NYC 2014 Day #2

After a great morning sleeping in, we helped the kiddos (and adult-os) get into a matinee show of their choice.  This was the morning that we learned if students had forgotten their high school ID card that they could pull up their school picture on their smartphone as proof of being a student.  We had students get into:  The Book of Mormon, Of Mice and Men (with James Franco and Chris O'Dowd-- the crowd at the stage door of that show was as crazy as when Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper and Paul Rudd were all in a play together on one of our trips...), Cabaret, All the Way (with Bryan Cranston), Newsies- and some brave souls went off to explore Battleship Intrepid.  Since the Coxes and Kelly Riding already had their tickets (to see Idina Menzel in If/Then) and Jackie and I had our tickets (for Kinky Boots), we were off to explore EATALY down by the Flatiron building.

First off, EATALY is basically like an Ikea for all things Italian.  We walked in the door and were greeted by the Nutella Cafe (Nutella floor to ceiling).  We wandered around lost in the homemade pasta bar, the seafood bar, the focaccia counter, the panini counter, the gelato bar, it just went on and on...
Brent and Amanda helped themselves to a meat and cheeses of Italy platter while Jackie and Kelly got focaccia.  I got a delicious panini and a strange Italian canned soda.  It was delicious and a place we will visit again (and the salted caramel gelato was amazing).
It was off to Kinky Boots with Kelly DeHaan (who had a delicious lunch of Pakistani food that everyone in our hotel got to experience over and over again...).  Kinky Boots was a lot of fun-- and Billy Porter was really amazing (we're glad we got to see him)-- but since it won Best Musical last year, with all the hype, we found it... ok... nothing spectacular, but ok... I'm glad we saw it though.
After Kinky I picked up some scripts for school at the Drama Bookstore and then back to the hotel to distribute tickets for: A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder.
After Kinky Boots, I was worried that this Best Musical winner would also be overhyped--- but it was not.  This show was amazing.  The 4 leads were spot on, having a fantastic time with each other and the audience.  This show was hilarious (from Jefferson Mayes and the spit flying from his lips in the Act 2 dinner scene to Monty Navarro's pitch perfect facial expressions and the two female soprano's beautiful voices), this was an amazing show from start to finish.  Everyone had a great time-- such a great time that I blocked out what we did after the show (I know it involved eating and making fun of Kelly DeHaan and his Pakistani lunch).  If you are in NYC, see this show.  It's wonderful.

NYC 2014 Day #1

This post really has to be about a day and a half-- because our NYC Trip began with Jackie and I at the SLC airport checking in on 78 excited people loading up for the Big Apple.  There were no issues with missing id's, being held at security (this was different on the way home), and with the exception of our plane taking off a little late, it was pretty uneventful (thanks to the combination of Mr. Melatonin and Ms. Zyquil to knock you out on a red eye...)
So, 78 of us arrived at JFK bright eyed and bushy tailed at 5:30am.  Our travel agent was there to meet us and we loaded up between 2 tour busses and headed into the city.
We arrived at the Hampton Inn Times Square North around 8am, ate breakfast, met up with our other group members (2 were from Finland) and we split up into 4 groups to hit the city (the Hampton Inn did not want us camped out in their lobby for 6 hours until our rooms were ready).  Kelly DeHaan and I took Group #1 off to the Times Square Visitors Center where we went on a guided audio tour of the theatre district called WALKIN BROADWAY.  It hadn't gotten crazy hot yet and it was a good way to introduce students to the theatre district.  We showed them TKTS and walked by OF MICE AND MEN where people were already lining up for Rush Tickets. 
Now, while we were doing this tour, Jackie and Kelly Riding took a group out to the Brooklyn Bridge-- where people started dropping like flies.  Brent and Amanda Cox also took a group out there-- and, even though chaos ensued, everyone made it to Grand Central Station (although Jackie's group didn't eat until after their WALKIN BROADWAY tour-- which made their tour not so fun...).
After my group toured, we hit the Brooklyn Bridge (where it was very hot) and I assigned different students to be navigators- and took everyone for their first subway ride.  Our group has unlimited subway passes so we want them comfortable with the system.
After the bridge, it was time for lunch-- we hit the Grand Central Station food court and then we walked along 42nd St. to see the NYC Public Library.  At this point, it was hot.  Really hot.  And humid.  And we had gotten off a red eye-- so some participants were delirious/hallucinating (I, for instance, thought for a second that 4 people were running up and down the stairs of the Public Library and doing pushups-- in 90 degree heat with high humidity-- and it turns out I was correct). 
After the library, it was on the subway back up tot he hotel-- where, miracle of miracles- a lot of our rooms were ready.
As Jackie's group and the Coxes group came tumbling in, we were able to right up to the rooms-- except for me and a few stalwarts who were off to TKTS to get matinee tickets for the next day (Kinky Boots was the purchase for me, Jackie and Kelly DeHaan).
After that, it was back to the hotel for a quick shower, and then off to take the group for their first Broadway show: Matilda.
Even though Jackie and I saw it last year, I love this show!  Although the understudy was on for Miss honey, Christopher Siebert was a fantastic Trunchbull and the kids in the show are so amazing-- the technical aspects are fantastic- and everyone loved the show.
After Matilda, it was off to Eatery (another NYC tradition) where we had hilarious conversations about  Transformers and Kelly DeHaan sang songs from Puberty the musical (followed by a donut ice cream sandwich).
Room checks were done at midnight and I tucked myself into bed--when Jackie, Kelly Riding and Kelly DeHaan all had a second wind around 1am and began singing... good times!!
Day 1 down-- and no chafing.

