Too much time on my hands: a reflection of Rock of Ages.

As I sit here, collecting my thoughts on my experience of the past few months, I can't help but feel a twinge of sadness that my journey with Pannic Productions latest musical production has now come to an end. Months of preparation resulted in a blur of a weekend and all that's left now is memories and photographs of the beautiful storm that was Rock of Ages. I wanted to recount my experience of the whole process so this is a very Esther-centric blog, but there's some pictures to break up the self-indulgent dribble.

Auditions:

When I went to see Pannic Productions version of The Wall last year, I saw the audition notice for their next show, Rock of Ages. 2017 was the year that I had returned to theatre after a lengthy hiatus and although the prospect of auditioning for a different company terrified me (I'd only previously worked with one other theatre company), I was very excited to try out for a part in a musical that I was a huge fan of.

I convinced my brother Jack to learn "Violet" by Hole on guitar, we rehearsed it over and over and on my audition day we drove to Woolloongabba to the rehearsal venue. The first audition was for dancing, then we were called individually for our singing audition. As one of the last to audition, I'd heard everyone else absolutely slay and felt so nervous about my own ability. When it was my turn, Jack and I went in and gave it a good ol' McGregor try and then went and ate our feelings at Pancake Manor afterwards. I'd resigned myself to the fact that I probably wouldn't get in, but given the calibre of talent from the other auditionees, I was okay about it. Much to my surprise, the next day I received a call from the director offering me a part in the ensemble, and the role of journalist Constance Sack!

audition preparation also involved watching many Youtube clips and the movie version several times (the stage version is better, FYI)

I dressed in the spirit of the 80s for the audition. Jack just embodies 80s hair metal everyday

Rehearsals:

Although auditions were in November, we didn't start rehearsals until mid-January. I'd previously worked with a handful of the cast but a majority were new faces, something which can be both refreshing and intimidating. However, from our very first read-through of the script, I knew I was surrounded by a group of lovely people who I couldn't wait to get to know better.

The rehearsal process happened over ~three months, and was consistently challenging, inspiring and rewarding. From the humble beginnings of learning harmonies, and choreography for the big dance numbers, we gradually added in blocking, dialogue and props until we were running full Acts. It was really sweet to watch everyone grow and develop their characters, especially in ensemble as everyone had created their own unique persona for the stage.

It was during this time that I also got to know the offstage personalities of everyone and I consistently felt so privileged to be working with such a friendly, dedicated, and warm group of people.

our choreographer's dog Yukon (a very good boy)

program photoshoot day

blocking the lead up to "Dead or Alive"

Tech Week:

Our tech week was plagued by a myriad of issues, as most tech weeks are. From set construction being delayed, to malfunctioning microphones, our production team faced it all. I must commend their utmost professionalism and transparency with us the whole way through, as we were always informed and updated about what was going on. Tech week dilemmas resulted in us not being able to run all our final rehearsals on the stage as planned, but I cannot thank my fellow cast enough for all being diligent and motivated as we ensured that our time was used to revise choreography and blocking.

set construction shenanigans

candid dressing room choreo revision (photo credit: Amanda Harris)

Showtime:

Over the course of three days, we performed five shows. Our opening night show went well, but by closing night, we were all comfortable and in our element so we were able to take our performance to an even higher level. Reviews from audiences were positive and I couldn't be prouder of what we collectively achieved with this show. I want to thank each and every person who helped put this show together for giving it 110% and making this the theatrical experience of a lifetime.

Simon, Michelle, Amanda, Holly and Nicole preparing for Act 2 on opening night

Kara and Bronte sneaking pics on my phone

Jesse and myself as Stacee Jaxx and Constance Sack

the cast, crew, band and production team of Rock of Ages (photo credit: Amanda Harris)