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One of them is Martha Koeneman of Malvern, the company's solo pianist, who plays a key role in the rehearsal process for every ballet. During daily rehearsals for Romeo and Juliet, she was seated at a grand piano in a large rehearsal room at the Pennsylvania Ballet headquarters, playing the Prokofiev score section by section until the dancers mastered their roles and pacing.
"You develop a feel for how to pace the music so the dancers don't feel rushed," she explains.
Because Romeo and Juliet is a story ballet, her challenge was also to make sure the music helps the dancers portray that story.
"You really have to be sensitive to the drama of the story," she says. "Even the way you phrase the music can help the characters express their feelings."
And in this ballet especially, the drama is powerful.
"The story is gut-wrenching," says Koeneman. "I never get used to what happens to the young lovers. It's agonizing."
The six-week rehearsal period started out with dancers practicing in small groups and progressed to rehearsals with the full cast. Yesterday, they had their first dress rehearsal at the Academy of Music, in what's called the piano dress rehearsal. That's because in this onstage rehearsal, Koeneman was the only one providing the music. But in the final dress rehearsal, the entire Pennsylvania Ballet orchestra was present. That's when the versatile Koeneman shifted roles to become part of the orchestra. As solo pianist, she takes all keyboard parts in any ballet.
During all seven performances -- which start tonight and continue through June 12 -- she'll be seated in the orchestra pit. And she'll play both the piano and the celeste, a small keyboard instrument that sounds like chimes. While she's playing, the dancers who worked with her intensely for six weeks will finally perform for an audience. Because she's seated in the pit below the stage, Koeneman won't be able to see them. But she'll certainly be thinking of them.
"Even though I can't watch them while they're performing," she says, "in my mind I'm always aware of what they're doing."
Koeneman is a performer in her own right. Over the years, she's played many challenging piano solos that are part of ballet scores. Most recently, she had the novel experience of playing the piano right on the stage. She had a key role in the Jerome Robbins' The Concert, a whimsical ballet that shows various concertgoers reacting to a classical music concert. It was Koeneman who provided the Chopin music for this concert. It was in part a comic role -- she even wore a large hat -- and she carried it off with aplomb, even receiving one of the traditional bouquets on opening night.
The solo pianist is now in her 32nd year with the Pennsylvania Ballet, one of the longest tenures of any company member. This is her fifth Romeo and Juliet with the Pennsylvania Ballet. The company last presented it in 2000.
Another longtime company member who's not a dancer is Tony Costandino of Havertown, the production stage manager. Now in his 22nd season with the company, he helps bring all the elements of the production together. During each performance of Romeo and Juliet, he'll be backstage wearing headphones, reading the score and intently watching the stage. Or he'll watch a monitor that shows everything happening onstage.
"My job is to run the show from the minute the house lights go down until the very end," he says. "It's my responsibility to know the entire show."
He is, in effect, the backstage choreographer. He calls the lighting cues, gives cues to the stage crew and oversees numerous production details. A keen sense of timing is one requirement for this role. Costandino directs all scene changes, and they occur often in this three-act ballet. In the first act alone, there are six scene changes. As soon as the last note ending a scene is played, he must be ready to give the cues for the scene change. That's why he follows the music closely, with the score in his hand. He also calls the lighting cues, and the proper lighting is also crucial to the full effect of Romeo and Juliet, especially the famous balcony scene, which takes place in moonlight.
Then, too, there are tricky technical challenges such as the scene in which Juliet, who is presumably dead, is being buried. The audience sees her body lowered into a tomb while a mourners' procession watches. It's all done by means of a trap door. And Costandino is backstage to supervise this technical feat. When a dancer on stage gives a signal, the master carpenter lowers the trap door and Juliet descends into the tomb.
Other scenes with production challenges include the large-scale duel between the feuding Montagues and Capulets and a grand ball with elaborately dressed lords and ladies. Costandino himself will be one of the lords in the opening scene. It's the only time when he leaves his backstage post to appear onstage. Trained in theater, he'll play Lord Montague and even engage in a swordfight with Lord Capulet.
"I'm not a serious actor, but I do enjoy getting on the stage," says Costandino, who also played this role in the company's 2000 production.
While he's on the stage, his production assistant, Paul Hewitt, will be backstage supervising the cues. But as soon as the scene ends, the stage manager-turned-performer resumes his backstage role. And that's where he'll remain until the end of the last scene.
Although this is his fifth production of Romeo and Juliet, he never tires of it.
"This ballet has everything," he enthuses. "The choreographer has a great theatrical sense, and the music is outstanding."
In fact, he has the entire score on a CD at home.
"It's one of the best full-length ballet scores I've ever heard," he says.
Even though he enjoys listening to the score at home, it will sound even better during the live performances this weekend and next. Backstage, Costandino will be intensely focused on his work. But he'll also be admiring all that unfolds on the stage.
"The best part is when we're performing," he says. "That's when all the details come together. It's always a fascinating process."
The Pennsylvania Ballet's Romeo and Juliet.
Academy of Music, Broad and Locust streets, Philadelphia.
Tonight through June 12.
$20 -- $99.
215-893-1999, or log on to www.paballet.org.
