The People of the Pit: Redwoods Finest Connect for Bye Bye Birdie!

When putting on a musical, there are many parts to putting on a successful production. From lights, to costumes, to hair and makeup, every piece is important. But a part that is often forgotten is the music makers- the pit.

Along with some of the most talented professionals in the valley, the pit for “Bye Bye Birdie!” features some of Redwoods most talented musicians, all.

One of the biology teachers on campus, Mr. Woodbury, will be playing clarinet in the pit for Bye Bye Birdie.

Mr. Woodbury says, “I started when I was ten years old so fifth grade, and I’m thirty so 20 years”. He has 20 years of experience behind the clarinet.

Since he is a teacher Woodbury does get to participate in the pit with a few of his students. He says, “It’s awesome! Some of my students are superstars like Keoni. … I’m super happy to be working with them.”

Similar to all of Redwoods band students, Mr. Woodbury was taught by band director Jordan Ray during his time at Mt. Whitney. Nick Flores who was one of the key members of staff who helped the Rangers have one of their most successful marching band seasons in school history will also be playing clarinet in the pit. He was also taught by Mr. Ray during his tenure at Mt. Whitney.

Woodbury has some confidence going for him he says, “Nothing really nervous about just because I know like no one else can do it better.”

When asked if he wanted to continue to be a part of the pit, Woodbury says, “Yeah I’ll probably continue doing it it’s pretty fun maybe once a year every year I can be a part of a musical.”

Woodbury says, “Everybody should go see the musical, everybody should watch it and listen and they’ll have a good time.”

Chloe Rojas ‘23 is also a student in the pit who plays the flute and piccolo. He says, “I don’t think I am nervous about anything, but more of like hoping that I won’t mess up a lot when I play my parts.”

Rojas first started playing the flute in the 5th grade and he says, “I play piccolo from time to time or more specifically during football games.”

When asked about how practice was Rojas says, “Practicing for the pit was a bit challenging because they don’t have the tempo on most of the songs, so I wouldn’t know what tempo to play my songs at.”

Rojas says, “I never realized how fun it was playing music for the musical and I wish I had done this sooner.”

When Rojas was asked if he would want to continue playing in the pit in the future he says “This has been an amazing experience being able to play for the musical. It has also been entertaining to be able to sort of watch the musical while I’m playing my music.” 

When Rojas was asked if the musical is a distraction when he is playing he says “No, it hasn’t been distracting to me at all. When it comes to music, it really impacts the way you play if you know the backstory behind that song because if you understand what emotions the song is supposed to bring out, then you will be able to change the way you’re playing to match those emotions.”

When answering a question Rojas shows his excitement by saying “I never realized how fun it was playing music for the musical and I wish I had done this sooner.
Rojas adds at the end “ I would like to let people know that everyone including staff, crew, actors, the tech people, people in the pit, people who help with the outfits, choreographers, photographers, people who worked and painted the props and everyone else (I hope I’m not forgetting anyone) are so amazing, and I’d like to thank them for making the musical so cool to watch.”

Pricila Cenobio is a senior on campus, and she has been playing the baritone saxophone for 5 years. 

Cenobio says “I am absolutely thrilled to be playing, we have been working alongside the cast and the mix between us and the cast is absolutely amazing!”

When Cenobio was asked if she is nervous about anything she says “Yes, particularly the difficulty of the music and the probability of me messing up. Musicals for the band aka the “pit” have crazy key signatures, time meters, and dynamics which is what makes musicals difficult and complex.”

Cenobio was asked how she was feeling about playing with adults in the musical pit she says “I feel absolutely honored! The adults playing with us are professionals that have excelled in their instruments and playing with great musicians is always an honor.”

When Cenobio was asked about practicing for the musical she says “ Practicing is always a hard thing to do. Musicals are hard due to the amount of things that can change in a mere 5 bars. The velocity and tempo of the music are always changing and there is never a time you can get distracted otherwise you will get lost in the actual performance. Practicing takes a lot of work since it is about a 3 hour production where most of the time you are playing.”

Cenobio adds to the question if she thinks the pit will get distracted with the musical, she says “Yes! I mean with the fantastic performance being put on by the musical, when the pit has a rest we tend to get distracted by acting and sometimes forget we have to play. Most of us haven’t seen the play in its entirety so we are more likely to get distracted. However, we always manage to get back on track and make beautiful music.”

Tickets are available to purchase online here or in-person at the LJ Williams Theater on February 2, 3, and 4. The musical will debut February 2 and 3 at 7:00pm, and the 4 at 2:00pm and 7:00pm.

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