Student Blog: Catch Me If You Can; Double Duty

Sometimes you do a show, and it seems like there is a little bit of magic packed into it. It feels like a family came together on stage and step-clapped their way into each other's hearts.  Catch Me If You Can had that magic! I was fortunate enough to be not only a cast member in Toronto Metropolitan Theatre Company’s production but also the Head of Wardrobe for this dazzling and wonderful production!

Doing both production and cast on this show was so much work. I logged hundreds of hours both in rehearsal, dancing and singing my little heart out, and at the sewing machine altering, changing, and crafting costumes together for our cast of 19 students!  This show had over a hundred costume pieces that were either hand made, sourced, altered or borrowed and we did it on a very shoestring budget.  The costumes were truly a dream come true, not only the style and look of them, but the amazing team I had helping me bring these pieces together.  5 wardrobe assistants, all so wonderful, talented, and helpful, the most ambitious and joyous costume designer, (shoutout to you, Soleine), and myself rounded out the costume team and made the actors shine on stage.  The swinging sixties made for such a fun era to create, and we did it Live in Living Colour!  I logged about 150 hours working as the head of this department, and I know that numerous people on the wardrobe team put in a hundred hours as well! It is truly a marvel at what goes on behind the scenes, that the audience doesn’t see.

As a cast member, I attended weekly eight hour rehearsals in order to get ready for this production, starting in October! Rehearsals are one of my favourite parts, because I get to spend time with my family of friends that all work on the show together.  Tech week was definitely the busiest week for me as both production and cast.  I spent my days sewing, sourcing and altering, in order to prepare for rehearsal in the evening. Sometimes it felt like the alterations never stopped! Thankfully, the wardrobe team from heaven stepped up and did so much additional work in order to get the cast show ready.  

Once show week hit, I relinquished my wardrobe duties to the dressers backstage, and really needed to be able to focus on my lines, moves, and harmonies.  During our tech dress rehearsal, I noticed myself being really off my game, and I was dropping lines, forgetting choreo, and overall very frazzled!  What was concerning at first, quickly fizzled out once I came to the realization that my mind was too busy worrying about what the cast was wearing on stage, and not worried enough about myself.  Thankfully at that time, I had provided all the necessary information for the cast, creative team, and crew, and I really had nothing to worry about anymore.  My dressers were more than capable, and so was the cast and knowing what to do and when! At that point, it was out of my hands, and I was able to settle into the fun of performing!

On opening night, entering the stage in a dance formation with the rest of the cast, I could tell that I was smiling so wide, and I almost shed a tear at how proud I was.  Seeing the cast come together and do what we loved, as well as seeing how amazing the costumes look, I couldn’t be happier. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to do what I love.  And for now, there’s only one word left to sing…. goodbye!