My new pit gig for the summer of 2008

[Merlin]

I'm playing Cabaret at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival (http://www.stratford-festival.on.ca/) in Stratford, ON, Canada this summer.

I'll be playing clarinet/bass clarinet/tenor sax/bass sax. The show is using three WW players, and the book is being rewritten to be closer to a Berlin cabaret orchestra of the 20's/30's.

Updates will follow.

[Carl H.]

Sounds like fun. Be careful, an original period orchestration may include string parts in the "reed" book.

[Merlin]

Sounds like fun. Be careful, an original period orchestration may include string parts in the "reed" book.

Not really a concern here. My contract specifies what instruments I'm booked on. I know that there's a violinist booked for the show too.

Stratford is the pinnacle of summer rep theatre in Canada. I'm hoping this season leads to a few more. It's nice to be getting a living wage for a season of theatre music.

[Gandalfe]

It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on the director and other players. Do you have to do any arranging of parts yourself? Is the pit hard to get to? What solos will you have?

[Merlin]

It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on the director and other players. Do you have to do any arranging of parts yourself? Is the pit hard to get to? What solos will you have?


I don't have to do anything except perform.

Stratford is a well funded professional theatre company, with a long history. This is the first show with the new music director, though I've played under him before when I subbed on the Toronto production of The Producers.

[Merlin]

So we crunched numbers here at Chez Williams, and decided that it makes financial and personal sense to move to Stratford for the year.

Details to follow...

[Gandalfe]

So we crunched numbers here at Chez Williams, and decided that it makes financial and personal sense to move to Stratford for the year. Details to follow...Is there a chance this might be a permanent thang? :shock:

[Merlin]

We just signed a lease for one year on the house we're moving into.

If I get hired for a second season, we'll buy there. Prices are less than a third of what they are in Toronto.

[pete]

I've driven through the area and it's pretty. A little cold in the winter. I don't recall if you get lake effect snow ....

[Merlin]

I've driven through the area and it's pretty. A little cold in the winter. I don't recall if you get lake effect snow ....

Stratford's a little inland to be getting much lake effect, but it is in an area that's considered to be the snow belt in Ontario.

Nice thing is that I'll only have to work from April to October!

[pete]

Remember: summer is August 1st and that's it :).

I'd recommend that if you don't already have an AWD car that you get one.

FWIW, I used to live in and around Buffalo, NY. I worked for a company in Niagara Falls (USA), but it was headquartered in Etobicoke, CAN. My late grandmother was from Newfoundland (yes, I've heard all the jokes).

[Ed Svoboda]

Merlin,

I have a lot of respect for those of you north of the border. I'm in Chicago and am thinking thoughts about warm climates all winter long. So far the place that I've liked best in the states besides where I live has been Malibu California. Big Bear California was nice as well. I haven't been there when the ground moved or the Santa Ana winds came in. Best of luck with the new place.

[Merlin]

Remember: summer is August 1st and that's it :).

I'd recommend that if you don't already have an AWD car that you get one.

FWIW, I used to live in and around Buffalo, NY. I worked for a company in Niagara Falls (USA), but it was headquartered in Etobicoke, CAN. My late grandmother was from Newfoundland (yes, I've heard all the jokes).

I've been driving in deep snow with all manner of vehicles for years. I've never had AWD, and gotten along just fine.

[Merlin]

Merlin,

I have a lot of respect for those of you north of the border. I'm in Chicago and am thinking thoughts about warm climates all winter long. So far the place that I've liked best in the states besides where I live has been Malibu California. Big Bear California was nice as well. I haven't been there when the ground moved or the Santa Ana winds came in. Best of luck with the new place.

I've found one or two places in the excited states where I could live. Vermont is very nice. It felt a lot like here.

[Gandalfe]

I've found one or two places in the excited states where I could live. Vermont is very nice. It felt a lot like here.Come visit Seattle. As an ex-Minnesota survivor and world traveler, this place is paradise. And the jazz scene is sublime.

[Merlin]

Went there once for about a half hour in 1975.

