Kellogg Community College Theatre’s production of Disaster! opened to enthusiastic applause during its premiere weekend, bringing energetic performances and comedic chaos to the Binda Performing Arts Center.
The first set of performances concluded with a whirlwind of applause. Shows like this do not come immediately; however, they take a lot of time to build into natural threats to the stage.
Since January of this year, the cast has been hard at work putting together this show. From being blown about by unexpected hysteria to fighting the tide of challenges, this cast and crew have done it all.
Although the cast appears confident on stage, the rehearsal process came with its own challenges. Ja’Kare Harden, who plays Ben and Lisa, recalled struggling with the demanding falsetto required for one of the show’s songs. “Lisa sings a song called Ben, and there’s a lot of heavy falsetto work,” Harden said. “I have to sing really, really high, and during rehearsals I told Lori, ‘I can’t do this.’” Instead of agreeing, music director Lori Hatfield encouraged him to keep trying.
“She was like, ‘Ja’Kare, you need to believe,’” Harden said. “And I was like, ‘All right.’ Then I believed—and I put the work behind it.” Harden said the part became easier as rehearsals continued and he grew more comfortable with the high notes.
Hatfield said improving in challenging vocal areas, such as falsetto, often comes down to proper breathing technique. “Being better in certain musical aspects, such as falsetto, can generally be tied back to breath,” Hatfield said when discussing what she teaches students when singing in a higher register. “We can sing higher than what we think we can. If you know how to breathe properly and breathe through it—and forget about trying to reach that high note or super low note—it just happens naturally.”
The cast was not the only one facing challenges during rehearsals. Assistant director Aviyonne Matthews said she was allowed to direct two scenes for the first time. “Brad actually let me direct two scenes, and it was my very first time directing,” Matthews said. “I was incredibly nervous because I know all these actors—I got to know them as my little buddies,” Matthews said.
The strength and perseverance against the challenges behind the cast and crew of Disaster! show just why a show about surviving a natural disaster comes so easily to them. “Theatre is probably one of the best communities to have, whether you’re first timers here…or you’ve been in this theatre for decades…it’s always there. It’s always a community,” stage manager Dawn Elliot said.
KCC Theatre’s Disaster! enters its final weekend of performances at the Binda Performing Arts Center at Kellogg Community College. The two-hour jukebox comedy will be performed tonight, Saturday, March 14, at 7:30 p.m. and will close Sunday, March 15, at 3:00 p.m.
Tickets are $15 for the general public and $10 for students, KCC faculty, seniors, military members, and children. Tickets can be purchased in person before performances or online at kelloggcommunitycollege.ludus.com.
For those still considering attending, Levora Verona performer DeQuan Perry Jr. teased a moment audiences may not want to miss. “I believe it’s part two of scene 18 in the second act,” Perry said. “You’ll have to come see it to find out.”
