“And all you wishing well fools with your fortunes Someone should send you a rose With love from a friend, It’s nice to hear from you again And the storybook comes to a close Gone are the ribbons and bows Things to remember, places to go Pretty maids all in a row”
-Pretty Maids all in a Row, Joe Walsh, Joey Vitale
I set out to see a kindergarten class move from first day to finish, never dreaming it would end long distance with bittersweet parades. Those years captured within the lens.
“I was very honored to receive an Orange County’s Arts Education Support Grant presented by The Foundation for Orange County Public Schools. As art teacher to Apopka Elementary, the grant will allow my students to enjoy painting, and the teacher, with the aid of easy storage. It will also to make printmaking and collage projects easier to dry and store. It made it easy to receive funds, so I did not have to fund raise or use my budget up. I would like to thank the Foundation. A special thanks to Susan R. Barnhill for all her help and support during the grant writing process. ” -2019-20
In 1893, Munch created a first version of The Scream, of which two versions in paint and two in pastels survive, as well as a plate from which several prints survive.
Last week, I went in on Monday, even though school was officially closed to do work. By the end of the week, everything had changed. Through a series of emails and calls, we found out that school would be closed and that teachers themselves would have limited access into their classrooms.
I remembered how often we have talked about this image this year, especially in fifth grade where we compared Michael Jackson’s Scream video to it, and even the photo of Macaulay Culkin in the Home Alone version. How interesting it would be to look at the painting and compare and contrast it to our current times of being isolated from each other.
Adelia Chambers opens each new show with a talk to the cast outlining her vision, past experiences and where she wants to go with the students. It is always interesting to see, as during the movement through the months things readjust and change. She held separate rehearsals 7:30 every morning for weeks.
This was a cast we had never seen the like of. They were singing the songs long before the first rehearsals, and they were hard workers. I spent little time with rehearsals this play, trying to work on things instead, so there were always new surprises with the cast. This play was based on the play, and not the movie. To our surprise, Christmas was worked into the theme, with some fun surprises for the sets.
Above from top: Ticket design, car design, radio design, set design for orphanage, back wall revision as the Beast’s castle becomes Warbucks mansion, poster design
Amelie was one of two cast members we lost in the middle of production, her dad taking a job in Boston before Christmas. Adelia Chambers, director presented her with flowers on her farewell rehearsal.
Our actress who played Miss Hannigan actually broke her leg when we went into production, which began the sitting a chair for some of the scenes, which took for the rest of the play, with the rocking chair (and radio) becoming the office on set.
The director’s curtain call for an amazing production.
Final night kids cast threw caps in the air.
This was the fifth production I have worked with Adelia Chambers on, and not the hardest. There were challenges along the way, including the fact we did not have enough mikes, so the production we thought we were going into with open curtains, required curtains to be closed the last week. So the original plans of an open set went out the window.
This one required no make-up like other elaborate productions like Lion King and Suessical did. There were no difficult prop costumes like Beauty. We reused a bit from Beauty and the Beast, including the back wall and the doorway. Maurice’s invention, was turned sideways and became the laundry cart for Annie to escape the orphanage. I spent time on youtube seeing actual productions and stripped down as many props as I could.
Warbucks phone, Dollar Tree vases and milk container caps.
Some things I still believed should remain more authentic, something we had lost in Beauty. Many of the supplemental costumes for Beauty were out of the wrong period and they went Disney at the end on the major characters. My vision was always to keep it close to Cocteau’s original, and that never really happened with either the Beast or the costumes.
The ending of the year really was in a blink of an eye and many new changes would follow.
By the end of the 2018-19 year we knew our secretary, 35 year veteran, Denise Palmerini. would be leaving us, but even more was to follow. Bruce Gauthier, our custodial crew chief was transferred. Cherri Jones, our wonderful extended day leader moved up to another position. The biggest shock was our principal, Lukeshia Miller being moved to another school. As we came in together and five years earlier, it shocked all of us.
This would be last time at the annual ball, Lukeshia Miller would oversee a large gathering outside school.
Almost all the major actors had either been in Seussical or Little Mermaid, so it became very much like a family. Sometimes a little too much so, as they goofed around a lot. Both leads were new, both got it. One person, had to be replaced close to the end, which was devastating for everyone, except that cast member who was relieved!
