The Wilkins Meeting House has become a world unto itself this winter. Each afternoon of the term, the building hums with energy – the overlapping sounds of vocal warmups, power tools, piano chords, and the rhythmic tap of choreography. That energy has been building for weeks, reaching a crescendo this week with “Tech Week” and dress rehearsals as Pippin prepares to open this evening. For most of the Proctor community, the winter musical appears as if fully formed on opening night. What is less visible is the scope of what happens under one roof each winter – all the interconnected, remarkably complex pieces that go into a theatrical production.
In the scene shop behind the stage, students design and build custom set pieces under the direction of scenic and lighting designer Sam Wyckoff '19. Downstairs, Joan Saunders and students in the Art Skills: Props and Costumes class and the Theatre Tech afternoon activity construct the show's visual world, from swords and wigs to the costumes that blend Charlemagne's court with a circus spectacle. Students climb up to the grid to focus lights, prepare the rigging for aerial silks, and other surprises that make this production unique. In the dance studio, choreographer Gavin King works through sequences with dancers, while vocal director Cait Winston runs harmonies on the stage, and rehearsal accompanist Laura Belanger provides the live music.
On any given afternoon, all of these activities are often running simultaneously. During tech week, the full pit band, quick-change practice, mic checks, makeup, and lighting cues are layered, pulling every element of the full production together for the first time. The choreography backstage is as intricate as anything the audience will see on stage. There are as many moving parts behind the curtain as in front of it, and every one of them has to come together at the same moment to pull off a successful production.
Pippin features solos, duets, and full ensemble numbers with varying configurations of actors and singers on stage, and pulling off a production of this scale requires trust, coordination, and a collective effort that few afternoon activities can match. Theatre demands not just memorization or movement but the ability to embody a character while executing all of it simultaneously — singing, dancing, and acting. Kenzie '27, experiencing theatre for the first time, described choreography days that left her more out of breath than running suicides at soccer practice. There are no timeouts and no substitutions. The "win" is the shared experience of opening night, when weeks of preparation come together in real time.
This cast is remarkably varied in experience, from seniors with a dozen Proctor productions under their belts to first-timers who had never set foot on a stage before this winter. Experienced performers spend rehearsal time teaching choreography, explaining stage conventions, and offering patient mentorship that helps newcomers find their footing. Kenzie Blizzard '27, cast in the leading role of the Leading Player in her first ever musical, had never sung in front of anyone before auditions and has found that each rehearsal builds a confidence that extends well beyond the stage. That spirit extends beyond the student cast. Members of our professional community perform alongside students, modeling the same willingness to step outside a comfort zone and try something new.
A recurring theme in conversations with cast and crew is how theatre becomes family. It is perhaps because of all those hours under one roof – but it is more than just proximity. Theatre asks people to let down their guard in front of each other long before the audience arrives. It asks them to fail in rehearsal, to look foolish learning a dance or finding a character's voice, and to trust that the people around them will respond with encouragement rather than judgment. That kind of vulnerability, repeated daily over the course of a term, creates bonds that run deeper than shared time alone. By closing night, the relationships formed in this building will outlast our memories of the production, however vivid.
Pippin follows a young man who believes he is meant for something extraordinary. His search takes him through war, power, romance, and rebellion as he is guided (and manipulated) by a mysterious company of players who blur the line between performance and real life.It is a show about the tension between the lives we are told to want and the quieter, more honest lives that might actually bring meaning. In her director's note, Hubbard writes: "Pippin gently challenges" the idea that we should focus only on what's ahead. "The road forward is shaped by the ground beneath us. Our missteps, heartbreaks, and triumphs form the foundation we stand on." For adolescents in the midst of their own searching – for identity, for purpose, for what comes next – those themes resonate.
The cast is emphatic that this is not a typical musical. Pippin incorporates aerial silks, rings, hula hoops, roller skates, juggling, and stage combat, pushing performers well beyond what they thought they were capable of when they signed up. It is a chance to see familiar faces – classmates, friends, and teachers – doing unexpected things, and to experience something together that only happens live, in the room, twice, and then never quite the same way again.
The set is built and painted. The lights are focused. The costumes are finished. Lines are polished. Mics are hot. Cues are set. The pit band is in place. The cast is ready. The curtains open. This cast has magic to do.
Proctor Academy presents Pippin: Friday, February 20 and Saturday, February 21 at 7:00 PM in the Wilkins Meeting House, Norris Family Theater. Admission is free. Reserve your tickets HERE. The complete digital playbill, including cast and crew bios, is available HERE.
- Arts
- Performing Arts