The 700-seat theater at Thomas Jefferson Community Center in Arlington was alive with the sound of rehearsal the afternoon of July 14.
It was all in preparation for the opening night, then less than a week away, of Encore Stage & Studio’s summer production of “The Sound of Music,” to run July 19-28 with a cast of nearly 50, an orchestra of 20 and running time of 2.5 hours telling the classic, mix-of-fact-and-fiction tale of the musical Von Trapp family in 1930s Austria.
The theater was a beehive of activity, with scenery and sets being moved in, cast members having their sound levels checked and, starting about 3 p.m., a full rehearsal on stage.
“We’re running the entire show – not with the lights, but with everything else,” director Timothy R. King told cast members.
“I have full confidence,” he promised them of getting the show up and running by the evening performance on Friday, a mere five days into the future.
As is typical of any show during the development process, things were in a state of flux. That Sunday, some sets were not completed, only about half the crew was on hand for rehearsal, and the orchestra would not arrive for another day.
With everyone assembled on stage, King made sure cast members understood where the orchestra pit was (though not open yet, it was marked off by tape), and reminded them to steer clear.
“Musicians are very dear to us, so please don’t fall on them,” he said of the ramifications of a 10-foot drop.
Nearly half the cast, 22 members in total, will be using individual microphones. That’s great for an audience but a challenge to get just right.
“We have some really strict rules,” sound consultant Kevin Curry told the cast. Following procedures correctly was a way to “avoid as many accidents as possible,” he said.
The final collaborative effort of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, “The Sound of Music” debuted on Broadway in 1959, running for more than 1,400 performances and 3.5 years during its initial run and garnering multiple Tony Awards, including best musical. (It is the Broadway script, rather than the 1965 motion-picture rewrite, that Encore is using.)
Encore’s summer productions traditionally include both youth and adult performers, and are full-length as opposed to the typical 90-minute productions, aimed at children, running from fall to spring each year.
The length of this show – well over two hours – will prove a logistical challenge, since everyone from cast and crew to audience will have to be out of the theater (and parking garage) not long after the curtain closes owing to the school system’s schedule.
“Our time at the end of the show is super-tight,” said Cleo Potter, Encore’s production manager, who stood watching as the show came together.
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“The Sound of Music” runs through July 28 with performances Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $18-$22.
For tickets and information, see the Website at encorestage.org.