Farewell Class of 2014

Tomorrow ends my 14th year of teaching- all at Riverton High.  It doesn't feel like it's over until our trip of 90(!) all arrive back home from NYC on June 23rd... but here's a look back a highlights from this school year:

• Our awesome Shakespeare Dance Ensemble (choreographed by RHS talented alumni, Fiona Nelson), Shakespeare Acting Ensemble, Dance Duo (choreographed by Kori Wakamatsu), and 3 1st places in the Tech Olympics (Yay Mitch, Spencer and Jeremiah).  Also, a highlight of the entire year for many, many students: Peter and the Starcatchers at Utah Shakespeare.  It was like a rock concert.  
• It wasn't school related... but seeing Audra McDonald live and in concert for my birthday at BYU... front row...
• All of the PTC shows we saw this year: Something's Afoot, Other Desert Cities, Elf, A Few Good Men, Much Ado about Nothing (the unicorn headpiece!), Deathtrap, and Sweet Charity.  A great mix of shows and saved many a students patootie by giving them a show to critique.
• Our awesome Improv Team and their show for 200 people-- emceed by the always talented Eric Jensen.
• The fantastic cast, crew (Daniel Whiting!! Mary and Melanie-- Doug Carter for the posters and photos!), orchestra, faculty (Camille Hicks and her mad sewing skills!) and staff that helped with our production of Hello Dolly.  Thank you Michael Milkanin for giving me the idea of putting our Uncle Sam's on huge stilts.  Thank you bubble machines for popping all over the seats in the auditorium and making them super sticky.
• Thank you guest choreographers for MDT: Melanie Cartwright, Jim Christian, Michael Milkanin, Fiona Nelson, Brock Dalgleish, Kori Wakamatsu, and Elizabeth Hansen for all of your awesome work.  My students have no idea how lucky they are to work with all of you.
• A HUGE thank you to Kelly DeHaan.  He's played for all 10 of my MDT revues.  He even performed his solo without any fun, last minute transpositions-- again, so happy to have my students work with you.  See you in NYC...
• Seeing fun Broadway tours at the Capitol and Kingsbury like: Bring it On, Blue Man Group, Warhorse and the upcoming Wicked.  
• Going to UTA and seeing great shows at Weber like Bonneville's Oklahoma and The Plain Princess (with RHS Alumni Bailee DeYoung!) at Weber State.  (Plus, my tech student Spencer Bauman getting a $500 check for his tech display).
• Our beautiful set and technical design for The Diary of Anne Frank.  Awesome work everyone.
• Our 10 year MDT Anniversary Revue.  So many great songs (Gershwin Trio, Daryll is a Boy, Kelly's One Last Prayer with Kori's dancers, Like Breathing and Seasons of Love with 10 years of alumni).
• Getting to direct one of my favorite plays of all time for a 2nd time-- Wanda's Visit with a superb cast (2nd region, 2nd in state with 2 acting awards!!)-- Hosting State Plays and being Region Rep for the best Region (no joke) in the state.  Watching Jim Smith drop food in his library at Lone Peak (where we weren't supposed to have food...)  Jim, Neal, Erin, Mindy, Stewart, Amy, Kaycee-- I love all of you. 
• Getting to direct one of my favorite musicals, My Favorite Year with MDT- such a great show- such a great cast.  Such a tired piano player.
• Finally, I guess this is the year of awards: One of Stage Directions magazines Top 5 Theatre programs in the United States, my Theatre Teacher of the Year (State) which then turned in to Theatre Teacher (National), National Thespian Society Top School of 2014, and UACTT Teacher of the Year.
• Finally-- Jackie being the perpetual chaperone and Millie and Ellis learning about Anne Frank at ages 6 and 8.  Thank you for running concessions, tickets, chaperoning (90 people in NYC Jackie!  90 people getting on and off the subway at the same time!  Is your heart racing yet?)  Here's to 2014-2015!

