STILLWATER OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE / 10
Jacob Marley( Bill Corder), left, and Ebenezer Scrooge( Bill Gardner).
I’ d read the novella by Charles Dickens years ago, but found myself returning to it in a sort of attempt to place myself in that time period and better capture my role.
least trying.
Little did I know when I left the room, the directors turned to each other and said something like,“ She’ s the Spirit of Christmas Past.”
I’ d read the novella by Charles Dickens years ago, but found myself returning to it in a sort of attempt to place myself in that time period and better capture my role. I also watched several other productions of the play, while still leaving room to create my own version of the Spirit.
No, I didn’ t swoop down on a wire from the ceiling, brandishing a wand – like a fairy in a Branson, Missouri adaptation – nor did I remain deadly serious like the novella’ s version. I ended up with a mix of fairy-ness in the first scene, with a building seriousness as the scenes progressed. Thankfully, I wasn’ t required to have a British accent for the Spirit.
And step by step, I learned to produce something with excellence.
The next few months gradually built on each other – from a full reading of the play with the 64-member cast in June, to practices with individual scenes, individual blocking scenes and full cast practices with blocking. Each practice, directors and staff taped out a mock-stage in our church’ s activities building.
One of our church members – a woman originally from Great Britain, Ruth Girton – spent hours going over British accents with cast members. She told me she was impressed that our cast would just“ give it a go,” something not many Britons would do themselves if they attempted an American accent.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, about 60 people – organized into separate crews – spent hundreds of hours preparing. Some designed and built risers over our sanctuary’ s platform, as well as a full set, complete with set dressings – and all from scratch. Some sewed, bought or altered costumes and coordinated hairstyles and makeup, while others worked on tech and music effects and marketing and promotions. One family’ s full-time role was making sure cast and crew members were fed and happy.
Due to the nature of timing, the full set couldn’ t be built in the sanctuary until the week of the actual performances. Volunteers built the stage and set – complete with rolling doors for scene changes – within four days. When we moved to the sanctuary for dress rehearsal, lighting and sound checks, in some scenes blocking had to be recreated while we learned a new space.
Our church even joined the Parade of Lights in Downtown Stillwater in the midst of all of this.
Finally, the night of a private performance for our church members arrived. My hair and makeup took a full hour – complete with sparkly makeup and a gold spiked halo accessorized with sparkles. One of the costumers had to sew a last-minute pocket for my microphone, and the wire had to be carefully concealed behind my jacket.
Seeing my fellow church members in full costume made me aware of how many hidden talents had been pulled out of hiding and were now form-
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