I think I owe it a try.

[pete]

Merlin,

I have a lot of respect for those of you north of the border. I'm in Chicago and am thinking thoughts about warm climates all winter long. So far the place that I've liked best in the states besides where I live has been Malibu California. Big Bear California was nice as well. I haven't been there when the ground moved or the Santa Ana winds came in. Best of luck with the new place.

I've found one or two places in the excited states where I could live. Vermont is very nice. It felt a lot like here.
Colder, actually. I lived in Plattsburgh, NY and that's across the lake (Champlain) from Burlington, VT.

Absolutely beautiful in the fall.

Oh. Ed, have you experienced the earthquakes in CA? That's one thing they don't tell you about in Malibu and they can be ... unsettling ... for visitors (FWIW, I lived in NoCal, but I spent a summer in SoCal -- mostly Hermosa Beach, but Malibu's all of 30 miles from there).

A really fun place in CA is Pacific Grove. It's on the migratory route for the Monarch butterfly. Recommended experience, especially if you have daughters.

[Helen]

Congrats Merlin :!: I'm happy for you. A nice stable, relatively long-term, actual musical gig must feel pretty good. Are you going to borrow a bass still, or are you going to buy one again?

Speaking of bass saxes, Paul Coats, who I bought my bass from, sent me a funny email a couple of days ago about being Canadian. It seems to fit quite well into this thread so I thought I'd share. My apologies to anyone who's already seen it:


You May Be From Canada If


You're not offended by the term, "Homo Milk."

You understand the phrase, "Could you pass me a serviette, I just dropped my poutine, on the chesterfield."

You eat chocolate bars, not candy bars.

You drink pop, not soda.

You know what a Mickey and 2-4 mean.

You don't care about the fuss with Cuba. It's a cheap place to go for your holidays, with good cigars.

You know that a pike is a type of fish, not part of a highway.

You drive on a highway, not a freeway.

You have Canadian Tire money in your kitchen drawers.

You know that Casey and Finnegan were not part of a Celtic musical group.

You get excited whenever an American television show mentions Canada.

You brag to Americans that: Shania Twain, Jim Carrey, Celine Dion and many more are Canadians.

You know that the C.E.O. of American Airlines is a Canadian!

You know what a touque is.

You design your Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.

You know that the last letter of the English alphabet is always pronounced "Zed" not "Zee".

Your local newspaper covers the national news on two pages, but requires six pages for hockey.

You know that the four seasons mean: almost winter, winter, still winter, and roadwork.

You know that when it's 25 degrees outside, it's a warm day.

You understand the Labatt Blue commercials.

You know how to pronounce and spell "Saskatchewan." (Sas-Kat-chew-wan)

You perk up when you hear the theme song from "Hockey Night in Canada."

You were in grade 12, not the 12th grade.

"Eh?" is a very important part of your vocabulary and more polite than, "Huh?"

You actually understand these jokes and forward them to all of your Canadian friends! Then you send them to your American friends just to confuse them...further.

[Gandalfe]

"Eh?" 8-)

[Merlin]

"Quoi?"

[SOTSDO]

I think that the prevalent feeling in the Great White North is that only those who speak English are allowed to consider themselves as Canadians, at least as far as feelings towards the US are concerned. They tend to ignore all of that mass of Province Quebec and the Maritimes.

We spent many a happy week up in Quebec City, while the boy attended and then worked at a hockey camp at Laval University, and it's a whole different world over there. Little flaws like no refills on fountain drinks were more than made up for by such things as the McHommard (a lobster salad sandwich at the Golden Arches) and old world charm. As long as you keep a a sharp eye on how they give you change for American money, they're all right.

[pete]

I still don't understand the pizza shops that serve donuts. And dill on the pizza. THAT'S nasty.

On topic, Merlin, are you planning on doing the same gig next summer? If so, I may be able to schedule coming out there (well, Buffalo, but I might make the drive). Gotta get my passport, tho.

[Merlin]

I'm certainly hoping to do the same gig next summer.

