Hello Alamo!
This past weekend, I had the pleasure of sitting in on a rehearsal for Rebel Music Theatre’s upcoming Decades in Harmony, and it was quite the experience.
Rebel Music Theatre is a nonprofit dedicated to supporting mental health through the power of music. We create inclusive, welcoming performances that celebrate and uplift every voice including LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and all communities who deserve to be heard.
FB Mission Statement
I don’t want to give away too much about the show, but imagine walking into an energetic gymnasium full of laughter, with kids running around. After everyone split up for individual piece work, the space is filled with the opening to your favorite Queen song (tall order, but it beats the rest) being harmonized between Jeanette Borunda, Tyler Hutchens, Amy Bethard, and Jada Swackhamer.
The next thing that caught my attention, technically during the serenade, was how gently yet powerfully Director Jordynn Marelich inspired the foursome to bring these bars of the song to life. The full performance brought me to tears.
I have mentioned before that I really like kids. They have an energy about them that keeps everything playful and silly, a bit challenging, and always interesting. It was obvious from how the cast interacted that this troupe enjoys playing off of each other, but I think regularly bringing together such a wide age range (for this show, ages 5-72) gives Rebel a special edge.
About Decades in Harmony specifically, Marelich said in her Spotlight interview that “this show is more than just a performance to me; it’s a way to celebrate the power of music across generations and the emotions that unite us all.”
When the entire cast came together in the ‘clubhouse,’ it became pretty apparent that both Marelich and Assistant Director Jonece Tallant take very seriously the need to adjust their approach to managing these different voices. I think that’s pretty indicative of the environment Rebel is trying to create in general. Every voice is important and deserves to be genuinely heard.
I had an interview with Rebel a while back. The troupe has been making the effort to include everyone in the decision-making process this whole time. In Decades in Harmony, I saw it extended to the song choices.
Two that stood out to me during the run-through were a 1983 Elton John hit that apparently helped a cast member get through a particularly rough break-up and a meaningful 80s duet between a mother and daughter.
Because of this personal importance, Marelich was able to rally the cast, reminding them that they owed it to each other to give each song all the energy they could muster.
Another heart-warming moment came earlier in the show when one of the kids in a 3-person song fell off his game a bit, and the other boys put in the effort to hype up both him and the crowd (and honestly, it was one of the strongest performances of the night).
I’ve been following and supporting Rebel Music Theatre whenever I can for a while now. I absolutely love what they stand for, but I don’t think I fully understood it until I saw their words in action during this rehearsal.
If you haven’t made it out to catch a performance yet, please do yourself the favor. This production is a special one.
Showtimes are next weekend: the 26th and 27th at 7pm, the 27th and 28th at 2pm.
Tickets can be purchased here.
Salud!
One response
Oh Nani ❤️
As the mother in the mother/daughter duet, I just want to say that this duet means so much to me. I would love to tell you the story if you’d like 🥰