Youth Theatre - A Christmas Carol 2019-2020
By Jessica Jenner
We started rehearsals back in September when we found out our parts and received the script. I got the part of Mrs Cratchit and a narrator and I was so excited to start.
During October, November and December, we were rehearsing and learning our lines. I loved rehearsals because we would start with a warmup game to get our energy up. After, we would sing around the piano and then start blocking and going over and over scenes! It was very tiring and a lot of hard work but by the end of December the difference from October when we started was amazing. By December, I was getting more and more excited and all I wanted to do was get up onto the stage and perform! During the Christmas break, all I could think about was the shows. I was ecstatic!
The first couple of days of show week, we weren’t allowed in the actual theatre because the parents and teachers were building the set. Mine and my friends parents were helping build the set which meant that after rehearsals we went and helped. It was a lot of hard work but the set looked brilliant once it was finished. I think that was the point that we all realised that the shows were about to happen!
The next days were the technical rehearsals and dress rehearsals. By this point we were so excited but we knew that we had to concentrate because the tech was very important as it was all the sound and lights. The costumes were also amazing! My mum and my friends mum were helping to do the costumes and they turned out really good! There were LOTS of costumes and costume changes during the show for some people as they were playing many parts and they were getting quite worried and stressed but it was fine in the end. It was quite stressful for our teachers as they had lots of work to do but, in the end, it was worth all the stress. The first time we did a run through of the whole show with lights, sounds and costumes it was amazing because we could really see the difference between December and now. The whole cast and teachers were just so happy with the outcome and were so excited to start the shows!
After we finished the first show we were so happy and just couldn’t wait for the next shows! The Friday and Saturday shows were even better! We had a sold out show on Friday and two shows on Saturday. We were all just like a big family and working together to put on the best shows we could. I’m just so happy that I have had the opportunity to do things like this with my best friends and I am so excited for the next years because this is what I love doing and it makes it even better when you have the best teachers and friends doing it with you. I made the best memories that will stay with me forever and I am excited for the future! |