So, there we were: show week. For 15 weeks it had been sitting on the far horizon just beyond our reach and nicely out of view. Now that reprieve was over and it was right there in front of us shining with its jazz hands glittering in the spotlight. Or something like that. Whether you like the metaphor or not it was right there coming at us like a steam roller.
“Way, way back 15 weeks ago Not long after rehearsals began I looked at the size of the cast for this show And said to myself: “Is this a good plan?” Barnstormers doing Joseph again So much to do and so little time Barnstormers doing Joseph again A crazy few months but it all worked out fine!” I can’t believe that all those 15 weeks of rehearsals, kilos of cakes and too many bananas for anyone to really ever want to think about have all gone so quickly.
Here is the next guest post on the theme of Joseph. Don’t forget to get your contributions to the Barnstormers website team soon! The Well Their jubilant shouts of victory rang in his ears as he lay slumped in the dirt. Sand and dust blew in clouds across the dried-out well as he breathed, in and out, in and out. His body still refused to give up hope even as his soul lay in tatters.
Week 4 of rehearsals. The passage of time is frightening, isn’t it? I wonder if that’s how Joseph felt as the weeks, months and years rolled by while he wasted away in prison? Unlike Joseph we’ve all chosen to be part of this machine known as “Joseph”. I, for one, have not been wasting away but have instead used rehearsals and prep time as an excuse for tucking into the leftover Christmas chocolates, Friday fry-ups and everything else that is less than good for one’s health.
The calm remains. It is an odd feeling. I have now begun to think that something must have gone horribly wrong after all, but then I look back at my notes and the schedule for this week and realise that it is all ticking along quite nicely, thank you very much. What I needed to have sketched out for this week is already down there on paper (yes, it is even from Act 2) and we are so well on target that I even managed to get some old posts up onto the website.
The world of a director is a fickle one. Several weeks pass in a frenzy of chaotic CD listening and prancing around on the kitchen floor (much to the dismay of one pet dog who is determined to take us both off for an evening walk) and then, suddenly, peace reigns again. Has something gone wrong? Has the enthusiasm for this crazy project finally waned for good? No, it is simply preparation paying off.
This is the first in our series of Guest Posts on the theme of Joseph, kindly submitted by the one and only, Hyder Khalil. Watch this space for future submissions! The Camel’s Tale I am Noor, lead camel for a group of Ishmaeli traders. We are based in Gilead –you might know it as North-West Jordan. The traders make regular trips to and from Egypt – taking spices and silks from the East, pottery, and other things, and bringing back dates, wine, and the finest cotton.
My first visit to the costume cupboard of 2012 is complete. What a sneeze-inducing experience it was. Thankfully the lovely ladies in charge of all things “Wardrobe” had already pulled out the big box stuffed full of old robes and headgear used in the last production some ten years ago so there was no immediate reason for me to climb into the attic space. However the dust on the box thought it would be highly amusing to attempt to find a new home in my nostrils.
Unbelievably we have already passed the golden landmark that is the first week in rehearsal. Time is ticking by until the first performance now…tick tock, tick tock. But I get ahead of myself. It was good. So says the biggest understatement of all time. The beautiful melodies that our wonderful cast produced in just two rehearsals was glorious. To call them an angelic chorus would be an insult. It was magical hearing the melodies come alive with such depth.
With six weeks and a half left until the first performance of Snow White and the Seven Little Men, preparations are well under way! The majority of the cast have lines and harmonies buzzing around in their head. The band have been practising hard and The Backstage Crew are busy making props. Even the marketing bods have been busy and produced this wonderful poster to promote the show: We hope to see you all in November for what we are sure will be another fantastic Barnstormers production.
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