The only thing missing is an orchestra pit when Conway High School student theater artists perform the Broadway musical Bright Star from May 3-5.
Instead, a live bluegrass band, complete with banjo, fiddle and stand-up bass, will take to the stage to perform a musical created by actor and banjo player Steve Martin and musician Edie Brickell.
Rehearsals began in February for the play, which will feature 21 songs and a cast of about 35 people. The ensemble will be composed of members of the school's a cappella choir.
And senior Jonathan Galloway, who plays Jimmy Ray Dobbs opposite Alice Murphy, played by junior Maddie Jennings, in a play set in Asheville, North Carolina, just after World War II, is not ready for the opening game. He said it would be ready.
“We're just piecing everything together,” Galloway said. “I didn't grow up surrounded by bluegrass or country. That was a challenge.”
Bright Star musical director Jacelyn Spearman said Conway High School musical theater players are often coached to eliminate their accents — “Don't sing like you're from Horry County.” Ta.
But this is not the case this time, when the actors have to get into character and sing, and a southern sound is desired.
“This is an example of where we want them to sing like they're from Horry County,” Spearman laughed.
Bright Star is not just about singing and dancing. This is a story of love lost and love found. And the child was lost, and the child was found.
And, spoiler alert, there's a good ending that Spearman says will serve viewers well.
“We live in a time when people need happy endings.”
The students who participate in the play are not just actors. They receive a theatrical education. Galloway also learned how to operate an electronic bulletin board, Spearman said.
Multi-colored gaffer tape on stage marks set and actor positions and glows in the dark.
Everyone collaborates on set.
“This is a collaborative effort,” Galloway explained.
Tradition is preserved. Sitzprobe, the practice where music and lyrics meet for the first time. And the curtain call is always the last thing rehearsed in a CHS production. “It's a tradition here,” said Galloway, who has played lead roles in several plays.