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Phase One Nearly Complete
Feb. 12th, 2025 09:10 pmMonday, good lord I was tired.
I'm a 90% sedentary person, so all this dancing around and tromboning in the sun for 8 hours a day + 12,000-17,000 steps feels like a lot. But it's gonna be eight days of it so I'd better adjust.
A little extra coffee was helpful.
Today was special because we got to rehearse in our actual performance spot!
Which of course I can't describe, womp womp NDA.
Also, it is in direct sun for the entire day from about 10am to 4pm, and that is going to be...tough. Because we have to be period-appropriate, and there weren't sunglasses in the 1920s in Paris (well they existed, but only as a treatment for syphilis.)
But we did fine, we just had to take breaks from the sun. When we are doing shows and not rehearsals, we will be outside for shorter periods of time......though it'll be hotter then too. Can't win haha.
I had a special thing happen: I might have made a change to the show!
While watching some of our actions/acting, I decided to have my character do something that *I* would do. It was just a small thing, but due to the timing it made everyone laugh uproariously. And to our surprise the show director didn't tell us to leave it out, so the next two casts copied it, and THEY weren't told to remove it either. So maybe it's in now? I'd love it if we could keep it. If so, it would be my own little contribution to this creation. And if not, it'll be a lovely memory.
We were released a little early, partly because it had been a hot day and partly because a lot of us have other gigs going on this week and the show director didn't want us "blowing our brains out" by which he means overplaying and injuring ourselves. I got home before 7pm (so rare!) and packed breakfast-lunch-dinner. practiced bass, all the usual.
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Tuesday, we had a slow start to the day because there was a lot of activity in our part of the "world."
We did rehearse in Our Actual Spot, but only briefly; there was a lot of painting going on and this time instead of fumes we could actually taste the paint in our mouths each time we finished playing. Like, there were particles in the air. It was totally gross and after a while between that and the dust we couldn't stand it and ended up moving. But then in the other spot we kept having to move for the cherry pickers, then a helicopter came and essentially sat on top of us making a big racket (and also probably getting footage that they shouldn't have of us rehearsing!) so our show director got exasperated and were dismissed to lunch early.
I used my lunch break to hit Whole Paycheck for my usual treats, since there is no day off for me this week.
When lunch was over we were able to do a few show run throughs, and we also enjoyed our first wand/spell tutorial!
Another show director (Pishta? Pasha?) came over from the Fantastic Beasts stage show to teach us (our director doesn't know Harry Potter lore.) We learned that there is a specific way to handle your wand involving three steps, which can be learned by reading the Cast-a-Spell Handbook.
Step 1: "Holster." The wand is in its holster and you grasp it.
Step 2: "???" I forget what this one was called but it was something obvious like "prepare to cast a spell" haha. Removing the wand from the holster and holding it in an upright position, not pointing it at anything/anyone.
Step 3: " Prime." Choosing your target and pointing your wand at it. You also have to consider the size of the thing you're casting the spell on, and whether you want the spell to effect the whole target or just part of it, because this determines how large or small your wand gestures are.
Then, you cast your spell. Make the gesture as described or illustrated, making sure to say the words in time with your gestures. It's also kind of a "swish, swish, flick" motion involving much wrist, and you only get your whole arm involved if you're trying to cover something big.
We broke into pairs and practiced casting offensive and defensive spells, making sure to follow the holster--???--prime pattern both before and after each spell. I can't share which spells we cast in our show, but rest assured that they're REAL Wizarding World spells that do exist in the lore of Harry Potter, so it's important that we get it right. We have to at least look like we're aware of the basics.
Then we took another field trip to Dark Universe!
This time we were inside the burning windmill, which is a restaurant called the Burning Blade Tavern.
(image directly from Universal website)
It's a small, dark, cool restaurant with low ceilings and low lighting. Again, going to be very popular in the Florida heat solely based on those things. There are additional artistic/immersive details about the building itself that are REALLY cool, that again I don't dare share as it could violate my NDA. We all looked around and exclaimed over the thoughtfulness of these little details, and I think guests observant enough to catch these things will appreciate them too!
