By Imma Martinez Leger
After a 3-year hiatus, CIS secondary theatre productions are back on!
“Once on this Island” was the last play the secondary students put on, in November 2019, before COVID-19. This year, performances made a return with “School of Rock”, an energetic musical piece. The school went all out, with acting, dancing, singing, and even live music.
As rehearsals began, some of the students involved were skeptical. There were simply so many things going on, and it had been so long since the school put on a production of this scale… The cast included a range of people, who all had to learn their unique combination of lines, staging, singing, choreography, and instruments. As time went on, it became too much for some students, who unfortunately had to bow out. But the show must go on, and those who stuck with rehearsals continued to do the best they could, with a challenge of this magnitude. November came about, and things only got crazier. With the beginning of “tech rehearsals” came a multitude of microphone changes to memorize, as well as the introduction of the backstage crew. Between the random blackouts and blaring sounds, as the tech department designed their cues, the show continued to come together.
Opening night approached, and School of Rock was almost running smoothly. Almost, but not quite yet. Of course, as it is show business, there were a few close calls. With only days left until showtime, actors continued to get sick, and some even lost their voices. Adaptations made. “Vocal rest” was introduced. For the first time, maybe ever, some students had to go all day without speaking. They had to type or handwrite to communicate, so that their voices could recover. Everyone was doing what they could to ensure that they were ready when the time came, and there was a real feeling of “us against the world”, as the production fought against time, illness, exhaustion, and unpredictables.
But, finally, it was time to perform, and everyone was ready. The cast had learned their lines and their songs. The pit band had their instruments ready to coordinate music with the acting on stage. The backstage crew was ready to reposition sets between scenes. The costume design crew had pulled through, and the actors knew which of their bedazzling outfits to change into, and when. The sets and props teams had done their jobs, and the stage was ready. Up in the booth, the microphone coordinator, lighting team, and sound crew moved scripts and adjusted machines. The student directors and stage managers buzzed around, making last-minute amendments. All silently stressing over the huge production we had all worked at for months, and that was finally going to be put to the test.
It worked! Opening night was a smashing success, with laughter in all the right places, and great energy all the way to the end. As glow sticks were waved in the air and applause went with the bows, there was a sense of “oh, this is why we did all that”. Everyone in the production simultaneously remembered why they chose to participate in these plays. Perhaps even more importantly, the audience members recalled why it was that they used to look forward to these performances with such anticipation.
Going into School of Rock, there had been much skepticism from the wider community. Many people were unsure whether it was worthwhile to spend time and money on a show, during a busy school week. We had all forgotten what it feels like to get together in this way. But, after opening night, something had changed. Those who had felt the “essence of Rock” understood.
As Mr. Smith, our principal, puts it: “It creates an energy in the school”. We were able to ask for his thoughts on the significance of productions like School of Rock, and here is what he had to say:
One thing that’s really great about a big musical like that is it often connects people that wouldn’t otherwise be. Across grade levels, people that are doing tech, people that are acting. You probably know a lot of the people in our community you didn’t know before. It creates an event that all the communities can get really excited about. It also shows what is important to students, being able to come together in a play that’s very rambunctious, and being able to stand and wave glow sticks around.
He has a point. On the second evening, School of Rock saw a full house. Many of our audience members even came back to see it again. To those fans who came to see all three shows, thank you for your support. You know who you are, and it means a lot to us.
By the time the show ended on Saturday evening, there was a true air of loss, backstage. Students who had put months into the show had to confront the thought of the next few months, without it. We had once again gotten a taste of the passion that goes into our school’s theater productions. To which nobody seemed quite ready to let go of it yet. In true show-business fashion, quite a few tears were shed, farewells were said, and hugs went around. At that moment, there was no doubt in anyone’s heart that, regardless of what they’d given up for this play, they’d do it again and again if they could just feel this atmosphere one more time.