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Dickens Christmas Fair 2008 November Missive #7 - Dress Rehearsal Weekend
(sent November 20th, 2008)

Good afternoon and welcome to dress rehearsal weekend for the Great Dickens Christmas Fair!
Reminder: We are at the Cow Palace this Weekend!

In This Missive:
This Weekend's Schedule
Area 51 & Lost & Found at the Operations Trailer
Hours the Building is Open
Mandatory Morning Meeting Sunday Morning 10:00AM in Fezziwig's
All Character Round Robin
Notes From The Costume Department
Trouble Tying Your Cravat?
Men's Clothing for Sale! (Still!)
Sales Help Wanted
Mssr. Robert-Houdin Seeks Music
Annie's Hoops and Hair Are In!


This Weekend's Schedule
Please see the schedule for this weekend, which has been posted at http://www.cattaylor.com/missives.html (make sure to print in landscape orientation) There have been minor changes in the V&A schedule since the last posting. Peter has also updated the map of the venue (also available on the missive site), especially for the new folks, but also helpful to others as locations of workshops have probably changed from last year.

Saturday we will have limited workshops and lots of rehearsals.

On Sunday, Dress Rehearsal Day there is a Mandatory Morning Meeting at 10:00AM, followed by the All Fair Character Round Robin. Please be in costume, as we are hoping to have press photographers there. The stages will not be running a fair day schedule as it's the shows first time on their stages and they'll need the time to figure out the tech, etc. Some of the groups will be running a fair day schedule however, please check with your director for specifics.  Please remember that “No vehicles are allowed in the venue on SUNDAY until after rehearsal”.


Area 51 Hours & Lost & Found at the Operations Trailer
This weekend, Area 51 (the registration desk) and lost & found will be at the Operations Trailer in the breezeway. 
Hours will be 10:00AM to 5:00PM


Hours the Building is Open
The building will be open from 8:00AM to 8:00PM (at least) on both days.


All Character Round Robin
(from Therese Porter)
Don't try and escape right after the mandatory general meeting Sunday morning at 10:00AM in Fezziwig's.  This year we are going to try to have ALL (and we do mean all) of the characters that make up our glorious London to recognize each other.

We do something similar each year, and in the past it has involved the book characters, but this time we mean to get all you Dickens denizens to know who everyone else is.  After the general meeting on Sunday, all books and shows cluster up with your casts, in large clumps, in a big circle in Fezziwig's. We will go around the circle and each director will lead their cast into the center one at a time. The group will walk around the circle until they return to the place they started. We won't have time to introduce the individual characters, but each of you will get to show off who your character is, with only your costume and mannerisms, in a few short seconds as part of your group.  At the end of character introductions, the entire cast will be broken into small groups to do individual introductions, tea/cocktail party conversation, etc. for 5-10 minutes. On the cue from us, everyone scatters into another group and does it again. (lather, rinse, repeat).  This should be fun and informative, and help us enhance the immersion experience we are creating for our audience.


Notes From The Costume Department
First and Foremost I just want to say that you ALL look fabulous - thank you!
I expect Saturday & Sunday (and most likely Friday as well) to be a bit hectic with last minute oopses and forgotten bits - so please be patient with us and we will be patient with you.

We are also looking for a low wattage/voltage heater that we can use in the shop - if anyone has a spare it would be most appreciated!

Classes
Costume classes will be taught  SAT. ONLY - please meet at the costume department at the Cow Palace.
There are 4 classes on Sat:
Millinery, Cravat Tying , Women's Hair and the Costume Overview with special emphasis on Q & A.

Please see the schedule for Times & Locations
Juliana is more than willing to burn copies of the costume power point so please bring your blank CD by the Adventurer's Club or the costume shop with your name on it and your affiliation and she will get it back to you by opening day.
Please feel free to email me with comments and suggestions for next years classes.

Costume Check Official Times are
Saturday 2:30 - 5:00
Sunday 12:00 - 5:00

Remember this is dress rehearsal, in past years we have had media - please keep that in mind.

It's okay to remember to bring and wear all your costume pieces!

We will be available after the meeting for approvals at the costume shop till 5 pm
Please check the sign outside the shop for hours.
We will reopen on Fri morning at 9 am and will be doing costume checks till noon.
This schedule will be available for all 3 days of opening weekend.
Thank you all for making this a great looking fair!
See you in London!

Liz
<costumes@redbarnproductions.org>


Trouble Tying Your Cravat?
Gentlemen, are you a hopeless disaster when it comes to that ever-important Victorian garment, the cravat?  Do other gentlemen point and laugh at the sad state of your neckwear? Do you not know a four-in-hand from an ascot?

Have no fear. This Saturday I'll be offering a workshop offering various tips and techniques on how to properly adorn your throat. For those who cannot manage to tie a decent knot to save their lives, I'll offer some perfectly acceptable tricks and cheats which will allow you to pass in polite society.

All attendees should bring your own cravat(s) as we'll be working with them.

Rydell Downward


Men's Clothing for Sale! (Still!)
Mr. Alan Jeffries (Jeff Schoenberg) will continue to be selling items from a large lot of studio stock men's clothing. 
A particular film studio was thinning out their 19th century men's clothing section and I got it. Most of the clothes  are for middle and lower class but there are all kinds of things, many of them vintage. The stock is shirts and pants.  There are new items from last weekend in addition to my own line of men's clothing.  Come by and have a look at  Mr. Alan Jeffries Fine Gentlemen's Apparel.  Most of the studio stock will only be out this weekend.


Sales Help Wanted
Mr. Alan Jeffries (Jeff Schoenberg) is looking to hire additional sales clerks.  We are looking for outgoing and courteous, yet hard-working gentlemen for full and/or part time positions.  There is pay, or will negotiate work for apparel.  Please inquire at Mr. Alan
Jeffries Fine Gentlemen's Apparel or contact Jeff Schoenberg (ajscostumes@earthlink.net)


Mssr. Robert-Houdin Seeks Music
Mssr. Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin, the Illusionist, seeks improvisational, ethereal musicians to enhance manipulation routine and the "Ethereal Suspention".  Contact J. Paul Moore on site late sat & all sunday (cell: 310.279.9034) or jpaulmoore@msn.com


Annie's Hoops and Hair Are In!
All hair orders are now in my possession, and anyone needing to pick up at Dress should look for me near Costumes. My hoop lady plans to deliver to me late Friday or early Saturday; in the latter case I may delay heading down until I have those, and thus not be around till early afternoon. Contact me at ImminentIdea@aol.com with any questions. Hoopla! Annie Lore



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