by Jesse Smith – “…from the moment Thanksgiving ended I was able to celebrate everything that Christmas is about and I owe it all to my son, Styer.”
And so begins Jesse Smith’s blog entry. Its topic is so fitting to the Behind the Scenes blog, that I didn’t want his entry to become lost in the sea of links.
Jesse has graciously granted me permission to repost this blog in its entirety.
Christmas has been officially renewed!!! Now don’t get me wrong. I have always loved Christmas. I love everything about it. I love being with my family, the lights, the trees, the presents, Santa Claus, the music and, of course, taking time to really appreciate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
But during the last 10-15 years I haven’t really spent much time truly appreciating the season. I think what was really happening was that I had experienced it so many times that I allowed it to lose its youthful excitement. Growing into adulthood and the responsibilities of being a “grown up”, I lost the anticipation of this incredible day. This year from the moment Thanksgiving ended I was able to celebrate everything that Christmas is about and I owe it all to my son, Styer. Keep reading →
And the top 10 best moments from 2008, that the audience never saw:
10. Watching a herd of men deadlift a grand piano off the stage and back up again.
9. The little boys in kids’ choir trying to do a spellout, getting it wrong (”J – E – S – S – aaaah ! “), then the big big boys in Dance Team inviting the little boys to join them in a “SHOWTIME” circle (awesome role modelling!)
8. The audience’ first reaction to the SNOW, then getting hit with snowballs, then their reaction to “my brother’s a flake!”
7. The entire Van Aken family making memories with Federica and her Center High School friends that she’ll take halfway ‘cross the world. Keep reading →
When some people hear the words “church play,” they sigh, look for an excuse not to accept their friend’s invitation to attend, and think to themselves “yeah, I’ve seen dozens of church Christmas plays.”
But once they see “An Evening in December” their comments are often “wow, that was unbelievable,” or “are you sure those aren’t professional ringers?” or “that was incredible, that was better than (fill in the blank with something familiar like ‘the Nutcracker’ or ‘Music Circus’).”
The cast gets just one chance in front of each audience to tell a brilliantly written story, deliver vocal sounds that will vibrate through to the farthest seat, or execute explosive choreography by Devin LePage, John Plastow, Jennie Johnson, Carolyn Melville, Karla Harris, and Morgan Ortiz.
But when we get that many unprofessionals onstage, how does John inspire us to raise the bar to the highest level? Calling upon his experience with hundreds of productions and passion for excellence, he inspires us with what I call “the director’s message.”
Last run-through, he gave us just six things to remember:
E – is for Energy. I interpreted his comments personally as follows: Overcome my tiredness, overcome the fatigue or the distractions from our work or family life. Give my all. Keep reading →
Lace up the dance shoes, cinch up the truss (you tenors hitting the high notes), and take one last peek at the script. It’s the milestone all cast members anticipate: the first full cast run through!
It will be a grueling 6-hour session, packed with 250 cast members of all shapes and sizes. Dancers will stretch out in every available aisle, actors will be running through their lines in little nooks, ensembles and soloists will be “me-mai-mah-mo-moo”-ing in every available corner.
It will be a day full of “hurry up and wait” as we try to put all the pieces together. For you first-time cast members, know that it won’t look pretty.
But speaking of looking pretty, the official “An Evening in December” Web site just got a new look and feel, as the Webmaster just completed a redesign.
Check it out at aneveningindecember.com! Oh, yikes, only 22 days until opening night!
John says the 2008 “An Evening in December” will be like none other that came before this one.
Every year he says that, but based on what he’s shared so far, wow, he’s not kidding.
Without spoiling any surprises, just realize that this year you may surprised by the following changes:
Artistically, throw out everything you have come to expect. Whether you’re a first-time audience member, or a veteran of any of the last 15 productions, just when you think you know what’s coming, be ready for a surprise. Unexpected staging, unexpected plot directions, unexpected shifts in focus will lead to unexpected results for the audience.
Musically, be prepared for radical surprises in its flow, format, and feel. That means veteran showgoers, who think they can predict the opening number, closing number, and everything between, will be kept guessing to the end.
Visually, from set design to costumes, nothing that the audience has seen from past productions will be rehashed in this year’s show. Just when you think you know what you’ll see next, the visual will change.
I can tell you this: the previous year’s ten performances spread over two weeks have given way to a new schedule for 2008, just seven performances over one week.
So, if you have someone special in mind to take to the 2008 production of “An Evening in December,” don’t miss out when tickets go on sale in the fall!
And, after the show, let me know if you indeed experienced moments of puzzlement!
The phrase “second wind,” according to American Heritage is defined as “a new surge of energy after a period of mental or physical exhaustion.”
Sunday, I witnessed the tight horn licks, straight up and funky rhythm section and spot-on vocals of “Second Wind” the new surge of energy in its 2008 rebirth of Keep reading →
When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high,
and don’t be afraid of the dark.
At the end of a storm, there’s a golden sky,
and the sweet silver song of a lark.
Walk on through the wind, walk on through the rain,
though your dreams be tossed and blown.
Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart,
and you’ll never walk alone…….
You’ll never walk alone.
from Carousel, by Rogers and Hammerstein
# # # # # # # # # # #
In a month, I’ll let you in on why I’ve posted this song’s lyrics.
For now, here are the Madison Scouts as they close with it.
“These notes are so high, we’re all going to need a truss.” Words like those from Kevin Corrington would keep me in stitches during choir rehearsals, any time we opened a song for the first time and spotted unbelievably high tenor parts.
Now, the tenor section in “An Evening in December” will always be one great man short as Kevin has passed on from this temporary Earthly life to his eternal life with Jesus.
Today, Kevin’s family, friends, and coworkers gathered at First Covenant Church to celebrate his life and recall just some of the memories that he brought to each of us.
We learned not only of his talent on the gridiron that earned him Keep reading →
How do we survive ten full-cast run-throughs, back-to-back-to-back shows Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday afternoon, Saturday night, and Sunday afternoon? Ten performances, two weeks in a row?!
What survival tips do the veterans have for the first-time AEID (An Evening in December) cast member?
I brainstormed all the tips and tricks that I have picked up over the years from other veteran cast members, and from John’s notes to the cast. That’s my mindmap on the left. Go ahead and click on the thumbnail to see a full size image.
And the top ten tips are:
1. Name that Tune
Play your practice CD all the time. Memorize lyrics early. (Lisa and I have been known to wear out several CDs…apiece…each season.)
2. Make it a Date
Double-check family and work schedules, block off your calendars, double-check rehearsals, full-cast run-throughs and dress rehearsals. Plan vacations AROUND AEID.
3. “Consider Yourself Invited”
(Yep, I couldn’t resist stealing a song title from AEID 2007.) Invite friends and coworkers early. Get tickets early. The 10,000 seats sell out surprisingly quickly, especially the matinees that are popular with the older crowd and the youngest crowd.
Lisa and I uploaded a hundred or so of our photos in a Picasa web album. If you’re looking for a photo from an actual show, you’re out of luck; we were on stage almost all of the time. And, we dare not shoot anything on stage, for fear of causing a flash that might distract the audience or jeopardize the safety of a dancer (even though someone in one of the audiences actually fired off several flashes during a show).
But you’ll get a good feel for what goes on during dress rehearsals, backstage during a show, in the “First N-O-E-L” minivan, and at cast parties.
