The first night in the theater

Last night, I was so excited I could practically bust.  It was our first night rehearsing in the actual theater, and what an absolute joy to be back on stage after all this time.

For the first several weeks of rehearsals, we don’t actually work on the stage itself.  In our case, most rehearsals were in various rooms at the McLean Community Center where the Alden Theater is, though we had one in the music room of a local elementary school.  You don’t get the actual stage until near the end of the rehearsal period, and in our case that meant last night.

But last night we were on stage with the set around us and the technical crew running the sounds and lights.  There was a fair amount of confusion, but then there always is at this stage.  That first rehearsal with the entire crew present is called the Tech Rehearsal, and it involves matching the light and sound cues to the scenes that we actors have been working on for the past two months.  It’s all a bit of a mess at this point, but I have no doubt that everything will come together smooth as silk by opening night.

But for me, just being on stage was an extreme joy.  Wandering around backstage, checking out the dressing rooms, and sharing war stories in the green room (or cast lounge) with the rest of the cast (actor’s do loving telling tales of past productions, all the wonderful things that can and do go wrong in live theater).  And just generally exploring: peeking my nose in all the nooks and crannies of the theater, looking at the light boards, climbing to the catwalks where they hang the lights, and feeling giddy at that sense of being behind the scenes as it the show comes together.

I feel confident that the show will be good.  The cast is solid, we have everything down nicely, and while the tech stuff needs work, the crew all know their stuff and are certain to pull it all together.

But really, I can hardly wait for that magical moment when the audience is seated and the play is about the begin.  Standing offstage waiting for my entrance, peeping through a hole in the curtain to count the crowd and look for familiar faces, the buzz of adrenaline as I get ready to go on.  Friday night can’t come soon enough!

And oh, a couple of useful links:

For details on the show, including a link to buy tickets, go here.

To read the preview from a local newspaper, go here.  They even spell my name right.  (Three out of four times, anyway.)