A Peek at Mulan Jr

The cast and crew of Mulan Jr had their one-and-only dress rehearsal at Moreau Catholic High School's Teves Theater. They left St. Joseph sometime past noon, ferried by a convoy of volunteer moms and dads, and arrived at Moreau almost half an hour later. As they settled, they took their lunch and prepared the day's activity.

While the cast was busy going through their lines and polishing their dance sequences, the crew was occupied with setting up the props, testing the microphones, and checking the lights. All under the direct supervision of four directors (yes, 4 !!!). Providing technical assistance (for lights and sounds) were a few Moreau students.

Since it was their first time on at this venue, the lead director did a first pass of the entire play. Still dressed in their school uniforms, the cast performed on stage. The directors took notes as the presentation progressed, and interruptions (or cuts, as they were called) were kept at a minimum. They only had 4 hours to rehearse at the theater so they couldn't afford a lot of disruption.

After the first pass, the cast were told to change to their costumes. It was time for the real dress rehearsal. I was there because I was the "official" photographer for the dress rehearsal. My photographs would be used to create multiple collages that would be displayed during the show. I did the same for last year's production of Seussical Jr. As the cast was dressing up, one of the volunteer moms requested me to help watch the boys as they dressed since there were no other dads around.

Sans any make-up, the cast returned on stage, and waited for their cue. There was just a little over an hour left. The curtains opened and the music began. As I took pictures, I could not help but pause and, even for a brief moment, enjoy the colorful sight and melodious sound before my eyes. I cannot imagine that these were junior high kids. When I saw my son come out on stage (as Fa Zhou, Mulan's father) and sing, I got a little choked up. I couldn't believe it !!!

As the presentation ended, the cast headed back to their dressing rooms to change and to pack up, while the crew put away the props and collected the microphones. I did the same. Everyone was of out there just in time.