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REHEARSAL BLOG

August 15 - Chloe S.
August 9 - Jayleen M.
August 8 - Mike M. #2
August 8 - Aaron W.
August 8 - Emily S.
August 3 - Arielle E.
August 1 - Aaron W.
August 1 - Amanda M.
August 1 - Emi C.
July 31 - Mike M.
July 30 - Mattea O.
July 18 - Emily S.
July 12 - Jordan B.
July 9 - Megan A.
July 7 - Golf Tournament
July 5 - Justin F. #2
July 2 - Amber V.
July 2 - Justin F.
June 23 - Tom V.

August 15, 2008

Hi everyone!!! : ) we are on our second to last performance. I know we are all tired and crazy, but we have to hang in there and make sure the people who haven't seen the performance have a blast!!! So... many of my friends and family have come to see us and said we were outstanding and amazing group of kids. So lets keep up the good work!

BREAK A LEG!!

Chloe (genie)

Opening Night went AMAZING!!!
We were two seats away from a full house and the audience couldn't have been better. They applauded at everything [like us hehe] and they laughed at every joke. We got a standing ovation!! Everything went right! And to think that we re-staged some things hours before the show! Right as i got on stage, I could feel the electrifying energy bursting out of everyone. We really came together, like always! I saw Mrs. Carol Channing last night and she absolutely loved it! The set movements went fabulous, makeup was great, the harmonies were lovely, and the costumes were adorable. 10+ hour rehearsals were worth it. It was REALLY cool when people came up to me after the show asking me if their kids could take a picture with me. Everyone did such an amazing job last night! Lets keep up the energy, yeah? Kudos to everyone!
xoxo

jay-jay

Hello friends. It's Mike M again! I couldn't resist the urge to post an opening night blog. Sorry for how late it is Mel!!!

Well, what do you think? Generally, That was a GREAT opening night! A full house, deliberate quickness, and great energy. That makes for a good show. Let's look at each shall we?

Well, with a good thousand and something or other seats in the house, I was ecstatic to know we were sold out. That is a lot of seats to fill, and we did it! we also gave a seat to one of our favorite (well,

mine) guest speakers, Carol Channing and Harry.

Walking towards the lobby and seeing her clapping and waving at us was just an incredulity! Haha. The things she said about us were amazing. She loved the show from top to bottom.

11 hours of set change practice. Did it show? I hope so. It seems like it did. Of course we ran into a rough patch once or twice or more, but i think it went better than worse. And so we will go again at 2 so we can practice even more, so it will be perfect!

Do you remember that activity Chris ran us through?

All the energy that WE created, all the focus we had, and of course all the fun? I felt it and it felt good!

That is a feeling to live for. It was what made a great show and what will make an even more amazing show if we have more.

Ok friends. I will now get sleep and I do hope you will do the same, instead of reading this blog so late at night. we have more plays to amaze, and we need to keep it up. I know we will and so,

until tomorrow!

@->--

Mike M.

Opening Night!

Break- a- leg everyone!

Just think.... I will remember my cue, I will remember my cue, I will remember my cue...

and everyone will do just fine!

:)

Aaron

Hello! It is 12:21 a.m., and to be honest, I don't really know why I am still awake! I just wanted to say today is officially the day when we open!!!

It's crazy isn't it? I can already feel the butterflies! Everyone is so excited and energetic about the show, it really is wonderful to see such enthusiasm and passion from teens. We have all been working so hard and trying to get every detail perfect, but everything seems to just fall into place once we step out onto that stage.

Today is going to be one I will never forget. Break a leg everyone! But please, don't take that literally. That's the last thing we need, sheesh! :)

Emily S.

