First day of performances...

The British Pageant - First full run-through

At the time of writing, we have just come back from dinner and previous to this we (the whole cast for the second week) did our first full run-through of the whole pageant.

We have spent the last 5 days working through each scene and dance, trying to learn everything and make sure we know things like our cues, where we're supposed to be on stage, the dance moves and much more. It has at times felt a little overwhelming with the amount of learning we have had to do (especially for complete amateurs like me!), but today when we went through the whole thing together I finally felt that we could actually do this.

As we went through everything in order, a couple of things stood out to me:

First, the pageant is a lot shorter when you're in it! Harriet and I have quite a large gap between scenes at one point, yet during the run-through it shot by. Thankfully for me, Harriet was aware of how quickly time was passing and we got on in time.

The second thing I noticed was that it is quite a powerful experience being on stage. As I have written previously, I have never done this kind of thing before. I definitely felt the "buzz" from being up there and can see how actors and actresses get a kick out of it.

Since I wrote the paragraphs above, Harriet and I have just participated in the proper dress rehearsal in front of a couple of hundred people. The information above still applies and now that we've had a proper audience, the feelings in the previous paragraph in particular are even more poignant. What I was saying was that I can see how professionals get a buzz and possibly can become addicted to it, requiring more and more.

What is different about this experience as a whole is that there is something else there. On top of the buzz you may feel from the appreciative audience there is an extra, more satisfying feeling that lasts much longer. Because of the nature of this production (or "experience", as the creative team are calling it), there isn't just a storyline and plot. There is truth being taught and because of this, the spirit testifies to all who are open and willing to feel it. People can come away feeling inspired by the plot, while they can also come away with a desire to come closer to Christ, which is what we want to happen!

Anyway, tomorrow night is our first performance before a full house (around 1,700 people) and I am massively looking forward to it. As the pageant testifies: Truth Will Prevail!