Below is a compilation of journal entries from the beginning stages of rehearsal, mostly during music rehearsals!
09/24 – Music Rehearsal with Angie
We are starting over musically! Which is both exciting and a little scary. I’m very excited to get to work with Angie and learn from her. However, I’m scared that I will struggle to learn the score quickly enough without listening to the Original Broadway Cast recordings, which we’ve been asked to avoid. I’ve come in with a fairly strong grasp of the songs, but I have been focusing on the words/general sound instead of trying to pick out harmony lines.
During this rehearsal, Angie said something that really stuck with me while we were working through one of the songs. “We’re here to learn the score, that’s why we’re having the party.” Which I loved for a few reasons. Firstly, I love that she reminded everyone that we are still learning, this is a working environment, where we can safely learn the score and ask questions. More importantly, I love that she called it a party. It’s a party! We’re singing fun songs with a lively plot and interesting music, so it should be fun! This helped me stay excited and not stressed about struggles with learning the score.
09/25- Team Building Rehearsal with Gregg
This is the first rehearsal we’ve had in Wonderbread that I was able to attend. It was so exciting to be on the deck with the cast! We mostly did team building exercises, but they were so fun to play. Something I’ve noticed about these rehearsals so far, is that no matter how tired I am during the day these rehearsals are energizing to me. I’m hoping to take this further into the semester and the rehearsals as my days get longer and rehearsals get more tedious.
It would be a bit naive of me to say that I will never be tired or frustrated with my day, but I’m hoping not to carry it into the room with me. However, I like the energy I’ve been able to bring into my evening rehearsals with me. I’m excited to be here and I want to remember how much fun the work can be when I’m tired or in a bad mood.
09/26- Music Rehearsal with Angie
Today, in my voice lesson outside of rehearsal, we started to experiment with something in my singing. Long story short, I had a lot of orthodontia/tonsil issues as a kid and I’m starting to think it impacts how I make sound (speak and sing). So, I’m trying a different technique that is changing the shape of my mouth and changing how my vowels are created. While it’s new, I think it’s helped me use my air more efficiently and helped me get less tired.
So, during rehearsal today I tried to applied this. It’s not perfect (obviously) but I think it’s interesting that I was able to hit notes that I normally wouldn’t attempt and I was able to sing them repeatedly without exhaustion or hoarseness. Which is a good thing! Since I began private lessons, I’ve been through many phases with my voice and I’m excited that I may be entering a new one.
09/27- Music Rehearsal with Angie
We did it! All the ensemble numbers are complete and we were able to run through them all today. Obviously there’s still more growth to be had, but I’m very excited and that’s all I have to report for today! YAY!
09/30- Read/Sing
Today we did the read-sing, which for the unacquainted, is a first readthrough of the script as a cast, once we have all the music learned. This was the first time I’ve heard many of my castmates sing some of the songs and the first time we’ve read the whole play together as a cast. So, it’s an understatement to say it’s exciting. It’s also an understatement to say I was nervous. I really wanted to dive in headfirst and put my best foot forward.
By the end of the read-sing, I was in awe of everyone in the room. It’s obviously early, but I have a good feeling about this. It also showed me what I need to work on to get stronger in the coming weeks. I know one of my weak points right now is the accent, which I believe will come with time and work.
