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Beauty and the Beast - Schenectady, NY Tech Rehearsals part 3
**DISCLAIMER** The views and opinions expressed in this post are my own, and do not reflect the views or opinions of my employer.
DO NOT RESHARE ANY PART OF THIS POST WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION. Thank you.**
This post covers the weekend.
--- --- --- --- --- ---
FRIDAY
I got to sleep in just a little, but was nervous about playing my bass with the group for the first time.
Walked over a bit early to assemble it, take pictures, warm up, and tune up.
Here's the new kid!
Details of the wraps, and the cut bell (also called a screw bell or bell flare.)
It was a very short rehearsal, only two hours.
During the break, three different musicians approached unsolicited to tell me, "This one [new trombone] sounds warmer."
Being the insecure, self-critical person that I am, rather than taking this as a compliment, I immediately started second-guessing the purchase.
Was it TOO warm?
Is the difference THAT noticeable?
Should I have tried the version with the YELLOW bell instead of gold brass?
Was this a mistake?
All because of compliments. Yep, I'm one of THESE. Sigh.
But at least I'm conscious of it. I said thanks, added that I'm still getting used to the horn and that I hope it'll be a good fit for this show. Everyone had nice things to say. If I write about this now I can look back in a month or two and roll my eyes at how absolutely ridiculous I was for feeling insecure today.
The rest of the day was chill, I received a bunch of stuff I'd ordered to put in my trunk including a 3-quart Instapot, lap desk for my laptop, a small coffee grinder, and a box of Mezcla bars which are my favorite and aren't available in some cities. For now, that and a packing cube of clothes should be plenty. I can add more things as the tour goes on. I decided to do laundry before bed as well because we've got some busy days coming up.
One more thing: our merch stand is almost set up! It is so beautiful!
I saw fleece blankets, water bottles, mugs, a Belle tiara, a fuzzy Beast keychain, and what looked like magnets. The purple coffee mug is heat-activated and rose petals appear when you add hot water. My favorite was a HUGE Gaston beer tankard! There will also certainly be t-shirts and sweaters.
They did a fantastic job with this logo.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SATURDAY
I made sure to sleep in. I needed it.
Packed my meals and walked to the theater carrying my Instapot to put in my trunk.
Passed the merch stand on the way. They've added more stuff! Shirts and sweaters, a Belle doll, and I see the iconic plates from the animated movie (I want two of them!) among other things. I'm very curious about the little mirror with the black face....maybe it's a toy?
There was also this photo op near the box office that wasn't there before. It's a little hard to tell from this pic but it's a booth, you can walk inside it so that you'll be framed with the rose.
While putting the Instapot in my trunk I noticed that there were loads of these little name tags scattered all over the bottom of it.
They were different shapes and sizes, rectangles and squares big and small. Our violinist was nearby putting things in her trunk too, and she didn't have any of these tags. Looking more closely, I realized that most of them did not have my apostrophe. Aha! That would (sort of) explain it! They probably started printing my name without the apostrophe, but in Disney's system I have it, so they had to re-print with it added back in, but had already cut and laminated the other sheet without the apostrophe and then didn't know what to do with those. Lol! The poor person who probably panic-dumped these labels! I will check with other musicians in case we're supposed to have a bunch of tags for some reason, but I doubt it. I will stick one on my trombone case for sure...
I warmed up in the trap room. To alleviate my insecurity about how I sound on bass trombone, I decided to be a sneaky snoop. I went to the pit to look at where people had set my audio levels on their Avioms. Hate to say it, but you can tell that someone sucks when half the pit has them turned way down or off. But no, in the majority of mixes I was at a completely normal volume. Yay! Only the trumpet and French horn had me turned significantly down, but that is normal because we are all right next to each other. This made me feel a lot better :)
And then when I was finishing my warm up, the Reed 2 musician came in. We said hello and all that, then he mentioned he'd overheard people telling me that my new trombone sounds "warm." He said, "I'm a reed player so I don't know anything about that, but I know that this one sounds better to ME." Double yay!
