5/15/2008 (11:07 am) Monday's Meeting
Hello all!
Just wanted to give everyone an update on what happened in the meeting [monday], as not everyone could make it on such short notice.
First of all, Caity is doing really well. She can wiggle her fingers and toes, which are really great signs.
Her recovery will be a hard one, but the doctors do expect her to fully recover.
She won't be able to receive visitors for another week yet at least, but we'll keep you updated on that
situation as much as possible.
Second, we discussed what this means for all of Chautauqua.
What this means is that dress was canceled tonight and instead Stiff is doing their technical rehearsal.
Thursday night's performance has been canceled, and instead we are going to have a preview otherwise known as an open dress rehearsal,
to allow actors and designers the time they need to get a show up and running.This means that we will still be having festival crew,
concessions, ushers, clowns and everyone associated with the festival on Thursday as well.
It was also said that if you find you might benefit from talking to someone about the events that have happened so far,
that you should let us know and we can get you in contact with counselors, or you can talk to us if that makes you feel more comfortable.
No one who is having a hard time with these events will be asked to continue on with Chautauqua if they find themselves unable to do so, we just
ask that you contact us and let us know if this is the case. Your grade will not be affected and no one will have hard feelings towards you, as it is
most important that you take care of yourself.
We also discussed the safety precautions being put in place, i.e. what is happening with the grid now. Jen and Kenny,
two of our head lighting people, are the only ones allowed up in the grid. NO ONE is allowed up in the mezz area, if there
is blocking there it must be adjusted to accommodate this new rule. This is for everyone's safety, and we ask that everyone
help by following this rule.
Joe Weiss and David Cuthbert are doing everything in their power to find out what happened and take action to prevent another such an occurrence.
If you have any questions about this please let us know.
We wished Caity many good wishes and love, and it was announced that anyone wanting to send her a card should bring it to J106 and they will mail it for us.
Flowers are not permitted in the ICU, so cards and such things are the best way to go right now.
If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know. Thanks!
With love,
Lily, Graham, Ben and Jax
5/11/2008 (1:52 pm) Good News!!!
We have received word that Caity is going to be okay. She is
communicative and can move her arms. As of last night, it appears
that she did not damage her spinal cord, and will be recovering in a
couple of weeks. She will need all of our good thoughts and strength,
so please think of her when you can.
We WILL be meeting tomorrow to discuss the festival and write her a
card (bring any other ideas for flowers, etc. if you'd like). Remember
TOMORROW AT 5PM in 2nd Stage.
To give everyone an update on the basic changes that have already been
made, Program A dress rehearsal on Monday is cancelled and is being
replaced with Stiff tech. We have also cancelled Thursday's
performance and are still dicussing options for a preview Thursday
night, as well as a 4th performance at another time. In terms of
safety, no one is allowed on the grid or the mezzanine until further
notice. We are working to find out what happened and to take steps to
make sure it never happens again.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please let us know.
We'll see you tomorrow.
Thank you for your patience,
Our love to Caity,
Chautauqua
5/10/2008 (6:25 pm) Chautauqua Accident. PLEASE READ
Hello Chautauqua Students,
For those who were not present at today's technical rehearsal of
Stiff, a traumatic accident occurred at approximately 11am. Caity
Malcolm, head lighting designer was focusing a light on the grid of
2nd Stage when she fell to the stage floor. Paramedics came extremely
promptly and when Caity left she was breathing on her own. She was
then airlifted to the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. Her family
was notified and Chautauqua members were offered crisis counseling.
I'm sure for many of you there are questions, and as soon as there is
more information, we will share it with you, however, to discuss any
questions you have and to discuss the future of the festival, we will
be holding a Company Meeting Monday at 5pm in 2nd Stage. Questions
will be answered, and all of Chautauqua will be signing a card for
Caity.
Alma Sifuentes is the Dean of Students and has offered her services
for anyone who needs to talk with her. On campus crisis counseling is
also available and anyone living on campus can speak with their CREs
or RAs for after hours counseling. Alma's numbers are (office) (831)
459-3755, and (cell) (831) 750-9656.
IF YOU NEED ANYTHING: Please call the above numbers OR Lily (530)
588-3913 OR Jax (650) 303-3583 OR Ben (408) 616-0185 (Any other contact information is
available on the website, we are all here for each other).
Please keep Caity in your thoughts,
We all love Caity and wish her and her family and friends the love and
support they need.
See you on Monday,
Please call us for any reason,
Lily, Graham, Jax, and Ben
4/12/2008 (11:52 pm) Rehearsal is Go!
We have all successfully survived the first week of rehearsals! Great work everyone! Hopefully it has been going smoothly for you, gentle reader, and if any
fires have cropped up anywhere, they have been of a minimilist-inferno nature, and you have been able to stamp them out with your gentle feet with little to
no difficulty!
In addition to just wanting to say hi, Chautauqua.com would like to impress upon you the importance of submitting
photos to bsamuel@ucsc.edu
to be placed on the website! The page right now is so empty! If we work together, taking snap shots of rehearsals, parties, and general Chautauqua-related merry making,
then by the end of the festival we'll have an electronic photo-album that we can share with all of our families! If we don't, the only thing our families will see
is stuff from OLD Chautauqua's, and then they will think that OLD Chautauqua was
better than NEW Chautauqua! We must not have that! Make your Mom Proud!
