Tech Week Information


Congratulations, we made it! It’s nearly showtime!
Here are some things you need to know!

Theatre Location:  Cheney Hall , 177 Hartford Rd., Manchester CT

DRESS REHEARSAL- December 17th

The Dress Rehearsals are closed rehearsals. Only dancers will be admitted. Parents will NOT be allowed backstage or in the auditorium unless they are an assigned volunteer working backstage. For child safety and for Covid safety t is important that we keep our numbers backstage down. 

3:00     Company Dancers arrive and go directly to the stage area
(Snow/flowers, Spanish, Marzipan, All Soloists, Principals)

3:00-4:00 Company warm-up: 
soloists & principals onstage, other dancers in auditorium on floor.

4:00 All other performers arrive- PLEASE SIGN IN!

4:00-5:00  get into costume

5:00-7:00 Act 1  Saturday and Sunday 

7:00-9:00   Act 2 Saturday and Sunday In the interest of time, we may skip some dances if no one needs to run it.  Young children (polis, sheep cherubs) will run first (out of order) and will be excused once they are finished around 7:30/8.   

We will attempt to stay on schedule however, please be aware that we may have to stop and start for lighting, spacing etc.  So please be patient if we run over time.     We hope to finish earlier than 9:00 if at all possible, so please be prepared to pick up early if your dancer texts you that they are done.

 Please be sure to send your child with a bagged snack and water. Please do not send juices or milk.  

DROP-OFF/PICK-UP: Please enter through the lobby and go down the stairs.  There will be a sign-in table for dancers there.   All Dancers MUST SIGN IN and SIGN OUT whenever they arrive or leave the theater. Simply find your name on the cast list with the Stage Door Manager and initial on the correct date column. This is important so that we know who is in the building and who has left.

Then dancers will go through the doors to the dressing rooms.  When you return to pick them up, please see the stage door manager and give them your child’s name.  They will send someone to get your child and their belongings and bring them to the stage door.  For safety reasons, please make sure they are signed out properly.  Thank you!

CHANGING AREAS
All adult female dancers will be changing in the main dressing room.   

All younger female dancers will be in the “Silk Room” the large meeting hall downstairs. There will be a child supervisor, make-up volunteer, and dressers to help them.  

Male dancers will be in the Green Room.   Males only please- no moms, wives or daughters permitted thank you!  

COSTUMES 

There are dressers available to help you into costume. Dancers will have a specific time to go to get in costume.  Please wait until you are called and then wait in an orderly line until a dresser is ready for you.  If you believe you have an emergency, like you are not dressed and should be onstage before the people currently being dressed, please bring it to someones attention! All dancers need to make sure that they return all costumes and accessories (headpieces, gloves, etc.) to the dresser.   Please do NOT put costumes on the floor or take accessories to your changing area.  This makes it very hard for the next cast to find later and also puts these items at risk of being stepped on and broken.   ALL costumes must be hung up and hairpieces returned to the headpiece table.    Please FIND A DRESSER and wait for their help. 

Some dancers will have a quick change- this means that they do not have time to go to their dressing room and will have to change in the wings. A quick change dresser will be at the side of the stage to help you. They will take your costume and return it to the right dressing area for you.   If you know you have a quick change, please double check that your costume is in the quick change area before the show.   Although, a dresser should be doing this, it helps to have more than one set of eyes double checking!

-No eating or drinking (except water) in costume. 

-And please DO NOT SIT OR LIE ON THE FLOOR in your costume!

-Dancers should be wearing a leotard under their costumes (one that does not show, such as a beige camisole leotard) to make changing easier.


