Imagine getting ready for the wonder and excitement of the holiday season over and over, but never actually being able to celebrate.
That quirky theme is explored with song and dance and some humor in the Classic Theatre Guild’s production of Twas the Land of the Night Before, an original screenplay penned by Guilderland local Steve Soriano and Bill Douglas of East Greenbush.
Douglas said the process for coming up with the idea for the play was long and harrowing, and involved phone calls, diner meetings and parking lot rendezvous with Soriano, his co-writer.
He said the title for the family-friendly play, to be performed at the 440 Theater at Proctors, came to him while he was on the road one day.
`I was driving over Route 43 and this phrase popped into my head,` Douglas said. `Twas the land of the night before.`
Douglas said the original plan for the play was for several shorts sketches loosely connected, but he said as the ideas stared rolling, a more solidified story emerged.
`We call it a real play now,` he joked.
Soriano said the play started out as `one rim shot after another,` but eventually developed into a cohesive story.
Douglas said the writing of the play was very `deadline oriented` to make sure that work was actually getting done. Included in the play are nine songs, including a reprise of the first tune, he said.
Soriano, who is also directing the play, said he is unsure what the turnout will be.
`It’s an unknown commodity,` he said. `I wonder are the jokes really going to be good? Are the songs really going to be good?`
The story includes the main character, Yule, a ne’er-do-well magician who has been banished from his home for spells that often go awry, and his sidekick Satchel.
Phil Matthei, who will be performing the role of Yule, said he is a veteran of holiday plays, having performed in three recent holiday shows.
`I’m pretty much a regular in these holiday plays. It’s always fun working with the kids,` he said. `I hope people come and enjoy the show.`
Lauren Kerr, a college student also working full-time, plays the role of Satchel. She said this has been a new experience for her because of so many children in the performance.
`This is the first year I worked with a lot of kids younger than me,` Kerr said. `The schedule is kind of crazy, but I love Christmas shows.`
Several families are working together on the performance, including the Doyle family, of sisters Isabella and Ava and their mother, Anne-Marie.
Anne-Marie Doyle complimented the play’s sharp writing.
`It’s clever; it’s very clever,` she said. `It truly is for the entire family.`
Isabella said she is excited to be doing an original play because it allows her to interpret the character any way she likes. Her sister Ava is playing the violin in the show, although it is not in the script, as part of her interpretation of her role.
Another family performing in the show is the Siegel family. Sisters Chloe and Pheebee are performing with their mother, Sharon.
Sharon pointed out how the family atmosphere generated by the cast is mirrored by working with her own family.
`It’s particularly nice working together as a family,` Sharon Siegel said.
Aaron Bailey said his mother, Liesl, coaxed him into the play by allowing him to skip out on chorus in school if he performed in it. He has never been in a play before.
He said he is having a good time rehearsing for the play but joked that he hopes more boys will be in the cast of his next production.
Chas Treadwell, co-producer and vice president of the Classic Theater Guild, said the production has yielded great experiences and brought out talent from adults and children alike.
`Every scene, they breathe life into the scene above and beyond your expectation,` he said of the children.
Treadwell said the play brings a sense of `optimism` to the holidays, but he was cautious not to give away the play’s ending.
The play really teaches people to appreciate what you have,` Soriano said. `It talks about the important part of the holidays.`
Performances are scheduled for Friday, Dec. 5; Saturday, Dec. 6; and Sunday, Dec. 7; Friday, Dec. 12; Saturday, Dec. 13; and Sunday, Dec. 14 at the 440 Theater.“