[Gandalfe]

Do I sniff a WF staff get together in the making. I have some of Merlin's recordings, so Suzy and I'd go in a heartbeat. :mrgreen:

I want hear him on the soprillo too. I still can't get above the C3. But then who'd want to subject anyone to that kind of noise. :shock:

[Helen]

I want hear him on the soprillo too. I still can't get above the C3. But then who'd want to subject anyone to that kind of noise. :shock:

Perhaps you are hitting the notes Jim, it's just that the human ear can't ear that high. :lol: Have you by chance noticed an increase in the feral dog population around your house? ;)

[Gandalfe]

Perhaps you are hitting the notes Jim, it's just that the human ear can't ear that high. :lol: Have you by chance noticed an increase in the feral dog population around your house? ;)No, but my ol' dawg Shelby will get up and leave the room when I start playing the soprillo. ;)

How's the back coming Helen? We almost lost our Bass player permanently when he injured his back at the gym. They gave him steriods and somehow he got an infection. Spend some days in intensive care. We sooo miss him, he's a great guy with a good sense of humor and serious chops.

[Merlin]

Do I sniff a WF staff get together in the making. I have some of Merlin's recordings, so Suzy and I'd go in a heartbeat. :mrgreen:

I want hear him on the soprillo too. I still can't get above the C3. But then who'd want to subject anyone to that kind of noise. :shock:


Hmmm...I tried Steve Carmichael's soprillo at the Navy Symposium a few years ago, and I think I managed to pop a D3 out.

[Gandalfe]

Hmmm...I tried Steve Carmichael's soprillo at the Navy Symposium a few years ago, and I think I managed to pop a D3 out.And that was your first time playing it? It took me months to get the B3 to pop! :roll:

[pete]

How's the back coming Helen? We almost lost our Bass player permanently when he injured his back at the gym. They gave him steriods and somehow he got an infection.
The kind of steroids you're supposed to take when you're injured, rather than the ones to make you like watching the Giants, suppress immune function. Infection is a real problem.

There are also lots of other rather not fun side effects.

[Ed Svoboda]

Pete,

I haven't experienced an earthquake in California but did have a small one roll through central Illinois in the mid 1980's. I think it was maybe a 4.0. I remember seeing my wall move in my bedroom at home and thinking "we just had an earthquake".

Interestingly enough I just saw a show on cable the other night that talked about the most dangerous places to live and they said Tornado alley was number one. Thankfully I don't like in Kansas but Illinois is officially part of "tornado alley" and we have a surprisingly large number of tornadoes that hit the Chicago area every spring and summer. In fact, the only time I've ever actually been hit by a tornado was in northern Illinois. As I may have mentioned I grew up in central Illinois and saw the sky turn colors that I didn't think were possible and never actually saw a tornado in 20 or so years that I lived in that part of the state.

[pete]

I was borned in IL. I remember tornado warnings there.

I also lived in Ft. Worth, TX for 6 years.

Amusingly, the only place where I've SEEN tornadoes is in Buffalo, NY -- and they were the only TWO in Buffalo over the past 100+ years.

[Gandalfe]

Having lived in Iowa most of my childhood, I saw many tornados, some up close and personal! But I was never harmed by any of them. When I see them on TV now, we don't see them much in Washington state, I still feel that awe that comes from feeling totally insignificant and powerless.

[Ed Svoboda]

I forgot to mention that I thought I was going to see one last fall. We had some terrible weather roll through and I had to leave the office to get my son from school and then bring him back up to my office so I could complete some patching. On the way back to the office I saw some very interesting updrafts unlike anything I have ever seen. My son innocently asks "daddy are we going to see a tornado?". My reply was "I hope not". A couple of towns right around our office were hit by a series of small ones.

[Merlin]

I just got word from the MD that the book is 50% bass clarinet, 20% tenor, 15% clarinet, 15% bass sax.

First rehearsal is a week from today, and I might even get the music before that.