Upcoming Fun

It's been awhile- but this post is to make you all super jealous that you are not going on our NYC trip this June.  If you are going on the trip, it should make you excited.  If your name is Jackie Eaton, do not read this post because you will get ulcers and you shouldn't be reading blogs.  You should be doing your 15th rewrite so you can sail through your PhD defense in 3 weeks so we don't have to pay tuition in Summer and so you can rest and relax in NYC.  (Not that rest and relaxation ever happens...)

Day #0
Meet at the airport in SLC at 9:00pm for our Jetblue red-eye flight.  Oh-- did I mention the fact that we have 91 people going on this trip? 13 are from West Jordan, 2 are from The Netherlands but once we all get together in NYC, we are in charge of 91 people.  Good thing we have awesome chaperones (shout outs to Kelly Riding, Kelly DeHaan, Miriam Rasmussen, Brent and Amanda Cox and Erin McGuire).

Day #1
Arrive at the magical hour of 5:24am in NYC.  Nothing beats wandering around the JFK terminal like zombies.  We just put a muffin in Jackie's mouth, put her on a dolly and roll her to the shuttle.
Here's where my military/stealth operation training comes in handy.  What to do with 91 people when the hotel will take your bags and then shove you out the door because your rooms aren't ready until 2pm?
Well,  you send the 13 West Jordanites on a boat trip.  Easy.  You then split the 78 remaining people into 3 rotating groups that will each do: A Broadway/Theatre History audio Tour (sponsored by Times Square), Walk the Brooklyn Bridge, Visit St. Paul's Chapel (now a tribute to 9/11 chapel with George Washington's pew in there somewhere), Lunch at Grand Central Station and a Walk Down 42nd Street by the NYC Public Library and Bryant Park.  If anyone feels adventurous, they can come with me down to the TKTS Seaport location and get tickets for the following day's Broadway matinees.  You could also visit the 9/11 Museum which gives free admission on Tuesday's after 5pm.
That night at 7pm we see this:
Then we collapse.

Day #2
Send the 13 West Jordanites on the Broadway/Theatre History Audio Tour while everyone else runs around and gets whatever matinee performance they want to see.  Students can also go to the Empire State Building or Statue of Liberty (provided they are back in time for their show).  Most people will be up getting in Rush Ticket lines for different shows.
That night we see this:


A hilarious musical comedy where 1 guy plays 7 people.
Day #3
This day is our version of storming the beaches at Normandy.  The group splits into variations of 3 and 4 groups.  By 2pm, everyone will have done:  The Lower East Side Eating Tour through the Lower East Side Tenement Museum as well as The History of Organized Crime walking tour through Chinatown and Little Italy.  Hopefully no one gets lost.  Or if they get lost, they are not sold into white slavery.
That night we see this (SO EXCITED!!):


Daniel Radcliffe!! (with hopefully a cast talk back afterwards).
Day #4
At 10am we all go up to Central Park for a guided walking tour with Big Onion tours.  They are awesome and this will be a fun way to see the Park.  Hopefully weather is good.  It ends at Met Museum and then everyone has the afternoon free to visit a museum (or, follow Jackie and I for our own food tour of the Upper West Side).
That night we see this:


Since Jackie and I have already seen Pippin, we'll go see Idina Menzel in If/Then.
Day #5
Since Saturday is a special day, we will sleep in.  Then everyone goes and finds their own show for that afternoon (students can also do Empire State Building or Statue of Liberty).
That night we see this:



Day #6
That morning we will go down to the 9/11 Memorial.
Then at 3:00pm we see this:


After that, we can all go see something Off-Broadway for the evening.

Day #7
Our final day begins with a trip to the Top of the Roc (where hoepfully, we are photo-bombed by Jimmy Fallon)- grab last minute souvenirs- and then it's back to the airport to fly back to SLC that night.
It's gonna be great!  Go back to writing Jackie.  Stop hyperventilating.

So...

