The Unspoken Pit
A look into the pit…orchestra
Crash’n’Bang!: A symbol of both the school and the orchestra, waiting for the opening night. The drama crew was practicing and the Pit was preparing. Come see sister act!
November 2, 2017
Lights Dimming , curtains opening and the actors are getting ready. But there’s another element to live theatre: an engine of wind, brass, and percussion. The engine is hidden, however, in the darkness, waiting for their conductor to cue the moment they should strike. That engine of music is our pit orchestra and they truly are an engine, working as hard as they can every Friday. This machine has been running for three years now and this year they will be performing at “The Sister Act” on November 9.
Senior Jameson Smith is a cog in that machine and has been in pit orchestra since it’s creation.
“We do three to four songs a day,” Smith said.
Pit orchestra doesn’t just have to worry about hitting every note and cue perfectly, but they also have to worry about the flow of the play.
“We do rehearsals until we mostly get our part down, then we have actors come in and sing and play with us to see if we need changes or not,” Smith said. On top of all this, they are down in a pit. “You don’t know exactly what’s going on, all you can see is Proff directing, and you have to be super on point, but it’s a super cool experience. Definitely one of the best musical experiences I’ve had,” Smith said.
Neil Proff is the Band Director and has been directing pit orchestra since 2014.
“It’s really fun, I wish more people in the student body would come and see the play because I really think they would like it. Broadway seems like something that’s not accessible to kids but the show is actually friggin’ awesome,” Proff said.
According to Proff, the experience in the pit orchestra is rewarding. “By the time they’re done playing, their sight reading is so good that it’s like adding a year onto band. It’s not for the faint of heart,” Proff said.
The opening night for sister act will be November 9, And everyone involved has put their soul into it. It’s a fantastic musical peace and will delight you with it’s humor and tunes. You should all definitely make an effort to go, and keep in mind, there’s an engine under that stage.
