Up at 4am, the scheduled Uber came to get me at 4:30am. At the airport, checked the trombone and through security by a little before 5pm. The flight was at 6:30 and thankfully I had worried for nothing, because it wasn’t even raining, there was no turbulence, and nothing was delayed.
Layover in Atlanta was enough time to eat a yogurt, granola, and coffee.
Landed in Orlando right on time. Frequent visitors to the theme parks will recognize this hideous carpet.
My trombone Arrived Alive. Thank goodness. God BLESS this hardshell case and that foam cone in the bell.
I picked up my rental car. It was a good thing I’d reserved; many of the other counters were out of cars or were renting at inflated rates for the Thanksgiving holiday. Drove first to Publix for a cheap sushi for dinner, then home to see my Jameson!! He was working but we got to catch up a little, he played a few of the arrangements he’s been working on and showed me the new outdoor lights he’s installed on the house. They’re really impressive, basically permanent LEDs wrapping the roof edges that you can change to any pattern or color you like!
I had only a few hours and spent them sorting my mail, swapping some stuff out of my bag, cleaning up a bit, and renewing my drivers license which expires next year, surprise!
the 12-hour mark.
Eventually I ate dinner, got dressed, waved goodbye to Jameson (he was in a meeting) and off to Health Services for my annual hearing test and training modules. Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it's off to work we go!
I've written about this part of the process before: after checking in you are taken to have an annual hearing test where they stuff you in a
tiny soundproof booth, put some special headphones on you, and play a series of tones in decreasing volume in each ear to test your hearing. They never tell you which ear they'll start with and you don't know what pitches they'll play next either. I always get a little stressed during the test, wondering if I'm imagining phantom tones, or worrying that the beating of my heart, suddenly loud in that muffled space, will drown out what I'm supposed to be hearing. But she said I did about the same as last time with a few small variances that aren't worth noting, so I guess it's all good.
Next you are taken to a room with a computer to complete some safety, privacy, and PPE policy modules. Basically you are reaffirming that you understand company policies on a variety of topics, and misc "safety in the workplace" items as well. My modules were fewer than usual, only about two hours' worth (typically it's around 3) and I was finished with everything around 8:30pm which is a new record.
Since I had time, I paused in the parking lot to admire Spaceship Earth cycling through a bunch of random patterns. I never fail to be grateful, and feel a sense of wonder, looking at parts of Walt Disney World after hours.
For this rehearsal, larger instruments such as keyboard, tuba, bass, etc were give drive-on clearance, meaning we were allowed to drive a vehicle into EPCOT's backstage and park very close. Other smaller instruments and the choir members had to park in the employee lot and take an employee bus in. Being able to drive onto property is another reason that I'm able to do Candlelight rehearsal each year; the bus would add another 10-15 minutes which I cannot spare when rushing to the airport afterward.
Anyway, I drove through the gatehouse and got a great parking spot (perks of being early!), found the trap room (essentially a trailer that serves as a green room for EPCOT performers) and settled in to chill out until rehearsal at 10:45. There were some nice snacks laid out so I enjoyed some of those, made sure I looked presentable, and chatted with friends as they filtered in. Sam (our local AFM union president) stopped over to say hi and ask how tour was going. I saw Clay, who is a music producer for Disney and a good friend of Jameson's. We hugged and got caught up a bit (he was leaving after conducting an earlier rehearsal.) He's usually out on the cruise ships so it was a rare treat to run into him! Other friends included my friends Sara and Kristen, both trumpets who sub with the Main Street Phil; Jeff Thomas, who's the principal trombone of the Orlando Phil; and Justin (also trumpet) who plays at Epic Universe with me. Everyone of course wanted to know how tour is going and when the show's coming to Florida (I wish I knew!)
As our call time approached we got word that there were enamel pins available (see last year's pin
HERE, it still lives on my backpack.) I went to management to get one and got to finally meet Renee, who is our coordinator/director for Candlelight each year yet somehow I've never met her in person! She seems like a lovely human, and confessed to being a foodie and following my tasty adventures!
But anyway, I walked away with this beautiful pin to commemorate participation in this once-a-year holiday event.
The design is giving "retro" and "astronomy," I think!
Finally it was time to line up and walk over to America Gardens Theater. On the way over I made sure to give a little wave to "my" vintage mailbox :) There are two of these, one at EPCOT and one at Magic Kingdom, and they were made only a few minutes from my hometown in Pennsylvania.
It was a good run through. Of course I can't take any media during rehearsal so I always reshare this image so you can at least see what it looks like on stage. The choir is always so beautiful with their colorful robes and the festive lighting :)
Afterward there was a brief break where some of us hit the restroom or had a snack, and others went home because they'll be able to come back for future rehearsals and won't need to attend both tonight. Other musicians arrived to fill their spots and I got to chat it up with some more local buddies, then back to the stage for the second run-through with a different conductor than we had on the first run. Everyone attends multiple rehearsals because it gives us all a chance to experience different conductors and colleagues around us; during Candlelight there's a rotation of personnel and the subs could end up performing with just about anyone. The second run was better than the first for me; it always takes me some time to settle back into playing in an orchestral trombone section after years of going it alone on tour. Jeff and the other trombonists always seem pleased with my work, that's all I care about.
