of surprising magnificence and impressive, intricate vocal arrangements. Gosh! The sun just burst through the clouds over the horizon flooding the place with raw, bright sunlight! A look at the time and I’ve got to wrap this up and get to the office. There is the artistic director “to do” list to attend to before I walk into our early rehearsal call this morning to continue staging. This morning as well, Brock Clawson begins his first day of choreography with the ensemble, and I cannot wait to see his work with this triple threat cast of actors/singers/dancers!

After a day like yesterday with Tom Vendafreddo music directing and dialect coach, Claudia Anderson, collaborating with our incredibly skilled, talented cast, TOMMY rehearsals promise you, dear reader, a theatrical experience you just won’t be able to sit back and watch…it will grab you, involve you…you will feel and think, enthralled…so much potential right now…so many possibilities!

Love & thanks,

Jim

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