From Mr. Ewing. Please read all of it! We’ll start out in the chorus room and then move out from there.

Thank you!!

WELCOME TO SPAMALOT!!
I will begin rehearsals for Spamalot on Monday, August 4. We will work Monday through Friday from 2:00 to 6:00, and Monday 8/11 from 1:00 to 5:00. For now, plan to be there every day if possible. This may change as the week progresses as I begin to think about the casting for certain numbers. If you have a conflict for next week, please let me know (I already know about Annie, Graham, and Chase).
I will be setting the show from the original Broadway cast recording (concerning tempi), so you should probably purchase this if you haven’t already. Some parts of the recording are different from your score; your score is the official version. To provide an example of what I mean, listen to the Fish Schlapping song on the recording and compare it to your score. You will see that the dance break is in a different place. I will use the tempo of the song from the recording, but the dance break will be placed according to the score version. There are numerous examples of this throughout the show.
There are many people in the cast I do not know. I will need to see everyone move before I start casting. Unlike Drood, this show is filled with smaller specialty numbers that will be cast with a smaller number of performers. Only two numbers use the full cast- Knights of the Round Table and the Finale. Everything else will be cast with maybe a dozen performers or fewer. We will work this out as we move forward. Two groups are of special concern to me at the outset. I need tap dancers (male and female) and showgirls. Both groups will need more rehearsing, so if you are not committed to being considered for casting, let me know. If I could find 6-8 tappers and 4 showgirls, I would be very happy. We will all work on learning to tap next week, however, so be ready for that.
Which brings me to SHOES!! As I tried to explain last year, footwear is a very important consideration when dancing. Girls, please wear your character shoes for every dance rehearsal. I could explain why, but don’t want to take the time… so just do it. If you don’t have character shoes, wait until after the first rehearsal before trying to buy some. You need to get a certain style. If you do not have character shoes, please wear a shoe with a heel (which can be 1” or 2”). Ladies also bring a pair of the ridiculously high-heeled shoes you wear to something like prom- not a platform, more like a stiletto, if you have them. Boys will need to wear a hard-soled laced shoe with a heel; a shoe that makes noise against the floor. Don’t dash out and buy something if you don’t have a pair, just bring the noisiest pair you have. If cast as a tapper, please know that you will need to buy a pair of tap shoes. We will discuss this when it becomes important.
Wear comfortable clothing that you can sweat in because we will start working right away. See you next week!