BlogsFine ArtsPre-K to 8Upper SchoolInstrumental MusicTheater
A Director's Reflections on 'The Sound of Music'
Feb 28, 2014 8:02 PM
By John Plough - FF/S
It's been two weeks since the Darlington winter musical, and I've finally had some time to reflect on our production of “The Sound of Music.” My conclusion: Darlington students are incredible.
For those of you unfamiliar with theater, let me let you in on a little secret: we never know if it’s going to come together. Good shows usually come together the night before opening night. That’s because the final week of rehearsals – or “tech week” – is crazy. For Darlington students, it’s the only week they have to rehearse on the stage where they perform. It’s also the only week that we have to figure out the lighting, organize the set changes, hang the drops, etc. Oh, and add an entire orchestra into the mix.
The team is under enormous stress all week: our musicians, our stage crew, and our actors. But it all comes together in the end. That’s the hope.
Our production this year was scheduled for the weekend of February 14-16. Now, as a reminder of the recent past, our final three weeks of rehearsal were rudely interrupted by (A) Snowpocalypse, (B) Darlington’s Winter Break, and (C) Snowpocalypse II: The Reckoning.
In other words, we never had our tech week. We didn’t do a full run of our show until the night before it opened. And the first time we had all our actors in one building was on our opening night.
…and the students didn’t miss a beat. They were in good spirits, super-focused, and relaxed. They entertained and moved their audience on Friday night, and then did it again on Saturday night, and then again on Sunday afternoon. They showed no signs that they had been cheated out of the most important rehearsals of their process. All they did was put on a good show.
They acted professionally. And bravely. And it all came together. I’ve never been more proud of a group of young people.
If you haven’t had the opportunity to come and see a fine arts event at Darlington, I encourage you to do just that. We have incredible students here and they keep doing incredible things. Day after day.
#prouddirector
(Many times during the week leading up to the play, I was asked what our “Plan B” was going to be if we couldn't perform the show as scheduled. The only alternative that was briefly considered was having me perform my critically acclaimed one-man show, "The Sound of Magic" instead. The show, as you may well know, combines dramatic monologues based on the lyrics of Oscar Hammerstein with interpretive dance set to the music of Richard Rodgers. It also incorporates a series of illusions and tricks inspired by Austrian folk tales. Archival footage can be found HERE.)
For those of you unfamiliar with theater, let me let you in on a little secret: we never know if it’s going to come together. Good shows usually come together the night before opening night. That’s because the final week of rehearsals – or “tech week” – is crazy. For Darlington students, it’s the only week they have to rehearse on the stage where they perform. It’s also the only week that we have to figure out the lighting, organize the set changes, hang the drops, etc. Oh, and add an entire orchestra into the mix.
The team is under enormous stress all week: our musicians, our stage crew, and our actors. But it all comes together in the end. That’s the hope.
Our production this year was scheduled for the weekend of February 14-16. Now, as a reminder of the recent past, our final three weeks of rehearsal were rudely interrupted by (A) Snowpocalypse, (B) Darlington’s Winter Break, and (C) Snowpocalypse II: The Reckoning.
In other words, we never had our tech week. We didn’t do a full run of our show until the night before it opened. And the first time we had all our actors in one building was on our opening night.
…and the students didn’t miss a beat. They were in good spirits, super-focused, and relaxed. They entertained and moved their audience on Friday night, and then did it again on Saturday night, and then again on Sunday afternoon. They showed no signs that they had been cheated out of the most important rehearsals of their process. All they did was put on a good show.
They acted professionally. And bravely. And it all came together. I’ve never been more proud of a group of young people.
If you haven’t had the opportunity to come and see a fine arts event at Darlington, I encourage you to do just that. We have incredible students here and they keep doing incredible things. Day after day.
#prouddirector
(Many times during the week leading up to the play, I was asked what our “Plan B” was going to be if we couldn't perform the show as scheduled. The only alternative that was briefly considered was having me perform my critically acclaimed one-man show, "The Sound of Magic" instead. The show, as you may well know, combines dramatic monologues based on the lyrics of Oscar Hammerstein with interpretive dance set to the music of Richard Rodgers. It also incorporates a series of illusions and tricks inspired by Austrian folk tales. Archival footage can be found HERE.)
