Wing Watchers: What Team?!
- Megan Case
- 6 days ago
- 7 min read
Introducing Wing Watchers, a new blog series sharing a director’s reflections from just beyond the stage.
Beyond the lines, choreography, cues, and curtain calls are the moments unfolding beneath the surface: the breath we hold from the wings, the courage we witness onstage, and the quiet, extraordinary ways young artists find their voices, grow their wings, and become more fully themselves beneath the lights.
Please note that we have incredible show photos coming, but for this I wanted to share moments captured by the cast as they lived for all the silly, wonderful, hope of it all!
At the very first rehearsal of the summer, I sat the cast down and explained my vision for what I had lovingly dubbed our Kenny Ortega Summer.
We talked about what has made movies like High School Musical and Descendants remain so deeply loved, even years after their release. We dove into those warm, fuzzy feelings they leave behind, the reminder that happy endings are possible, that friendship matters, and that sometimes a story can simply leave you smiling because they are filled with hope, fun, and so much joy!
Of course, even the most joyful shows carry deeper themes beneath the music and dancing. Friendship struggles, questions of identity, pressure to succeed, fear of disappointing people, and the challenge of figuring out where you belong all surfaced throughout our rehearsal process.
Disney-rated heavy stuff, perhaps, but heavy nonetheless.
Those themes led us into some incredibly meaningful conversations. At their heart was one simple reminder: You are not alone. You are not the only person who has faced these struggles, and there are people who understand you.
Life is happening around all of us, and it is not always easy. I knew that many of these young performers were carrying heavy things this summer. As desperately as we may want to shield them from every difficult day, none of us is immune to dark moments, unexpected changes, or obstacles we never asked to face.
What we can do in theatre is put that weight down for a little while. We can unpack the heavy at the door. We can exhale as we enter the rehearsal room. We can step into the music, the movement, and the story, and escape together for just a moment.
I am also very aware that this is far easier said than done. But throughout this process, I had the extraordinary honor of watching these kids truly see one another.
Through the frustrations, the box steps that simply would not close, the exhausting dance numbers, because Kenny Ortega choreography apparently requires an endless supply of jumps and spins, and the moments when a room filled with 45 performers became a little overstimulating, they continued to notice each other.
They checked in with such genuine care. The unspoken question was always, “Do you need a moment or a friend?”
They noticed when someone’s energy was lower than usual. Even within an enormous cast, they noticed when someone had quietly stepped aside. They brought water, offered hugs, sat beside one another, made each other laugh, and reminded their friends they did not have to carry things alone.
Through the power of theatre, and the sometimes very necessary rules of the rehearsal room, we discovered life lessons along the way. At the end of the day, producing a show is really one enormous group project.
It means learning to do your part so you do not let the group down. It means collaboration, responsibility, communication, and trust. Sometimes it simply means recognizing that we have all been dancing together in the same room for seven hours and should probably give ourselves, and each other, a little grace. As nerves rise before a performance, we talk about what it means to lead with kindness.
In that spirit of teamwork and equality, this cast became incredible at celebrating every single person.
Whether it was a 15-second spinning plate act, a belt that we felt in our souls, a self-choreographed tap number, or a dance move someone had finally mastered after weeks of trying, this cast cheered unbelievably loudly for one another. They celebrated every moment, from beginning to end, and together they told a beautiful story.
As a new nonprofit, we rehearse each week in our Sound & Stage studio. Then, at the end of the process, we ask these young performers to accomplish the nearly unimaginable feat of transferring the entire production into a theatre during just one day of tech.
They had five hours to see the stage for the first time. Five hours to run the huge dance numbers the way we had always imagined but could never quite accomplish in our smaller rehearsal space. Five hours to practice moving 45 people on and offstage through a single entrance. Five hours to adjust lighting, sound, spacing, props, costumes, cues, and scene changes.
They worked on a professional production timeline, many of them having never experienced anything like it before, and they did it with the most bubbly, determined energy.
I hope they never underestimate what they are capable of, because they have already accomplished some incredibly hard things.
And then the lights came up on Lava Springs.
