Every year the PVHS drama department puts on a brand new musical. There are many factors that go into this. You need you have actors, build a set, design lighting and sound, and many more. All these come to life on stage to give the audience a great visual performance; however, the most crucial part of the show isn’t even seen on stage: the music. Without a good instrumental background, the show would be completely lost. The obvious solution to this is to just find a track online and have the actors sing like karaoke, but this makes the show feel unauthentic. This is where the pit orchestra, or “pit” comes in.
The pit is a group of instrumentalists who put hours of hard work into learning how to play their instrument best so the show can be performed at a high quality. It is absolutely essential for the musical to be the best it can be. Katie Bullock, a junior who has done many musicals with and without a pit, expresses her gratitude to the group, “Without instrumentalists the show can’t go on. They set the tempo. If we had to use the track, the show wouldn’t feel as together so we are very fortunate to have such a dedicated orchestra.”
Just like the actors and actresses, the pit must audition in order to be apart of the show. At the beginning of the year, the pit director, Mr. Gartner, holds auditions for anyone in the band who wants to participate. He then picks the best people from each instrument to play in the pit orchestra, choosing instrumentation based on what that particular show requires. Being a part of the orchestra is a very big time commitment. Not only do they have to practice the music in their free time, but they also come to nearly all of the two to three hour long rehearsals, and all the shows. Claire Thomsen, a two year pit member, states that the time you put in is extensive but worth it. “I definitely enjoy being a part of pit. It’s so different from the normal music I do for concert and marching band and it’s nice to do new things!” PVHS’s pit orchestra ends up putting together a fantastic instrumental background for every single musical done at the high school, and the theatre department couldn’t be more grateful for the musicians we have here that dedicate their time and talents to the drama department.