Hello readers,
    I would like to first thank you for coming to the site and supporting YES company. This is quite an amazing program. As you can see we are putting on a production of The Wizard Of Oz; which is pretty gutsy if you ask me. There are so many expectations that come to mind but I have a feeling we will exceed them all.
    YES Co. has given me a place to be around people just like me. I wasn't sure what to expect, being that this is my first year. I came in with no preconceived notions of the program, just an open mind, and I've really been blown away at what they do. Of course the brains behind it all, Mel, is quite a fabulous person. She has so much heart and so much creativity trapped in that body of hers, I wonder how she just doesn't explode. Everyone that works behind the scenes like the costume people who work so hard to get everything prepared for us, spend countless hours sewing and analyzing every piece of clothing that goes onto us and the people who do the paper work stuff, spend hours going over things and making sure we get funds to keep this program going. I want to give you all a big thank you. I appreciate all of your hard work.This organization is very rare. Most places would charge thousands of dollars, and all they ask of us is to fundraise a little and pu t up posters.
    For the first time in my whole 17 years of life did I get to spend my birthday with a group of kids, it was the 2nd day of rehearsal and everyone was filled with joy as my mom brought 3 kinds of cake to eat at lunch. Over the course of the summer I've gotten to get really close with a few peers but I hope by the end of this production I get to be close with everyone. YES Co. is like a family and I hope that throughout the years we all stay a family. I am saddened at the thought of only having one more summer of YES before going off to college. But I'm giving it my all now.
     I'm surrounded by so many talented people. Dancers, singers, and actors, of all ages, shapes, and sizes in one place, sharing one love, the stage. I feel so at home with all of them, I don't feel as though I'm being judged, or that others are judging anyone. We all are one, working as one, to give people the best show we possibly can. Of course the nights are getting longer and we're getting tired and irritable but it's the home stretch. We've have just 6 more days before opening night, 6 more days of crazy long rehearsals, 6 more days of last minute changes, 6 more days of anxiety to pull it all together in time, 6 more days of trying to stay focused, and 6 more days before the applause. Soon the countdown will be over and we'll be in front of you, with ten pounds of make-up, false eyelashes, and wigs, performing at the Gallo Center of the Arts. What an honor is that? Soon we will be dreading for closing night because we don't want it to end; we don' t want it to become just another memory. But even still, all good things must come to an end. Soon we will become just a picture on a wall, a face among the many YES Co. kids before us. Of course we will never forget Mel or YES Co. but that will become a memory too. As those who's last year is this year move on to college, YES will have to fill the spots of those graduating. Like baby birds we must all learn to fly; some paths leading in opposite directions, we still know the experiences we've had with YES Co. and know we've always have a family there. I hope that this program continues to grow and I hope that more children are exposed to Musical Theater. It's an art like no other. It's a productive expression of one's emotions through the act of becoming another, dancing, or singing. YES Co. is like no other. I hope that you will come see us pour our hearts and souls to you on stage. The Wizard Of Oz will win your hearts over ten fold.

With all my love,
Arielle E.

Hey Everyone!

This is Aaron W. from Crew, and I just wanted to add a quick note on the cool stuff that happened today at the GC!

ZFX came in and setup all of the fly rigging that some of you lucky actors and actresses get to use. The whole rig looks like a blast to be on and it's really awesome how it works. And.. they also setup the "tornado" for the...well... tornado scene, and that looks as equally awesome!

Also, the orchestra came in today and we were able to get a sampling of the music, and I am pleased to say that the orchestra sounds fantastic!!

Anyway that's all for now.

catchya later,

Aaron W.

Hey there everyone, it's Amanda! lol Well, Chris said we need more blogs so I figured I might as well type one up. :)

Hmm...what else is there to say? Everyone has pretty much covered it! I can't believe it's August already! 7 DAYS! We open in 7 days! Wowza. We'll be fantastic, I know it. Everyone is really talented, there's no way we couldn't be.

What else?

...I'm obviously very unprepared for writing this blog.

Oh! My favorite part of YES company this summer was definitely meeting Carol Channing. She was really inspirational and I know I was holding back tears the entire time.

Well, I've run out of things to say. Jeez, this is short. lol I really hope I can do this again next year - it would be a blast! :)

- Amanda

Hey Everyone!

People said that we needed some more blogs so here i am writing one! It is so crazy how many days is it till opening night? let me go check. Ok its 7 days. Wow 7 days that's not to far from now but at least its a lucky number. This has been such an amazing time for me.

It really has been one of the best learning experiences of my life.

Its not just all about learning a song putting on a great play. I believe its about team work and making something in harmony. I think that makes since? And I agree with mike and Justin Yes company is a big family with new siblings each year but we always have the same loving mother Melanee. Thanks Mel =D Everyone is so amazing from the littlest munchkin to the great and powerful wizard of oz. and everyone is so gifted here! Really I could go on and on but i really don't want to bore you guys. Lets put it out there this is going to be an ridiculous amazing beautiful show and were are all so so so excited!

