It occurs to me that alliteration is a very useful mnemonic. If something were done on the First Friday or the Second Saturday (possibly even the THird THursday) it would likely be remembered on that schedule.
With that idea in mind, I settled on the First Friday for the premier performance, which providentially falls on the Fourth day of March this year.
The effects are ready from a physical aspect. That is, my hands can accomplish what needs to be done, my eyes know where to track, my body knows how to turn. The practice required now is primarily verbal; learning exactly what to say, when and how. Things like cadence and timbre are the critical elements now.
That also will teach me how to structure the evening. Some items follow each other so naturally there really is no question about how they should be ordered. Other things need a segue built around them; something logical and evenly flowing, but still a change in direction.
A good illustration might be a train track. The engine will follow many different tracks to complete a journey. This requires switches. But those switches must be so evenly aligned with the other tracks (both beginning and ending) that there is no noticeable transition from one to another. Too abrupt a change, and the train will jump the tracks and the cargo will be lost.
I don’t want to lose the rapport of the audience. Once the spell is cast, everything I do has to be played so that there are no jarring shocks to the conscious thoughts of a single member of my party.
This is MUCH harder than an Erdnase Top Change!