Directing can be described as stressful, terrifying, enlightening, insane and a never-ending panic attack. It first starts with auditions. When you have a cast as large as ours, you pray really hard that enough people show up to fill the 20-30 parts needed to make the show happen. Courtney and I were completely thrown off guard when we had over twenty-five people at auditions the first night. We ran out of scripts and audition forms, one of the best problems to have for a show. We did the best we could with what we had. Over two nights of auditions we had 39 people audition, an amazing turnout for the Yorkshire Playhouse. It made our decisions for picking the cast difficult.

After auditions, the next major hurdle to cover is blocking. For those that don’t know, blocking is when the director(s) assign entrances, exits, and movements on stage for the actors and actresses. When I started blocking I thought it would be a quick process, but I soon learned that it is a never-ending process. There’s only a couple weeks of practice left and we are still tweaking things to make them just right.

Directing has been a rewarding experience. I’ve been so impressed with our cast. Some of the kids had their lines memorized the first week of practice, others had their lines memorized two weeks before they were required to be off book. That kind of dedication has made our job as directors much easier. With only two weeks left, the nerves are really starting to kick in, but we know the hard work has been paying off and the show is looking great already. Break a leg cast of “Miracle on 34th Street: The Play.” You’ve got this!

~ Written by: Emily Petersen

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You've Got This "Miracle on 34th Street: The Play" Cast