"High School Musical" Tech Week: Day 2

It's ironic that actors spend weeks practicing for a show - and then when they get on the stage, most of the effort is in fixing technical problems with the lighting, sound and set pieces.

Today was the second day of Tech Week for the cast of the First Stage Theatre production of Disney's High School Musical, and it was a tough one for cast and crew alike.

It started at 11:00 a.m. as the cast ran through a rehearsal. Like most Tech Rehearsals, it involved a lot of stopping and adjusting lights, mics and the placement of set pieces. It makes for a slow and difficult rehearsal, but to their credit, the cast and crew kept their cool and worked through the problems. We finally wrapped up around 4:00 p.m., so everyone took a dinner break and then returned to the theater at 6:30 p.m. for another go-around.

It's unusual to do two rehearsals in one day, but we are crunched for time, with only three days to get ready before our first performance. Luckily, we had the advantage of today being a holiday for most of our cast (Veteran's Day, natch).

So how did it go? Frankly, it was awesome! Oh, there were a few minor tech glitches - set pieces that weren't quite set right, actors arriving on stage without the right props, that sort of thing - but for the most part, it was an excellent run-through. One good reason for that is the talent of our cast - it's an honor to work with a cast made up of some of the most talented performers in the Tri-State.

Tomorrow's the dress rehearsal (which is virtually identical to the actual show), and then Wednesday we do our first show in front of an audience. Keep those fingers crossed!