By: Christopher Boire
Two hours before the stage lights dim, I arrived at the high school to get ready, along with many other cast members. Cast members changed into costume, while bringing the rest of the costumes backstage. The principal actors got changed, and then do a mike-check to make sure they can be heard from the stage. I share a mike with another principal actor; we switch off when his scene is done. When the whole cast is assembled and dressed, we met for vocal warm-ups, followed by instruction from the director, Kevin Harrington. Harrington reviews the previous rehearsal/show we did, pointing out any mistakes we made. The cast, crew and pit meet for a few last words from Harrington.
That was the ritual for the start of Baldwin Senior High School's musical, "Ragtime". Since September, we all worked together to bring the show to this point, and we were all very excited to be a part of the show. Especially seniors like myself. It's nice to go out with a bang.
I played in the ensemble. I never got a solo, but I spent a lot of time on stage. I played an immigrant, juror, factory worker, fireman, and baseball fan. I've been through choral practice, staging, and dress rehearsals. It's all been quite an interesting experience.
There were two major problems to deal with in "Ragtime." In Act I, it was getting ready for the next cue on time. With most of the ensemble numbers in this act, I had one scene between numbers to go back to the dressing room, change clothes, and get in place for the next number.
It's tough maneuvering around scenes and set pieces backstage. You think those pieces look big on stage? They take up half the backstage area, and maneuvering around them in the dark was hard. The biggest thing to worry about was the Model T. car. Every time it went offstage, it threatened to crash into somebody.
Of course, since its top speed was two miles per hour, actual chances of injury were slim to none. It's really scary to try walking around almost completely in the dark, trying not to speak, in case the audience might hear us. The cast owed a lot to stage crew. They put reflecting tape on the stairs, which probably prevented a lot of potential accidents.
In Act 2, I had a different problem: boredom. Apart from the epilogue, the ensemble only has one or two numbers the whole time. Most of us stay in the dressing rooms, so we don't obstruct traffic backstage.
My favorite scene in the show was "Crime of the Century." The costumes are interesting, and the song itself is just fun. The stage crew was very creative with the swing; we had never done that kind of stage piece before.
"What a Game" was also fun. The lyrics were great on their own, but in the voices of loud, noisy sports fans, it was even better. The first time we tried the number, we barely got through it all, because everyone was laughing so hard!
Costume changes were always a hassle. Since the scenes occur with a large group of people, there were usually nine or ten people changing at one time. I hated the immigrant costume. A wool suit is not a good idea under bright stage lights. My fireman costume had suspenders, which were hard to change into when I was panicked or in a hurry.
All in all, we all had a great time, and all of us in the show felt like part of family. And of course, that family included 3-year-old Chris, a cousin of a cast member, who played the part of Coalhouse Walker III. He got a lot of "awws" from the audience, cast and pit members looking on from backstage when he came onstage at the end of the show. He was a real sport to help us with the show, and we owe him a lot. After all, the show ends at 11 o'clock in the evening; pretty late for such a little kid.
Christopher Boire is a senior at Baldwin Senior High School
