The Creation of a Show in Small-town America

In many small towns all across America individuals of all ages involve themselves in creating art through small theaters and organizations. The memories that are a result of these endeavors are treasured beyond what anyone can imagine. At times the work seems irrelevant or unimportant, but to those who are involved it is the motivation to continue to do it. The crowds seem small, the seats sometimes are not filled to the max, and many citizens in the areas where these places are located don't become aware of the productions. Still, the creative process continues and those actors and actresses who put them together treasure them forever. It is enough of a reward so as to make them want to do it again.

This may be a short story about one such production but it is a story told and retold in hundreds of little venues all across the nation, and such stories occur every week and weekend of the year. My story begins as most of them do, on a weekend day late in May in a little theater with the outward appearance of a well-painted barn. The people showing up for this first day of auditions are quite diverse; children of various ages, adults of both genders and various ages, and a director and stage manager collecting paperwork on everyone attending. Nerves are wrenched, although some of the attendees are old experts at the process and already know the persons in charge. It is required to sing a chosen song, although not much of one, and later readings are called for with differing roles being selected for those who have requested them.

The story is old and well-known. Dorothy and her aunt and uncle are challenged by a mean old lady and have their dog taken from them, but the dog escapes back to Dorothy and as a twister hits, the farmhands and their bosses get to safety and the young girl does not. She is injured and proceeds to have a dream worth telling a story about. The Land of Oz is the subject and her mission in the plot is to return eventually somehow back to her farm. Those here to try out pretty much know the names and personalities of the characters and it is hoped by most of them that an ample part can be earned. It was the request by my young daughter to take her to this tryout and see if she could earn a part, although the role of Dorothy would need to have an experienced participant.

Her experience was not what she expected, so to show her how to have fun I volunteered to audition the second day, a Sunday. Although I froze up in the singing part of it, I felt comfortable with reading for two parts, and we left it at that. After a little more than a week, contact was made and we both were in, although I had a speaking part and she did not. Still, it was exciting to know that I would have an experience of a lifetime, being in a musical with my own daughter.

The first rehearsal, after a one day delay, was a greet and meet of sorts, with most of the cast there and everyone introducing themselves to the rest. It was a big cast with big hopes, and it was difficult to ascertain how it would turn out, although I'm sure that everyone hoped for the best. A friend of my daughter volunteered to help with the stage crew, and this was great since she had little knowledge of those in the cast. After a week, our schedule began with assigned days. We both would not have to attend all of the rehearsals, but I would need to be at more since I had a speaking part.

Although I didn't need to be, I decided to attend a rehearsal for the blocking and choreographing of one of the dance and song scenes, the one with the "Land of Oz" theme. I was fascinated at the work done, and the amount of memorizing these individuals were responsible for. You see, in a musical there are not just lines to be learned and practiced, there are also lyrics and steps to pick up and hone. There was some fun at this since many of the members of these scenes had done this before and were at ease in the learning process. The anticipation grew on my part as these very talented people repeated several times the segments of the footwork, and listened to the music that accompanied it. Oh, I forgot to tell you: I had not been involved in anything like this for nearly thirty-three years, and this process was quite curious to me. I almost felt like an outsider watching the proceedings and felt like clapping once it was all put together. I kept my composure and left with a bit of anxiety for my upcoming contribution.

As the weekdays went by, rehearsals continued on differing nights and for revolving groups of cast members. Sometimes there would be a few of us, and sometimes there would be many. We had to visualize a lot of our movements since props were at a minimum. It was fun but it was hard work and time consuming. The repetitive process was what made the parts work, but going over things so many times can be challenging. Keeping focused is what part of it is most difficult, but you deal with it by thinking of the eventual results.

Closer and closer the dates of the scheduled shows came, with some practicing being limited to a few of us and sometimes I made a point of being there without needing to. My daughter needed to be there a few evenings to block and choreograph her parts, being a "flying monkey" and having to sit out in the first act but having chunks of stage appearances in the second. My part was a large part of waiting; I had the third lines in the first scenes and after a long gap I had some of the last lines in the entire show. I was advised by some of the more experienced cast members to bring a book to read. Most of the rehearsal time though I spent observing the rest of the scenes. Little by little the production began to look like something of a story. Although the lines and words were not always in place and recalled, the cast did not seem to panic or show concern for the most part.

Finally, the date of what is generally called "Tech Day", August 7th, came and on that Sunday I was expected to appear at the theater by 1pm, with my daughter showing up with the rest of the kids by seven in the evening. We would run through most of the show, or as far as time would permit us. The previous day we had run through a large chunk of it, with no costumes, but this day many of us would wear at least parts of our show garb. Rough and unpolished, we did what we could and ran through it with some glitches and many mistakes. I kept telling myself that I was sure glad I didn't have as many lines to memorize as the main characters, and the experience and talent levels of these actors and actresses was noticeable.

When you finally see the finished product, you don't really get to see it from the audience's perspective. You have to go by what the audience reactions are, and that would have to wait for the actual performances. This last week before our show was a rough one, with nerves finally coming in to play and sweat running down the brows. I'm sure the director had gone through this many times but I had to think that there was some fidgeting going on from his viewpoint. Watching the pieces come slowly together gives you a humbling feeling of how important the director is. I had already noticed how his selection of the characters had seemed quite canny. The personalities of the principals seemed to fit such as a glove fits on a hand. He was quite skilled to be able to do this. Now for the final dress rehearsal.

