The Wiz at CMU: Ease On Down the Road!

Update: Week Two: Saturday, January 24, 2015

More colored pencil sketches of the cast in rehearsal for The Wiz at Carnegie-Mellon University School of Drama. A daylong rehearsal was followed by two performances of Dance Light, in which several cast members also participated. How do they do it?

Johari Mackey, Amanda Jerry, Erika Olson, Harron Atkins, Erron Crawford, Philippe Arroyo, Jean Floradin, Alexis Floyd.

Reading the scene where they meet The Wiz: Alexis Floyd, Tomé Cousin, Terrence Mosley, Jean Floradin as the Lion, Erron Crawford, Harron Atkins.

Annie Yokom as Dorothy, Harron Atkins as the Tin Man, Erron Crawford in the Wiz cload, Alexis Floyd as Dorothy.

Kelsey Tarantino as a denizen of the Emerald City, Ethan Crystal, Harron Atkins, Alexis Floyd.

Abby Botnik in the Emerald City; Josh Grosso and Amanda Jerry; Kelsey Tarantino.

Johari Mackey as Mama; Adam Stern-Rand.

Philippe Arroyo and Alexis Floyd during notes; munchkin Johari Mackey riding a tricycle.

White and yellow are getting pretty boring as the only highlighting colors in my set, so I bought a slew of light colored pencils (light pinks, tans, greens, blues, greys) to try out in two weeks on the tan paper--I can't wait!

Week One: Saturday, January 17, 2015

Multi-talented Tomé Cousin has invited me to sit in on and sketch the rehearsals for his latest production, this time The Wiz at Carnegie-Mellon University (following M33 and The Producers at neighboring Point Park University in 2012), and the talent becomes more stratospheric with each new show. Most of the cast members are seniors in the School of Drama (last names will be made available as they are released to the media!). Here are my color-pencils sketches on tan paper from Saturday, January 17, 2015.

Warm up sketch of ensemble.

Alexis Floyd as Dorothy and Philippe Arroyo as The Scarecrow meeting for the first time in Act I.

Gestures of Philippe Arroyo as the very limber Scarecrow.

The Crows (Ethan Crystal, Kelsey Tarantino, and Erika Olson) as Alexis Floyd takes a breather.

More Philippe Arroyo.

Stereo Dorothies: Annie Yokom and Alexis Floyd.

Philippe Arroyo with Kelsey Tarantino and Dorothy's dress.

Annie as Dorothy dances with Philippe as The Scarecrow; Crows Ethan Crystal and Erika Olson flapping their wings.

Philippe Arroyo and a dollish Ragedy Annie Yokom as Dorothy.

Alexis Floyd and dance partner Avery Smith.

Annie Yokom and Alexis Floyd without their Dorothy dresses, as Tomé Cousin observes.

Fairly nice likenesses of Annie Yokom and Alexis Floyd; Alexis dances with Addaperl (Joell Weil).

See also sketches of Shakespeare in the Park 2013: "Romeo Banish-ed" and "The Colors of Shakespeare"