The Monday after Blues

Why does so much fun have to come to an end ....WHYYYYYYY????

The Opening Night Reception was a hit. The food was plentiful and amazing! The cast saw friends and family for the first time, in what seemed like weeks (even though it was just 24 hours). And then they were given their 1/2 hour call and they all disappeared.

The audience was called into Fountain Hall and treated to a 10 minute video (from Pink Dog Productions) giving everyone a thumbnail of what the participants had been going through in the last day.

And then - it started....... The Gizard of Id...... What an amazing performance! What fabulous sets and props! What tremendous sound effects and music! What remarkable lighting effects and follow spot! What an astonshing set design! What an incredible job of directing!

The audience laughed ......they cried .... but only because they were laughing so hard.

Then the Wrap Party. Participant faces were MUCH more relaxed as they mingled with family and friends and relived the play with other participants.

And then everyone wandered off for some much needed sleep.... and it was all over. Now - on Monday morning - I want to go back and do it all again! I loved every minute of it. All the participants were wonderful and so much fun. The Neptune tech staff were marvelous and so patient ......and the front of house staff were some of the best I have ever worked with. Neptune Theatre's got a great bunch of people there.

But sadly it is done ........for this year.

If you want to see more pictures go to the Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia's website (http://www.legalinfo.org/) or - find the Play in a Day group on Facebook.

If you would like to be a part of this event next year .... contact me (development@legalinfo.org) to be placed on the email list for notification.

Well, when I signed up to be a part of all of this, I really wanted to be an actor--but then I was given a chance to use power tools! Building scenery has been really fun . . . in the span of about two hours, Alex F. and I built both an entire condo and a castle! Steve had better watch out cause if this whole law thing doesn't work out, we are taking his job! Your job is next, Jeremy! :)

Melanie Perry

A moochkin scorned?

Moochkin Leader- Greg Collins......someone call my agent....who wrote this crap. "Ding dong diddly"???? That Rick Woodburn needs to be punished severely. I may never recover.

Thanks for the memories everyone.....with counselling, I'll be okay.

Wish you were here!

I just watched the first stagger through of the Gizard of ID ...on stage..... stagger is a good word... (JUST KIDDING ...the bar hasn't opened..... yet...... much to the dismay of many). I was going to say something witty or cutting here - but actually I am amazed at what is shaping up!

The actors have their act together.... it's pretty funny ....

And what I have seen of the sets and props so far - I can't believe this much stuff has been done!!! It looks really professional -

Although I must say ... the sound crew seems a bit smug .... laying back reading the newspaper while everyone else is swirling about them.

And the lighting folks .... they're a little spacey... almost like they still have their heads in the clouds (or up on the catwalks)

All in all the best part of the day............... is the food ....MAN! That SoHo Bar and Grill .... they make GREAT food! I am stuffed.

Staff

Director's 'Whim'

After receiving Play in a Day's original and top-secret script in the late hours of September 7, our actors surely pulled all-nighters to familiarize with their roles and memorize their lines...

Well...no, they probably didn't. Good thing too as our run-throughs today, mere hours before curtain call, resulted in dramatic script changes and cuts. Lines have been swapped for dances, handcuffs have been dropped, a whip has been added in...wait. What are we doing here??

Also, as you may have already found out from not-so-cryptic hints from our participants, our play these evening is entitled THE GIZARD OF ID!

Join us for a surely unforgettable (no matter how hard you try!) evening.

Director's Note

We had a bit of scare.

The morning run-through went well for the most part, but things almost took a turn for the worst over lunch.

Our "Dorothy" is allergic to curry and she unkowingly took a large bite of a chicken curry wrap. She seems to be fine. No signs of her throat closing over. She's such a trooper.

I take back all of the "Diva" comments I made before.

Paul Sampson
-Director

CREW

I was approached to participate n this event in "the final hour", and was unsure as to what to expect .
I, an employee Scotiabank (shameless plug), find myself among mostly members of the theatre and law communities.
We are having a great time while developing a new appreciation for all the fun, as well as hard work that is envolved in this entire process.....can hardly wait to see the finished product ... yet, hate to see today come to an end.