Thursday, August 11, was the final runthrough; a dress rehearsal with most of the props and costumes. Some pieces were still not available but we would do with what we had. Playing the part of "Uncle Henry", the director had provided for me a hat which made me look the part, but for the bulk of the first act I could not find it. I did wear it at the end, in the last scene, so at least I was able to prepare myself to having it. I watched as scene after scene the cast members went on and did what they could do, and then exited somewhere around the theater. We had provided for us a mock audience, some select personnel that made the picture and event complete, and we did the best we could. There were, however, many errors and some technical glitches and it was hard to imagine that the following night we would be doing it all for real. We went home and prepared to rest enough for the next night.

Friday the 12th we did our initial performance. Wow! The tension was in the air, the audience was thick and exciting, and the anticipation for getting it started was quite obvious. The first lines out, all effects of butterflies left us as we performed and did well. Better than well, as the evening turned out to be one memorable affair. A more than filled theater witnessed an extraordinary event as the cast members heard afterwards that the show was a complete success! Now for the next night.

Show after show the same was repeated and satisfaction was earned. The director warned us that the middle Friday show, the one being in the second of three weeks, was usually the weakest, with a letdown of sorts being caused by the layoff of the days between Sunday and Thursday when we had no shows and no rehearsals. The show did have one hitch to it, a cut-out of part of the music, but otherwise the show went very well. I felt as if everyone had earned a feeling of satisfaction with the shows being received well by the audiences. It was even suggested that perhaps we could bring the show back in the spring, although that was rapidly nixed since a few of the cast would not be available. Still, there was a great response to our performances. The next week would be our third and last week of shows, so we had some room to improve our results.

How do you improve on perfection? Well, maybe not that perfect, but I sensed that the cast could not do much better. Friday went well, with another great and enthusiastic crowd and a satisfying sense running down every spine. One of the dancers hurt her foot, but otherwise the cast was hyped and ready to go for the last evening. The Saturday crowd was big and ready to watch. The excitement could be cut with scissors, and all of us were looking forward to it. The music starts, the lights go down, then up, and suddenly the last performance is in progress.

Scene after scene one could only think of the finality of it all. The intermission for this one is a thank you and congratulations period, where everyone takes extra pictures and extends hopes that we will work with each other again. The call for "places" is heard one last time, and the show continues into the second act. The smoothness and continuity of the show is astounding and the crowd is loving it. The last scene, and my last lines, are said, Dorothy says the line about "no place like home", and the music takes us through the dimming of the lights. Curtain call comes and goes, as we hear the final applause and the calling of names and cudos, and the lights go out for the last time. Afterwards, when the lights are brought up again, the cast and crew mingles with the audience for the final time, and we all prepare to meet for a brief meal and a goodbye.

It is hard to describe all this and what it means, or what it should mean. In the size and scope of such a work, this production is no bigger or influential than many others previously done or any that will be done in the future, but it is the uniqueness of the participants that makes it special. It is one story in many hundreds being told, and it is our story to tell. The children who participated will no doubtedly recall this, for some of them, their first big production and how they felt when the crowd applauded their approval. The young teens and adults will remember it as one of the most treasured experiences in their entertaining careers, given the fact that many of them will do these things many, many more times, although perhaps in different theaters and different stages, and in various productions. The photos taken will be the lasting proof of the tale told and the permanent record of the individual contributions. A performance like this one is made up of little bits and pieces, and the personalities making it happen put those bits and pieces together as they would in forming a jigsaw puzzle. The stage crew and director also put their marks on the final product, with the separate performances being the frames of a family portrait album of sorts, with each person remembering how their part added to it. It is only when it is all over that the breath is taken and exhaled and the air dissipates into the atmosphere, never to return again.

I have told this story because there is something important in telling such stories, as the individual participants can tell. This cast and crew, along with the director, was a very special group of people. Many times it was repeated at the cast party after the last show how this group of people was destined to be remembered as the most friendly, most cooperative, and most talented of any they had worked with. I felt a special camaraderie with these people that I had not felt in a long time, perhaps never before in my somewhat many years. A few tears were shed by this author after I got home that night. You don't want it to end in many ways, but it does. I look forward, I hope and with God's will, to working with these talents again, and however I can.

It's quiet and a bit lonely now, being some time after the last show, with no more performances to look forward to. The singing and dancing of the "munchkins" and their colorful costumes, the bright and terrifying shrill of the wicked witch, the kindly and softer voice of the good witch, the four main characters dancing their way through a magical and colorful world, and a supporting cast of dancers, singers, and overall thespians; all that I can recall in a moment. I think we will all remember fondly doing this one show, and for a brief time in local history, we were all stars! And nowhere near Kansas? Memories are made by the commitment by all, and the more the merrier, even if it was for a very brief time.

I would like to thank all of those who committed themselves and their valuable time to making this production one of major importance to my life, and the life of my daughter. "To break a leg" one must put every effort into playing a part that is like playing as a child, as one does when growing up. It is with pleasure that we embrace the roles we are given, and it is with grace that we watch with awe the ability of those performing with us. Thank you, all!