It doesn’t hit me that it’s opening night until my dad takes the exit to Woonsocket and my body instantly begins to shake with adrenaline. It is May 4th, 2018, and Beauty and the Beast is making it’s Stadium Theatre premiere with Shining Light Productions where I am playing one of Gaston’s Silly Girls. After months of rehearsals, my friends and I are ready for an audience to see the wonderful labor of love we have collaborated on.
My dad’s car pulls up to the back of the theatre and kisses me goodbye, telling me to break a leg. I walk over to the door marked “STAGE RIGHT” in white capital letters and enter onto the stage where fight call is under way with our Beast, Brandon. Everyone who does choreographed fighting in the show has to come in earlier than all the other actors to practice and ensure that no one will get hurt. Safety isn’t a rule in theatre, it is a must, especially in this show where we have people flying through the air on harnesses.
I pass our set pieces of Belle’s house and the village tavern before heading downstairs into the dressing rooms. 2000’s throwback music and show tunes are being played at full blast with rousing sing alongs. To my delight, there is a smorgasbord of snacks sitting on the shelves. Mini packs of potato chips, Oreos, Chips A-Hoy!, a giant jar of Swedish Fish, vegetables with dip, homemade brownies made by Stephanie’s mom with green Peeps, and Andrew has graciously brought in a variety of teas with lemon and honey to soothe our vocal cords. I make a mental note to grab as many Chips A-Hoy! as I can during intermission and head into the dressing room.
Dressing room one is shared by six women: Lisa who plays Belle, Stephanie who plays Babette, Donna who plays the poor woman who shouts “I need six eggs!!!,” Chantel who plays a Silly Girl, Gabbi who plays another Silly Girl, and myself. The only male allowed in is Donna’s stuffed transgender chicken, Henry, who is making his debut and is already a star. So far, Lisa is the only one here besides me, putting on her makeup after having gotten her microphone. We chat for a little bit as I undress and put on my costume.The Silly Girl costume is modeled after the cartoon with the three Silly Girls in different colors, mine being pink. Each costume consists of a slip, a crinoline, a skirt, an apron, a fluffy blouse, and a corset (aka the motherload). We wore them in rehearsals to get used to singing in them, and they actually look pretty cool with steampunk latches.
One by one, everyone slowly drifts in and the dressing room becomes abuzz with chatter. As we put on makeup, we talk to each other about the show, who we have coming, and how many people we think will show up. We also converse with our neighbors next door where they are applying makeup and getting dressed. Eventually, we go up individually to get our microphones. There are two types: one that you tape to your neck and one that hooks around your ears (which we call the Britney a la Britney Spears). I put on my Britney and finish my pale waif make up. Finally, it’s time for sound check.
Sound check is always fun because we can sing whatever we want and everyone swoons at or applauds the other person’s talent. We’ve had people sing stuff from “the Greatest Showman” and “Hamilton,” and even “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and “Don’t Stop Believing.” Tonight, it’s no different. We have songs from “the Little Mermaid,” “She Loves Me,” and even someone singing “la la la la.” I choose a Polish Christmas carol as a homage to my grandparents, who knew I was going to be an actress before I did. All of a sudden, I hear a voice join in and I turn to see Mike singing along with me in flawless Polish! We sing until our sound guy, Nick, cuts me off, and then we give each other a big hug. “That was amazing,” I whisper, “Thank you.” We stay onstage for vocal warm ups and continue to prepare. Those of us who are finished take photos with one another to post on Facebook or Instagram later.
Finally, our creative team gathers us in the hall. Our director, another Mike, informs us that there are one thousand people in the theatre tonight and the line was going around the sidewalk. We burst into applause, thrilled at this magnificent show of support and interest in theatre. Our stage manager Corey is all too happy to tell us that we have little Belle’s in the audience and we all “awww.” Our other stage manager Renee reminds us to check where our costumes and props are so we don’t forget and know where to place them at the end of the run. Finally, Luanne speaks and reminds us why we do this: for the audience. None of what we do is for ourselves, we do it to bring people joy and to show them what community theatre can be and why it’s important to treasure it. We all nod in agreement. We cannot stop smiling. We are in a place where we need an audience and are ready to give them a good time. Our creative team believes in us and we could not ask for more. I would even say the smiles on their faces outshine ours.
We all huddle in, throw in our arms, and yell “BATB!!!” on three and cheer. Chantel then forms a circle and announces that it’s time for the prayer for those who wish to participate. A few people leave, but most of us stay, and we hold hands and bow our heads. Chantel asks for God to be with us and that we may never forget who our talents came from and to thank him for this opportunity. The words are simple and the feelings are sincere. Chantel asks if there’s anything anyone else would like to offer, and in a world of theatre where anything can happen every night, I say the Serenity prayer. “God, grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” There is an “Amen” and a few people bless themselves or give each other hugs before heading off.
The air hums with anticipation and out of nowhere we hear the words that make our hearts skip a beat: “Places for top of the show!” someone bellows from the staircase. “Thank you, places!” we chorus back. We run up the stairs and get to our spots for the beginning of the show. Some are on stage while others are in the wings, but we can all hear the audience talking with almost the same amount of excitement we had back in the dressing rooms. Finally, the PA system comes on, telling everyone to sit back, relax, and enjoy Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. The crowd cheers; they are ready, we are ready, and the orchestra begins the overture, taking us back to a tale as old as time.