[Gandalfe]

I just got word from the MD that the book is 50% bass clarinet, 20% tenor, 15% clarinet, 15% bass sax.Ooh, I like the way you describe the book. I just posted a topic about Bret Pimentel's Woodwind Doubler for Broadway Musicals (http://www.woodwindforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1295) and notice that they don't include the percentages. Does any reference site do that for a player?

[Merlin]

I just got word from the MD that the book is 50% bass clarinet, 20% tenor, 15% clarinet, 15% bass sax.Ooh, I like the way you describe the book. I just posted a topic about Bret Pimentel's Woodwind Doubler for Broadway Musicals (http://www.woodwindforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1295) and notice that they don't include the percentages. Does any reference site do that for a player?

Not that I know of.

It'd be handy - but it's difficult to codify.

Sometimes you're just better off knowing about the traps along the way.

[Merlin]

Got some partial scores yesterday.

Within the first two pages, I have to play all four horns, and do a screaming clarinet solo up to G4.

[Merlin]

So far the book is blessed with really good amounts of rest for horn changes. There are a number of pieces that use all four horns, but nothing that has me juggling horns to make changes.

Lots of bass clarinet, which is fine by me.

[Merlin]

Just got a nice surprise tonite.

One of the patrons at Thursday's preview took a shot from the front row during the exit music. He got my name from the program, and found my website, then e-mailed it to me.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2289/2503282815_3b6e0117e4_o.jpg

[Ed Svoboda]

You weren't kidding about it being a tight fit with all of your horns.

Great shot.

[Merlin]

You weren't kidding about it being a tight fit with all of your horns.

Great shot.

It's not as tight as it looks, actually. There's a chair beside the bass sax that's unoccupied during the show. It's in use in the other musical that we share the theatre with.

[SOTSDO]

Pretty typical of most below-grade pit setups that I've used. Part of the problem is that all players get the same clearances, even though they may only be using a violin or trumpet. They eat the space that we with the six horns need, and they are not gracious about giving any of it up.

[Ed Svoboda]

Come on you would love to have the space to spread out your feet too!

I can only imagine what you guys in the pit go through. The most horns I've had in front of me at any time has been three (alto, tenor, soprano) although playing bari and tenor in concert a couple of months ago took up more space. I only need the bari for one tune and there wasn't any complex switching. I literally played the whole tune on bari.

No one has been dumb enough to ask me to try and double on clarinet along with my saxes.

[Carl H.]

Pretty typical of most below-grade pit setups that I've used. Part of the problem is that all players get the same clearances, even though they may only be using a violin or trumpet. They eat the space that we with the six horns need, and they are not gracious about giving any of it up.

Hold on there, Violins have this thing called a bow, and it costs as much as any 2 clarinets. This thing is very fragile and to use it requires moving it about in this cramped space. To the best of my knowledge putting an instrument on and removing it from a stand requires floor space to facilitate the rapid changes called for as well as air space for those times an instrument is placed crosswise on the lap while playing a different instrument. Does this require space? Yes. Is the violins need for space any less valid? No.

All players do not get the same space. Could you imagine playing drums in the space used by you in your last pit gig? I don't do brass so I have no first hand knowledge as a player of the spatial necessities for optimal performance (a room back stage maybe?) but I was a music ed major for a period in college and learned to play all the horns, and in previous lives have been a symphony orchestra stage manager, an opera company orchestra manager, as well as a manager for various pit gigs in several states. I have spent many hours setting up cramped quarters for performances in which too many players were jammed into too small a space. Other than objects falling off the stage into the pit, no instrument has ever been damaged due to my setups and most instrument changes were readily accomplished. As a player, I play violin professionally as my main gig, when not teaching it. I am also fairly proficient as a reed player and percussionist and have performed numerous gigs on those instruments as well in pit and other venues.

All this said, the LAST people you want to begrudge space to is the string players. Generally they have the most notes to play as well as the most expensive/fragile instruments in the pit which project the least so they require greater numbers just to keep the sound balanced.

(FWIW I have played clarinet with a tenor sax on my lap and a bass clarinet leaned against my thigh in pits before, I HAVE been there.)