I will say one thing about this production, I have never worked harder in my life, where ever minute from October to February led back to this play. Between sets, costumes and props, every day, every weekend was taken up with this play. During Thanksgiving break I sat in DCA working on the French village drawing below, transferring windows and door frames and mapping out color. In December over Christmas break, I snuck in with custodians to put this on the large setboards with a projector, t-squares, triangles and pencil and sharpees. Every weekend was an experiment in finding the right material to create the bureau for Madame Big Mouth, the teapot and cups for Mrs. Potts and Chip or the clock for Cogsworth. The roses in their 3 separate stages were done via Dollar Tree of about 6 separate roses over a January holiday.
Back wall of the Beast’s castle with the Versailles garden.
Babette, also soloed on the violin for Serafina’s title tune.
We had a Saturday dress rehearsal, and I remember Adelia brought in her sewing machine and was making alterations in the cafeteria after rehearsal, and many kids left.
The funny part about the play is we had at least 6 people moving sets while the action went on. This was amazing. In the video I have seen of the play it actually works! This was the concept of an open set, where the crew and cast interacted during the performance and the curtain stayed open to cut lost time. All of photos below, I actually shot on set during the performance.
Laya Fisher, is one of my most talented art students. She had never been in a play, much less a lead. It was a heavy burden, she did well.
We have had one student lost the first year i came. The second loss was a lovely teacher, Mrs. Rivera. Chris was lost to us February 1. I attended the wake of this not yet fourteen year old. It was a very sad day for all to lose someone this young.
We lost Yordi in a car accident. This was a memorial at school.
This is my sixth year working at Apopka Elementary. This is my sixth year teaching in a small city which is attempting to move forward in the twenty-first century, while consistently retaining some of the things, that brought it to that point. Amid classic and funny cars, public servants and police show up to march in the Christmas parade.
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Christine Moore, now a Councilman, was a School Board member, when I came.
When my school shows up, it is always a point in pride. Teachers always in attendance with the kids.
Sarah Jennings shows up to drive each year.
Proud parent and former student.
Christine Runnells and three sons marching.
Christine Runnells and Rebecca Button are responsible for organizing and implementing the Parade each year. The float is top notch, thanks to these teachers hard work. Everyone loves seeing the schools in attendance.
Flip our Mascot, this year Mr. Nazario-Valle rides the float.
We stood waiting for the parade of sorts, it was it was the passing of the traveling Vietnam War Memorial.
Children love parades. It is not novel, as it is akin to a screen, in which the viewer stands as the center of attention makes moves around them. Many parades in some towns have become a thing of the past, a minor annoyance, tying up traffic.
It seems in Apopka parades are common, a memorial to the past. A mixture of old and new. On the morning after a bittersweet election for many Americans, we stood at the curb to honor the memory of those who had passed and things that were past.
Leaving later at school, I stopped at Kit Land Nelson Park, the center of so many Apopka events, to see the traveling memorial. It is over fifty years ago. Two of my uncles served in the Green Berets, for several tours. Both are gone, neither suffered injury. One hit by a car, the other suffering the effects of cancer.
A year or two, one way or the other, became a life and death issue. In a war where 19 years was the average age, a few years younger might make a difference if you served, perhaps, if you lived. It was a divisive war, the first rifts of the great divide we have crossed over into. The replica, from the Maya Lin memorial, is a testament to all those who lost their lives. Even on a smaller scale it is breathtaking.
The site of the memorial is both well done and sobering. I pass a man on my way out, he nods at me. I do not know him, and I wonder if he served, or if he had a brother who had fallen. There is an unspoken camaraderie, as we are within the bounds of the same age. A shared memory of the past, of being human.
This is the first weekend I have time to blog. A while back, from March 1 to the March 3, Adelia Chambers’ production of Seussical the Musical took place. Months of practice, rehearsals, sets, props, costume and makeup design came together for a few precious hours. This was the third production, following The Lion King and The Little Mermaid. Following are photos during and after the show.
Where does a principal and assistant principal dress up for the occasion?
Orange County’s Arts Education ImpactGrant presented by The Foundation for Orange County Public Schools provided Mrs. Chambers with funds for the play, we would might have had to find other sources for. Thank you, Foundation.
Apopka is a Native American word for "Potato eating place"
Ticket art
Soundchecks and placement before show
Curtain calls
What would become the backdrops
apopka, my students and me 