Opening Night: Take Two!
Christmas bells are ringing at Sight & Sound Theatres!
For the past three weeks all the On Show departments and Sight & Sound have been hard at work to get our Christmas show up and running. And we did it! Which is really crazy given how little time we’ve had to rehearse. I think the total amount of days we had (to go from nothing to a full on spectacle show) was only sixteen. But we did it!
Miracle of Christmas is a classic that keeps coming back to the Sight & Sound stage. In fact, it's currently playing in both locations for the season: Lancaster, PA and Branson, MO. Many people involved have done it before, some of them multiple times. (One cast member said this is his 10th year!)
Despite the break neck pace of rehearsals, in some ways I felt much more relaxed through the process; it was much more enjoyable for me than it was for Jonah. I think it’s simply because I know more of what to expect. Rehearsals for Jonah were fun, but I was on information overload and I’d never been in a professional theatre environment. Everything was brand new: the process, the people, the technology...This time around I had a general idea of how things were going to look and, though it’s been fast and furious, I found that I’m much more relaxed than my first go-round.
We began by learning choreography for all the group numbers in the show. Some of them we learned on the stage, and but most we learned offsite. Management rented out a large room at Strasburg Elementary school for us to practice. We were there for much of our time the first three days. We also met in the Cast Meeting Room at the theatre to learn our music.
While the cast was learning our dances and vocals, the crew was hard at work striking all the sets and lights for Jonah and getting the stage ready for Miracle. All of the lights had to be changed, the sets had to be switched out and the new ones installed, all the media had to be swapped…it’s a massive undertaking and they got it done in a matter of days. They’re amazing.
By the end of our first week we were back to working on the stage with all of the sets and props. By the middle of our second week we had blocked and choreographed every scene, learned all the music, and even practiced a couple of scenes in costume. The hardest scene is probably Heaven. It’s a beautiful scene and the music is lovely. But it’s also difficult, full of harmonies and intricate choreographed movement. It took us lots of time to practice. That was the scene we rehearsed in costume, since having the angel wings really affected the way we moved. And they were fun to play with. :)
Something absolutely awesome that I’ve gotten to do in this show is fly! One of my parts is a Worship Angel, which means I get the chance to strap on a harness and find out what it’s like to be on a fly rig. I’m the backup Worship Angel, which means I probably won’t go in during a performance. There’s the Primaries (Jessie and Cori) who will perform the part in every show, and after them are the Understudies (Kelsey and Leah) who will go in if one of the Primaries aren’t there. I’m the “third string” so I’ll only go in if a primary and an understudy aren’t available. With the short time length of the run, that isn't likely to happen. But the thought of not flying in a show doesn’t really bother me. It’s a big responsibility. My goal was to simply be on the fly rig and have one rehearsal as Worship Angel. I got my wish and it was AWESOME. Definitely one of my highlights from this year!
I got to go in for a flying angel for one run! See the angelic figure in the upper left? That's me. :)
The closer we got to opening, the longer rehearsals became. When we began our third week, it was crunch time. On Monday we worked in costume for the first time and incorporated animals. Tuesday was lighting day. Wednesday was more lighting, and that afternoon we were finally able to run the whole show in real time. Thursday was all about getting understudies and backups a chance to have at least one run, which meant that those of us who were swinging were kept very busy too! It was an absolutely insane week. It was all extremely organized, but there was A LOT to do.
And then Thursday evening, November 2, was our preview night. Friends and family of employees got to come and see our final dress rehearsal for free. While it wasn't technically "opening night," we all felt like it was. It was amazing to look back and see how much we'd accomplished in such a short amount of time. Many pictures were taken and the energy backstage was high.
As we were nearing the end of our rehearsal time, Jeff (he’s directed MOC this year!) reminded us of what a privilege we have in telling this story. “If people don’t believe that Jesus is the Son of God, they can’t believe the Gospel,” he said. The premise of Miracle is that God sent his Son into the world for our redemption. There are several lines and moments in the show that are gorgeous reminders of the Good News. I think one of my favorites is a song called Shadow of A Cross. The shepherds sing it over the newborn Jesus, as they realize that His life will be a sacrifice. I tear up every time I hear it. What a gift to be able to tell this story multiple times a week during the holiday season.
As of Friday, November 3rd, our show is officially open to the public! And the house is full almost every performance! People love this classic Sight & Sound production. Things have gone smoothly so far and I'm enjoying the change. It'll be a fantastic way to finish out this year!