So now I'm going to stop worrying about it. I'm sure in a week everyone will have forgotten what my first bass trombone sounded like. It is not worth the stress.
Today was wandelprobe, and as such, our first time rehearsing with the actors!
A mic was passed around the pit so we could introduce ourselves, and we waved from our little hole in the ground. Then we got started with rehearsal. It was awesome!! Everyone sounds AMAZING. And I can see a lot from my spot near the pit wall, I'm so excited to watch when people are in full costume at the run through tonight!
For dinner break I walked back to the hotel, chatting with Jameson about his day. He's getting ready to go on his work-related cruise as a Disney producer! Still so incredibly proud of him and hope he has an absolute BLAST.
Took this picture while waiting excitedly for our first full show run through tonight.
It's the stage screen, and the pit net, reflected in my trombone bell.
The run through went very well. Considering that it was our very first one, everyone did an amazing job! There were mistakes, but I would have been more surprised if it had been perfect on the first try. And the effects in this show are ASTOUNDING. The way the set pieces move, and the way lighting and high-tech screens and illusions are incorporated...I can only see about 1/3 of the stage from my spot, but what I could see was mind-boggling. People are going to LOVE this show!!
Afterward the band unanimously decided to have a celebratory drink at a bar across from our hotel. This was our first hang all together, and although I'd only planned to stay for one drink, turns out my coworkers were VERY curious about my circus background and wanted to hear all about it! So I stayed for a solid 4 hours, mostly drinking water and trying not to lose my voice describing what traveling year-round on a 1950s passenger train and performing 400 shows per year had been like! I did get to ask a few questions of my own, and learned a lot about our drummer and a little about our reed 2, and played the "guess my age game" with the other two ladies of the pit :p
Overall this seems like a wonderful group of people, and I hope that we'll have lots of time to get to know each other.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUNDAY
The band had been scheduled for a TBD rehearsal in the afternoon but it was canceled! Yay!
My whole day was free up until 7:30pm!
I was up way too early, but made the most of it by making a grocery list and Ubering to Target (I can't wait to be in a city where there are grocery stores within walking distance!!) and then swinging by the theater essentially just to steal bagels from the green room :p I wanted to go to the farmer's market again but was headachy and tired, only had one drink last night so it's probably the weather + allergies + not enough sleep. Had a restful day doing a lot of nothing, then after dinner went to the theater early to warm up on the bass and hit some spots I'd had trouble with last night.
I should perhaps mention that the availability request for the EPCOT Candlelight Processional was sent out yesterday! Once again I am bookmarking the ONE Monday rehearsal, which I will have to attend or risk losing my cast member status. I've now done this twice before while on tour, it's always harrowing and crazy, but also a reminder that few people have the privilege to do this or are even capable of doing this even given the opportunity. I'll be cranky for 48 hours, but also will have lots of fun and will be very grateful :)
Anyway, tonight Josh (our Key 1) brought in real apple cider and fresh apple cider donuts he'd gotten at the farmers market. They were delicious and gave me nostalgia for my hometown; every year at the Fair you could get apple cider freshly pressed in front of you and it was amazing. This was just like that :)
I thought today's full run was better than yesterday's overall. Still some intonation problems but a lot of that is because the pit is very cold. We also had to stop again during the Gaston/Beast fight scene, but I couldn't tell why; they took it as an opportunity to practice what happens on stage when whatever-it-was goes wrong ("technical difficulties" announcement, opening screen comes down until they're ready to move on.) Otherwise, fine show. Now I am looking forward to a full day off (though no idea what I will do with myself!)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday: A day off! The only things I have planned are to eat out for lunch and dinner as a special treat, and I'd also like to go for a walk (not much else to do in Schenectady I'm afraid)
Tuesday: Possible afternoon rehearsal followed by a show run.
DO NOT RESHARE ANY PART OF THIS POST WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION. Thank you.**
This post covers the weekend.
