Behind the Tale - Views from a Seasoned Xara Singer

“I brought apple crisp!” Squeals ensue. The table is soon covered with chips, cookies, homemade fudge, and the aforementioned gourmet offering. It’s all surrounded by women eating, chatting, reaching over one another, laughing, and sharing.

This is Xara snack time, an integral part of what it means to be part of the Xara family.

Embarking on each new season of Xara always brings an air of uncertainty – What will the story be? What character will I embody this time around? What will the music be like? How much Finnish will I have to memorize? – but there is also comfort in knowing that at its core, Xara remains the same: a supportive, loving community that gets together and makes magic, again and again.

This is my fourth season with Xara, making Tales of the Old North my sixth show. Looking back, I’m still surprised at just how many different things Xara has done. From dealing with grief, to embodying the constellations, to dancing with suitcases, to expressing sheer joy, it seems like we’ve done it all. But with Tales of the Old North, Christina and Claire have once again introduced us to something entirely new. This is our largest production to date in almost every respect, especially due to its big cast and jaw-dropping costume and stage design. And yet, it’s one of our most approachable shows. It’s a story of becoming who we’re really meant to be – a theme that we can all appreciate and relate to.

While I’m excited to see the fabulous creations of our costume designer, Matthew Peach, what I always look forward to the most is sharing our beautiful music with the world. We’re singing some gorgeous selections in this show, as well as some brand new arrangements that are quickly becoming some of our favourites. And that Finnish I mentioned earlier? There’s some of that, too!

As we prepare for this huge undertaking, we have lots of support on our side. Rehearsals help. Practice parties help. Snacks definitely help. But what helps the most is that sense of Xara community. No singer is left behind – we help each other through it all! And as we get closer and closer to opening night, we get more and more excited to share this bit of Xara magic with all of you, and to welcome you as honorary members of the Xara family.