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Butcher takes a flash from the past this week

Date: 12/8/2008

By Amanda Butcher

A Special to Reminder Publications



"The hills are alive with the sound of music with songs they have sung for a thousand years ."

So begins the title song of the well known and beloved musical, The Sound of Music. It has been dubbed one of the most popular musicals in the land. It must come as no surprise, then, that East Longmeadow has loved it too. At Birchland Park in 1978, students in the drama club sang about Austria's famed edelweiss on two days in May. In 2005, the St. Michael's Players climbed every mountain that stood in their way to show this musical that October.

While at the library with the Historical Commission a few weeks ago, I found a picture of the show in 1978 at Birchland Park. The scene was one of Maria and the Von Trapp children in Maria's room during a storm. The children were scared of the thunder (though the boys insisted that they just wanted to make sure everyone else wasn't). I remember that very scene when my sister played Louisa in 2005...The children all sat on Maria's bed as she sang to chase their fears away. She succeeded, telling a story about the lonely goatherd and awing her audience with the fun song.

What does it take to produce such a play, a play that so many adore? After all, nothing comes from nothing . nothing ever could.

From an actor's perspective, a play like The Sound of Music, or any play for that matter, takes a huge commitment. I know from experience . I've participated in multiple pl ays the past few years. You have to memorize lines in a short period of time, remember notes for that big song, committing the choreography the director taught you that night to memory . the list could stretch on forever.

But, however difficult putting on the show may be, I am thankful for the opportunities a show like this presents.

After a hard day at work, one of my teachers came to see one of the musicals I had been in. She was very tired, but the day after, she told me, "Watching that play took away all of the stress I had during the day."

The cast can take away all the cares of the audience and steal them away to another time and another place for a few hours. Live theater is unique in that each show is different. I have to admit, it is never boring!

Being a part of a drama club or community theater group is a wonderful opportunity to get to know your community and the people in it. You can make lasting friendships while participating in a play or musical.

But if you don't like acting or working behind the scenes, the next best thing is to enjoy the fruit of their labors as you watch the actors perform. What is an actor's favorite thing? No, not raindrops on roses. Their favorite thing is the applause from the audience.

If you wish to learn more about plays of the past, visit the History and Archives Room on the second floor of the East Longmeadow Public Library.

In case you are wondering if Birchland Park students were correct in their prediction of how the election would turn out, they were! They chose Barack Obama as our next president.