Here is the latest discussion regarding
the status of performing under the threat of rain
for this weekend of October 1st 2011.
An Afternoon and Evening with
Gilbert & Sullivan
Gilbert & Sullivan
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NEW LOCATION 3:17 pm Friday 9/30/11
Well, it seems we now have an alternative location for the concert! The Lions Grove Stage. It is located out by Second Street Pike and it will not be in use tomorrow. So if it does rain and make The Meadow Amphitheater unusable, we can use this other stage for our performances, which is covered , has bleacher seating, and less drainage issues. We can still have our picnic there also. So even if it does rain tonight, we will still have the concert. The film is another question. If I can rig the screen in time, then we can also show the film there. That will need to be determined tomorrow morning.
Please pass this word around, as I will be unable to do more than this for the time being. AG
UPDATE: 12:00 Friday 9/30/11
Taken from the latest posting on Facebook;
Here's the deal on the performance in Tamanend Park -
If it rains tonight, the performance is canceled until further notice.
I cannot confirm our use of the community center, the director is not available.
Up until today, all the forecasts were favorable for this weekend. If it remains sunny for most of the day tomorrow then the field will dry up and we will be good to go. If it rains anytime between now and performance time we will be in trouble. What a drag!
To all those performers who are involved in this - I am very sorry that we have to be exposed to such uncertainty. This taxes the joy of doing this and put a great strain on our enjoyment of the process. If we find ourselves faced with cancellation, then I will work at producing this event again at a later date in a venue which does not cause us this grief.
To any theaters/indoor venues looking for a program - we are prepared to make a presentation and would consider doing so under the right conditions. Do inquire with me and I will see what can be done.
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Yes Laurie,
Thank you. I have seen conflicting reports about the weather. More seem to indicate low chance of rain (30%) and nice weather, albeit windy. We have faced this before when the weather suddenly cleared and was very nice, especially when the prediction was in the low percentage numbers. The field in The Meadow Amphitheatre was very wet yesterday, to the point where if we do not have sunny weather, enough for it to dry up, then it would not be good.
There are a lot of people involved in making this happen, and we got rained out once already, which is very frustrating. We have a ton of potato salad.
Our choices seem to be continuing with The Meadow Amphitheatre in the hope that it will work out, switching locations (which I am looking into today, having forgotten about that in the fray of preparations, sorry), postponing another week or possibly two (depending on what everybody wants to do), or canceling the fall presentation altogether.
I personally feel that if the weather fails us, that postponing a week or two would be best, because we have been building expectations for both the performers and the audience. That may give us time to make sure the field is in good repair after all this rain, but it is also disappointing after all this work we have done.
By the way- I was working on the two solos I had planned on doing, with Shawn playing for me and I nailed them both, easily, every-time. So don't worry about that.
I will be seeking to make arrangements for another location this morning. Last time, we arranged for the Community Center, but I do not yet know if that is an option for us. If not, then a postponement might be in order, but I would not do that until the last minute, in the event that- we do not have torrential rains tonight and tomorrow turns out wonderful . If we have torrential rains tonight. Then it will have to be postponed, because the field is just too wet and it will not dry up in one morning of sun.
I will post the results on the web page and on Facebook, along with this letter (if I can as a comment). I suggest that you consider continuing the dialogue there if you are hooked up.
I would appreciate your votes on what you would like to do. If consensus says we move it to a later date, then that is what we will do. We risk loosing our performers that's what happened last time with George and Jim, but we might gain some. The Playbill has been printed, but I have not done an insert, which was to have been the credits, which means I need everyone to confirm their involvement and give me a one or two line statement to go with it. (contact info or something like that) We don't have to have that, but it might be nice, if there is enough time.
I will be going to a sing in Center City tonight (put on by The Philadelphia Opera Company) and working in a composing session with Shawn today, so I will be gone and unavailable from noon until tomorrow morning. My cell number is 215-292-9787. I don't answer numbers I don't recognize or have in my Phonebook, so if that is the case for you you will need to leave a message, in which event I will put you in my Phonebook. If you want me to have your number in my Phonebook, then call me so I can do that. My home number is 215-322-1566 there is a phone machine on that line.
Again, the final determination will be posted on The Shakespearean Journal. I will also try to follow up with an email. Feel free to continue this dialogue without me to get a consensus on what everybody would like to do and by tomorrow we will come up with an answer.
This is the big bummer about working with an Amphitheatre! Uncooperative weather.
I do think that we can make this work to our benefit to develop a good sized audience and an awareness of what we are doing and if for no other reason we may get an audience for pity's sake, what with all these travails.
Thank you all for working hard and hanging in there as we try to do this, when if finally comes together it will be a gas.
Keep on Truckin'
Arthur
