TheWitchingHour

FanninMusicalProductionsStoryboardbyJasonShelbyjason@fanninmusic.com

(270)293-4106

TheWitchingHourreferencesthefolkbeliefthatinthedeadofnightwitchesandothersupernaturalforcesareattheirmostactiveanddangerous.Wenormallysleepthroughthisfrighteningtimeofday…butwhatifwehadthemisfortunetobeawake?Astheclockstrikes3,theguardportraystheevilforceswhichmenacethemusiciansfortheremainderoftheprogram.Cantheyavoidbeingensnaredtillthestrokeof4arrivestosavethem?TheWitchingHourisafun,engrossingprogramthatwillhaveyouraudienceleaningforward,fascinatedtoseewhatcomesnext.Firstperformedbythe2017ChristianCountyColonelBand,Hopkinsville,Kentucky.

SetDesign

TheWitchingHourtakesplaceonasimplestage,definedaseriesofgrandfatherclockprops.Theclocksaredeliberatelyasymmetrictodrawtheeyefromlefttoright,suggestingtheflowoftheshowvisuallyandchronologically.Althoughtheoriginalperformingunitchoseabackfieldpitplacementforthisprogram,alleffectswouldworkequallywellwithatraditional,frontensembleplacement.Thegrandfatherclockpropslightupwhentheclocksstrikeatthebeginningandendtoaddanotherlayerofvisualinteresttotheprogram.Theexactnumberofclockcanbecustomizedtosuityourgroupssizeandbudget.Plansandbuild/leaseoptionsavailablethroughTigerProps.

TheothermajorpropisalargeblacksilkwhichbeginstheshowalongtheouterperimeterdefinedbytheclockpropsonSideA.Inthebeginning,whentheclockstrikes3,theguardemergesfromhidingbeneaththerolledsilkoneatatimeandmakestheirwayoutontothemainstagearea.Large-scalesilkavailablethroughBandShoppe.

Inthefinalmovement,astheclockstrikes4,theclothisrunacrossthefield,hidingtheentiregroupmomentarily.Themusiciansareleftbehind,nonetheworsefortheirmisadventure,buttheguardmoveswiththeclothasitleavesthestagesignalingthatthethreatfromthese‘witches’haspassed.

FlagandCostumeDesign

TheguarddesignforTheWitchingHourcontinuestheimageryofclocksandestablishesanaggressive,red,black,andgreencolorpalette.Optionalhoodsforthecolorguardaddtothesenseofsupernaturalmenace.Fortheballad,anoversized,neongreenswingflagmatchesthe‘soultheft’effectofthatmovement.CostumingandflagsavailablethroughBandShoppe.

OpenerEffects

Whentheshowopens,theguardisnowheretobeseen,hiddenintherolledup,giant,blacksilkonSideA.Thebandhasspreadthefieldinarandompatternandareengagedin‘ticktock,’clockhandinspiredbodyworktocomplimentwhatthepitisperformingbackfield.Asthemusicbeginstodevelop,themusiciansarriveatlongcurvilinearswhichconnecttotheblacksilk,drawingtheeyeinthatdirection.Astheclockstrikes3,annoucingthecomingofthe‘witchinghour,’bodychoreographybringstheeyetoSideAandtheclockpropslightupsequentially…everythingdrawstheeyeinthedesireddirection.

Asthedrumlineenters,theguardbeginstoemergeoneatatime,hoodspulleddownforanaddedlayerofcreepiness.Atthispoint,theyarenotspinningandwillmaketheirwaytowardsflagsasthemusicdevelops.

Asthehornlinebeginstolayerinandmoretypicaldrillbegins,theguardbeginstointroducethefirstsilk.Ideally,theywouldhavethehoodsovertheirheadsforthefirstbitofflagwork,removingthematthefirsthit.Ifthisistoolimitingonguardwork,however,theycouldbetakenoffaseachindividualbeginstospin.Fromhere,thedrillevolvestothefirstimpactoftheshow’smainmusicalmotif.

Bythefirsthit,theguardhaspulleddowntheirhoodsinordertospinthefirstbig,unisonphrasesoftheshow.Laterintheopener,twofeaturemomentsallowfurtherstorydevelopment:whilethegroupplays,afeaturedguardmemberinsidetheformseemsto‘possess’and‘control’thembydictatingtheirbodymovements.First,inthewoodwinds…

…andtheninthebrass.Thiseffectisexpressedthroughbodyworkwhichischoreographedsothatthemusicianscanplaywhiletheyperformit.Afterseveralmorepassageofmusicaldevelopment,theOpenerbuildsintoitsfinalarrivalpointwhichtakesthethemeof‘possession’bytheguardfromsmallgroups,tofullensemble.Inacombinedform,theentirehornlinemimicsthebodyworkofafeaturedguardmembercenterstage.Ideally,thesamelowerbodyispartoftheflagworkperformedbytherestoftheguardaswell.

BalladEffects

Withthefocuscenterstage,thefeaturedguardmember‘calls’asoloist—sketchedhereasaflute,butcustomizabletosuityourgroup’sneeds—outofthemainensembletobecomethemusicalfocusoftheballad.Meanwhile,thethemecontinueswithseveralotherguardperformers‘calling’individualhornlinemembersoutanddance/actinteractingwiththemasthoughtheywere‘bewitched’or‘entranced.’

Thisservesaspreparationforthebigvisualeffectoftheballad:justbeforethemajormusicalimpact,the‘enchanters’reachdownandpulllongribbonsfromhiddenpouchesinthe‘bewitched’hornlinemembersjacketsasthough‘stealingtheirsouls.’Meanwhile,theremainingguardhastransitionedtohugeswingflagsinthesamecolorwhicharerevealedrightontheimpact.The‘bewitchers’spin&dancewiththestolen‘souls’whiletheremainingguardmatchthemtonallywiththeswingflags.

…astheballadtransitionsout,thecentralguardsoloist‘calls’anothermusicalsoloistoutoftheensemble,dancingwitha‘soul’whiletherestoftheguardtransitionstonewequipment.

CloserEffects

ThemainconceptualideaoftheCloseristhatvariouspartsothehornlinehavenowbeenbewitchedandfallenundertheguard’sspell.Smallgroupsentermusicallyandmoveinaveryheavy,stylizedmarchingstylewhilebeing‘lead’byaguardmemberwhointroducestheClosersilk.First,thelowbrass……andthenthedrumlinefallunderthespell.

Eventually,theentireensemblehavingbeenbewitched,thehornformissurroundedbytheguardonfullsilkforquick,contrarymotiondrillinalong,horizontalform.This,ofcourse,setsusupforthefinalconceptualmomentoftheprogram:theclockstriking4andtheendofthe‘witchinghour.’DuringoneofthelastrestsoftheCloserproper,theclockpropslightupagainfromSideBtoSideA,drawingtheeyeinthatdirection.

Thehornlinere-entersonthelastimpactchordoftheshowandplaysasthegiganticsilkisrunacrosstheensemble.Theguardreactswithhorror,notspinningbutroleplaying,andwhenthesilkhaspasedtheyaregone[havingescapedunderneathit]leavingonlythemusiciansonthefield.Afterabriefpause,thehornlinelooksaround,relievedthatthe‘witches’aregone,andtheballadsoloistreturnsforafinal,prettyoutro.Alleyesaredrawntothesoloist,onfarSideB,nearwherethesilkhascometorestwiththeguardbeneath.

…andthen,afinaltwist:amaskedguardmemberrunsoutandgrabstheflutesoloist,draggingthemunderthesilkwiththeguardasthe4chimessound.

Fin.

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