With Lots Of Love, Emi C.

Hey everybody! I'm excited to say that we are coming to the end of July! Of course that means it's almost show time! Hey friends, it's Mike M! This is my second show, and boy do I love it!

Anyways... after a few days of reading other peoples blogs over and over (they are all great by the way) I decided to make one too!

Can't you just feel the intensity of it all? Everybody is working real hard to make this the best show ever!

The Gallo is amazing, and I am pretty sure everyone else is feeling that too. It will certainly be the biggest theater I have performed in yet. It is way lucky I think.

Let's see. Ok. Something sappy. Justin is right. YES is a big family, and everyone becomes so close, which is absolutely exceptional. Even when some older alumni or grad walks in the room, they are greeted with total warmth, as though they already have spent months with each other; even by first years. It is very comforting to know that YES is the sorta "place over the rainbow"; sticking to a Wizard of Oz theme. We're never too young and we're never too old. We're never too thin or tall. And we're never, ever, ever, too, too, too, anything at all. All we do is just sit tight, because it's oh, so, so, so downright right!

The morale is great. By the way, I want to make sure I get to know everybody, because every person in this cast and crew is just to amazing too let pass by.

Everything about YES is far from ordinary. I'm glad to say that YES is EXTRAordinary. Bad joke, but good intent.

Well that was fun. i suppose i will close now. I can't wait to share the rest of a great summer with everyone.

@->--

Mike M.

Hey, this is Mattea O. *wootwoot* Chris said he needed new blogs, so voila! I really don't have much to say except how excited I am, because everything is coming together so well. So we're now at Gallo Center for the Arts doing our rehearsals, which makes my anticipation even greater. I feel so privileged to be here. Another thing I might mention is all the help we're getting from our friend Aston. He is hecka inspirational if you ask me. He's accomplished so much at such a young age. We are really lucky to have him around. And the show also owes a whole lot to Miss Betsy. She has taught us just about everything up to this point. You know, I could really go on about the amazing folks we get to work with. Every single member of the staff, the crew, all the volunteers, and our families and friends all contribute to The Wizard of Oz's success. And I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am to be able to tell people that I was a part of this incredible cast.

<3333
Mattea O.

Hey reader! Thanks for stopping by YES Company's rehearsal blog. My name is Emily Kay S and I am 16. This is my third summer with YES Co, and I will be playing Dorothy Gale in our production of "The Wizard of Oz!"

As everyone already said, YES Company rocks everyone's socks off. My favorite part about YES is the same as everyone else's; we can all just be ourselves and no one will judge us. I hope that tradition will continue throughout the years because it is what bonds us together and makes us one big family at the end of the summer.

I can't believe we open in, what is it now, three weeks?! I remember the first day like it was yesterday! Time really does fly when you're having fun.

One thing I would like to mention is the fact that we are using a live dog for our show this year, which is something that can be pretty challenging to pull off smoothly during live theater. Conrad, A.K.A. Toto, is SO amazing! Everyone (yes, even Megan A. who is terrified of dogs) adores him and he is such a great addition to our cast. It's also a great way for us to expand our theatrical experience. Now many of us can say we have acted with a dog!

I can already say this is the most unique summer I have ever had! We have had some challenges and struggles, but I can tell this show will be AMAZING! How can it not be with a director named Melanee Wyatt and a fabulous cast/crew of over 120 people? Everyone is working so hard and putting their hearts into this production. The costume designers, set designers, volunteers, parents, friends, there are so many people who are volunteering their time and effort to make this an amazing production we will all remember.

Oh! We had our first run-through of the first act today, and it was so much fun. There are many many things we still have to fix and stage and work on, but we are definitely going to make this a show the audience will never forget. I admit, I started sweating within the first scene from all the nerves and the adrenaline rush, and that's exactly why I like to perform, to get that wonderful feeling! I can't wait to continue on with the summer and see what each day will bring. It's so exciting now that everything is starting to come together and 8/8/08 keeps getting closer on the calendar.

