More Sound Clips Added

The sound clips in the Multimedia page were down for a few days. The audio player is working again and additional songs from "All's Fair in Love" have been added for your listening pleasure. Check out the Sound Clips now.

Public Appearances

December 1, 2009 - Evening of the Music of "All's Fair in Love"
February 7, 2010 - Full Staged Production of "All's Fair in Love"
April 10, 2010 - Additional Staged Production of "All's Fair in Love"
May 12, 2010 - Television Appearance on "My Long Island TV" on FIOS1, interviews with the cast and video and audio clips from the final rehearsal

*All public presentations so far have been held at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University.
*Click on the dates for the respective flyer or video for the event.

Dinner at the Johnsons

Mr. and Mrs. George Johnson and their two children are not the only four who can follow classic family recipes. They and members of the Greenvale community prepared dishes for a potluck dinner in support of outreach programs to benefit the Long Island area. Below was the menu for the January 4th All's Fair in Love Cast bonding event, all cooked and conceived by the University Cast members:

Appetizer:
Split Pea Soup

Entree:
Bean, Vegetable, and Pasta Salad
Chicken
Penne a la Vodka
Bok Choy Salad with country noodles and Teriyaki sauce, served cold
Spanish Rice

Dessert:
Apple Crisp Pie

Matinee Performance a Success

The matinee performance of "All's Fair in Love" was very successful. Christopher and the C.W. Post Music Department offer their thanks for your continued support of collaborative productions such as this. The musical is one step closer to hitting Broadway!

There are no additional show dates scheduled as of this time. New venues will be announced as they come up. If you would like to bring "All's Fair in Love" to a stage near you and you are in the Long Island or New York area, leave a comment below.

Cast to Be Featured on MyLITV

The cast of "All's Fair in Love" will be giving a behind the scenes look at the making of the original Long Island musical on an upcoming episode of My Long Island TV on FIOS1 in New York!

March Cast Rehearsal

After a hiatus, the cast reunited with director Christopher Hopkins to prepare "All's Fair in Love" for its second run. The cast members worked out changes in the blocking and scenery in the new space of C.W. Post's Hillwood Cinema. The dialogue was delivered very well and works well in the intimate space. The cast will meet before the dress rehearsal to coordinate props and staging. The university observes Spring Break from March 29th to April 2nd, so the university cast will not have any rehearsals in the theater during that time.

The pit orchestra will be getting together to prepare for the April 10th performance. The location of the orchestra in the Hillwood Cinema is to be determined. The production welcomes Alessandra Holmes on violin for the upcoming performance!

Full Production Update

The full production of "All's Fair in Love" was met with a positive reception last night. Audience members commented on how much they enjoyed the music as well as the individual characters. The production team wishes to thank the Music Department of C.W. Post for their cooperation and support of this special event on Long Island. Negotiations are under way for upcoming events featuring the cast of "All's Fair in Love."

Rehearsal Before Full Production

On Friday, February 5th, the cast and pit had rehearsals to prepare for Sunday's production. The cast got together and rehearsed on multiple days during the week to improve their interaction and delivery of dialogue. They ran through the entire show, including the songs. The rehearsal went very well and the cast is ready for Sunday.

The pit rehearsal went very well as well. All the musicians were in attendance. Much like Cast Album Day last year, the pit recorded the musical's songs with the cast. The pit and cast performed the songs very well. The pit played through the entire show in succession with no problem. Christopher handed each player a list of the show's songs in order including scene change music and bow music. The pit is ready for Sunday.

All the cast and crew will meet next Sunday before the show. Hope to see you there.

Dress Rehearsal #2

The cast and pit of "All's Fair in Love" had the final dress rehearsal on Friday, January 29th. They ran through the entire production with music, dialogue, and sound. Some of the instrumentalists were not in attendance due to school obligations. The rehearsal was important in determining the balance of the singers with the orchestra as well as plotting the amount of vamp within the songs. The cast also moved around set pieces and made use of the show's props. More attention will be given before the showdate to scene changes and stage setup.