Ann Elizabeth

Wicked, Evil ... it fits!!

I thought it would be difficult playing a wicked barrister. I've seen so many that it is easier than I imagined. (Of course, I've seen nice ones in action, too). Great Day! Great Play!
Wicked Barrister

I suffer for my art

Up until 11:00pm last night. Up again at 8:00am this morning. No drinks. No breaks. People yelling at you. A smelly co-star (hint: it's Rick). I'm still not sure how I convinced myself to do this, but like all the greats, Will Ferrell, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Jeremy Webb?, I suffer for my art.

The Scarecrow

"Picasso's Crew"

Help me....I'm melting........fading fast...suffering for my art.
.....all funned out for one day....where is my agent?

Come to our show......
Laughing is good for you.
Marian

I need to know....!!!!!

Who Is.... the Giz????? I really need to know..... signed, the Good Lawyer.

A Question from a Tech

Am I allowed to f****** swear on this thing or what?

-Neptune Lighting Dept.

Paint everywhere

The paint is now flying on stage...sound department are boastful of being done...30 mins of rehearsing left.

Can they do it?

Who's crazy idea was this?

JW

Jeremy Webb: Slave-driver

The power has gone to his head...

More to come if we're allowed another break.

Please send help!

How can so few eat so much?

As the Legal Information Society staff person on site...part of my responsibility is to make sure everyone gets what they need/want to eat in between the meals that SoHo is supplying. Where the heck did it all go? We started the morning with a HUGE box of muffins and banana bread from Julien's and it's practically GONE ...and it's only 10AM. It's a good thing I brought along a BUNCH of candy. I have a feeling chocolate and sugar will be needed a little later on. And coffee. More coffee.....buckets and tubs of coffee!

It's a great group though! Just wait till you see all the photo's! - Gwen - LISNS staff

9.47am

Already, set is being constructed....spirits are high this morning, despite` 6 people being LATE for their 8.30am call time! Heads rolled...a little...

As I type, actor's are doing well in rehearsal under the direction of Paul Sampson....with facilitator Karen Bassett asisting... I popped backstage and` found Alex Filimon and and Melanie Perry screwing scenery together, boasting that they plan on taking Steve's (Neptune's Head Carpenter) job...we'll see, guys!

Bill (facilitator) has just left to take designer Michelle Fillimon up to Creighton Street to the Neptune scenery & prop storage unit, to choose props and stuff!

Our videographer is running around trying to catch al of this on tape for the Making Of doc!

Later

Jeremy Webb
The Producer

9:00 a.m.

Producer cracks whip

Alright,then!

Friday night was a crazy night of wide-eyes and surprises as the participants in the first ever PLAY IN A DAY event discovered what they were going to do. "Surely we can't be doin' it all!?" Oh, yes!

For some the Guided Tour of Neptune's facility was just too much! MUahahahahaha! That's the easy part. Today the participants are called at 8.30am...yes...a.m. and have to work until opening at 9pm...

Last night the play was cast, read and the lights were hung...this morning there is painting, building, prop-gathering and costume collecting...

By 11.30am the bulk of the work has to be done.

The sound department seems to be having fun.

Ok, more later...I need coffee....

Jeremy Webb
The Producer

Pink Dog Productions to video Play in a Day

Pink Dog Productions has signed on to produce the video of the Making of Play in a Day. The mini doc will be shown in Neptune Theatre's Fountain Hall just prior to the play - so the audience can get caught up on the chaos the participants have been through that has produced the top secret play!

For tickets - go to www.legalinfo.org and look for the gignatic Play in a Day logo.

The Court Jesters Thank Sponsors

The Court Jesters have completed their fundrasing! They thank all their donors and their sponsors ......

Install a Flor limited in Dartmouth
and
Subaru

Announcement of Play in a Day Teams

The Court Jesters
Boyne Clarke
NS Crown Attorney's Association
Jones on Queen
LISNS Board

Keep your eye on this site as Team members, crew, videographers from Pink Dog Productions, LISNS staff, volunteers and event Producer, Jeremy Webb blog on their Play in a Day experience from 7PM on Friday, Sept 7 through the performance on Saturday, Sept 8th.

