Nuncrackers A-men at Uptown Players was my first music directing experience. As such you’ll see a few different things in these pics. I have my percussion setup that I played and conducted from during the performances, and me with keyboard and laptop during rehearsals.
The percussion outlay for this show is actually pretty large, and while I wanted to use acoustic instruments, it was tough to navigate while also running the show. Reducing the non-drum parts to the KAT/Mainstage just made sense. I tried using at least xylo and bells in my initial setup, but since I still needed the KAT for timp, chimes, and crotales, it took up too much space. The band was visible and actors came into our space at times. I also needed to make sure I could keep as much of a direct sight line to the stage as possible.