"All's Fair in Love" announces the addition of chorus members Britlin Losee and Nick Carbuto to the production. Mr. Hopkins directed them in the extent of their numerous roles.

January 24th Update

The full production of "All's Fair in Love" opens at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University in 14 days! Here is what has happened recently:

Christopher has held two rehearsals for the pit orchestra. The eleven member ensemble received their parts on Friday, January 15th at the first rehearsal. During the second rehearsal, held on Friday, January 22nd, cast members attended to run their solo, duet, and ensemble numbers with the orchestra and also to coordinate timing within the music and the dialogue. The pit orchestra will meet next at the upcoming dress rehearsal in the Hillwood Recital Hall on Friday, January 29th.

The cast used their latest group rehearsal to solidify the memorization of dialogue and to improve the timing and delivery of their lines. Cast members continued to provide props and set pieces for the show. Flyers have been distributed and will appear in many towns on Long Island. The cast is preparing for the second dress rehearsal where they and the pit orchestra will work together in the theater space to run the entire show straight through with lighting and sound.

The production team of "All's Fair in Love" thanks Ms. Lisa Meyer and Ms. Barbara Fusco for contributing items from their businesses for display in the production.

Dress Rehearsal #1

The cast had a dress rehearsal for "All's Fair in Love" last Tuesday. Christopher blocked the entirety of Act II with them, finishing the staging for the entire show. The sound and light technicians were present at this rehearsal. New additions to the production included microphones, stage lighting, props, and set pieces. The actors worked with these additions and will continue to get comfortable with the stage arrangement and acoustics. The rehearsal was held in the Hillwood Recital Hall where the production will take place.

The cast is working on solidifying the memorization of the script and will be attending the upcoming pit orchestra rehearsals to work with the instrumentalists on their songs.

The props have been stored on the premises. Christopher and the cast were successful in obtaining the necessary props for the production.

There are 16 days until "All's Fair in Love" premieres at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University!

Master's Thesis Completed

Today marks the official date that the thesis component of the original musical "All's Fair in Love" is finished and accepted by the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University. With its approval by the university, Christopher Hopkins now holds a Master of Arts degree in Music Theory and Composition.

Group Project

On Monday, January 4, Christopher and the cast of "All's Fair in Love" met to enjoy a potluck dinner, play games, and make footage for an upcoming video promotion relating to the musical. Ms. Montalto hosted the event and all in attendance brought a specialty dish to create a family dinner. During the dinner, the cast assumed the roles of their characters, and the interactions that followed were filmed with the video equipment contributed by Ms. Nyman. Christopher and the cast watched the footage and commented on their favorite moments. The games that they played were Jenga and UNO. The event was a great way for everyone to bond and to experiment with their characters before the final dress rehearsals.

Visit back for the upcoming video promotion for "All's Fair in Love," found on this website.

Group Rehearsal #7

The cast got a chance to block Act I on the stage of the Hillwood Recital Hall on Friday, December 18th. All cast members were in attendance. During the rehearsal time, they blocked the entirety of Act I. Christopher designated prop duties to the cast members, and he discussed set designs and the upcoming movie trailer filming with them. The cast members advised Christopher in stage direction and movement.

There will not be any rehearsals over the holidays. Christopher has set the date for the entire musical to be off-book on Tuesday, January 19th.

The pit orchestra will rehearse with Christopher in mid-January. Pit members have been contacted about this important rehearsal. Parts will be given out and discussed, in addition to dialogue cues and scene change music sections.

Group Rehearsal #6

At the most recent group rehearsal, the cast began blocking Act I. Two cast members were not in attendance. Christopher discussed preparations for February's performance with the cast. The cast received revisions to the script. Set design diagrams were available to the cast to alleviate blocking. Christopher found a location for the filming of the official trailer and made arrangements with the cast. The cast got a useful holiday gift from Christopher to enhance their skills for the musical.

At the next group rehearsal, the cast will continue blocking the available scenes as well as receive informational materials for the All's Fair in Love booster program.

Christopher has almost completed the full score for the pit orchestra of "All's Fair in Love." Pit members will receive their parts by the end of the upcoming week.

