Spotlight on an Orchestra Member in The Addams Family

By Joshua Zhuang | November 16th, 2023

The orchestra plays a crucial yet sometimes overlooked role in every theatrical production, and this December’s The Addams Family is no different. In Part 2 of a series focusing on the behind-the-scenes workings of this year’s school musical, The Woodstock interviewed Grade 11 student George Liu, who will serve as the orchestra’s first violinist.

The Woodstock (W): When are rehearsals?

George: Right now, rehearsals take place after school on Tuesdays and Fridays. Later on, we’ll be adding rehearsals on Mondays and probably Saturdays, too.

W:Tell us what an average session is like for you.

George: A session typically begins with setting up our instruments. A lot of equipment needs to be moved around for the keyboards, guitar, and bass, and there's also some software involved with the keyboards. This usually takes around twenty minutes; however, I'm sure we'll get things running more efficiently later on. Right now, we're a few rehearsals in, so we're just running through the songs, getting a feel for the music, and fixing any major issues that pop up. We typically run through the short pieces easily and spend more time on the longer numbers. We’ll also be having joint rehearsals with the musical’s actors later in November.

W: Is it challenging balancing preparing for the musical with your other extracurriculars and schoolwork?

George: It's a huge commitment! We're staying at school for hours after the dismissal bell, and it's a bit tiring at times, especially when combined with the early mornings at our Senior Band. Rehearsals are around two hours right now, but might hit three or even four a bit later on. A lot of sacrifices need to be made to bring the music up to standard, and everyone in the orchestra is putting a lot of time and effort into this production. Luckily, I've been relatively on top of my schoolwork and outside life, but I've had to reschedule a few things and I've had to sacrifice a lot of free time. I have a lot of respect for everyone in the musical; there are definitely people more busy than I am who are working hard to make sure that the production is amazing.

W: You played in the orchestra last year for Beauty and the Beast too. Why did you decide to return?

George: Last year was the first time I played in a pit orchestra here at The Woodlands. Even though it was just as big of a commitment last year, it was an extraordinary experience that you couldn’t find anywhere else. Everyone who acted in Beauty and the Beast was amazing, and it felt great being part of the production with the cast and crew. The composer, Alan Menken, wrote incredible music that perfectly captured the mood of every scene. The funny scenes were accompanied by lighthearted music, the sad scenes were accented by emotional music, and the intense music during the climax had everyone on the edge of their seats, myself included! I guess I decided to join this year because of the great community, and I'm looking forward to the performances.

W: I've always wanted to know how you get the timing right. Say an actor stumbles or forgets a line or step while singing or dancing. What does the orchestra do?

George: In most cases, the orchestra has to just keep on playing and hope that things get sorted out onstage – the last thing we want is to draw excess attention to a blunder. We also vamp behind dialogue or certain breaks, meaning that we play a short section over and over again until we receive a certain cue, usually a line spoken by an actor. This gives some buffer time for the cast so they don't have to worry about catching up to the music! Mr. Mootrey, our amazing conductor, is the one who catches the cues and directs us to either continue or begin the next number.

W: If you could tell Mr. Mootrey one thing, what would it be?

George: I really respect all the time that Mr. Mootrey puts into the music department. I'm sure that music students at Woodlands all know the dedication that he has, and I hope he never loses his passion.

We wish George the best of luck with rehearsals and look forward to seeing him perform this December!