It was pretty crowded, as other entertainment departments were there to be an audience, too.
Cannot share what the performer experience was like, and we don't even know if they'll actually take place in The Burning Blade or if we were just doing it there for convenience/construction purposes today. I can share that it was the same type of performance that we got to see last week, same performers, only now they've had more practice and everyone seemed more comfortable with the materials. It was quite fun :)
Back at the employee hub, we thought it would be nice to get a group photo at the Epic Universe countdown clock.
This is pretty much the only "backstage" area where we had been told we're allowed to take photos.
(other Entertainment Department group photos currently up on UOTMLife IG account)
Unfortunately, there was a security guard there preventing anyone from taking photos at the clock.
We showed him the existing, public, Universal-sanctioned images above, and he did not care.
So I guess we're not doing that. A shame, but at least the groups pictured above got their feet in the door before it closed.
In the evening there was some sort of special event for which music was wanted, so "the PR Trio"--that is, the three of us that have been most consistent with performances--were asked to stay late to give a performance. The rest of us bopped back home.
Jameson has been in a low mood lately and may be coming down with something.
I packed breakfast-lunch-dinner and practiced bass and we had a quiet night as usual.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, I felt pleased because this is the last day that all of us will be together at rehearsal. From today on, we've all got other gigs and commitments, and Friday will signal an end to full-time rehearsals. Yay! Don't get me wrong, I've appreciated the work and the money, and I have learned SO MUCH. It has been well worth the experience, and I'm looking forward to actually opening our show in the park!
BUT I am so incredibly behind on other parts of my life. I've barely spent any time with Jameson. I haven't cooked a single meal for almost a month. I've had to eat dinner WHILE driving every night for OVER a month. Not to mention the house chores being all backed up, and ACTUAL practice for my other gigs including Disney and the upcoming tour getting neglected. There is so much else that I need to do, and I am very much looking forward to not having every moment of my time defaulting to Epic Universe.
Anyway, today was a weird one because there were Warner Brothers executives in the park. We rehearsed indoors for a little while, then took it outside to dodge some cherry pickers and do some full runs.
After lunch the executives had made it to our part of the park, so the "PR trio" of musicians was asked to put on a show for them. They did an amazing job especially with the sun beating down on them. After that show was over the execs kind of took over the area where we play...it's an excellent photo op. We waited for a while to see if they would leave, but they didn’t seem to want to go anywhere else and we couldn’t really rehearse without disturbing them. So we went back up to the break room, had a little powwow, and at that time we presented our show director with a small gift: a tobacco pipe imported from France! I have no idea if the guy smokes or not, but it was one of our clarinetist’s ideas and we all went with it. Regardless, the show director seemed happy with the gift. We said our goodbyes and parted ways, leaving about 30 minutes early.
There are still several days of full-time rehearsal left, but this is the last time that all of us will be together. I wish that we’d been able to take a group photo, have a cast party, or memorialize the occasion in some way. But it’s OK, I’m sure that we will all see each other again in passing!
Even though they let us go 30 minutes early, all it meant for me was sitting in traffic for an additional 30 minutes. Driving in Orlando is absolutely horrific. I was looking forward to having extra time to pack my lunch and relax, but got home at the same time as I would have on any other day. Figures.
Got caught up with Jameson, packed breakfast-lunch-dinner for Disney, and did not practice bass because Jameson was talking to me while I was packing meals so it took me way too long to finish. No big deal, I usually take one night a week off from it anyway.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday: Magic Kingdom with the Main Street Phil
Friday: Last day of full time rehearsal with Epic Universe + starting transcription again
Saturday: God bless that day off + going to see Alton Brown's show at Dr. Phillips!
