Holiday season always gets a little crazy. Whether you’re traveling to your cousin’s house for Thanksgiving or decorating your house while blasting Christmas music, it’s easy to overlook the little things that make the holiday season unique. You won’t want to miss the Eagle Hill Middle School Musical this weekend, as it is the perfect thing to start the holidays. Even though Aladdin isn’t the most holiday centered musical, everyone can find that famous holiday spirit when they’re watching or performing in the musical.
Musicals radiate the Holiday spirit throughout. This is a result of the community that is built throughout the rehearsals and performances. Everyone on stage or in the booth is on a team that works tirelessly to make their performance the best that it could possibly be. And this team is not built with professional hired workers all knowing what they’re doing. It is built by a collective: middle schoolers who wagered all of their after-school time to be part of a musical, high schoolers who are past their performance days but dedicate their time to be backstage working, parents who have never been part of a musical but take time out of their impossibly busy schedule to chaperone or build sets, and directors who are working because of their overwhelming love for music. This idea of giving up your most valuable resource to help others is the main idea of the holiday season, and this musical production is a prime example of it.
The show started in late September with after school rehearsals. But before they started the singing, the directors needed to lay down some basic show information. Since these middle school musicals often give kids their first ever experience in musicals, it is important that directors take a couple days to let kids get familiar with the stage, lingo, and props. Performers learned stage directions through a game of Simon Says and recited rules that keep the show moving along. Since Aladdin has the largest cast out of any previous show at Eagle Hill, director Ms. Dunlap likes to compare a cast to a sports team. Even though they are much larger than any other group, the teamwork and family structure should remain. These core ideas are an essential foundation for the show throughout the rest of their time together.
As soon as everyone got informed on how shows work, it was time to hit the ground running. Two months might seem like a long time, but it was needed to get every moment of this show absolutely perfect. Ms. Roach, the musical director for the show, said, “We want the kids to think that at any moment the audience could take a photo and that photo would show the exact scene we are trying to make.” This constant stage magic takes a long time to achieve, but once they are able to get it, it immerses an audience member even further.
Rehearsal practice started with Jasmine, Aladdin, and the Genie. These characters play the biggest on-stage roles, so knowing their songs and scenes was essential for the show to run smoothly. After this, directors brought in certain groups of cast members to work out different scenes. These specific group rehearsals went for about a month until they were able to run through the show together. The first run through is always so cool. Kids’ faces light up as they see a scene like “A whole new world” for the first time. “I love this song!” exclaimed a cast member off stage.
As the performance date inched closer, the community effort that musicals always have became more evident. People from all over the FM district gave their time doing different jobs to make this musical great. Crew members are the unsung heroes of a show; they don’t get a bow with applause. But without them, there is no possible way for a show to run. Crew members move set pieces, do mic changes, and manage props backstage. The stage pieces that stage crew move were built by parents of cast members in their off time. Every part of that show was a result of the FM community giving their time in order to help others.
The production dates start tomorrow night! Performances are on Friday, November 22, and Saturday, November 23. Audience members can expect a magical and immersive experience while watching. Ms. Roach said, “The biggest theme we want the audience to pull out of this was self-identity; it’s okay to be yourself.” This core idea is shown through the acting of the hard-working performers and the many special effects added within the show. Make sure you come support, so you don’t miss out on this inspirational show for the holiday season.