Special Clothing Requirements:
Soldiers: black leggings, black tap shoes
Spanish: black character shoes, pink tights
Party Ladies & Maid: black character shoes (Tan for Mrs. Silberhaus) ornamentation for hair- pearl necklace, ribbon etc.
Party Gents: black dress pants, black dress shoes, white dress shirt, bow tie; suit or tux jacket or waistcoat optional

HAIR
Younger Dancers should arrive with their hair performance ready; older dancers may opt to do their hair at the theater.
Party Children:
Banana Curls with a Bow to match the dress.  If making your own, please make sure curlers are in hair early the night before.  They will not dry in time otherwise.   Leave curlers in until at the theater.  Bring a curling iron for touch ups.  Or bring a curled hair piece.  Bring a hair net to put over the curls to hold them up so they don’t drop.   Looped braids are also an option with bows to match dress.

Party parents
do half bun and lower half banana curls.  Tuck curls up into bun after party scene.  Or any other suitable 19th Century hairstyle is fine:)  Please add decoration to hair such as jewelry, pearls, ribbons, feathers, etc. to match your dress.

All other dancers: high FLAT bun with a hair net and sprayed so there are no wispies. No bangs;  Lots of bobby pins!    Mice/Cherubs should have a VERY high bun on the very top of their head.  Please do not use bun donuts.

MAKE-UP
Dancers should plan to arrive with some or all of their make-up already done. At the theater we also have some available. Any make-up used by make-up volunteers on dancers at the theater will not have shared applicators for sanitary reasons. Everyone should bring their own eyeliner. We also recommend that dancers don’t share make-up. 

Please REMOVE any nail polish (except clear or French) and no jewelry except small stud earrings!   Please cover all visible tattoos.

Glasses:
Dancers who wear glasses should expect to leave their glasses in the wings or with their belongings while they are onstage if possible. 

Children’s roles  They will need a beige foundation in a slightly darker shade than you would choose for normal wear with powder and blush. Blush should be applied just on the apples of the cheeks.  A little brown eyeliner at the corners of the eyes.

Men:  Men should put a little beige foundation and powder on their face so that the lights do not wash your face out.  A little brown eyeliner at the corners of your eyes/brown eyeshadow if needed.

Older dancers will need a beige foundation in a slightly darker shade than you would choose for normal wear with powder and blush along the cheekbone. Dancers should bring eyelashes and eyelash glue as well as liquid black liner or black eye pencil, white pencil, eyeshadow (brown for most roles- Arabian can use navy or brown), and mascara. 

Kissing Doll and Mother Ginger– extra long eyelashes

Dolls and soldiers wear red felt sticky circles on cheeks (provided).  

Don’t forget to bring a mirror and make-up remover! 

SOME NOTES ABOUT THE THEATER

COVID INFORMATION

We are thrilled that we are able to be onstage once again this year.  However to make this possible, we do need to follow state-mandated guidelines that the theater has in place.   We are sorry for any inconvenience but do want to make sure everyone is as safe as possible.  The theater is requiring the following:

PERFORMERS:     Dancers over the age of 12 should be vaccinated if possible.  Most of you already confirmed with me in September.  If you have not yet done so, please email me and confirm.  If you are over 12 and not vaccinated, please take a covid test and let me know if you tested negative. Also masks will be required downstairs in the changing areas, but not upstairs in the stage area. Please leave them with your belongings before coming up to the stage, as we have no place to keep them for you.

PATRONS:   Guests over the age of 12 need to show a vaccination card at the door to enter the theater.  If you are not vaccinated you may show proof of a negative covid test.   Children under 12 do not need a test or vaccine.

PLEASE BE AWARE I recently learned many places are no longer doing the rapid test unless you are symptomatic (apparently saying you have a headache and a cough or something may get around this).   And the PCR test is taking a little longer to get results back (as much as 6 days).   Although the website on the theater page says take the test within 72 hours of the show, you can take it as early as this weekend to be sure you have results back in time.   I checked with the theater that this would be acceptable.    

