We are on the brink of yet another Carthage Christmas Festival, which means that all of us involved in the program (I refuse to call it a “show,” although quite a few people involved with it gravitate to that term) are working up quite a sweat. . . both from expending of considerable effort plus some good old fashioned nervousness. This is a gigantic undertaking and a logistical nightmare involving all of the major musical ensembles at Carthage plus the theater department – and unlike some programs where some rough edges, missed cues and flubbed lines lend a bit of down-to-earth charm, the Carthage Christmas Festival is the sort of pristine, reverent experience where perfection is the aim and even small mishaps feel like catastrophes. I felt that most painfully at one of my very first Christmas Festival performances back in the early 1990’s when I stood up after playing the piano and my foot caught the cord of the piano light, which sent the light crashing to the floor – and I thought I would die or be fired- or both. In some kinds of concerts or programs, such a mishap would be a welcome bit of comic relief. NOT in the Carthage Christmas Festival!
But in what one might call a miracle, there is tremendous joy at the heart of the Carthage Christmas Festival. By the time there is an audience here in Siebert, the hard work has been done – the biggest sweat has been sweated – and what’s left is the joy . . . the wonder . . . the spirit . . . the beauty.
And yet, I think it’s important to say that there is also beauty in the sweat. When I walked into Siebert Chapel Sunday night and saw the risers filled to the brim with Carthage Choir members – giving up the last night of Thanksgiving break for a two-hour rehearsal, it was in its own way as beautiful a sight as anything that will be seen in our Christmas Festival performances. Ditto for the superlative brass quintet who was there to rehearse as well … as well as Festival Coordinator Dr. Peter Dennee, who was working in his office on Festival matters until just after midnight. It was so moving to see all of that cheerful effort evident. And today during the first lengthy all-hands-on-deck rehearsal, I marveled at how patient and cheerful the students manage to remain through what amounts to a rather tedious rehearsal with a lot of waiting. (There is basically no singing at the Monday rehearsal- it’s all about figuring out traffic, entrances and exits, etc.) But the students seem to understand that a great performance is impossible without this kind of painstaking preparation of the most mundane sort of details.
I’m actually witnessing the slow building of magic at the Racine Theater Guild as well, with the final rehearsals for our production of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. If there were any audience members sneaking into the auditorium tonight, they would see a lot of almost-magic happening . . . would-be magic waiting for the final kinks to be ironed out. I know that by the time the production opens, it will be a seamless kaleidoscope of wonders and delights – but even now, at this stage in the game when plenty of things are still going a bit wrong, there is joyous magic in the gigantic effort that everyone’s making…. from the youngest of the oompa loompa’s to the oldest of the curmudgeonly grandparents…. from director Doug Instenes to the last crew member….. Everyone has been working so hard for so long, but it’s amazing how people can dig deep into their souls and find just a little bit more energy for the last big push. Of course, it’s easy for me to speak with such sunny optimism because the musical matters are very well in hand. (This is not all that challenging a musical score.) The technical challenges, on the other hand, are pretty much endless and I’m sure Doug and the technical wizards have a sleepless night or two ahead of them. But God willing, when the first audiences settle into their seats to watch this show, they will be blown away. . . and will have absolutely no sense of the buckets of sweat it took to make the magic happen.
Best wishes to everyone involved in the Carthage Christmas Festival . . . and in the Racine Theater Guild’s production of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. May you taste a bit of magic yourself even as you share it with others.
pictured above: Maestro Eduardo Garcia-Novelli leads the Carthage Choir in rehearsal Sunday night.