Tickets will be available every day after school in the box office theater for $12 

April 6 from 2:20-5 p.m.  

April 9, 10, 11, 12 from 4-6 p.m.  

April 13 from 2:30- showtime  

April 14 from 10 a.m.- showtime and 4:30 p.m.- showtime  

April 15 from 10 a.m. – showtime  

With their love for the musical arts, the cast and crew of Bangor area high school’s production of 42nd Street count down the days until opening night but wouldn’t be able to accomplish as much as they have without the contributions of the pit orchestra.  

Located just below center stage, the pit orchestra plays the script music within the musical, and is composed of approximately one to three players per instrument. 

“We play all of the songs the casts sing and try to support and help their singing sound better. We also play music to cover silence during scene changes, and music to chance moods of the scenes and such,” junior saxophone player Gabe Pilozo said.  

This year, the pit orchestra is focusing more on swing, big band style, and jazz type music, as well as incorporating some slow ballads.    

“The type of music we play all depends on what type of show we’re doing and this year it’s a jazzier show, so it’s really fun. I personally love playing jazz music and the vocals are just amazing and everything is linking up together so well,” junior trumpet and flugelhorn player Aryana Smith said.  

Because 42nd Street is viewed as a more difficult musical, the pit orchestra spends an abundance amount of time in and out of school rehearsing with the musical cast.  

“I feel like this is one of the most prepared musicals that I’ve been in. Of course, there are some details to work on, but through all the rehearsals we have this week and next week, I’m sure they’ll all be ironed out,” senior trombone player Ben Crane said. “We’ve been practicing for weeks. This week we have four practices after school from 4-6 p.m. and next week, tech week, we practice every day from 4-10 p.m. with Sunday being 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.” 

Of all the musical pieces, various students within the pit orchestra find that the songs “Go into your Dance,” and “42nd Street” appear to be the most difficult. 

“‘Go into your Dance’ is one of the most difficult songs because during all the dance breaks there’s these difficult rhythms that are tough to play,” Crane said. “’42nd Street’ also changes the style frequently and is a very complex piece to play.” 

Not only can the music be a bit challenging but playing in the pit orchestra alone can become a tough task to tackle. 

“It’s hard sometimes to synchronize and hear everyone because there’s so many musicians on stage and in the pit, but just keeping your ears open prevents from any phasing,” senior auxiliary percussion player Isaac Oxford said. 

Taking part in the pit orchestra can ultimately be beneficial, since it allows students to express themselves, see new faces, challenge themselves, and be more involved within the school and musical.  

“This is my first year in pit orchestra and honestly playing with them was the first time I ever played drum set with anyone else, but I am doing very well and it’s such a great experience,” Oxford said. 

Organized with such a unique style of music, this year’s musical, without a doubt, will stand out from the rest.  

“This year’s musical is fun to play and entertaining, but at the same time it gives off a challenge to musicians. The swing and jazz music give it a very enthusiastic appeal,” Crane said.  

With its phenomenal acting and breathtaking music, Bangor area high school’s production of 42nd Street will the leave the audience in awe, gasping for more.