--- --- --- --- --- ---
FRIDAY
I got to sleep in just a little, but was nervous about playing my bass with the group for the first time.
Walked over a bit early to assemble it, take pictures, warm up, and tune up.
Here's the new kid!
Details of the wraps, and the cut bell (also called a screw bell or bell flare.)
It was a very short rehearsal, only two hours.
During the break, three different musicians approached unsolicited to tell me, "This one [new trombone] sounds warmer."
Being the insecure, self-critical person that I am, rather than taking this as a compliment, I immediately started second-guessing the purchase.
Was it TOO warm?
Is the difference THAT noticeable?
Should I have tried the version with the YELLOW bell instead of gold brass?
Was this a mistake?
All because of compliments. Yep, I'm one of THESE. Sigh.
But at least I'm conscious of it. I said thanks, added that I'm still getting used to the horn and that I hope it'll be a good fit for this show. Everyone had nice things to say. If I write about this now I can look back in a month or two and roll my eyes at how absolutely ridiculous I was for feeling insecure today.
The rest of the day was chill, I received a bunch of stuff I'd ordered to put in my trunk including a 3-quart Instapot, lap desk for my laptop, a small coffee grinder, and a box of Mezcla bars which are my favorite and aren't available in some cities. For now, that and a packing cube of clothes should be plenty. I can add more things as the tour goes on. I decided to do laundry before bed as well because we've got some busy days coming up.
One more thing: our merch stand is almost set up! It is so beautiful!
I saw fleece blankets, water bottles, mugs, a Belle tiara, a fuzzy Beast keychain, and what looked like magnets. The purple coffee mug is heat-activated and rose petals appear when you add hot water. My favorite was a HUGE Gaston beer tankard! There will also certainly be t-shirts and sweaters.
They did a fantastic job with this logo.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SATURDAY
I made sure to sleep in. I needed it.
Packed my meals and walked to the theater carrying my Instapot to put in my trunk.
Passed the merch stand on the way. They've added more stuff! Shirts and sweaters, a Belle doll, and I see the iconic plates from the animated movie (I want two of them!) among other things. I'm very curious about the little mirror with the black face....maybe it's a toy?
There was also this photo op near the box office that wasn't there before. It's a little hard to tell from this pic but it's a booth, you can walk inside it so that you'll be framed with the rose.
While putting the Instapot in my trunk I noticed that there were loads of these little name tags scattered all over the bottom of it.
They were different shapes and sizes, rectangles and squares big and small. Our violinist was nearby putting things in her trunk too, and she didn't have any of these tags. Looking more closely, I realized that most of them did not have my apostrophe. Aha! That would (sort of) explain it! They probably started printing my name without the apostrophe, but in Disney's system I have it, so they had to re-print with it added back in, but had already cut and laminated the other sheet without the apostrophe and then didn't know what to do with those. Lol! The poor person who probably panic-dumped these labels! I will check with other musicians in case we're supposed to have a bunch of tags for some reason, but I doubt it. I will stick one on my trombone case for sure...
I warmed up in the trap room. To alleviate my insecurity about how I sound on bass trombone, I decided to be a sneaky snoop. I went to the pit to look at where people had set my audio levels on their Avioms. Hate to say it, but you can tell that someone sucks when half the pit has them turned way down or off. But no, in the majority of mixes I was at a completely normal volume. Yay! Only the trumpet and French horn had me turned significantly down, but that is normal because we are all right next to each other. This made me feel a lot better :)
And then when I was finishing my warm up, the Reed 2 musician came in. We said hello and all that, then he mentioned he'd overheard people telling me that my new trombone sounds "warm." He said, "I'm a reed player so I don't know anything about that, but I know that this one sounds better to ME." Double yay!
So now I'm going to stop worrying about it. I'm sure in a week everyone will have forgotten what my first bass trombone sounded like. It is not worth the stress.
Today was wandelprobe, and as such, our first time rehearsing with the actors!