Submit your photos today!
Oh yeah, also, the
Rehearsal Schedule for week two is up. One thing to note, is that J102 is occupied on this upcoming Friday. This means
that B201 is not an alternative rehearsal space--it is an rehearsal space, with no qualifiers in front of it, save for absolute ones like "definite" or "actual." This ultimately
means that if you are rehearsing in the barn on friday
(You know who you are. And if you don't, check the Rehearsal Page!) you ARE rehearsing
on the barn on Friday. Just wanted to make that perfectly clear!
ALSO, Chautauqua.com just saw
The Everyman's Apocalypse, Written and Directed by one of your TAs Graham Talley, and starring
famous Chautauquites Marisa Wessler, Jeff Arnold, and Sarah Moore. It was really good, and it is our professional opinion that you should go see it this weekend.
That's all! Have a pleasant dreams!
4/07/2008 (2:10 am) Send in the Clowns!
Hopefully all of you followed the advice that was spread and are having a restful night's sleep as I type this, but for those of you who aren't,
I just want to briefly reiterate what the BRT says above, and that is simply that the
Cast List information is up! Although
the ROLE you have is not specified, you will now know if you got into a play, and if you did get into one,
which one you got into! Your exact part
will be revealed to you at the first company meeting.
What's that, you ask? When is the first company meeting? Well, to briefly reiterate what the BRT says above, the first MANDATORY company meeting is
tomorrow
(later today), Monday the 7th, at 7pm, in the 2nd stage. And for those of you who did not get cast, first of all allow me to extend
my deepest sympathy, but rest assured that every single one of you at auditions did a stupendous job. Not getting cast is a horrible feeling, and one that
we here at Chautauqua.com have had the grim pleasure of experiencing many times, but if you are still interested in being involved in the Festival, there
are still lots of ways to join in the fun! You should also come to the first company meeting, where you will be presented with a multitude of alluring
jobs and treated like the kings and queens you deserve!
Once again, simply amazing work this weekend. All of your auditions were a delight to watch, and for those of you whose Callbacks I was lucky enough
to sit in on, you should feel commended on the truely inspired stuff you guys were producing. Every one of you is a rock star, and I am immensely excited
about the prospect of working with you all!
See you at the
MANDATORY Company Meeting!
4/01/2008 (2:38 am) We Have Achieved Bare Minimum!
Greetings, fellow Chautauquites! Hopefully the first day of Spring Quarter treated you well! Though my original claim of taking four hours was mostly upheld,
observant members of the community surely noticed that the title graphic still bore traces of the past! But gone are the days of warring vowels, and in their
stead stands a banner as festive as our theme! Cirque Du Chautauqua! How fitting!
In addition to the banner, you will observe to your right the beginning of a new tradition! Every day there will--hopefully--be a brand new poll for you to peruse,
in hopes of surveying the community and ensuring everybody's voice is heard. If YOU have a poll idea that you would like to see, please feel free to e-mail it
to me at bsamuel@ucsc.edu. And of course, completed polls will be moved to the
polls page, where they will rest for all to see. And for
people to vote in, as well, if they missed it the first time around. In fact, there is already a venerable poll hanging out there right now... why don't you go
check it out?
But before you do, maybe you will want to visit the
Forums! We here at Chautauqua.com are fairly proud of our janky newsgroup, providing
an outlet for members of the Chautauqua community to gather together and discuss about the issues that sometimes just can't be captured in poll form. Also, there
is the annual "Community Playwrighting Experiment" all set up for you guys to get crackin' on! If that doesn't fill you with excitement, then clearly you simply
don't understand what I'm talking about! But that is OK, because there are in depth explanations, as well as the community writing experiments from the past two years
available for your perusal on the forums as well! Why don't you go check it out?
Pleasant Dreams Gentle Reader! And beware of April Fool's Day tomorrow!
3/29/2008 (3:34 pm) The Beginning of the Bourgeoning
Ah! Spring! A time of new life, young love, and--most importantly--Chautauqua!
Ah! Chautauqua!
For those of you who are Chautauqua pros, you'll find that your old friend Chautauqua.com is more or less unchanged from the past two years and
is happy to see you again. For those of you about to embark on your very first Chautauqua adventure, then I highly recommend checking out the
Official Handbook, or the
FAQ for some quick fixes to any quandaries you may be facing. I know,
I know, the last thing you want to do is read a bunch of stuff, but it'll be good for you! And lots of people think the FAQ is funny! Someone even
used it as their audition piece once! See, it must be good! Er, Chautauqua.com takes no responsibility if the usage of the FAQ-as-Monologue results in a failure to be cast.
Seriously though, it is good to see you, and whether you're an old Chautauquite or a new friend, Chautauqua.com will strive to do its very best to be
a one stop shop for all your fondest dreams and wildest Chautauqua-related fantasties. As of the exact moment of this writing, you may find
that the site is mostly full of information from last year's festival. Well, mark the time stamp above well, because I predict that within
four hours, the site will become renewed with the aforementioned Spring Time vigor of 2008! See you on the other side!
