Directors Note by Chuck and Megan Marra

Life with Father is a classic, no doubt about that. And being a classic, it has been often imitated or riffed upon. The original story takes place in 1886. Long before Ricky scolded Lucy for spending too much, Clarence Day was scolding Vinnie, his wife, about spending money. The play brings up family questions about how to manage finances, what’s important to one person is not always important to the other, issues about role model versus reality, and how much pressure fathers, even to this day, are under to be a paragon of virtue, nearly a statue of steadfastness, answers and discipline.

The problem in living a perfect American life is that if you are successful in doing that, the generation you will raise will want to re-define it. And perhaps that is the greatest and hardest element of living in America and thus what is explored in this classic American play and what, perhaps, has kept it alive for decades after being imitated and riffed up and in some ways, just plain copied.

This play, that has had it’s best moments repeated over and over on every family sitcom in television history was so much fun to work on, because it made us all examine how timeless it is. To illustrate that, we set it in the 1950’s, but it could have easily been set in every decade since. But the fifties was a decade of hope and optimism a civilization moving forward unchained, in the face of traditions that brought us to that optimism. What was, was juxtaposed against what could be.

Producers Note by Steve Wallace

Rim Drama in collaboration with Lake Arrowhead Repertory Theatre has successfully met all the challenges of creating unique performances out of classic broadway hits. One theme from “Life with Father” that still holds true, is that hard work and dedication is essential for success. Hard work and dedication is exactly what many of the students involved with this project have demonstrated masterfully. The knowledge and experience gained by these students will set them apart from all the competition in future endeavors. The direction Rim Drama is heading is one of exciting new adventures and many amazing shows to come.

REMEMBER:

There is no future
There is no past
Thank God this moment's not the last

There's only us
There's only this
Forget regret or
Life is yours to miss
No other road no other way
No day but today

There's only now
There's only here
Give in to love
Or live in fear

No other path
No other way
NO DAY BUT TODAY!!

--from "Rent"

On your Opening...

Dear Rim Drama,


Congratulations and good show! I know you will have a fantastic opening night. I have been bombarded by several requests in the past few days for encouragement, guidance, and inspiration, so here goes…
I know that there have been a lot of changes this year, but one thing has not changed, and that is you, and that is the only thing that matters. I know that there is a lot of fear in your company right now, and I understand where the fear is coming from, but, as you know, you cannot have your fear AND have your show. Make a choice. What are you willing to let go of? I am so excited for you, and I hope that you will let yourself have both the joy and the sadness of this production. I hope you will realize that this program was NEVER about me and ALWAYS about each one of you, and the passion you bring, and the hard work you do, and the Courage and the Beauty and the Trust. That’s right: Do your values. There is very little else I can say!
You have earned this, and I know I always say that, but this time it really is true. You have earned every moment. So enjoy it! Take care of your company. Do your work. Believe in yourselves. Trust each other. One person can’t do a whole lot. A Company is strong. A Company can do anything. A Company is forever.
I miss you terribly, and I am sorry I will not be there to see your great work. I will be thinking of you all this evening and through the weekend, and I can’t wait to hear the reviews. Remember: Work is Love made Visible. Love is Letting Go of Fear. Now go and do your show. Have fun! I am very, very proud of you, and of the beautiful, trusting, and courageous people you are becoming. Break a leg!
You are in my heart forever,

Joel Smith

New Website (Maybe)

After a summer of breaking, losing, fixing, re-breaking, and (finally, HOPEFULLY) re-fixing the various parts and puzzles of the web site, I think we are back up and running. This is not the best I can do, but it is the best I can do RIGHT NOW! Some of you alumni have graciously offered to help with the reconstruction efforts, and I thank you for your continued support. Hopefully, this will be the last major reboot of the site, and we can continue sharing like we have in the past.

Technology: the breakfast of champions...

Theatrical Make-Up

Those of you in the cast may want to pick up a personal makeup kit for the show. Stage makeup is not the same as regular makeup, which won't work for a live production.

Head down to Fun Corner in San Bernardino (Baseline and E, I think) and tell them you are doing a play at Rim. They will help you find the right shade for your skin tone, and they'll give you a discount if you say you're in a school show. (They will try to sell you enough makeup to disguise the French army, but all you need is a personal kit--the Ben Nye brand is the best, and will cost you around $16.00) If you plan on doing a few shows here, or working in the summer, it's a good thing to have. If you don't get a kit, that's OK, too--we have some makeup you can use.

(Note: Sharing lunch is nice. Sharing makeup is really, really bad. Get your own, or see me about how to be safe and un-icky with stage makeup.)

CAST HEADSHOTS

In cooperation with the Advanced Photography class, we will be doing headshots of all cast members. Your photographer has already been assigned to you, and will contact you this week. If you do not hear from someone by Friday, please see Mr. Smith.

The following people need to see Ms. Baker (photo teacher) this week to arrange studio time:
Tom Snider
Sara Schallberger
Samantha Fox
Jenna McDonough
Courtney Hearne
Joe Kintzer
Brandi Douglas
Madeline Goodwin
Ananda Foerch (see Mr. Smith first)
Troy Iwata
Kyle McNeill
Daniel Lopez
Alex Hunt

Cool, huh?

SEE'S CANDY FUNDRAISER

Remember: All See's Candy orders and money are due this Thursday! No exceptions! We need to put in the order Thursday to ensure delivery by Valentine's Day. An absence from school does not extend your deadline!! Thanks for your help with this.