Greetings, Citizens of Otherbookistan!

Workshops start Saturday, November 7th. The exact location of the school in Pacifica where the first two weeks will be held is noted in Cat’s missives. Unless you have a pressing reason and cannot attend (and we would like to know that in advance, if possible), we ask that all Otherbookistanis attend the morning meeting, which will be chock-full of usefulness and good humour, and plan on staying until the end of the day.

We will be meeting and rehearsing every day after workshops. Please consider these meetings to be mandatory unless extraordinary circumstances prohibit your attendance. We are an ensemble cast and our flexibility and dramatic effectiveness depend on our knowing and trusting each other as much as possible. Our rehearsal time is limited. The purpose of rehearsals are to help us forge that tight-knit dynamic that is so important to the kind of theatre that we do. The more we work together the better our joint and individual performances will be.

We have had several exciting shifts and additions in the cast and we hope to have a revised cast list out soon. Among other things, we have added "Bleak House" to our canon - a move which has stirred much approval among our ranks and the management. It's chock full of fantastic characters which we hope will attract even more talent to our cast.

Always remember that our job is to interact and to entertain and to keep the Dickens in Dickens Fair. We are there to portray the vast array of vivid characters that sprang from Daddy's fevered brain and bring them to life for our patrons. We will attempt, in our limited rehearsal time, to equip you with the skills necessary to make it happen, but it all depends upon your enthusiastic participation. If you are receiving your gate pass through our group, we will be your primary responsibility and we ask that you decline to take on any other activities at the fair which will significantly reduce the time you spend with us.

Please keep your directors in the loop. If you're having problems with your character or other difficulties related to the show, or if outside life is intruding into your performance time or energy, please! let us know. Communication is the key.

A note about notes - as your directors we give them. If you have a concern or suggestion regarding another actor's performance, bring it to us, not directly to the actor. If someone from outside the cast gives you a note, please let us know. Unless - of course - that person is Daddy or Cat. And do be courteous if somebody from another group meddles with you - avoid conflicts and bring any serious matters to us so we can resolve things.

A word about recruitment - we all work hard and have a really good time doing it, so it is natural to want to draw our friends into the fold. If you think you have a potential recruit, let us know, and let us talk to the person. They may not find our kind of theatre to their taste or may wish to do something else at Fair.

The weekend of Dress Rehearsal is when we build the compound. We will need, pop-ups, drapage, rope, lights, mirrors, seating and all the other little touches that make Otherbookistan our home. However! let's treat the Cow Palace like the Playa - if you pack it in, pack it out. Leave no trace behind.

Also, since our beloved Papa Glen (Ralph Nickleby) will only be with us briefly at the beginning of the run, we will need to think about water and medical supplies. We can discuss these issues in the course of our rehearsal/planning process.

Hail Otherbookistan!