BACKSTAGE

Please remember that dancers downstairs in the changing rooms can be heard in the audience if they are too loud!!  Children should bring QUIET activities to do while waiting- cards, coloring (crayons -no markers), etc. Except for bathroom trips, children should stay in their dressing area- seated (NOT running around shrieking!) or be waiting in the wings if they are going onstage shortly. Wait quietly backstage- remember you don’t want the audience to hear you and you also need to be able to hear instructions; keep your personal belongings together in one place so that people won’t trip over other people’s things and so that you don’t lose any of your stuff.  Once the show starts, all talking should be done QUIETLY- even downstairs!


PROPS 

PROP is short for property and it means it is the property of the show or theater. These are NOT toys and should not be touched or played with. This is REALLY REALLY important! Because if someone takes something and is playing with it and then puts it down someplace, or accidentally breaks it, it won’t be available for the show! Please do not touch things that are on the prop table. The only people who should be touching these things are the dancers who are taking them out on stage and only when they are ready to go out. Props MUST BE RETURNED TO THE PROP TABLE as soon as the dancer comes off stage. DO NOT LEAVE THE STAGE AREA WITH ANY PROP AT ANY TIME!   If something breaks, please let someone know so it can be repaired!  Keep an eye out for missing doll socks and shoes and put them on the prop table if you find any!

If someone drops something onstage, please do your dance as normal and pretend nothing is wrong until someone can manage to get it offstage without making it obvious.    That said, please try to get it off stage!

THEATER SAFETY 

The stage area can be dangerous. The backdrops are hung on heavy metal poles. When these poles are lowered they can injure someone who is beneath it. Always pay attention when in the stage area and keep your eyes and ears open. If a stage hand tells you to move, MOVE IMMEDIATELY! 

Before each act, do NOT go out on the stage until the crew tells you that the stage is “clear”- this means that the stage hands are finished setting up and you can safely go out on the stage. Only those dancers who are in the upcoming scene should be on stage.  Some dancers- especially soloists may need the stage to practice, please be considerate and keep out of their way!    All other dancers should be in their dressing areas or in the wings if their scene is soon. When you are in the wings, stand far back so that dancers who might have to enter/exit the stage are not blocked and so that the audience doesn’t see you-if you can see the audience, they can see you! 

AUDIENCE:There is no photography or videotaping allowed during the show. It is distracting to other audience members and can be hazardous to the dancers. A professional photographer/videographer will be recording, so sit back and enjoy the show!  Don’t forget to stop by the videographers table and order your video or go online!  

Also, please stop by our Nutcracker fundraiser table for stocking stuffers, sweets, and souvenirs:)  Dancers this is a good place to get snacks also:)

Please turn off all cell phones before the show starts. If you are bringing young children, read them the synopsis in the program before the show, and take them to the bathroom before the show starts and during intermission.   I also recommend bringing a booster seat or cushion for small children so that they can see:)

Remember to bring your tickets! 

What about door tickets? Tickets will be available at the door in case of last minute decisions, however it is strongly preferred for you to order them ahead.  If you have older family members who don’t like online sales, they can call the box office and purchase tickets by phone (860) 647-9824

SUNDAY STRIKE: 

ALL CAST members are expected to stay after the show for half an hour to help to clean up  and pack.   If everyone does just a little, we get a lot done quickly!


Dancers should make sure all their costumes are returned to the dresser.  If a dancer sees something lying around- even if it wasn’t theirs- they should return it to the right place. In addition the dancer should clean up their own area of food, make-up, hair pins, etc. and make sure they have all their stuff (I found lots of stuff left over last year- leggings, socks, earrings, hair scrunchies, yoga pants).

Dressers please count all costumes and accessories and only when you are sure everything is accounted for, pack into the box it goes in.  

Props-Please make sure all props have been returned to the prop table. If you are staying to help pack, please count up props and pack into boxes once we are sure we have everything.   

-For costumes and Props, if anything is broken and needs repair please make a note and let me know- preferably by email, text, or on paper because I guarantee I will forget otherwise;)  

LOAD THE TRUCK-We also need some help to load the truck with marley rolls, drops, props and costume boxes!   

Thanks for all your help!

Let’s have a great show!!