A Cast Party for OCCP's The Secret Garden

What’s a show without a Cast Party? For the cast and crew of OCCP’s The Secret Garden, the Cast Party was a celebration of weeks of hard work.

The cast party was held after the last performance in what is referred to as the “Studio” at Bridge View Center and was decorated by a group of volunteers with a garden theme.

The food was catered by Bridge View as well as each parent bringing a food item to share. There was plenty of food and it was yummy!

Another parent made this terrific cake—it looked like the secret garden! On one side, the names of all the kids in the show were written in icing.

A D.J. was on hand to provide music for dancing. Kids of all ages shared the dance floor!



Then, it was time for Karaoke-- a new featured added for this cast party. OK, you have a bunch of kids who are into theater and performing. What do you think is going to happen when you add a microphone and music into the mix? Yep, that is exactly what happened!

The boy wanted to go first, but he hesitated as he hadn’t experienced Karaoke before, so another cast member took the reigns and performed the first song. What was neat about this was that many of the other kids gathered around to watch and see how it all worked. They formed a semi-circle around the performer with tall ones in the back and small ones in the front—no need for direction giving needed, they did it automatically and made sure that everyone who wanted to see could.

So the boy went 2nd and it wasn’t too long before he was adding his own vocal stylings during the musical interludes.



There were others who came next. Then, something happened, that made me question whether I was dealing with an 8 year old or had fast forwarded in time 10 or so years. The boy came back to where we were seated and asked for a pen. I dug through my bag and found one. He then began writing his song request for Karaoke on a napkin—including his name and the title of the song. With the pen returned, he gave his song request to the D.J. and within a few minutes he had the microphone in his hand again!

Fun was had by all and the cast members left, after saying good-bye, with a token from the show, which was also garden themed. What’s a show without a Cast Party!

OCCP Did It Again With The Secret Garden!

 Our local children's theater group produced another fantastic performance with the classic story of The Secret Garden.

 The Secret Garden was the first show of a 3 show season for 2011.  Annie and God Rest Ye Gerry Mentlemen are being readied for the stage yet this year.

 The Secret Garden had an all children cast with 40 plus youngsters from our community portraying various roles.  Many of them used a British accent to add authenticity to the performance.

 Here's Mary, Master Collin, and the Nurse.  In addition to acting challenges, finding authentic props, such as the wheelchair shown above, prove to be quite a challenge in producing a period piece.

Here's the boy in make-up, getting ready for his performance.  He portrayed one of the Sowerby children as well as a Fairgoer in the production.

 Ready for the stage at Bridge View Center!  As you can see, Bridge View Center is a great facility for theater productions.

 In addition to the Cast, a show requires a Crew.  Parents, former OCCP actors, and volunteers man behind the scenes.

 Here's the husband ready to pull various curtains and move props on and off stage.

 That's Jennifer, who heads the crew backstage.  Armed with a script and a headset, she is "in charge" of the show backstage from beginning to end.  The headset allows her to communicate with the other side of the stage, the person on lights, and me, on sound.

 While I didn't take the picture of the husband, as seen above, I'm thinking there is a bit of acting going on in this particular shot.  I know pulling the ropes is hard work, but. . .

 Here's the prop cabinet, complete with lock and low level  lighting that allows for secure storage as well as being able to see the props in a dark backstage area.

 This is Bridge View Center's theater from another point of view.  The theater can seat around 700 people, but can squeeze in 900 with additional seats if needed.

 So, while the show is in motion, the children not on stage are busy backstage waiting for their cues.  This is referred to as the green room.  Kids bring toys and activities and there are typically snacks available.  It is a chance to meet new friends, as the picture above demonstrates. 

After the show, the cast head to the lobby to wait for their adoring fans.  The boy is ready to greet them!

Ah, flowers for the actor!  Those flowers came from Ann and Kathy who came to the show and brought Grandma along.

And, the show couldn't go on without the dedicated directors, Becky and Marc.  OCCP is a labor of love for them and they work well together.  Thanks to both of you for all you do!

To read about another OCCP production, click here.

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