“13 Past Midnight” – Life Backstage

As mentioned in my last blog, I gained permission to watch my granddaughter, Jo, during her rehearsal of the upcoming high school performance of “13 Past Midnight,” which opened on December 5th (the day I flew back to Michigan) and ran six performances in all.
Jo was born to be on stage – you can feel her passion and dedication as she brings her audience entertainment. I have had the pleasure of seeing Jo in plays for a couple of years since joining drama class, and she shines in her performances – leaving me awestruck. This latest play was a fun mystery that was sure to make the audience laugh, jump, and question the motives of each character. I chose to post my blog until after the final curtain so there would be no spoilers on my conscience…lol. Yes, I knew the guilty party – who was none other than my granddaughter.
Besides bragging about Jo, the reason for this blog is to share my take on life backstage. I am an entertainment hound – I love movies, plays, and TV – but to witness what goes into a play backstage was a privilege. There are the headshots to be taken as cast members entered the room adorned in costume, and candid shots during rehearsal. The stage manager, Winter, who checks, and rechecks the stage props, then goes over her clipboard to be sure everything is in order. The drama teacher, Ms. Meyners, busily going over her notes and making new ones as the performers gather around for some scene discussions. Ms. Meyners deserves a gold star as she manages the excitement and energy pulsating from about twenty teenagers. She treats the cast and stagehands as professionals, and, hence, they do not disappoint. You can easily see how serious everyone takes their role. I sat there listening as the teacher worked with the sound/light control room aka the booth, to bring up red lights, take down bright lights, redirect where the light should be, quiet the thunderclaps a bit, bring up the music at a precise moment, and instruct the timing of gunshots to reactions. Sound effects and lights are important, and making sure everything runs like clockwork is a painstaking endeavor – proof that timing is vital.
Putting a play together takes patience, determination, and pure love of the stage for everyone involved. There are the missed lines, awkward pauses, the retakes, and more retakes. The light checks, sound checks – and the checks again. I would be remiss not to mention the people that create the set. It’s important the construction and set up is correct, or it could have significant consequences if not built sturdy enough. It’s getting everyone on stage to listen to changes or new improvisation for the crime scene. I watched the fun adlib, the excitement of a scene that ran perfect, and the notable exhaustion when another scene had multiple takes. It was watching the victim laying on the floor under a sheet with a turkey baster filled with water, to be replaced with fake blood for the performances, of course, getting soaked as he attempts to have liquid spread across the sheet. How do you keep a turkey baster from becoming a visual stage prop? Trial and error. Not to mention, though I will, the rug that slid across the stage taking a cast member down in the process. Another prop to secure and master before opening night. Keep in mind, these teens have already had a full day of calculus and science, for example, but kept going regardless.

Time flew by as I observed laughing, sighs, and meeting of minds over what was going to work and what wasn’t. There was getting the cast back on stage after a break using the “We’re back in 20…19…18…” – Ms. Meyners continues counting in a normal tone, effortlessly as she walks back to her seat close to the booth and I watch with sincere respect as the cast follow her lead. Their natural movements as stage positions are checked, along with their spot-on listening to directions say so much about the students and their teacher.

I am overwhelmingly proud of Jo, her commitment, and her passion, but also for the rest of the cast, crew, and their teacher, Ms. Meyners. It’s the blood, sweat, and tears of acting that no one else sees. Until this experience, I didn’t really think a lot about all the rehearsals, or what went into them, to bring us, the audience, a performance that draws us in to love the play, the cast, and the environment overall.
In this busy, and sometimes tough world we live in it is not only refreshing but needed to have our hearts lifted by these beautiful young adults and all the backstage people that entertain us with their incredible talent.
I hope the next time you see a poster or hear of a high school play opening, you will purchase a ticket and support the local arts. I am witness to the work that is involved, and genuinely feel it warrants our attention. Thank you, one and all, for reading my ramblings – signing off until later – Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.