✨ One Night with Wicked
During Spring Break 2011, Dani performed with the National Touring Company of Wicked at the Bob Carr Theater in Orlando.
Linda bid (determinedly) for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at a charity auction. Dani fit into the company as if she’d been on tour with them for months, and looked completely professional on stage—appearing in the opening number, the train station scene, and the finale.
Dani wrote a detailed account of her incredible night backstage and on stage with the cast. Here are some highlights:
“I sat outside on the loading dock with my parents, a bundle of nerves. It had been three years since I’d been on a stage of any kind and here I was, about to step onstage for Wicked. Yeah, that’s right. Wicked. The holy grail of musical theatre.”
“Carla and I got dressed. I heard the pre-show announcement and then the music started and I realized I’d been so busy I’d forgotten to be nervous, but it was too late because I was going on stage… NOW.
I stood on the stage left set of stairs next to Adam Sanford, playing Boq. The stairs slid onstage and I followed everyone else’s sight line to the back wall, where the Wicked Witch was forming in green light. Following everyone else’s arms I did my best slow motion shield and then turned out to look at the audience before Glinda glided in on her bubble.”
“Carla held my hand and took me out on stage for the finale. It was just incredible to stand watching Glinda, being aware of Elphaba and Fiyero, and hear that hush right before the audience applauds.
It didn’t hit me right then, but wow, I had just been in a production of Wicked. How amazing is that?!”
Things Dani Learned About Wicked
- Elphaba has 4 hats, one of which has a built-in microphone
- The traveling crew is 80 people, plus 40 local employees in each city
- No prop is ever left unattended—they go straight from actors’ hands to a tech’s hands
- Elphaba stands on a cherry picker to fly, with a “hoop” safety guard that holds a long black skirt so you can’t see her feet
- The most expensive costumes are the black and white dresses
- There are cogs and gears sewn into lots of hats and costumes—detail work everywhere!
- The “Places” call is more like a guideline than a rule 😉
We had a great view, because we watched it on high definition streaming video in the comfort of Dani’s apartment. The camera coverage was exceptional (done by the film students) and the audio—especially on the amazing orchestra—was terrific too. Dani’s friend Dana played the french horn in that orchestra.
In the afternoon we got absolutely soaked on our way to the Psychology Department’s party. But it was worth the trip, as Dani was recognized for her research grant. I had no idea how competitive that study she did last summer was, but she was one of only 2 proposals funded out of 250 applications. I also had no idea how special her presentations at two psychology conferences were. I had assumed it was a student adjunct to the conference, but her study was accepted as a part of the adult conference. Amazing.
Saturday was the School of Communications Convocation, where she got her actual diploma. Out of more than 200 students, Dani was the only one with three distinctions: Summa Cum Laude, Departmental Honors in Psychology, and Departmental Distinction in Radio, Film and Television. The honors in psychology were for her thesis, which was based upon her research.
As part of the graduating tradition, she gave her stole to Nicole in thanks for all her support.
