If cast members of The Sound of Music appear a little out of breath as they tread the stage, chances are they have just run around the outside of the Queenstown Memorial Hall in costume, in winter and against the clock to hit their mark.
Director Bryan Aitken explained how the limitations of the hall called for improvisation from the cast and crew, a few hours before the company's technical rehearsal on Monday.
Performers who exited one side of the stage and needed to appear on the other had no choice but to sprint around the block, as there was no space to move behind the set. Children will be chaperoned.
Mr Aitken asked sprinting thespians to preserve their vocal chords by swigging warm water after the cold exposure outside and before going on stage to act and sing.
Entertainers young and adult faced the extra challenge of changing costumes quietly, in the gloom and without dismantling their portable microphones back stage, in the only space available, the same room that stores the set pieces.
Mr Aitken and musical director Emma Wilson have guided the cast of 28 adults and 12 children in rehearsals since the end of February. The curtain rises on a season of evening and matinee performances from tomorrow night until late May.
"The size of the production has really tested the hall's facilities," Mr Aitken said.
"We've had to be ingenious to build a dock at the side of the stage for the wing.
"Apart from that, we're in a good space. The script is richer than the film, therefore we've been able to work more deeply with the actors, so a sense of emotion comes across, when it may have been only a few seconds on film."
The director said his objective was to find new layers of meaning in a 53-year-old piece. He had previously helmed a production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical in the Isaac Theatre Royal, Christchurch, 25 years ago.
The show was particularly demanding for the two sets of young actors who played the von Trapp children, he said.
"There's a lot for young people to take on board for their first show, and the hall problems, but it's all part of the process. Until you come to do it, you don't understand.
"The show doesn't stop; it's like a train, with a lot of music and underscore and scenes timed to seconds or a length of music."
Nevertheless, Mr Aitken hoped audiences left The Sound of Music with joy in their hearts.
"It's a universal story. The residue of the undercurrents are still with us and it's about how things impact on people's lives."
See it
Showbiz Queenstown and Remarkables Park Town Centre present The Sound of Music in the Queenstown Memorial Hall from May 17 to 26 at 7.30pm.
Ticket prices depend on the location of seats in the hall and range from $25 to $55 for adults and $15 to $45 for children, plus booking fees. Tickets are available from the Queenstown i-Site Visitor Centre, the Queenstown Events Centre and Ticketek.
