Sunday, June 22, 2008

Raven and the Gospel

Saturday June 21 2008

This is it, the night of the Gospel at Colonus show.

The Raven is pretty excited about it.

The seats are filling up.

Time to get to work. The Raven was too busy to take pix during the show, and even though it was the Raven's first time to see the Gospel show, it was the Best Ever show, and it won't be his last.

Countdown to Gospel

Thursday-Friday June 19-20 2008

Ron the sound designer for Gospel at Colonus loves the Raven (as does everybody).

Nice big cactus outside the theatre.

The Raven tests the wireless microphones on stage.

There's lots of cables to plug in.

It's punishingly, staggeringly hot in the theatre during the day, but the work must go on.

The Raven has his official Herodus Atticus theatre pass.


We have our only dress rehearsal and tech run-through on stage at night - we rehearse until 3:30 AM. Tomorrow night, 9 PM, is show time!

Gospel Techie

Wednesday June 18 2008

The Raven is busy, getting the lay of the stage in the Herodus Atticus Theatre and helping set up the sound gear for the show.

The ancient urn up stage right is a particularly interesting perch.

This is the Bird's Eye View (no pun intended) of where the sound mixer (me) sits and from where the Raven will watch and supervise the sound mixing.

The Raven helps Andreas set microphone levels.


The lighting on the natural stone arches of the theatre is pretty stunning.
(Well, the whole thing - just being here to do the show - is pretty stunning).

The Raven joins the cast on stage for rehearsals.

And oh lordy, can these people sing! Twenty-plus members of Harlem's Abyssinian Baptist Church Choir , the Soul Stirrers of Chicago, some of the Blind Boys of Alabama, the Steele family from Minneapolis, and a number of other solo singers... it's going to be one helluva show!

And So It Begins...

Tuesday June 17 2008

We have all arrived... we gather for our first tech meeting and try to figure out schedules for the theatre and rehearsal hall beginning tomorrow.

The Raven is present at the production meeting.

We go out for a nice dinner, on a very mild, pleasant evening in Athens; two musicians - on guitar and banjo - play quiet perfect Mediterranean music in the background; the Greek salad and fried feta is to die for.

We get nice night views of the Acropolis on the walk back to our hotel.

The Raven in Athens



Monday June 16 2008

The Raven has come to Athens for the Gospel at Colonus! We're putting on one show (only one!!) in the Herodus Atticus Theatre, built 161 AD, beneath the Acropolis. Fitting or what - this play is a black gospel version of Sophocles' tragedy, Oedipus at Colonus, that premiered 2408 years ago in the Theatre of Dionysos 2408 - the ruins of which are 100 yards away. Sophocles was in the chorus.







We are a day early; the rest of the tech crew doesn't arrive till tomorrow. So, we have time for a cappuchino in Athens - something we won't have time for in the busy next few days! The long hours begin tomorrow. Show is Saturday night.


Sweden to Denmark to...



Saturday June 14 2008

A busy travelling Raven ...

from a weekend at a Swedish endurance ride, to Copenhagen...






(he liked the Bird statue)

...and onward toward Athens and The Gospel at Colonus!

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Back in Europe



June 8 2008

The Raven is on the road again, back in Europe.

Right now he's staying with his old friends in Holland, the Lamsmas, where he helped with the Dutch Endurance Championships, helped celebrate Eric's birthday, and enjoyed walks along a canal by the house.

This trip is a mixed bag of work: covering more endurance rides, maybe squeezing in a fun ride or two, and, assisting me with sound engineering for the Gospel at Colonus play/musical we are putting on for one night, underneath the Acropolis in Athens. It's the story of Oedipus - a classical Greek tragedy - as told in a black church - and under the Acropolis! - how wild is that!

The Raven has never seen the show, and he's never been to Greece, so he can't wait.

But that's in two weekends. Meanwhile, the Raven is off to Sweden tomorrow to cover an endurance ride - Sweden! Another new country for him, and hopefully one where he can ride a horse!

Owyhee Fandango



May 31 2008

The Raven got to ride 2 of the 3 days of the Owyhee Fandango endurance ride - both days on his pal Raffiq.

Add another 100 miles to the Raven's 3000+ mile endurance career!

On the last day he won a raffle drawing for a fleece pad. It's supposed to go underneath a saddle on a horse, but it is SO soft and fuzzy, that the Raven is keeping it for himself!