Sunday & Monday: Back to back Main Street Philharmonic days.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
PS:
A Beauty and the Beast casting announcement teaser post from Disney Theatrical...IYKYK
(CLICK HERE to see)
I'm a 90% sedentary person, so all this dancing around and tromboning in the sun for 8 hours a day + 12,000-17,000 steps feels like a lot. But it's gonna be eight days of it so I'd better adjust.
A little extra coffee was helpful.
Today was special because we got to rehearse in our actual performance spot!
Which of course I can't describe, womp womp NDA.
Also, it is in direct sun for the entire day from about 10am to 4pm, and that is going to be...tough. Because we have to be period-appropriate, and there weren't sunglasses in the 1920s in Paris (well they existed, but only as a treatment for syphilis.)
But we did fine, we just had to take breaks from the sun. When we are doing shows and not rehearsals, we will be outside for shorter periods of time......though it'll be hotter then too. Can't win haha.
I had a special thing happen: I might have made a change to the show!
While watching some of our actions/acting, I decided to have my character do something that *I* would do. It was just a small thing, but due to the timing it made everyone laugh uproariously. And to our surprise the show director didn't tell us to leave it out, so the next two casts copied it, and THEY weren't told to remove it either. So maybe it's in now? I'd love it if we could keep it. If so, it would be my own little contribution to this creation. And if not, it'll be a lovely memory.
We were released a little early, partly because it had been a hot day and partly because a lot of us have other gigs going on this week and the show director didn't want us "blowing our brains out" by which he means overplaying and injuring ourselves. I got home before 7pm (so rare!) and packed breakfast-lunch-dinner. practiced bass, all the usual.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, we had a slow start to the day because there was a lot of activity in our part of the "world."
We did rehearse in Our Actual Spot, but only briefly; there was a lot of painting going on and this time instead of fumes we could actually taste the paint in our mouths each time we finished playing. Like, there were particles in the air. It was totally gross and after a while between that and the dust we couldn't stand it and ended up moving. But then in the other spot we kept having to move for the cherry pickers, then a helicopter came and essentially sat on top of us making a big racket (and also probably getting footage that they shouldn't have of us rehearsing!) so our show director got exasperated and were dismissed to lunch early.
I used my lunch break to hit Whole Paycheck for my usual treats, since there is no day off for me this week.
When lunch was over we were able to do a few show run throughs, and we also enjoyed our first wand/spell tutorial!
Another show director (Pishta? Pasha?) came over from the Fantastic Beasts stage show to teach us (our director doesn't know Harry Potter lore.) We learned that there is a specific way to handle your wand involving three steps, which can be learned by reading the Cast-a-Spell Handbook.
Step 1: "Holster." The wand is in its holster and you grasp it.
Step 2: "???" I forget what this one was called but it was something obvious like "prepare to cast a spell" haha. Removing the wand from the holster and holding it in an upright position, not pointing it at anything/anyone.
Step 3: " Prime." Choosing your target and pointing your wand at it. You also have to consider the size of the thing you're casting the spell on, and whether you want the spell to effect the whole target or just part of it, because this determines how large or small your wand gestures are.
Then, you cast your spell. Make the gesture as described or illustrated, making sure to say the words in time with your gestures. It's also kind of a "swish, swish, flick" motion involving much wrist, and you only get your whole arm involved if you're trying to cover something big.
We broke into pairs and practiced casting offensive and defensive spells, making sure to follow the holster--???--prime pattern both before and after each spell. I can't share which spells we cast in our show, but rest assured that they're REAL Wizarding World spells that do exist in the lore of Harry Potter, so it's important that we get it right. We have to at least look like we're aware of the basics.
Then we took another field trip to Dark Universe!
This time we were inside the burning windmill, which is a restaurant called the Burning Blade Tavern.
(image directly from Universal website)
It's a small, dark, cool restaurant with low ceilings and low lighting. Again, going to be very popular in the Florida heat solely based on those things. There are additional artistic/immersive details about the building itself that are REALLY cool, that again I don't dare share as it could violate my NDA. We all looked around and exclaimed over the thoughtfulness of these little details, and I think guests observant enough to catch these things will appreciate them too!