[Gandalfe]

This pit looks luxurious compared to the ones I've played in. But it looks normal for pro spots like Seattle's Fifth Avenue theater.

I thought four horns was a lot!

[Merlin]

This pit looks luxurious compared to the ones I've played in. But it looks normal for pro spots like Seattle's Fifth Avenue theater.

I thought four horns was a lot!

A few friends of mine are playing Follies in Concert at the Shaw Festival later this summer.

Here's the WW book list from Bret's site:

Follies

1: Piccolo, flute, alto flute [optional], E-flat clarinet [optional], clarinet, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone
2: Piccolo [optional], flute [optional], clarinet, alto saxophone
3: Flute [optional], clarinet, bass clarinet, tenor saxophone
4: Oboe [optional], English horn [optional], clarinet
5: Flute [optional], clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon [optional], baritone saxophone

7 horns for the lead player!

[Merlin]

Did the official opening last nite.

Nicest thing about that is that there (probably) won't be any more changes in the book.

[Gandalfe]

A few friends of mine are playing Follies in Concert at the Shaw Festival later this summer.

Here's the WW book list from Bret's site:

Follies

1: Piccolo, flute, alto flute [optional], E-flat clarinet [optional], clarinet, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone
2: Piccolo [optional], flute [optional], clarinet, alto saxophone
3: Flute [optional], clarinet, bass clarinet, tenor saxophone
4: Oboe [optional], English horn [optional], clarinet
5: Flute [optional], clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon [optional], baritone saxophone

7 horns for the lead player!Gotta luv the optional flute. :o)

[Merlin]

Gotta luv the optional flute. :o)

The only options my flute has are the engraved lip plate and pad cups.

[Merlin]

Had an interesting matinee today.

One of the pyro effects started a fire on part of the set - a clock that hangs over centre stage. The show got stopped for about 15 minutes while the tech crew lowered the clock, extinguished it, and cleaned up the stage.

The audience were generally amused by it.

[Ed Svoboda]

At least in Canada you can probably yell "fire" in a theater. :lol:

[Merlin]

At least in Canada you can probably yell "fire" in a theater. :lol:

We're Canadian. We don't yell "fire" unless someone tells us it's OK to do it.

[WoodwindDoubler]

We're Canadian. We don't yell "fire" unless someone tells us it's OK to do it.

Ha ha.

[Gandalfe]

Scary stuff, the fire. I'm not sure I understand the Canadian joke. Really, Canadians are really that meek? :???:

I guess it could be worse; you could be considered rude and uncultured like we Americans seem to be.

[Merlin]

Scary stuff, the fire. I'm not sure I understand the Canadian joke. Really, Canadians are really that meek? :???:

I guess it could be worse; you could be considered rude and uncultured like we Americans seem to be.

It's more like a riff on what Americans perceive Canadians to be.

One time, at a saxophone workshop in the southern US, I asked a friend of mine to "do something Canadian" to illustrate a point.

He said, "I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry."

The gathered throng erupted in laughter.

[Merlin]

So yesterday, just as I take the bass sax off the stand, the horns holding the bell come away from the stand with the instrument.

I've been using one of those tubular folding bari stands modded for the bass. You know, by bending the thing to fit.

One of the tech guys backstage took the parts last nite and sent them to the festival's shop. The thing arrived back a half hour before today's show, beautifully brazed back together and repainted!

[Gandalfe]

Now that's service! Hope you are in position to buy the fellow a cup o' joe or some such. 8-)

[Ed Svoboda]

That's great service!

[pete]

It's more like a riff on what Americans perceive Canadians to be.

One time, at a saxophone workshop in the southern US, I asked a friend of mine to "do something Canadian" to illustrate a point.

He said, "I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry."

The gathered throng erupted in laughter.
If you see the book, America: The Book by Jon Stewart, there are a variety of sections by the The Daily Show's Canadian correspondent. They're entitled something like, "Pardon me: a Canadian viewpoint".