A mic was passed around the pit so we could introduce ourselves, and we waved from our little hole in the ground. Then we got started with rehearsal. It was awesome!! Everyone sounds AMAZING. And I can see a lot from my spot near the pit wall, I'm so excited to watch when people are in full costume at the run through tonight!
For dinner break I walked back to the hotel, chatting with Jameson about his day. He's getting ready to go on his work-related cruise as a Disney producer! Still so incredibly proud of him and hope he has an absolute BLAST.
Took this picture while waiting excitedly for our first full show run through tonight.
It's the stage screen, and the pit net, reflected in my trombone bell.
The run through went very well. Considering that it was our very first one, everyone did an amazing job! There were mistakes, but I would have been more surprised if it had been perfect on the first try. And the effects in this show are ASTOUNDING. The way the set pieces move, and the way lighting and high-tech screens and illusions are incorporated...I can only see about 1/3 of the stage from my spot, but what I could see was mind-boggling. People are going to LOVE this show!!
Afterward the band unanimously decided to have a celebratory drink at a bar across from our hotel. This was our first hang all together, and although I'd only planned to stay for one drink, turns out my coworkers were VERY curious about my circus background and wanted to hear all about it! So I stayed for a solid 4 hours, mostly drinking water and trying not to lose my voice describing what traveling year-round on a 1950s passenger train and performing 400 shows per year had been like! I did get to ask a few questions of my own, and learned a lot about our drummer and a little about our reed 2, and played the "guess my age game" with the other two ladies of the pit :p
Overall this seems like a wonderful group of people, and I hope that we'll have lots of time to get to know each other.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUNDAY
The band had been scheduled for a TBD rehearsal in the afternoon but it was canceled! Yay!
My whole day was free up until 7:30pm!
I was up way too early, but made the most of it by making a grocery list and Ubering to Target (I can't wait to be in a city where there are grocery stores within walking distance!!) and then swinging by the theater essentially just to steal bagels from the green room :p I wanted to go to the farmer's market again but was headachy and tired, only had one drink last night so it's probably the weather + allergies + not enough sleep. Had a restful day doing a lot of nothing, then after dinner went to the theater early to warm up on the bass and hit some spots I'd had trouble with last night.
I should perhaps mention that the availability request for the EPCOT Candlelight Processional was sent out yesterday! Once again I am bookmarking the ONE Monday rehearsal, which I will have to attend or risk losing my cast member status. I've now done this twice before while on tour, it's always harrowing and crazy, but also a reminder that few people have the privilege to do this or are even capable of doing this even given the opportunity. I'll be cranky for 48 hours, but also will have lots of fun and will be very grateful :)
Anyway, tonight Josh (our Key 1) brought in real apple cider and fresh apple cider donuts he'd gotten at the farmers market. They were delicious and gave me nostalgia for my hometown; every year at the Fair you could get apple cider freshly pressed in front of you and it was amazing. This was just like that :)
I thought today's full run was better than yesterday's overall. Still some intonation problems but a lot of that is because the pit is very cold. We also had to stop again during the Gaston/Beast fight scene, but I couldn't tell why; they took it as an opportunity to practice what happens on stage when whatever-it-was goes wrong ("technical difficulties" announcement, opening screen comes down until they're ready to move on.) Otherwise, fine show. Now I am looking forward to a full day off (though no idea what I will do with myself!)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday: A day off! The only things I have planned are to eat out for lunch and dinner as a special treat, and I'd also like to go for a walk (not much else to do in Schenectady I'm afraid)
Tuesday: Possible afternoon rehearsal followed by a show run.
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Random question: is there a good place to find info on touring shows/musicals? I'm looking for an excuse to go visit some cities and trying to figure out what shows will be there when, if that makes sense. I found playbill.com but I feel like that's not comprehensive since the very show you wrote about here isn't on there.
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You can look up tours by name, or see them in a calendar view which is extremely helpful. Just make sure you're looking at the right year (i.e. "2025/2026 season")
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