Five-time returning AES Indiana Yuletide Celebration cast member: Ian Black
Five-time returning AES Indiana Yuletide Celebration cast member Ian Black is excited to be building connections with audiences and castmates alike this Yuletide Celebration season. In sharing the holiday spirit through his performance, Black finds new ways to share joy and connect with audiences. Read on to hear more about Black’s journey and why he returns to the Hilbert Circle Theatre stage year after year!
INDIANAPOLIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: What is your role in the AES Yuletide Celebration and what path has led you to that role this year?
IAN BLACK: I’m in the ensemble, and I get to sing and dance. Most performers either do both or one or the other, and I’m very grateful that I get to do both because they’re so fun. It also makes for a really full track.
I first saw Yuletide in 2017 and immediately was like, “Oh, I have to be a part of this,” so I got an audition. I knew I wanted to be able to do both the singing and dancing components, and I think I auditioned twice back then. Finally they had a spot open up and got to join.
It was also a crazy time because I was performing more on the side and had a totally different job as a pastor. I was full-time in something else, but two years ago I shifted and now I perform full-time. It’s great to still get to be a part of Yuletide and this is my fifth year performing in it.
As far as my role in the ensemble, I get to work with everybody across the board whether it is onstage or backstage. The least amount of overlap is with the musicians, as they get involved later in the production process, but even then we get to know each other. Whether it’s stage management or wardrobe or the different artists who are visiting from out of town, we get to overlap with everybody, which is very fun.
ISO: How does Yuletide capture the spirit of this holiday season, and how do you incorporate that energy into your performance?
IB: I think part of it is within the holiday season as I think of peace and joy and light. Those words definitely do kind of capture the show, so that’s one way. I also think that it’s such a family show, and it’s such a family-oriented time of year. So I hope our audiences sense that and feel that.
I know that for so many, it’s a family tradition to even come to the show, but really it’s a family backstage. I would hope that that’s one of the things that I carry through the performance; it’s not just a show where you show up and do a job, check a box, and then you’re like, “See ya.”
Instead, we’re having a lot of fun. We’re there for each other. And any given year that family aspect is amplified as people go through life and go through the holiday seasons for the first time without a friend or a loved one. But we are here for each other, and I know in the audience it feels the same. There are always new things in the show, but there are also the traditions. Whether it’s Christmas or Hanukkah or any of the other holidays that take place in this time frame, there are a lot of traditions and rituals behind those. Our show also has rituals that you can count on, but then there’s also going to be something new.
ISO: What is your favorite part of the rehearsal process in preparing for the show every year?
IB: I’m going to reveal that I’m feeling old, as I think my favorite part is now earlier on in the process where we do music rehearsals. We’re in the Wood Room, we’re sitting, you have your tea and coffee, and you’re getting to make beautiful music as a vocal team or vocal group.
It’s so fun and I look forward to it. I think when you do musical theatre, that tends to be very, very fast. The whole process for Yuletide is fast, but we actually get a lot of time in the vocal room, which I would argue is not typical for these sorts of shows. So I love it.
I think I love it also because it’s less tiring. As much as I love to dance and love when we’re on stage, I also enjoy the sitzprobe. I love adding costumes. But I really think that the first week or so when we get to just sing together and make music, that’s so fun. Low pressure, but still gorgeous.
ISO: If you weren’t in your current Yuletide role, what other parts would you like to play, whether backstage or onstage?
IB: I love this. The first things that came to mind are the things that I do not want to do, because I have no business doing that. So I was like, “Oh yeah, I shouldn’t be a stage manager. We’re going to leave that to Lina and Matt.” And I was like, “I don’t want to do costumes because they work oh so hard!”
But I think I have a two-fold answer. Sometimes there is flying in the show with aerialists and there are a lot of stagehands who help raise and lower them, so that’s one thing. I think getting to make someone fly would be a blast.
The other thing is to play in the orchestra. Again, I have no business playing in an orchestra, but I’m a piano player and I played French horn growing up. I do love it, and even this year, I had a first where I ended up playing in a professional pit orchestra for the first time. Now that is different from a symphony orchestra, but I was like, “Oh, that would be good to get to work with Maestro in that realm and get to play music because they sound so good.”
ISO: What do you hope the audiences will take away from this year’s Yuletide performances?
IB: I think of peace, hope, joy, and love. I hope audiences come and experience that and take it home with them. It’s also Sandi’s last year, and I know the audiences love her. So I also hope that they soak in the glory that is Sandi Patty for one last time.
ISO: Describe Yuletide in three words.
IB: I’m gonna say joy, grandeur, and connection.
The joy, we’ve kind of hit on that. Obviously it’s a typical word that comes up this time of year.
But I think it’s real, and it’s something that we can offer people that’s not tied to their circumstances.
I think of grandeur, because that’s my only word to capture it. It is literally a grand show, in the lights and the spectacle of it. I would argue—and I think I would win the argument—that it’s probably the most Vegas-style show that happens in Indianapolis, because of the scale and production level. So I would say grandeur because that captures the look of it all.
Then there is connection. I think we should be connecting as artists onstage, and hopefully people pick up on it. We also are able to see people in the audience, and we love when you see some family living it up or you see little kids who are totally enraptured or hilarious. On a Wednesday matinee, maybe you see somebody taking a nap and you’re like, “Good for them.”
There really is a connection between the audience and the cast, which I think is also very special given the time of year. I think it’s a little bit different since it’s not a book show, you know? It’s not Christmas Carol, it’s not Elf, it’s not something like that, but you get to really convey very different emotions and the audience can grab hold of that.