Right at 2:30am we wrapped it up. I didn't run, but did a quick walk back to the trap room to quickly change shirts, pack up, clock out, and peel out to get to the airport. ETA 3am.
I dropped the rental car, got my trombone checked in, through security and arrived at my gate more than an hour ahead of boarding!! That's a new record!! First of all this time I paid extra to not have to fill the rental car gas tank, saving me 10-15 minutes, and secondly I prepaid for the trombone and all I had to do was drop it. It all worked out extremely well.
Obligatory bathroom photo. Full disclosure that I did use a mild filter to reduce shadows and increase warmth so I'd look less like a zombie lol.
At this point it was about 4:30am and I'd been up for 24 hours. Boarding was on time. I can't sleep on planes but was able to doze at least. We landed on time too, but for some reason there was a traffic jam of planes preventing us from reaching our gate so we had to sit on the tarmac for 30 minutes!!! Not only that, we were at the farthest possible gate from where I needed to go, a good 10 minute walk even with taking the terminal train. I was stressed and annoyed, but made it just as they were announcing my boarding group.
Then we sat for ANOTHER 30 minutes while they "manually filled the lavs," whatever that means and I probably don't want to know!! But to be honest I was glad for the delay because it gave time for them to put my trombone on the plane!! Thank goodness Jameson got me that Air Tag. I could see that it was with me :)
Finally we took off, landing about an hour behind schedule. Though I was close to tears from being worn out and just wanting to get home, I was SO grateful to be safely back in San Antonio and not having to worry about making it to the evening show!! Our MD had been texting throughout the day to make sure I was on schedule, too. I felt bad to make him worry but also grateful that he cares enough to worry, if that makes sense. Rescued my trombone from baggage claim and we waited patiently for an Uber.
I was back at the hotel by about 10:40am. Plenty, PLENTY of time. This was probably the best 48-hour Candlelight experience I've had, as far as everything being on time and arriving back to the tour with time to recover. Best of all, Past Me had had the foresight to remove the "Do Not Disturb" hanger on the door, so Sleep-Deprived Future Me got to walk in to a clean room and a freshly made bed. There's no lovelier sight when you're ready for a nap.
I showered and unpacked, ate lunch, and slept for about 3 hours. Woke up feeling still tired but MUCH better. Typed up this whole post, got ready for the show, ate dinner, walked to the theater a bit early to ensure I could set everything up and get comfortable. Everyone very kindly asked how the trip had been or expressed that they were glad I was back.
The show itself went well and normally. I found it hard to keep my mind from wandering off and had to focus extra hard, and energy was definitely flagging, but I made it through!
And with that, the annual 48-hour Candlelight Rehearsal Extravaganza was OVER!
(It was more like 42 hours but you get the idea.)
This is the third year in a row that I've successfully participated in this rehearsal while actively on tour.
At this point three different touring companies (Crossroads, NETworks, and Disney) have allowed me to do it.
I am grateful for the trust that they've put in me, and for the ability to afford/make this journey for three years in a row.
Often people don't understand why I go through all this trouble once a year, just for a rehearsal. This might be one of those exulansis things where I should just give up explaining it because people won't get it, but here goes:
1 - Candlelight was how I became a Disney cast member, and continuing to participate in it for as long as I can is very important to me. Even if I don't always get to perform in the actual shows, attending the rehearsal and reaffirming that I work at Walt Disney World, and all that entails, is a privilege and a joy.
2 - Because Candlelight is how I became a Disney cast member, I am required to attend at least one Candlelight rehearsal each year, otherwise I will lose my ability to perform at Walt Disney World. That means no subbing with the Main Street Philharmonic, no filling in at Candlelight, not being able to work at the park at all during tour layoffs. That would be a LOT of opportunity lost, and that's why I feel one crazy travel day is well worth it.
3 - I'd potentially lose some benefits (might not be totally correct but I am pretty sure there are differences between theme park and non-theme park cast member benefits.)Hopefully that makes sense. Anyway, what a trip. And as I was walking exhaustedly back to the hotel, an email landed in my inbox....
We've been given our 2027 Beauty and the Beast tour dates!!!
I absolutely CANNOT share them until they're public on the website...but I'm sure they will be soon. Look forward to it!
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Wednesday: 2pm matinee, then we have our company Thanksgiving dinner at a steakhouse. Very much looking forward to it!
Thursday: One evening show. Nothing planned because it's Thanksgiving and I assume most things will be closed. I'll use the time to recover from travel, do laundry, and think of all the things I'm thankful for :)
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calzephyr) wrote2025-11-28 07:28 am