Don't miss out on seeing this show, it's going to be fantastic! Thanks to everyone working hard on-stage and off. I'm so thankful to be able to spend my days at YES Company with all these amazing people who support and love everyone within a 10-feet distance of them. Can't wait to see what the summer will bring! Oh, and thanks for listening to me rant!

Emily Kay S

:)

Hey y’all for those who don’t know me I’m Jordan or as others may recognize the tallest girl in YES this year! This is my first year in YES Company and it’s a shame that I didn’t hear about it earlier! Ok, so I am what’s called "a foster kid" and, well, in simple words I’m owned by the government and I don’t have a home or really, to be honest, parents!

But enough of that sappy stuff! Just recently, by recently I mean this weekend, I am moving out of this foster home to another. I have no idea where I am going, I just know that it will be relatively in this area due to my commitment to the production! I think without YES Company this transition would be a lot harder on me... but thanks to y’all I have finally found the home I’ve wanted my whole life and the family to go with it!

I know I probably sound like some sappy teenage girl but really in truth y’all are amazing people!!! I’ve gotten a lot of comments at YES about my bright, complimenting attitude and how I always seem to be smiling and happy. In truth I really am not always that way. The people that I have met here at YES bring that out in me. I never thought that I could meet such powerful, creative, artistic, don’t forget, optimistic people!!!! I honestly can say that just these three weeks I’ve been at YES I feel the power to love, give and feel more freely!!! The positive vibes at YES are unmistakable!!

Melanee.... I swear I never grew up with any sort of lovin’ mother or hugs on a daily basis but really honestly it is so nice to have Melanee be there. She is one of the most loving women I have ever met!!!!! BEST DIRECTOR EVER!!!!

Then Whitney, amazing talented, beautiful Whitney. I can honestly say even though I’ve known her for just a few weeks she is one of my best friends!!! She is amazing. She has a voice almost unrealistic, it is that good and she really is just so so sooooo easy to talk to!

Next, Taylor, my new age hippie. lol She is so very generous and loving. It’s great to have met her. I love her so much. She has so many of the same ideals as me and I love that!

Joseph the Lion, great Lion. Let me tell you we can have an intellectual talk and he'll make me laugh at the same time, he is just great!!!! I love it when he sings and does his dance to lol!!!

Dan the young one, although he is only thirteen, it is so crazy how mature and smart he is!!! He is such a very good guy, sweet as can be, and he always, almost always, has grapes, cucumbers and an occasional poptart for lunch!!

I wish I could name everyone that I have met because truly every one that I have met at YES are just extraordinary people. I didn’t know it was possible to be in one room with such talent, but there is. It’s mind throwing. Truly, thank you all for being so good to me!! I am so lucky to share this experience with y’all!!!!

Y’ALL ARE AMAZING !!!!!!!!!!!! ILY’all
-Jordan

I'm honestly not sure how to start this, so I'll just go with "Hi Ya'll." For those of you that didn't figure out who that was with in the first sentence. My name is Megan A. but many of you have come to know me as "the girl who's playing Miss Gultch" or "the girl who's afraid of dogs, heights, and small spaces" or maybe just "the girl who says "ya'll" an awful lot." Regardless, you've probably seen, talked to, or made fun of me at some point in the past three weeks. I'm 16, but I'll be 17 next week on the 18th so don't forget. I'm going to be starting my senior year at Davis High in the fall, and I won't lie; I'm scared out of my mind. Now that I've told you a little about who I am; I won't sit here and give you a recap of what we've done because frankly it'd be rather redundant and boring having me cover what Amber and Justin have already said. Plus we were all there, we know what happened. The odd part of all this is I've been putting off writing this blog for the very reason I wanted to write it in the first place. I'm terrified of what the people who read this will think of me.

You see I'm new to YES. This is my very first year and if I'm not cast next year, it could be my last. I went to the very last audition on a last minute change of mind; almost on accident. I went with my best friend last minute because frankly I had nothing better to do. Don't get me wrong, theater is my life and without it I am nothing, but I really didn't think being picked out of 300 people to be part of the cast was likely for me. I missed my first callback audition because I didn't get the email in time. and when I did go to my actual callback; it didn't seem like anything special seemed would come of it. So when the phone call came saying I'd been chosen to be a part of the cast and was asked to read for Miss Gultch and Aunt Em, you could have knocked me over with a feather. I wasn't even there the night that they told my mom I had gotten the part of Miss Gultch, and she kept it a secret until the week before the audition, so to say the whole experience of becoming part of the cast was just one surprise after another is an understatement.

