Another Perspective

Our new piano player. At the second practice we got to run through the Christmas Carols!

How does it feel photographing this Hegeler Carus Adventure?

Good question.

Right now, it feels fun.

I was excited when Sharon first proposed the idea of becoming Mr. and Ms. Ferris a few weeks ago. I think I can say with certainty much more excited than Matt. No one has ever asked me to be in a play before. Now, I think Matt and I are equally excited. I'm going to say the only thing that distinguishes our mutual excitement is I can't and have no need to grow a mustache.

The first practice, for me, involved a lot of listening and not many photos. I didn't feel like it was appropriate. Being a character afforded me an excuse to keep my camera slung over my shoulder rather than in front of my face. And even though including us in photos was now OK, I had to figure out how to do it. I still am figuring out how to include myself in photos appropriately. And figuring out how to shoot opening night while acting will be another challenge. Suggestions? I'm looking into remote cameras.

Another surprise was the lighting. I was warned that the lighting was less than impressive, so I brought my flash and a bulky battery pack that makes me feel like a Ghostbuster into practice. I didn't need it though. I found out that at a high ISO (film speed), low shutter speed and F2.8 I could make some rather appealing pictures with the ambient light. I don't have to do much in way of composition to make a mansion look beautiful though. Check out this picture from practice two:

Here Chad speaks with another actress as Dr. Paul Carus on the stairwell.

At the end of the first practice I got my dress, which I am a little worried about but soon you'll get to see some photos of myself and fellow NewsTribber Lindsay Vaughn making me look good...more to come on that...

Second practice, way more comfortable. Perhaps it was being able to bum around the mansion when we took our introduction portrait above that made me feel more at home in Hegeler Carus. I took a great deal more photos, but I already wrote a ton so here's just a few below:

Before I go, I have one more point to touch on...Matt already cued you to his lack in ability where singing is concerned, but I feel the need to add, 'Matt really can't sing.' It is the most earnestly awful odd sound, ever. It is like when someone jams their finger in your belly button, you want to puke and laugh at the same time. Take your place near him during our singing numbers, priceless.
-Amanda

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

It would appear my shortcomings know no bounds. As I've already written, I have almost no acting experience. My singing skills are even worse, as was evident during our second practice last night, in which we began working on the Christmas carols that bridge the small scenes that make up the show.

You know how whenever a new hot singer is becoming famous an article will almost certainly pop up, noting the fact the singer honed their craft in their hometown church choir? Well, when it came to singing in church, my main focus was trying to make my mom giggle at my wild octave swings and general tone-deafness as our family stood in the mother's chapel of St. Val's on occasional Sunday mornings. My talents never really progressed from there. To go further, my top vocal role models are Will Ferrell impersonating Robert Goulet during his days on Saturday Night Live and Don Knotts in that episode of the Andy Griffith Show where they turn off Barney's mic and have another guy sing his parts.

The real singers in the cast were busy discussing how to

translate Christmas carols into German during the 2nd practice.

Before the night began, Amanda seemed to doubt my claims that I couldn't sing. Afterwards, she was near-speechless over how accurate I had been.
Luckily for all those who will attend the show, there are others with wonderful voices that easily drown out my warbling.
Otherwise, the show is moving along nicely. A few characters have had to be erased as actors dropped out, but they've been replaced. The overall flow of the show is solidifying, as well.

Keep checking for new posts and more photos and have a happy Thanksgiving!

Ferris Wheels we know, tires are another issue

If learning the history of George Ferris and the Hegeler family wasn't enough, we had to deal with car problems, too. We were driving through Ottawa on our way to Mr. Penguin to get fitted for the tuxedo I'll be wearing in the show when we noticed a strange noise coming from outside the car. It turns out I had a flat tire. Amanda was kind enough to photograph the process of me using the pathetic excuse for a jack that comes equipped in 2002 Chevy Cavaliers. In case the photos don't tell the full story, it was frustratingly breezy and my knuckles still bear the cuts and scrapes from rubbing against the concrete of the parking lot.



Removing the flat and replacing it with a "donut" ended up taking longer than the fitting, which was over within minutes of entering the store. Still, the day wasn't a total wash. Our tuxes will have tails -an all new experience for me.


Amanda has also picked up her dress for the show, but I'll let her explain that process later.

One Practice Down, Three to Go

We survived our first weekly practice last Tuesday. Only three to go.
Walking into the Hegeler Carus Mansion, Amanda and I found the main hallway lined with nearly 30 chairs, each one representing one of the players in the show. As our fellow actors filled the space, the feeling was both overwhelming and comforting. When we were first asked to take part, I pictured about a dozen people taking part in the show. Being surrounded by others who have spent years acting, even if only at the local level, had me thinking we were in over our head, since the limit of my acting credentials are a few small parts in junior high plays and Amanda even less.
Nonetheless, knowing there were enough people in the program that two journalists could easily disappear into the background helped buck my overall confidence. Rehearsal number 2 is tonight. Check in later for stories on costumes and car problems.

Reinventing the Ferris Wheel

I am becoming a man. And not in any of the ways you might expect. This isn’t a coming-of-age story. There will be no surgical operations involved. I am not required to read the haftarah aloud. But, I am becoming a man. Not just any man, mind you; the man who invented the Ferris Wheel –George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr.

Born Feb. 1, 1859. Died Nov. 22, 1896. At age 34, Ferris invented his namesake observatory wheel for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, aka the Columbian Exposition, aka the White City. He was also a man, like many of his day, who proudly wore a moustache.

I, on the other hand, was born in 1982 and have never engineered or invented anything besides a pretty excellent piñata costume for Halloween. My moustache-growing abilities are also suspect. Yet, become George Ferris I must.

It’s all in the name of “A Hegeler Carus Christmas: 1893.” I, along with NewsTribune photographer Amanda Whitlock, recently agreed to take part in this year’s Hegeler Carus Mansion Christmas play. The interactive production allows guests to become part of a fictional Christmas party starring the Hegeler and Carus families, circa 1893, along with a variety of celebrity guests from the Columbian Exposition. We are two of the celebrity guests.

Over the course of the next three weeks, Amanda and I will be blogging the experience of becoming Ferris and his wife, Margaret Ann Ferris. Continue to check in for updates and dynamic photos of the process, as well as other interesting tidbits regarding the historic Illinois Valley family and 1893 World’s Fair.