FIRST NIGHT IN PETERSBURG

03.08.2017

One of the most important milestones of the NucKids
2017 project has come. More than 20 days of rehearsals, sea of the learned
texts, significant investments of time, sleepless nights and energy.

All this is left behind. And now the first
spectaculars are coming into the Briantsev Theatre of the Young Audience in
order to see the musical performance «Just summer rain».

According to the old tradition all the nuclear actors get
together with the creative and the administration teams members backstage to
make the final lucky handshake. This is a special moment of unity of the
project participants when the tutors give their last guidance and wish a lucky
performance. «Put the hands in the centre! One, two, three! Good luck!» you can
hear from the backstage, and it means that the children has got the energy, gathered
their strength and are ready to start the performance already.

The third bell is ringing and the curtain goes up. The
audience is sinking into the unique atmosphere of the musical. The next hour
and the half have left as a flash. The scene goes one after another, drama goes
after the comedy. Moscow is presented to us in all its glory. Parks, alleyways
and constructions are flashing with an incredible speed. The audience is enchanted
with the main characters, musical scenes and the main atmosphere of the
performance.

“The fist night of the musical was fine. I would not
have expected that! I was not nervous at all before the beginning of the musical,
because I did not even know how is it to do the play. But when we came to the
stage the shudder stopped. There were quite opposite feelings there! You are
experienced every scene and every moment of the musical with the audience. It
is fully inexpressibly! And the audience was perfect. Thanks a lot to Piter! It
was really cool!”

Kamilla Abdullaeva, 11 y.o., Kazakhstan

But during the first night the things get heated not
on the stage only. There is no less intensive work in the wings. Someone is
following up the musical, someone is changing the costume for the next scene,
someone is preparing the decorations, and someone is cheering his friends up
and is assisting to come to the stage. There are technical services there to
let the participants to put on the right costume, the charged microphone and to
have the right requisite in his hands. Moreover if just realize that all 76
participants are involved in the process you are getting a little bit afraid
of. But our grown-up members are used to the process! They are ready to fight!

«There was our special atmosphere in the project.
Everybody was helping to everybody! Most of all this can be seen in the wings.
For example before the scene with builders the young actors run all over the
place, changed the costumes looked for the prop. You are standing in the wing
and you are knocking off your feet. That is why you should not yawing but be in
tune with the actors, no bother them and do the best in assisting them to come
to the stage. The musical was fine! There was loud applause in the end of the
musical and some actors were presented with flowers. I was not yet, but we have
eight performances yet. They will keep up!”

Valeria
Esina, 13 y.o., Snezhinsk

The first night is complicated because the performance
might be turn over for 180 degree with the presence of the audience in the
hall. You can have rehearsals all day long, to stage the scenes with the
producer and to drill the dances with choreographer. But when the lights go out
in the hall and it is filled with the hundreds of admiring eyes, everything is
changed. The actors began to open in unexpected way, the pauses for the
applause are presented, and the atmosphere of the agonizing expectations from
both sides of ramp is occurred. That is why all the tutors of the project were
monitoring every reaction of the audience.

“Our first night was rather good. There were some
mistakes of course. I saw the whole performance from beginning till the end
sitting in the hall. They started very good, then worsened emotionally in the
middle, but then recovered by the end and made a good point. Not everything is
worked out from the first step, you need to understand and consider it. But now
we know where we need to work more. The audience was interested and the actors
were living the real life on the stage. This is the most important. I can admit that I had
tears in the final scene. So the children had managed to get through to me!”

Tatyana Solntseva, teacher of drama arts

To
tell in a word the first night in Saint Petersburg was fine. The young actors
are happy, the cteative team are planning futher
work. We know what we should improve, and we have a lot of performances in the
nearest future. And now the tour is waiting for the young actors. Lets go! 

Leo Suoslov,

Specially for nuckids.ru