Another High School Musical

It has been a tough few months for the cast of DCHS's "The Wiz." The cast has been working for months on memorizing their lines, choreography and vocals for the upcoming musical. Just last week, the pit orchestra joined the cast in order for both the musicians and the actors to get a better feel for each other to prevent any major timing mistakes from occurring during the actual performances which begin this weekend. This is the final week of practice and dress rehearsals before the musical. I am a part of the pit orchestra and this is my first year being involved in any type of musical. I knew it would take a lot of hard work and time out of my days but...I never expected this much. For the first few months, the pit orchestra has come together for practice once a week, gradually adding a practice as we entered the month of the performance. Practices usually lasted two hours. As I mentioned earlier, the pit orchestra and the cast came together last week and have practiced every day with practices lasting from 2-4 1/2 hours. My job as a musician is simple. Play when it's your turn, don't mess up and make sure you don't play louder than the vocalists can sing. Covering up the vocalists is a major no-no. In a musical, the vocalists tell a part of the story by singing. To cover that up would be like trying to read a book with a missing chapter. The pit orchestra also has to watch the director because he/she will cue the vocalist as well as the orchestra when to begin playing. The orchestra and vocalist must make sure every measure lines up with one another so as to not throw the flow of the music off. The pit orchestra is also in charge of creating sound effects. From birds chirping to genies appearing, the variety of sounds effects a pit orchestra must make is very large.
During this final week of rehearsals, it has become even more vital that the pit orchestra has every song, measure and note down and as close to perfect as possible. The actors must remember every line and dance number as well as being in time with the tempo of the orchestra when they sing. Practices will last much longer and will become more intense everyday...well almost everyday. For actors having a practice on the Wednesday before a performance is bad luck. It is a strange superstition but a good one for anyone looking for a break from rehearsal. I'm not exactly sure what lies ahead for the musical this week, but I invite you to join us sometime this weekend to see actors and musicians come together in order to put on a spectacular performance of "The Wiz." "The Wiz" is an urban version of "The Wizard of OZ." The show should be a sight to see as well as hear. I hope you can make it.