What’s it like when you’re about to go on stage for the first night of a show you’ve been rehearsing for months?
That’s what we asked young performers in Dundee Youth Music Theatre when we went along to one of their final rehearsals for GREASE: The Musical.
They let us see them practise the hit song Summer Nights.
And we spoke to cast members to learn about the excitement, the nerves and the moment the curtain finally rises.
Watch: DYMT rehearse GREASE
So, how does it feel to be in final rehearsals, back stage in the moments before the music begins and once the show starts?
And what do children and young people gain from the experience of performing on stage?
Once you go on stage it’s something else, really exhilarating, you’re on a high.”
Charlie Clark, 16
During rehearsals in Dundee’s The Friary we put those questions to chorus members Lucie Grant, Isabella Lowrie, both of High School of Dundee, and Julia Colgan, of St John’s RC High School, and Charlie Clark, of Grove Academy, and Michael Muir, of St Paul’s RC Academy, who are playing Roger and Vince Fontaine.
Charlie Clark, 16
“Starting from scratch is fun; learning all the songs, the dances, the lines, getting to know the characters you’re playing.
“When it all comes together you feel like you’ve really accomplished something, the whole cast has grown together and personally.
“The moments before going on stage you are nervous, but with the whole cast you feel really together, you’re a team.
“Once you go on stage it’s something else, really exhilarating, you’re on a high.”
Michael Muir, 17
“I get very nervous, anticipating a journey where the work and sweat will be worth it in the end, all the hard work that everyone has put into the show.
“My legs shake, but when I get on stage all the shakes have gone. I love that feeling of the audience watching you and you get to perform and be someone else.
“I’ve gained a lot of confidence. Before I never used to speak to anyone but now, doing shows, I’ve got more confidence to speak to others, having better communication skills.”
Lucie Grant, 15
“I’ll be nervous but I’ll be excited. It’s really exciting because of all the hard work we’ve done.
“I just hope I get everything right and don’t mess up! But it’s fun looking out at the audience.
“I’ve gained my confidence and I’ve made lots of new friends from different schools.”
Julia Colgan, 13
“There is a little bit of nerves but I’m mostly excited. It’s a new experience for me and I want to do this when I grow up. I want to be a stage actress and go and perform all over the world.
“When I first started going to rehearsals we learned the all the dances and then we were split up into doing different dances. When you start doing it properly you’re like ‘ok this is real you have to do this properly now’.
“It’s a really good experience.”
Isabelle Lowrie, 13
“I’m pretty nervous actually because I want to do well and I don’t want to mess up. I’ve been practising at home.
“You feel like you’re going to throw up then once you get on [stage] you’re fine.
“I’ll be at school in the morning then I’ll come out and I’ll be on stage.
“It will probably pass really fast, it’s a quick moving show and there’s lots to see in it.”
The director’s take
Grease: The Musical is the second full-scale production for DYMT since it was launched just over a year ago.
Directors Lina Waghorn and Kenny Christie are well-known figures in musical theatre in the city, previously producing over 70 shows with Dundee Schools Music Theatre.
Lina described the process of putting on a show and the buzz on the night.
She said: “All year we’ve been working towards this, one brick at a time.
“First it’s developing the teamwork, the friendships, the trust, working with each other, then slowly building the skills, putting things together, learning the music, the lines, the dances.
“Now the show is about ready to go, we’ve got all the final touches to make, the polish to put on.
When the audience start to clap they get a real buzz; it lifts them.”
Director Lina Waghorn
“When you go on stage there’s the smell of a show, I don’t know how else to describe it. Maybe it’s the smell of all the hairspray and make-up and sweat even!
“I just love it, seeing their faces. When the audience start to clap they get a real buzz; it lifts them.
“Opening night is always a special night. It’s a scary night because they’ve never really done it but by the end of the week, it’s there.”
And the experience for the young cast members is more than putting on a show, she said.
“They have achieved something that some of them didn’t think they could do.
“I hope they can transfer that confidence to every area of life; school, getting an interview, going to college, whatever they choose to do.”
About Dundee Youth Music Theatre
Dundee Youth Music Theatre runs weekly classes for children and young people aged five to 25, designed to develop performing arts skills and confidence, whether for leisure or to pursue a career in performing arts.
It will perform GREASE: The Musical at Whitehall Theatre from Wednesday to Saturday.
Tickets are available from the theatre box office.
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