Handel’s Messiah highlights…

MAUREEN GORDON, Community Ensemble Participant

Getting to know people from all walks of life and having a laugh together……..

One thousand flights of stairs to our dressing room… that how it feels anyway. The pounds are falling off!!!  Trying to navigate my way around the rabbit warren of backstage and feeling anxious that I might get lost and miss my cue. Funnily enough, others have had dreams about me forgetting to go on stage too………

Arriving at the Coliseum – for the first day – and trying to take in the sheer scale of the massive stage and the myriad (so it seems) of people everywhere. Then we were sitting in the theatre watching the first part of the production, when some of the community ensemble came on stage.  The rest of us were sitting thinking we should be there. They had forgotten to call us. That was funny!!!

Finding out that we are all in the same boat; no-one knew what was going on either and where they should be, including the chorus. We have got used to changes, changes.

Now we have been performing for a few days, so what was strange has become more familiar. What an experience being on stage the last few nights has been: especially during the Hallelujah Chorus – wonderful, powerful and profound.  6 performances down, three to go.

My family came, the constant questions ensued. What were you doing on the stage? Why were you all lying around? I thought you would be singing. Why is there a tree in it? What did they mean when they sang that? And I thought it was straightforward. I get it. My 7 year old niece summed it up, “It was good but loud”…

It has been great to be part of Messiah…