Behind every good production is its crew. From November 14th to 16th, Mamma Mia was performed at the Middle School. To prepare for this, the Middle School Theater Teacher and Director Fredreka Irvine, and her crew worked hard.
Each practice started off with a warm-up, the favorite one being breathing exercises.
“It’s just to make sure we’re all united before we start,” Irvine said.
These warm up exercises helped create a feeling of togetherness and unity and it allowed the cast to feel connected for the rest of the practice. From there, Irvine gave instructions on what to do next. This part of practice changed depending on the day. They worked on skills like the dance choreography, the lyrics of the songs, and their positions on their stages. Learning and perfecting these skills were very difficult and required a lot of time and effort.
“What people don’t realize is that we do things bit by bit, page by page.” Irvine said.
Just like for their other classes, the performers were expected to go home and practice what they learned.
“I give them what I call ‘actor homework.’” Irvine said with a laugh.
Another big challenge is the mindset. On the days that aren’t going as planned, staying confident and positive was very important. In order to preserve the performer’s confidence, they were allowed to take a break.
“Take a break, stop for today, and look at it with fresh eyes tomorrow. It’s different each day.” Irvine said.
Irvine recognized the feelings of the performer and allowed them to rest. It helped prevent frustration from building up and overworking the performer. It was important for the performers to realize that things don’t happen overnight, but rather over a period of time.
“They’re not casted because they’re already there, but because they can get there.” she said.
To Irvine, the process is one of the best parts that isn’t seen by the audience. She loves creating, and when the things that she creates finally comes together, it’s fulfilling. Although the process might be stressful at first, eventually, because of their hard work, it all comes together.
Irvine has one main goal, not only for this production, but for every single play that she directs.
“I just want to bring a moment of joy and happiness to the community, to give people a reason to smile even just for a moment.” Irvine said.
Theater brings Irvine joy, and she would like to share that joy with everyone else who watches it.