Prizes announced for Play in a Day participants!

For teams that have signed up to be a part of Play in a Day - we have an announcement -

For the Team raising the most amount of money by the start of the 24 hours on Sept. 7th - each team member will win a gift certificate from Topiary (the really cool gardener shop in the Hydrostone Market)

For the Team selling the most tickets to the performance on Saturday night (Sept. 8th) - each team member will receive a gift certificate from Bogside Gallery (the exceptional shop carrying Nova Scotian artistry of all kinds in the Hydrostone Market)

and the excitement builds!

Hi my names Kerry Lawrence and I'm a summer student here at the legal information society, I'm acting as Gwen's Event Assistant and helping her put together Play in a Day. It's so exciting and chaotic here as we put the finishing touches on this amazing event. Tell all of your friends to come and see this show with you. the top secret show hosted by the hilarious Jeremy Webb is going to be a blast and there will be lots to eat and drink as well as a red carpet and Paparazzi to greet you at the door. Check back here soon for more information!

Casting Call

Since we are just six weeks away from showtime and already have half of our spaces filled, it's time we get everyone up to speed and ready for a few busy weeks of fund raising, ticket-selling and brushing up on those acting skills! Play in a Day is a new and innovative event hitting Halifax, Nova Scotia in September 2007. Forty participants will have 24 hours to learn an original script, design sets and produce costumes before stepping out on Neptune's main stage in front of 450 cheering fans. Read on for the official Play in a Day casting call from the participant registration package. Get your team registered today!


No auditions necessary. All you need is enthusiasm, energy, motivation, a sense of humour and a willingness to experience something new. Start organizing a team of your coworkers, friends or family and get registered before space runs out! Here's what you need to know:

• Only the first eight registered teams will be accepted - four spots have already been filled.


• Each team must have a total of five members, at least two of which must be willing to perform on stage. Please indicate actors during registration.


• All team members must be 19 or over and must be available for the duration of the event as outlined in the itinerary (see: registration package)


• The indicated team leader is responsible for distributing information between event organizers and team memers.


• Each team must fundraise $1000 in order to participate and is responsible for the sales of 25 performance tickets.


• Registration includes participant reception (including finger food treats) Friday night, Saturday, continental breakfast, lunch and dinner (on the fly), bottomless pots of coffee and tea, world famous LISNS swag bag, Opening Reception and Closing Wrap Party.

Money Matters...

The money raised by each team will help support the work of the Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia. Don't fret; registered teams will receive a support package with fun, creative ways to raise the money. For corporate teams, logos will be prominently displayed throughout a Play in a Day documentary screened prior to the performance and distributed on DVD, so ask your employers to sponsor you. Otherwise, each team member must simply find twenty $10 donations from friends and family - a piece of cake!

Thanks to your support, LISNS is the only multi-service not-for-profit organization in the province that dedicates itself completely to ensuring that Nova Scotians have access to legal information so they are able to act on their rights and responsibilities and solve legal problems with informed choices.

When was the last time 450 people gave you a standing ovation?

Welcome, welcome!

This is the offical blog of one of the most exciting events to hit Halifax. Play in a Day is a mere month and a half away and while event organizers have been working away, much of the fun is yet to come. Throughout the rest of the summer, we will post major updates about the event right here for your convenience but once the hourglass to final curtain call is flipped, this site will be hopping with activity!

Check in regularly on September 7th and 8th to find short posts from our event participants and theatrical experts to get the first glimpse at what it's like to be a part of Play in a Day! Also, in the days that follow, we'll be posting full recaps, audience and participant feedback, and first details on how to get involved next year.

Post a comment and let us know what you'd like to see here, to let us know if you're one of the lucky forty, or if you plan on coming for the once-in-a-lifetime performance. We're happy to have you along for the ride!

Get your registration form here. The clock's ticking...