I have been a proud member of Northumberland Players for the past 5 years now. I performed in several shows such as The Secret Garden, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor™ Dreamcoat, Sister Act, Drowsy Chaperone and CHICAGO! I love this community so much. As an extrovert, I release my energy and truly be myself when I am rehearsing or performing with the cast and crew!
During rehearsals, especially a week before the show begins, the cast and crew have many emotions of anxiety, nervousness, stress and fatigue. One of my fondest memories in Northumberland Players are the “energy circles” that we do an hour before the show begins. I always look forward to these energy circles because I can connect and become “one” with the cast and crew physically, mentally, emotionally and for some spiritually.
In these energy circles, everyone crosses their arms and link their pinkies with each other in a large circle on stage. The whole team would think of one or two words to chant in relation to the theme of the show, or words to motivate and inspire one another. We’ve used chanting words like energy, focus, love, one love, and more! Then we would jump up and down, increasing in speed and height. We would continue to repeat these words in unison until we release all our energy into the Universe. The feeling after this energy circle is indescribable. I get all energized, pumped and ready to perform!
Fun fact: If you’re a shorter person like me, avoid doing energy circles beside a very tall person. It is guaranteed that you will not be jumping in synchronicity or rhythm at all!
You can get a quick glimpse of an energy circle at about 0:50 in to this video from 2019-2020’s CHICAGO!