The reason I've told you all that is because coming in completely new is insanely hard. I'm sure you've all been there before, but if you knew me; you'd know exactly how difficult it is for me. I was so scared that first day of rehearsal because I thought everyone would already have their friends and wouldn't accept me. I'm used to being the loud girl who loves being on stage, but when you put in a room of 100+ people who are the same way; I'll gladly crawl back into my shell and go sit in the corner. But I looked around that first week and was absolutely amazed. I couldn't believe, and still can't really grasp it, how open everyone was. Everyone wasn't afraid to be themselves, and people weren't afraid to make new friends. I quickly learned that my pre-judgment of what this summer was going to be like was dead wrong. People accepted me the minute I walked in the door. It's something I don't experience often coming from where I've been in my life. I'm not used to people smiling constantly and having people be there for me when I need them.

It still amazes me to be able to walk through that door in the morning and be greeted by hugs. The few times I've walked in, in tears, because I've got lost (which if you know me isn't all that hard) or just had a bad day, and just to have people, sometimes who I barely know, just give me a hug, is such an amazing thing to me. I've never experienced so much love and joy in one place at one time. And it's the middle of week three; so I can't even begin to imagine how much better it'll get from here.

So the point to all of this is to let those of you who feel or felt the same way I do know that you're not alone, and to thank everyone because you've already taught me so much. You've taught me that I don't have to be afraid to be who I am. That there are other people in this world who understand me and love theater as much as I do. That it really isn't that hard to make new friends. That just because I'm different doesn't mean people are going to hate me. Ya'll are inspirations to me and I can tell that this show will be amazing and will no doubt be something I'll remember for the rest of my life.

Coming to the conclusion of this blog; I'm putting all reservations I've had aside. I'm not going to hold back on who I am and I'm not going to be afraid to open up more and trust people. I don't like to think of this as a mistake or an accident, even though the turn of events that led me here aren't absolutely normal, because everything happens for a reason. But I suppose this is the best "accident" that's ever happened to me, and I am so excited for the rest of this journey. I now couldn't imagine spending my summer any other way.

So thank you, and here's to the best summer of my life.

-Megan A

July 7, 2008

Mini-Golf Tournament was a Huge Success!

Cast and Crew raised over $7,700!

THANKS TO ALL WHO DONATED!!!

INDIVIDUAL who raised the most money - Keaton C. ($350!)

TEAM who raised the most money - 'Pirates'

TEAM with most innovative costumes - 'Hillbillies'

TEAM with the nicest personality - 'Lifeguards'

INDIVIDUAL with best personality - Chloe S.

INDIVIDUAL with best sportsmanship - Anthony P.

INDIVIDUAL with craziest personality - Justin R.

INDIVIDUAL with most unique costume - Bianca P.

INDIVIDUAL with most holes-in-one - SheErica (6!)

BIG THANK YOU to Donors and Helpers:
Boomers!
Cindy H.
Gini M.
Yvette S.
Laura & Bruce S.
Erik & Marian P.
Susan B-W.
Angie A. - Jamba Juice
Julie H.
Honara R.
Kathy M.
Gail B.
Leticia S.
Aimee R.

July 5, 2008

Hello again I'm Justin F, writing my second WOZ (Wizard of Oz) rehearsal blog. Thanks for reading the first one, and here we go... well since I last wrote we have only done a couple things. We had our cast party at the estate of Bob and Marie Gallo and performed in the Modesto Forth of July parade.

Let's start with the party. On July third we had our cast party/float construction at the Gallo estate. The estate is amazingly nice and we were lucky to be out there. The crew had to be at VCHS (Valley Charter High School, our rehearsal site) at 7 and the cast at the Gallo estate at 2. So once everyone was there we sat down, Mel talked to us about the parade. We were then spilt into our performance groups, like flags, signs, fliers etc... anyway since my group doesn't perform (we hand out fliers) so we just sat around and made a lot of jokes about how nice you gotta be when handing them out and our strategy. Yes, you should have a strategy for handing out fliers, Lol, I know. That sounds really pointless but always go to elderly people and little kids. Just kidding. Everyone would take a flier from YES Co. So we then ran the parade on the Gallo's driveway with us handing out fake fliers. We even had people rejecting fake fliers!

