Globe Productions' Youth Company play Mary Poppins Jr. is set to open this evening. Months of planning and dedication from volunteers will create a faithful adaptation of the Disney movie based on the book series by P.L. Travers.
Much like the playfully chaotic story, putting on such a monumental show can be supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
But the audience doesn't get to see the background work that goes into putting on a community theatre production - and they're not meant to. The behind-the-scenes details stay there to preserve the magic of the stage.
With 40-plus actors, costuming alone is a monumental task.
"The larger the cast, the more work there is for costume designers and sewing people who are creating and tweaking the costumes," said Globe President Mark LLewellyn.
Dozens, if not hundreds, of pieces of set furniture, backdrops, props, visual effects, lighting schemes and cues have to be created and planned out.
It's all done on a shoestring budget using between 30 and 40 volunteers. Llewellyn and his team, as he puts it, beg and borrow resources where they can and buy where they must. Ideally, their materials are donated and stored in order to be reused.
Those interested in getting involved are in luck as Globe Productions is always looking for volunteers.
"Maybe you're a painter, maybe you're a carpenter, maybe you like to do sewing, maybe you're a musician. This is an opportunity for you locally, in your spare time, to get out and volunteer and enjoy the things that you naturally enjoy doing," Llewellyn said.
The Globe crew is also always seeking costumes, props and materials like scrap wood and will graciously accept donations.
The first showing of Mary Poppins Jr. is tonight (May 5) at the John Elliot Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Performances will run throughout this weekend and next.
For further details or to get involved with Globe Productions, visit its website. Tickets and show times are available on the John Elliott Theatre's page.
