Thursday, June 24, 2010

The Acting Mice hit the Studios!

{Thanks to Erin Crawley for knitting Acting Mice for the ENTIRE CAST of "The Mice from Outer Space!}
{here's a sneak peek at our intern staff, hard at work keeping things running smoothly---and keeping the costumes looking smooth! :)  Things would not go well without them here to help.
"Hamlet" is action packed!  Don't miss it--tickets at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Around the Studios today...

Tuesday of the first week, and all rehearsals are in full swing!


We'll be fitting costumes this week ("Mice from Outer Space" folks, check your backpacks/lunchboxes for a note about what you'll need), and performances are coming up at the end of the week.  Invite your friends!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

In the Studios Wednesday & Thursday


{The Hamlet cast @ work}



{Our fantastic cast of The Mice from Outer Space rehearse with student musical director, Jillian Plane & student choreographer Miriam Plane.}


{The morning techniques classes head out with Gail Koppa for a field trip to the Rotunda Stage.}



{So long, we have work to do.}

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Camping...Summer...Coffee...

I love coffee.
This morning looks a little like rain...but the crab apple tree outside my house is in full bloom and looking lovelier than ever.  This time of year always makes me long to get outside and in my tent.

Have you heard?  MadCAP is having a July Family Camp weekend at Lake Kegonsa State Park!  Make your reservations now, and join us for playing in the woods all weekend.  Bring your bikes, a boat if you like, your fishing poles (if you do that), a tent, and your whimsy, because it's bound to be fun.

Speaking of summer, we've also got a busy performance and summer program schedule.  Have you enrolled yet?  Because there is a lot going on, and it's sure to be fun.  This will be the first summer of a student directed production (Simon Henriques, Jillian Plane, and Miriam Plane for "Mice From Outer Space") under my Executive Producing, and we've got another Matt Corriel production in the works, which I am super excited about! ("Middle School Madness" in July)  MSM will travel to East Madison Community Center, and we have SIX productions performing on the Rotunda Stage during the summer.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Disney Bound

Hi gang!

Well, we got a lovely e-mail today from the folks at Disney Magic Music Days...less than 24 hours after confirmation (when they got the application packet)!  It seems we were easily put into our first choice date, and now have a confirmed booking for performance on Saturday, January 29.  I'm still verifying with a few folks about whether or not this will cause problems, but I've cleared it with the MMSD calendar, Middleton school calendar, and WSMA (solo & ensemble people).  No conflicts.


Remember that we've got a few ways for the community to participate:
  • Join us for a fundraising event (more on that later...but let's just say that Company M will be entertaining and hosting pajama parties for our smaller MadCAPpers in the coming months!)
  • Sponsor a performer by making a donation to help some of our students who might not otherwise be able to travel with us.
  • Join the FAMILY FAN CLUB and travel with us!  Enjoy the parks and warm weather and cheer on Company M on Saturday night.


Tuesday, April 20, 2010

A guest post from Steve...Enjoy!

{This post refers to a performance presentation as a part of the Line Breaks festival on UW campus.}

This was a pretty cool event. Since the Isthmus did not advertise it, I don't think that a lot of people knew about it.



I got there about 5:30pm to get good seats and arrived just as Stew and Heidi were walking out of the sound check to catch a bite to eat. They were about 5 feet from me, but I did not want to interrupt their conversation. That's the closest I've ever been to Tony award winners.


I was the first in line, so we had front row, center stage seats in a small auditorium. Stew played a Gibson acoustic, Heidi played electric bass and they used a pick up drummer. They did some older songs from The Negro Problem, some new songs and some song fragments that they had been wood-shedding last week in the Berkshires for a new show that they are working on. They played for over an hour.


They drew a crowd of about 40 people, a lot smaller than I expected. The crowd had a lot of energy, and Heidi and Stew seemed to dig the venue. Stew made some very positive comments about Madison and Cheese curds.


...and they did "Black Men Ski."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5u9YWWcgheY&feature=related

Monday, March 8, 2010

The Berenstain Bears On Stage!

Don't miss the fun of the Bear Family...
Teacher Jane...
Farmer Ben...
And all of Brother and Sister's adventures in Bear Country!

Monday, March 1, 2010

Happy Monday morning!

Hi gang! I hope you enjoy--there is a project in this one. Leave a comment on this post if you'd like a workshop to make these little notebooks.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Olympic Tales of Sticks and String.

This time around, I thought I would take the plunge and enter an event in the Winter Ravelympics.  Lead by the fearless Ravelry mascot, Bob, we bravely knitted for glory. 

I entered the event Lace Luge with an Estonian lace pattern from my latest knitting book and with a skein of luxurious silk and wool dyed in lovely colors.  I finished that one much faster than I thought I would.  So, I decided to go for something else. 


Next I cast on for the "Icing Swirl Hat" from one of my favorite collections, "Whimsical Little Knits" by Ysolda Teague.  I finished that one up in one evening.  This project was entered in the Hat Halfpipe.  Let me tell you, I am much better with the hat knitting than with snowboarding.

Last, but certainly not least, I thought it would be good to knit up an orphan skein of silk and wool that I had bobbing around in my knitting basket, so I searched and found a free pattern for "Cupcake Mittlets".  With a name like that, what's not to like?  I cast on for these watching ice dancing (not my favorite to watch, but better this year than years before.....)  Anyway, the end result is toasty warm.


And I can proudly call myself a Ravelympian.  My medal is on its way...so I'll show it off when it gets here!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

MadCreativeArts's Video Blog volume 1

Our first MadCAP video blog episode...look for a new one every week or two on our MadCAP blog. If you want to conduct an interview with a fellow MadCAPper for broadcast or you have an idea for something you'd like to see, please let me know in the comment section.

Thanks!