Please see the post Drama!Drama!Drama! for the beginning of this series.

Well here it is. The day is upon you and you are going live with your first performance of the season. Nerves are at an all time high and there is an undeniable buzz of energy in the air. Everyone is full of anticipation and you are, well you are the director……

It is an amazing thing to sit there with a lump in your throat as you await the cue to begin the event, and sitting on the back of your mind like an elephant is the thought, “Okay, here we go. We can’t stop once we start. This is it.”

But then it begins. I like to have a video ready to begin with. I always prepare an Opening Titles or Introduction sequence to help with the jitters. It is pretty fail-proof if your equipment is running correctly and establishes the rhythm of the production right from the start.

And it is when the first actor walks out on the stage when you realize, Oops, we forgot about that!

A lifesaver for me is the headsets and communicating with my directing team at each entry point into the sanctuary.  It allows you the flexibility to address issues that pop up with hte flow.

Resist the temptation to work off of a DVD. Convert your work to an AVI or MPEG file if you can. EasyWorship makes short work of these file types allowing for smooth scene transition.

Overall, make you sure you have a run through practice the day before (that would be a Saturday for us). One run through to establish the rhythm of all the components working to gether. Then treat your cast & crew to a fabulous pizza lunch and then go through the play again in full production. We call this the costume run.

By doing this, and then having everyone show up early that Sunday morning, it is fresh on the minds of all participants. The rough “jolts” of unexpected issues are greatly exaggerated on opening day.

I have a personal pet peeve: Open Doors. At our church, we have a door from the sanctuary to the choir room on either side of the stage. Unfortunately, there is a door to the outside of the church at just such an angle to be seen from the pews. If someone is opening a door from the sanctuary and outside at the same time, a wash of light comes in completely disrupting the moment. I have been to known to yell, rant and rave in practice when that happens. My famous (or infamous) line as director is “CLOSE THAT DOOR!”

Make sure your cast & crew are alert to not disrupt the flow of the play especially if the SPIRIT is moving….well, just my pet peeve.

But you will be exhausted and a complete emotional mess if you are anything like, the day of the event. But there is no feeling like it in the world when you see the crowd reacting to your production.

In the end worship GOD, do your personal best, make sure you pray and don;t forget to honor your cast & crew at the end  of the play (after any altar call of course).

A last note: I like to keep characters in costumes until the end so that they can come out and greet the crowd; it leaves a lasting impression.