A Musical is Born! -Part 17- The End?

The cast recordings are not yet done. We spent 2 days–nearly 8 hours–in the studio getting every cast member on the recording. Now it's time to edit, balance, fix, and maybe add some instruments (everything was sung to piano only.)

And I still need to update the script, librettos, and all scores to reflect the changes we made in perfecting the show. I want to have the new scripts, scores, and recordings ready for another theater group. I would love for Five Children and It to live on on other stages. And I would love to see the other versions of it!

As I reflect back on the whole process, I am still in awe. I feel like the show was handed to me... I opened my hand to receive it, and there it was. Not that I didn't spend hours at the piano searching for the perfect "magic" sound, or restless nights working out a stubborn lyric in my mind, but I feel like the pieces came together so effortlessly. I can't really tell you how it happened! God gave me a mind that can solve musical/theatrical puzzles! Where I was doubting myself months ago (constantly asking myself, "Is this good? Will people like it?") now I know that I have a good sense of balance, pacing, and musical lines. Something I didn't know about myself a year ago! (which goes to show that life doesn't stop when you have kids or when you turn 40! There are always opportunities to learn and try something new. I say, go through those doors, especially when God is inviting you to do so!)

And I am still in awe of the community that came around me. This musical was like my heart on my sleeve. There was a bit of me in every character. All the "Lessons Learned" were lessons I had learned in my life, and hope that my children will learn. That was what I wanted to give the world–beautiful, Godly life lessons presented in a format that made it easier to digest. "A spoonful of sugar," as Mary Poppins would sing. I really wanted the show to be more than just entertaining. And everyone, from my artistic team members to the actors to the parents who worked behind the scenes, saw that too, and treated the musical like my newborn baby. I cannot thank them enough.

So what's next, besides all the work I still have cut out for me? Well, I have the first drafts of a script and songs for a new musical. I'm a little nervous about this one, because it's very different from Five Children and It, but I'm also so excited about. So back to step one for me! Writing, rewriting, a read-through, rewriting again... and maybe in a year or two you'll hear about the birth of another musical!

A Musical is Born -Part 16- The Shows!

Opening night was two weeks ago, and I am just now starting to feel normal. Our five shows were just THAT amazing, THAT emotional, and THAT exhausting! After spending 5+ hours at the theater every day for tech week, then spending 5+ hours at the theater every day for shows (including a back-to-back show on Saturday), plus the hour-long round-trip drive every day, I was done. But if I could have kept going at that pace, I certainly would have. It was just THAT magical.

Our tech week went as smoothly as it could have. After moving into the theater on Saturday and doing a rehearsal on the stage for the first time, we started adding elements.

On Sunday, we did a cue-to-cue rehearsal. This means adding any lighting cues, sound effect cues, or cues for the backstage crew. We worked out how exactly we wanted the show to start– do actors enter in darkness and we turn on the lights as the music begins? Or do we start with the lights and music and have actors enter? We went with the latter. This rehearsal can mean a lot of stop-and-go for the actors, because it's the stage manager's and director's first chance to work on timing and problem-solving. A show involves a LOT more than just the people on the stage!!

On Monday, we added costumes. This was wonderful because our Psammead (Sand Fairy) really got a chance to get into character with his whiskers, round belly, and furry feet. All other actors felt like they were from the time period. It was also their chance to practice dancing and moving in skirts and high heels. And it was also the time to practice any change of costumes required! For Act 2, we needed almost everyone in a soldier outfit, which they needed to get out of immediately after the scene. Some of these "quick changes" were not quite quick enough on the first day; that's why we give ourselves a few days to fine tune everything that needs to happen backstage!

On Tuesday, we added makeup. We require our actors to put on their own makeup before they arrive at the theater. Those needing special help (like when we did Beauty and the Beast in the fall) get help from our theater moms. Also, special mustaches, wigs, eyebrows, etc. are added at the theater. And we use lots of hairspray!! Any flyaway hairs can create a halo effect around an actor's head.

And throughout the week, we kept perfecting the show. The sound tech and I tried different configurations for the band so that we would have the best blend in the house. KW (the director) reblocked a scene that looked crowded on the stage. I threw out an unnecessary line (at the end of Scene 1) and changed an ambiguous lyric. Anything that we were not completely happy with, we found a way to make it better. And I saw the actors do the same! They were trying new ways to move in character and new ways to say their lines. I watched as they became more and more their characters with every run-through!

Wednesday was our dress rehearsal. Everything was in place, except for two things: 1) an actor sprained her ankle earlier in tech week and was slowly recovering, but we weren't sure if she would need crutches on stage; 2) illness had been plaguing us (no pun intended) on and off this winter, and two actors were sick for the dress rehearsal. We had two actors fill in with scripts in hand, and we were still able to go through the whole rehearsal. Everyone prayed that we would have a fully-healthy cast for opening night.

I was surprising relaxed on opening night. At this point, my job was mostly done. All I had to do was warm up the singers, lead them in a worship song, then conduct the band. The rest was up to the performers. I was so confident in our actors that I didn't worry about them at all. And we had ALL healthy actors that night! I KNEW that the show was going to be splendid. And I also knew that in the world of live theater, if something does go wrong, you just recover quickly.

And opening night was FANTASTIC! A few tiny things might have not gone as rehearsed, but I didn't even notice them! When I was conducting, I felt the music carry me away. When I wasn’t, I sat back and enjoyed every moment of the story. The audience laughed and cried and clapped and cheered. Many of them were not familiar with the story of Five Children and It, and they simply fell in love with the Psammead. The second, third, and fourth shows were the same. Every night, everyone gave their all. By Sunday's matinee, we had a sold out show!

I am so proud of my actors, and also proud AND grateful for everyone behind the scenes who made this show possible: sound tech, makeup and hair, costumes, sets, band, publicity, the directors and stage managers and everyone backstage. Without everyone's help, Five Children and It would still simply be words on a page. This two-hour production took an entire village and months of preparation. 

And like I said, I would do it all again.

But my job is not done yet. I will revise the script and scores to reflect the changes we've made in the show since November. And this weekend, we are recording an ORIGINAL CAST RECORDING!!!