So anyway we had our lunch. Subway, Whooo! So we ate, then a bunch of us got in the pool. There are some really good divers in YES and no one could beet Uriah's Triple Flip. (Uriah plays the Scarecrow) and of course Mr. Justin R. did some hilarious stuff (Justin is our Tin Man and you probably will hear more about him) like chicken fights and a 20 person train. He also tried standing up himself and other people by having them hold him up or him and a few other people holding the person up. I got some good video of him falling back into the pool...

Well the next morning I was at 10th and I streets in Modesto a little late but only my friends noticed. So for a half hour we did more talking. [I found out people like my blog yay! And Amber, yours is really good =) ] we took pictures in our groups and a whole cast one. We then got started and during that parade we worked hard. I was running up and down the area of our float getting more fliers, and I was singing while handing out fliers which was a big hit. I feel sorry for Megan though (Megan is our Ms. Gulch) because she encountered some really obnoxious guys, I won't quote what they said but it was rude. So when the parade over we who were striking the float hopped on and we rode the float across Modesto back to VCHS. On the way we started to get cars to honk, setting a YES Co record of 51 cars (don't ask how the first record started) And when we got to VCHS, Justin had us pull a prank on Chris (Chris also is the one who post these blogs for us.. thanks Chris) we had pretended to be asleep. Chris took it well and we took apart the float and organized the stuff in the VCHS basement.

One of the many things I love about YES is how we are like a big family, and I think it has to do with us spending so much time with the Company, and no one cares how you look, or what brand name you have on your shirt or if your insanely skinny or overweight. Honestly, I love YES Company. It's going to suck when it's over. What always in any performing thing I've done is once that last song ends it's over. Hundreds of hours of practicing, of blood sweat and tears is done, I'm curious to see how much I'm impacted because this productions is 10 times as big as any that I've done. I'm 13, and this is my first year in YES, but I feel like I've know everyone in the cast forever but it's only been 2 weeks. So as I'm getting all sentimental, I'm thinking how I should end blog number 2... I think i'll say something I said hundreds of times yesterday.. "Here's a flier, come see our show! Thank you..."

-Justin F

July 2, 2008

I guess I'll start out by noting that it's a strange thing to write a blog for the YES Company website, because you're not sure who will read it, (if anyone), who will care, and what people will think of it. I also have to wonder what the purpose of a blog like this is? Is it to record the events of a day, or to share your personal experience? I'm more of a feeler than a thinker, so I guess I'll take the latter. How do I start this? I guess I'll tell you who I am.

For those of you who don't know me, I'm Amber V. I'm 14 (15 in August!) and I'm going into my Sophomore year at Johansen. I've been a part of YES Company for just one year, but it's been a long and exciting one. I was a YES Ambassador and I helped with both Honk! Jr. and Disney's Aristocats Kids. Last year in Seussical I had an amazing experience, and so far, this year has measured up. I'm really excited for what's happened and what's to come. Yay!

I guess I'll start with the same thing we have: physical workouts. I really enjoy the workouts. Funnily enough, I get more demanding exercise during the summer than I do during the school year in my dance class. Yeah, it's difficult to do 30 push ups or hold our arms in the air forever and eternity, but it's all for the best. I really like going across the floor too. I'm a really expressive person, so the freestyle is my favorite part. It's funny for me to look back and remember that just a year ago I dreaded the freestyle section like Justin. But after going through a summer with YES Company, you learn not to care what the people around you think. Half of the people are thinking of what you think of them, and after all, those who mind don't matter.

The music this year for The Wizard of Oz is EXTREMELY challenging. Four women parts? I call that atrocious. I couldn't blame the people who were getting burnt out during music today. But when it's all learned and mushed together, I'm really impressed because it sounds great. I'm going to work really hard to retain, because I don't want to lose that. As one of the mezzo-sopranos said, "I don't want to get sucked into the Soprano vortex!" We have to work hard to stay in parts instead of fading into unison. That happened last year, and I really don't want it happening again.