The tears began on opening night and did not fully stop until the last of us left IHOP in the very early hours of Sunday morning.
Once the show began, I had to leave it in their hands. I held my breath, took my place in the wings, and trusted them to run the production. And oh my goodness, did they run it!
They moved props. They helped one another through quick changes. They whispered reminders about cues and entrances. They clapped the loudest after every big number.
They ran water bottles to friends. They carried forgotten props through the house. They solved problems in the dark. They managed all of it while continuing to look out for one another.
Backstage during a show can be stressful. People are bustling around in the dark, changing costumes, gathering props, navigating tight spaces, and conquering their nerves one scene at a time.
My goal as a director is always to remind our performers that theatre is play. Do not become so swept up in worrying about what might go wrong that you forget to enjoy what is happening right in front of you.
These moments are fleeting. They disappear before we fully realize they are ending. The whispered jokes, the frantic costume changes, the hands squeezed before an entrance, the hugs after a difficult scene, and the memories created in the wings are the moments I hope they carry for a lifetime.
And then we reached closing night.
To everyone who joined us that evening, I apologize for what I am now calling our Lord of the Rings ending. The night seemed to contain about twelve separate emotional finales.
The show itself started late, and for that I truly apologize.
What began as a quick compliment circle to hype everyone up before the performance very quickly dissolved into a room full of sobbing teenagers pouring their hearts out to one another.
They thanked found family members. Best friends of five years. New friends who had made this summer infinitely better. They shared how deeply they inspired one another. They honored the cast members who always had a smile for everyone. The ones who pushed through hard things when giving up would have been easier. The friends who supported them all summer. The ones who made them laugh. The ones whose hardwork left them in awe.
Everyone had a kind word for someone else. No one was forgotten. No one was left out. Every person had a place within this ever-growing Wildcat family.
Eventually, we completed our chant, joined in one giant group hug, and I reminded them that it was time to put the tears away because we had a theatre full of people waiting for us to make them laugh and smile!
That evening, we also took a moment to honor our own Mrs. Darbus and Mr. Darbus the Janitor: Tom and Steph. Tom and Steph are warriors for theatre and for the teenagers whose lives are so positively affected by it. They have donated their time, technical expertise, energy, and so many beautiful crocheted creations because they believe deeply in the power of the arts.
Last summer, they spent countless hours supporting our teens, keeping them focused, bringing snacks, solving problems, and helping guide them through the production process. Mrs. Darbus also shared her own story of overcoming extraordinarily difficult circumstances. Her resilience inspired this cast and touched the hearts of our returning Wildcats, who wanted nothing more than to honor her.
They gave speeches. They presented flowers. Then they dedicated their final Wildcat cheer to Mrs. Darbus. As the cast performed the closing medley, tears returned as they said goodbye to characters who had been part of their lives for so long.
The heartache of closing night can be difficult to explain to someone who has never experienced theatre. It is part exhaustion, part joy, part grief, and an overwhelming amount of love. Theatre is emotion, and on closing night, all of it seems to hit at once when the house lights come back on.
As I walked through the audience after the show, I kept overhearing the same words through the laughter and conversations:
“That was so much fun.”
“There was so much joy onstage.”
And with that, our Kenny Ortega Summer was complete.
All those weeks ago, this cast set out to give their audience the same warm, hopeful feeling we had discussed at our very first rehearsal. They wanted every person to leave the theatre smiling. They knocked it out of the park!
Wildcats, as all of you now are, as our time together comes to an end and your paths begin leading you toward new adventures, please carry this incredible summer with you.
I hope it has made you a little braver when trying something new. A little more confident in your ability to trust yourself. A little bolder when stepping outside your comfort zone.
I hope you continue to always take up space and, of course, always serve face!
Above all, remember that wherever your journey takes you, you have this community behind you, lifting you up and cheering you on. When the other voices of doubt become too loud, even when the loudest voice is your own, remember that we are theatre kids! We know how to project our support so much louder! We got your back, Wildcat!
❤️🤍❤️🤍❤️🤍Once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat.❤️🤍❤️🤍❤️🤍
Comments