13/05/2021
One of the joys of my many years as a musician has been the shows I've musically directed, working with extremely talented and generous musicians in the Brisbane theatre scene.
Often, theatre orchestras find themselves out of sight, deep in an orchestra pit or in another room entirely, away from the excitement of the onstage experience.
How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying ( 2015) was a different experience for the musicians; one the entire show company felt. Here's why.
When you're a pit musician, there are few opportunities to mix with anyone else but your fellow musicians. You haven't spent weeks in rehearsal with the cast, building relationships. You can tend to feel like a fish out of water.
Sherryl-Lee directed How to Succeed and wanted to incorporate the orchestra on the stage so she designed a set that looked like the interior of an office, and hid the orchestra behind frosted 'glass' walls. Our stand lights glowed and the gentle silhouette of the playing musicians gave the impression of office employees at work.
In the second act, the massive central doors upstage, opened to reveal the orchestra as a 'big band' entertaining guests in a party scene. Our big moment. It was magic. As fun as that was, it's not what I consider the best part.
All through the weeks of technical rehearsals and the performance season, the orchestra was in amongst the backstage action. We sat with the cast in the green room, witnessed cast entrances and exits backstage, watched stage crew work their magic. We enjoyed the 'in' jokes and became part of the team.
It was a unique experience for the orchestra. The physical separation between cast and musicians is just how it has to be the majority of the time, purely because of physical limitations but the community that developed during this show season will remain one of my favourite experiences as a Musical Director in the theatre.
Oh, and it was a fantastic show.
📷 Chris Thomas & Laura Smith
