Once on this Island. . . . .

Dear Cast, Crew and Production Team of Once on this Island,

Words can not fully express my sincere gratitude for all your time, hard work, energy and commitment you have given in order to insure that Once on this Island is a success.

I marvel at how well you work together, creating wonderful moments and beautiful sounds.

So often, I find that we rush through our daily lives, never really taking the time to appreciate one another and our accomplishments.

Well, the time has come for you all to do just that.

What you have done as a community is spectacular.  

The show is wonderful.  You should all be very proud.....I know I am.

Take the time tonight to enjoy every moment, for you and for your audience.

Transport them in to a world that you have spent so much time creating.

Thank you for being a wonderful group of young people.

It has been a pleasure working with you all.

Lys

One Day and Counting. . . . .

Three Days and Counting......

Four Days and Counting. . . .

5 Days And Counting. . .

Last weekend rehearsal for Once on this Island

Saturday, November 5th
All cast be ready to go at 11:00 a.m.
Full costume......DO NOT SHOW UP AT 11:00 a.m.
If you need extra time to get ready, you may arrive as early at 10:15 a.m.

Sowens and Treise....can you be ready to go at 10:30 a.m. with the crew?  We need to run the "bark".
11:00-1:00 p.m. Total run.  No stops!!!
1:00-1:40 p.m. Lunch (which you need to bring)
1:45-4:00 p.m. Fix specific scenes, dancing, review some vocal sections, talk costumes, make-up, hair.


Sunday, November 6th
11:00 a.m. ALL CAST and CREW be ready to run show in costume.  Crew dressed all in black (including dark sneakers) !!!!
DO NOT BE LATE!!!
11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Run scenes/dances that need extra work.
12:30-12:50 p.m. Lunch (which you need to bring)
1:00-1:50 p.m. Work with pit on: "Tribal Dance" in Pray, Ti Moune's dance in the Ball scene, and Pray "Reprise".

2:00-4:30 p.m. Total Run Through with costumes and Pit!

5:00-6:30 p.m. POT-LUCK dinner sponsored by: The Parents of Once on this Island.  
All are invited.  
Please stay and share a meal together.  Celebrate your accomplishments!!


Looking ahead:


Monday, November 7th.
Sound Check at 5:30 p.m. 
For:
Little Ti Moune
Ti Moune
Tonton Julian
Mama
Erzulie
Papa Ge
Asaka 
Agwe
Armand
Daniel
Andrea


All Cast and Crew be ready to go at 7:00 p.m.
Complete Run-Through 7:30-???
Make-up and hair, Crew in black!

Tuesday-Wednesday
November 7, 8 
Complete Run-Through 7:30-??
All Cast and Crew be ready by 7:00 p.m.
Make-up and hair, Crew in black!


November 9th  Run Through
No make-up or costumes. Crew in fun clothing...no black!!! Street cloths are fine.


November 10-12  SHOW!!!
All Cast and Crew arrive to JHS no later than 5:30 p.m.

All must meet in the music room by 6:45 p.m.
Notes and vocal warm-up to follow.







 

Something to ponder. . . .

Opening: An opportunity affording a chance of success.

Opening Night! One week from today!!!!!!!

Acting is a question of absorbing other people's personalities and adding some of your own experience.

- Paul Newman

Fun Facts about Once on this Island. . . . .

Following their Off-Broadway debut with LUCKY STIFF, a musical farce, Ahrens and Flaherty knew they wanted to tackle something with greater emotional depth. Browsing for ideas, Ahrens stumbled upon the novel My Love, My Love by Rosa Guy in a used bookstore. She responded instantly to the novel's poetic language and to the simple beauty of the story. Her writing partner, composer  Stephen Flaherty, was attracted to the novel's Caribbean setting, which would allow him to create a score that was theatrical, but inflected with the rhythms and sounds of the story's locale. Their long search was over. 

In order to obtain the rights from Guy, the duo agreed to present the author with an outline and four song presentation that revealed their take on the material. It was a nerve-wracking experience, especially as they intended to completely change the novel's ending. Thankfully, Guy loved what she heard, and gave her blessing.

Over the next eight months, Ahrens and Flaherty completed the show, writing mostly chronologically and allowing each musical moment to reveal itself. They presented their work to their colleagues at Playwrights Horizons, who immediately fell in love with the show and committed to producing a four-week workshopAhrens and Flaherty's first and only choice for a director/choreographer was Graciela Daniele, who had a reputation for using dance to tell stories. After hearing the score, Daniele agreed to join the team.

The four-week workshop took place in the fall of 1989. Songs were cut and replaced, the story sharpened and focused, and the designers began to envision the physical look of the mythical island and its inhabitants. Playwrights Horizons announced that there would be a full production of the show in the spring.

ONCE ON THIS ISLAND debuted on April 6th, 1990, and the audience and critical response was rapturous. In The New York Times, Frank Rich raved that the lyrics were "simple, direct, and poignant," and that the audience was likely to leave the theater "ready to dance down the street."

The show was quickly transferred to Broadway's Booth Theater where it opened on October 18, 1990, and ran for over a year. The show garnered eight Tony nominations, including Best Musical, Score, and Book. The Broadway run was followed by a national tour, and in 1993, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND opened in London, where it captured the Olivier Award for Best Musical. Since then, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND has been performed thousands of times across the country and around the world.

On May 12, 2002, twelve years after the Broadway production, almost the entire original cast of ONCE ON THIS ISLAND reunited for a special concert performance of the show benefiting Broadway Cares and The Cantor-Fitzgerald Relief Fund. LaChanze, the original TiMoune, lost her husband on 9/11, and the concert was organized to pay tribute to her and the other victims of the tragedy. The resonances were powerful, in lyrics which urged audience and actors alike to "feel the anger and the sorrow, and forgive." It was a magical, emotional evening when all felt the true power of being "part of the human heart." 

"A rattling good time! A carnival of swirling rhythm. Delightful." -New York Post

"Explodes with music and motion! The best musical of the season!" -Associated Press

"Rousing, musical theatre! Everyone is likely to emerge from the theatre ready to dance down the street!" -The New York Times