Something that's new to me is auditioning for additional parts, like Jitterbug dancers and trees. Last year, Melanee just put us where she wanted us, and that was that. On one hand, it's nice because everyone gets an opportunity to try what they want to, but on the other hand, it's difficult to get let down when you want something badly. Sometimes with rejection you feel like you've failed yourself, and that can be really depressing. But it's almost our job as actors to get rejected and bounce back. Having little auditions that don't effect your participation in the entire project is good, because you learn to accept what the director wants without having to give up the entire production.

I'm also really psyched that there's a whole bunch of people I don't know this year. My goal was to know everyone's face and name by the Fourth of July. That's highly unlikely at this point. Ha. I'm also not hanging out with the same people I did last year, and I notice that we've all changed since last year. We were all close, and even though we still are, it's not the same with all these new faces and people around. But I certainly don't have a problem with it! Just another way to expand the database of people inside my head. I really love the variety of personalities and body types and ethnicities and backgrounds you experience in YES Company. Someone who's rich and drives a Mercedes could be sitting next to someone who's...not so rich, and has to find a way to get to VCHS every day. And none of us care! It's great to come together for a common cause and forget all the stupid catty things we care about at school, like how you dress or what music you listen to. Here, we wear green Emerald City clothing and we all listen to Emily sing about going over the rainbow. And we all fit somewhere.

Well, it's 10:53 at night, and I should really be getting to bed. The 3rd of July partaaayyy is tomorrow, and I can't wait! More blogging will soon come, I hope.

How do you end a blog? That's another thing I'm not sure of.....strange.

Toodles!
-Amber V.

I’m Justin and I am a member of YES Company cast for 2008 and I will give you insight into the rehearsals of The Wizard of Oz. Well we have a good cast but the expectations are high. Melanee is really having us work hard to meet and exceed those expectations (sorry, if you don't know Melanee is the director of YES Co and is a really good director). We are performing at the Gallo Center and Melanee keeps reminding us that she won't put any self-conscious teenagers on stage.

I’ll admit to being a little self-conscious, especially at dancing. I can't do improve or "freestyle" dancing but give me choreography and I can really show you something. Anyway, Melanee has us doing 2 hour work outs everyday. Betsy, one of Melanee’s assistants, leads us. We do a ton of stretches, and ab and core work. We do at least 60 curl-ups in different forms and we do leg-lifts, push-ups and assorted isolation techniques. But, dancer push-ups are the worst we do. See, you do a push-up then stay down and lift up your back to as close of a right angle as you can get. After an hour we get into group lines. The first day of rehearsal Melanee assigned us into one of the 10 groups of 10. My group is pretty good but when we have to do group skits to teach acting skills we sometimes split. With half of us wanting to do something complicated and funny, while the other half wants to do something simple… and half the time we side with either half. I think it's because we are group number 5 which is halfway between one and ten.

Anyway we do stage walking and dancing stuff. Which brings me back to the self-conscious thing: I have found a way to not do freestyle; I hate to admit it, I go take a long drink of water. So after the walks we do relaxation and cool-down stuff. The relaxation is almost like meditating with the way Melanee has us visualize things. After that it is lunch, which a group of us gets a game of football or basketball going.

After lunch [on the first day] we did 3 different things: we read the script, did team-building activities, and worked on our music. Most recently, we did focus activities lead by Chris (Chris is the production planner [for YES Co]) then we have done part auditions or 4th of July prep. I auditioned for Zeke but sadly I didn’t get the part but it's okay.

Every year the whole cast and crew makes a float and signs and walk the Modesto parade. Some cast members do things with flags, inflated stars, or beach-balls. I am part of the group that hands out fliers for the show. We have to be almost scarily pleasant, even if people are rude.

Well, thank you for reading part one of what hopefully is many blogs.

-Justin F

Hi everyone! I just want to let you know that I am alive over here in England. Everything has been great so far. The weather is awesome. I have seen so much and have seen some great places. I can't believe some of the places that I have sung in! I still can't wrap my mind around how old everything is. The color of the plants here are so different then California. The colors seems to just jump at you. I hope that my pictures do them justice. I wish I could stay here for ever. I just love the life style and way things move over here. London so far has been my favorite city. I just love it. I even kind of mastered the tube! I hope the first week of YES is going well and that everything has been okay! I really cant wait to see everyone again (okay so maybe I am a little homesick). See you guys soon, Tom V.

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