So far, the 2013-2014 school year has been going great.  First there was this:
Stage Directions Magazine (a magazine every middle and high school theatre dept. in the nation receive) named the Riverton High School Theatre Dept. one of the top five drama departments in the nation.  Here's the funny thing-  we don't really do a lot different then any other high school drama dept. in this state, but we are the first from Utah to be recognized by this magazine.
 Just to clarify (out of an hour long phone interview with the magazine publisher), I never said that I got to build the program from scratch-- I was at the school in 1999 because I student taught for the infamous (she knows why... the Eaton's and Moss family have secrets that extend far, far back.  Bradley and Jackie's double date?  There's a juicy story) and justly renowned Shawnda Moss.  I told the interviewer that I built up the MDT class from scratch... but whatever (know that I give full credit to Riverton's success to the fact that since 2000, there have always been 2 teachers here-  Shawnda, Bradley and Erin who I all love and respect) and I know for a fact that Utah has some of the best high school theatre teachers in the state- not just at Riverton.  Riverton started with a strong program and my goal is to not mess it up.  Whenever I attend the Broadway Teacher's Conference in NYC, I meet theatre teachers from all over the world- and we really do have some of the best in ALL AREAS of theatre here in Utah.
Then, in December, I was nominated by my administration (and won) the Utah High School Activities Theatre Teacher of the Year for the state of Utah.  This award is not given every year so yesterday (Jan. 15th) Jackie and I went to a country club, had a nice lunch, I got a nice plaque (too bad no $$) and, the biggest deal of all, Jackie actually ate carbs at the lunch- that's how special that afternoon was!  I then proceeded to drive back to the high school like a bat out of hell so that my Film 1 class could understand what is going on for their final project.
Then, I got called by KSL and this happened (not sure about all those quotes-  Millie and Ellis were screaming in the bathtub while I was being interviewed on the phone).
Now, because of both of these awards, our drama department is being considered by the Educational Theatre Association for a national Outstanding School Award because we are a Thespian school.
So, everyone that wrote letters of recommendation, thank you- and thank you RHS students, faculty, administration and especially Ms. Erin McGuire for everything you do for RHS Theatre!

10 Years

Back in 2004, I started the Music, Dance, Theatre class at Riverton High School.  We did our first Broadway revue in January of 2005.  Our Broadway revue this year is Friday, Jan. 10th and Monday, Jan. 13th- and it's number 10.
We are doing 25 awesome songs in our revue-- and as I was thinking about it, over the past 10 years, we have performed over 250 different Broadway songs from different shows- with only 2 songs that have been repeated.
Every revue has been accompanied by my good friend (and crazy talented musician and performer) Kelly DeHaan.  Every revue has also had a contemporary dance number choreographed by Kori Wakamatsu (google her Youtube video of a Weepies animated dance that she choreographed- with two of my MDT alumni).
This year, I've invited MDT alumni to come back to the revue for free and perform a number at the end.  It's going to be a fun time- so come on out and join us at Riverton High this Friday and Monday night.

2013

In keeping with the not being super consistent with the whole blogging thing,  here is a list of things I did not accomplish (or even try for that matter) in 2013.
1.  From the look of it on Facebook,  I am the only person that did not go to Disneyland or World in 2013.  Now, I went in 2012, 2011 and 2010 (and maybe 2009... but I can't remember)... but not in 2013. 
2.  Get Lasik.  I am not a candidate.  This is from 3 different providers.  Even Hoopes in Utah who says that they can do it on everyone... can't do it on me.  I'm a candidate for contact implants but I know that Jackie will be able to feel the differences on my corneas-- even though they swear they will feel totally natural...
3.  Eat kale.  I know, I know... everyone's doing it... but me.
4.  See Kinky Boots.  I blame Jackie for this.  Everyone that stood next to her at the lottery in New York City got a $30 ticket... except me.  And her.
5.  Read 30 Shades of Grey.  I know this is totally 2012, but that's how behind I am on cool things.  I won a free book over the summer at our local library and nothing looked good- but they had the 3rd book in the Shade series.  I held it up and announced loudly to Jackie if I should get it.  She looked mortified and left me alone.  I briefly skimmed it but I think I think its a series that really deserves being read in chronological order.
6.  Tweet, instagram or start a podcast.  I like reading other peoples (except on my reality tv shows--stop doing it Bravo on Top Chef) but I think my old fashioned 1980's style cell phone would explode.
7.  Play the banjo, harpsichord or accordion.  Don't judge.
8.  Have an unpaid internship.  In my magazines and blogs, people were talking about rising up against their unpaid internships.  If anyone enjoys doing difficult, time consuming jobs for free, come and be a high school drama teacher.
9.  Fix our rusting basement window well.  One needs to have goals for 2014.  Plus we DID finish our basement bathroom.
10.  Learn to surf, can peaches, plant boysenberries, go see Eric Samuelsen's new play in Salt Lake, eat fondue, and many other things.  Good riddance 2013!!