Group Rehearsal #5

Yesterday, the cast read through the entire script together. Two of the cast members were upstate for a Music Conference. The cast was pleased with the script. A props list was made based on the current script. The cast contributed their ideas for the February 7th full production evening. Christopher commended them on their stellar Preview Night performance. The cast was notified of the upcoming rehearsals for December and the two dress rehearsals in the Hillwood Recital Hall in January. The cast offered their edits and suggestions to Christopher, and they highlighted their lines in the current script.

During next Friday's rehearsal, the cast will receive the updates to the script and will begin blocking Act I.

What a Success!

Preview Night for "All's Fair in Love" was a great success! Those special guests in attendance were very impressed with the song stylings of the performers and the rich melodies of the music. Special thanks goes to the following people: Lisa Meyer, Prof. Stephanie Watt, Prof. Barbara Fusco, Prof. John Meschi, and Prof. Carl Strommen. Their support and the support of the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University made such a unique and enriching presentation possible.

The next performance of "All's Fair in Love" will be a full production, featuring the premiere of the script, the orchestral score, and staged dialogue. That will take place on Sunday, February 7, 2010 at 6 pm in the Hillwood Recital Hall of the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University. The production features the original university cast. More information to come.

Rehearsal #4 Report

Last Friday's rehearsal consisted of blocking the major ensemble numbers and cleaning up the blocking and the timing on the solo and duet numbers. Last week, the cast met individually with Christopher and experimented with their character movement in relation to the music and the lyrics. All the songs of the musical are blocked for the December 1st Preview Night.

The cast submitted their bios for inclusion in the program, which is going to the copiers.

Select photos from the "All's Fair in Love" Photo Day will be displayed in the Great Hall lobby on December 1st.

Since C.W. Post is closed for the Thanksgiving Break, there will not be a group rehearsal this Friday. The next rehearsal for the production is the DRESS REHEARSAL on Monday, November 30th from 7 to 11 pm in the Great Hall.

The script for the February 7th full production of "All's Fair in Love" is almost complete!

Photo Day Report

Photo Day was a great success, despite the rainy weather! Thanks to the fine photography by Mr. Nick Errico and the superb makeup design by Ms. Rachel Cruz which greatly enhanced the quality of the headshots, body shots, and group shots. The photos will be used as publicity shots of the progress of "All's Fair in Love."

The cast got the first look at the script for Act I of the musical, and they also got to hear the Overture and Entr'acte of the musical. Because the photo shoot took the entirety of the rehearsal, blocking of the songs will take place during the week and at the next group rehearsal on Friday, November 20th. The cast received a listing of the upcoming rehearsals for the next two months.

Christopher will be meeting individually with the cast to work on their presentation for the December 1st Preview Night. The program for that evening is in development.

The flyers for the musical are in distribution and can be found at the university and in the local areas. Spread the word about this special event!

Storytime with Jenny Johnson

Let's hear a story from Jenny Johnson:

I had just turned 17 and for my 17th birthday I had a sleepover with only my closest friends: Nicole, Chloe, Anna, Lindsay, Kaitlyn, and Tina. We just finished putting our face masks on when my annoying brother intrudes into my room for no reason. All the girls screamed and Tina got so embarrassed. She's had a crush on my brother ever since we were little but he is so not into the whole girlfriend thing. Anyway I got the best presents. My best friend Tina got me my first pair of Uggs. I also got an adorable coach bag from Lindsay. Everyone else gave me money or gift cards which is perfectly fine with me.

We had so much fun that night. We all did our nails, toenails, make-up ... the works. We ordered pizza and watched our favorite movie — Sleepover. We've never had a sleepover without watching that movie. Then we put on some music and danced for like an hour and a half. It was amazing. Then we all got ready for bed and everyone fell asleep except for me and Tina. We had a nice reminiscing talk. We figured out we've been best friends for fourteen years and this was our fourteenth birthday sleepover. Then we realized that we'd be going our separate ways for college at the end of the school year. But we put that aside and just thought of all the fun and memorable times we've had together and that we will have in the year to come.

Thanks to Jenny and cast member Rachel Cruz for sharing this story.