 |
| Cover of programme |
I heard of the project through an acquaintance of mine who had participated in their first show, Sunday in the Park with George. The project had come to my attention for their second show, Zombie Prom, when a cast mate of mine told me he was participating. I had to see what it was all about! After having seen the magic develop onstage, I messaged Marion and Rob (the music director and director) to express my interest in participating.
The excitement surrounding the show started when they offered me a part in the show! I picked up the score and script and began to get familiar with my roles. If I thought learning harmonies was hard before, I was wrong. Teaching myself harmonies without hearing how it fits with the song as a whole was challenging. I did what I could to listen to recordings to aid in my learning, but recorded songs are often not played the same as the written score. When it came to show time, I had to trust that the work I had done at home was going to be there.
The entire cast was nervous before the show. Honestly, how could we not feel nervous? We were about to perform a show that we had only rehearsed individually in front of an audience after having met one another an hour prior to opening! I think I speak on behalf of the whole cast when I say that our nerves were heightened when Marion began playing the overture, which cued our entrance. This was real and it was happening NOW! As soon as the first lines of script were spoken, an ease and a calm set in throughout the cast, and magic happened.
There were some hiccups, but part of the magic was that the audience was right there with us! Some of my favorite moments include Jeff's (Stephen Findlay) improvised dance solo during I Met A Girl, Jory Rossiter's spectrum of character voices and choices, particularly the dentist, Dr. Kitchell, and the joy and honesty with which my cast mates performed the show. I am so lucky to have shared the stage with a group of talented, brave and delightful performers.
 |
| The Cast of Bells Are Ringing |
Accepting this opportunity has been one of the most terrifying yet most rewarding things I have done in my performing career. I gained so many insights about myself as a performer that I will be forever grateful to have been a part of it.
To my peeps in Vancouver, be sure to check out their next installment on March 30th, 2015! Visit their facebook page for more information.
Until next time!
Tif xo
