OUR JOURNEY
THE BEGINNING
5 months. That is how much time we had before auditions needed to be announced. That is how long our drama director had given us to bring her a script. Alex had gathered a team of writers and editors, but the outlining had only begun. We were not sure we would be able to pull it off, but we sure were going to try.
Why the Aeneid? Has anyone ever even heard of it? Does anyone actually know how to pronounce it? (A-knee-id by the way) We'd gotten to read it in school and when making the decision to write a musical, it was the first thing that came to mind due to its compelling story and dramatic, song-able moments.
Writing. Over the summer we wrote and discussed over a rigorous schedule. Progress was slow at first as we were developing a system. Having everyone work on one scene at a time quickly became inefficient. Making decisions with other people is great, but it is easier to do in review; that way one person is given the creative liberty to write a scene without stepping on anyone's toes. We assigned scenes to individual writers and discussed the results together.
Editing. Coherence was our main concern with this system, but we figured that was a problem for the editing process. And wow ... editing. We thought we had pulled the stops for the writing, but the editing easily took three times longer. We added and cut scenes, rewrote, reviewed and then rewrote some more. Some scenes got rewrote once, others six or seven times. It felt like it would never end, and it didn't really until the day before the performance.
Pre-Performance. 8 Songs, 32 scenes, 2hrs, full costumes, a stage extension, almost no props and no curtain (which we needed for a 2/3's of the transitions). Oh, and this was the day of the performance. Not the best look for us at the time. We were scrambling, painting shields, doing last minute choreography practice, line memorization, and taking naps. It was hectic, but it was amazing. In the midst of the chaos, I took a breath of retrospect. We had made so many mistakes, a hundred things I should have done differently, and yet here we were in spite of it all, thanks to God's provision. He taught us so much about ourselves and each other. He put us all in one place and gave us a dream with the desire to see it through.
On-Stage your mind starts flying, full of adrenaline. Everything you've practiced is a blur, as you rely on instincts alone. It was weirdly calming. The audience was packed out. Every single seat was filled for our three performances and the actors were on their game for each one. Thanks to Casey, I am pretty sure the music alone swept people off of their feet. In the aftermath some of us were crying, others laughing, but we were all unbelievably happy. We had done it! The audience was moved by what we had created.
A Toast: To Kyler, Casey, Alex, Leeland and Nate, who organized and led the project. To the writers, thank you for your creativity. The characters are in many ways your creations. To the costume designers, set designers and builders, lighting designers and everyone who gave their time to this project. To Karen Pattee and Lisa Halleland, for your wisdom, talents, time, and continuous encouragement
AENEID THE MUSICAL: part 2
Another Beginning: The night after the first performance I could not sleep. I was re-living the first performance, and I realized there was so much that we could make better. And that was enough for me to want to keep going. Eventually I convinced Casey and Alex to join me in the endeavor. We started re-outlining and editing. My sister Helen helped with a re-write of the script, and I started meeting with various people in the industry, trying to learn as much as I could.
We Have a Company! Thank you Mr. Nee! He walked us through operating a business, helped us create and understand an operating agreement. And with the help of Mirela our operating agreement was notarized. We have a website, and business emails and the works.
Summer Performance? This was originally our goal, so that we could build momentum and hopefully perform it in the Cleveland area. It was an ambitious plan that in theory was enthralling, but in reality totally unrealistic. Casey and I were entering College and between working, friends and trying to maintain some sleep habits, it was impossible. We kept editing the script through the school year, but even that was fragmented and slow-moving.
1 Year Later: We are still editing. The script started with 8 songs. We have deleted three, replaced them, and then added 8 more. The dialogue has had a complete make-over. I can say with confidence that the show has improved so much! The characters learn, and change throughout the story, and their relationships to one another are compelling. The music is even better. Every new song is as good as the best of our old ones.
Present: We are licensing! Creating a professional soundtrack is our next goal. If we have a soundtrack we'll be able to take the directors who are interested in our show, to having everything they need to decide if they can put it on or not. I think we might just be on the verge of another beginning.