It was pretty crowded, as other entertainment departments were there to be an audience, too.
Cannot share what the performer experience was like, and we don't even know if they'll actually take place in The Burning Blade or if we were just doing it there for convenience/construction purposes today. I can share that it was the same type of performance that we got to see last week, same performers, only now they've had more practice and everyone seemed more comfortable with the materials. It was quite fun :)
Back at the employee hub, we thought it would be nice to get a group photo at the Epic Universe countdown clock.
This is pretty much the only "backstage" area where we had been told we're allowed to take photos.
(other Entertainment Department group photos currently up on UOTMLife IG account)
Unfortunately, there was a security guard there preventing anyone from taking photos at the clock.
We showed him the existing, public, Universal-sanctioned images above, and he did not care.
So I guess we're not doing that. A shame, but at least the groups pictured above got their feet in the door before it closed.
In the evening there was some sort of special event for which music was wanted, so "the PR Trio"--that is, the three of us that have been most consistent with performances--were asked to stay late to give a performance. The rest of us bopped back home.
Jameson has been in a low mood lately and may be coming down with something.
I packed breakfast-lunch-dinner and practiced bass and we had a quiet night as usual.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, I felt pleased because this is the last day that all of us will be together at rehearsal. From today on, we've all got other gigs and commitments, and Friday will signal an end to full-time rehearsals. Yay! Don't get me wrong, I've appreciated the work and the money, and I have learned SO MUCH. It has been well worth the experience, and I'm looking forward to actually opening our show in the park!
BUT I am so incredibly behind on other parts of my life. I've barely spent any time with Jameson. I haven't cooked a single meal for almost a month. I've had to eat dinner WHILE driving every night for OVER a month. Not to mention the house chores being all backed up, and ACTUAL practice for my other gigs including Disney and the upcoming tour getting neglected. There is so much else that I need to do, and I am very much looking forward to not having every moment of my time defaulting to Epic Universe.
Anyway, today was a weird one because there were Warner Brothers executives in the park. We rehearsed indoors for a little while, then took it outside to dodge some cherry pickers and do some full runs.
After lunch the executives had made it to our part of the park, so the "PR trio" of musicians was asked to put on a show for them. They did an amazing job especially with the sun beating down on them. After that show was over the execs kind of took over the area where we play...it's an excellent photo op. We waited for a while to see if they would leave, but they didn’t seem to want to go anywhere else and we couldn’t really rehearse without disturbing them. So we went back up to the break room, had a little powwow, and at that time we presented our show director with a small gift: a tobacco pipe imported from France! I have no idea if the guy smokes or not, but it was one of our clarinetist’s ideas and we all went with it. Regardless, the show director seemed happy with the gift. We said our goodbyes and parted ways, leaving about 30 minutes early.
There are still several days of full-time rehearsal left, but this is the last time that all of us will be together. I wish that we’d been able to take a group photo, have a cast party, or memorialize the occasion in some way. But it’s OK, I’m sure that we will all see each other again in passing!
Even though they let us go 30 minutes early, all it meant for me was sitting in traffic for an additional 30 minutes. Driving in Orlando is absolutely horrific. I was looking forward to having extra time to pack my lunch and relax, but got home at the same time as I would have on any other day. Figures.
Got caught up with Jameson, packed breakfast-lunch-dinner for Disney, and did not practice bass because Jameson was talking to me while I was packing meals so it took me way too long to finish. No big deal, I usually take one night a week off from it anyway.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday: Magic Kingdom with the Main Street Phil
Friday: Last day of full time rehearsal with Epic Universe + starting transcription again
Saturday: God bless that day off + going to see Alton Brown's show at Dr. Phillips!
Sunday & Monday: Back to back Main Street Philharmonic days.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
PS:
A Beauty and the Beast casting announcement teaser post from Disney Theatrical...IYKYK
(CLICK HERE to see)
