Dear Middle and High School Students,
Hope your summer is going well.
After conversation and examination, the Performing Arts Team is excited to announce our upcoming Winter Season. We want to especially thank the dozen or so High School students who either trucked up to the school for the mid June meeting or emailed in your thoughts regarding the choices for High School. All input was both appreciated and considered. Those who had checked earlier will notice our High School Play selection has changed. We are now set to perform “Footloose”. Our hope is to produce “Pippin” in the near future.
High School: ” Footloose”
(Some of the below excerpted from Rodgers and Hammerstein Web Site) “Footloose” is a textured, highly emotional play with a vibrant musical score that blends pop, country, rock and Broadway ballad. When Ren and his mother move from Chicago to Bomont, a small farming town out in the boondocks, Ren prepares for the worst at his new high school. What he isn’t prepared for are the rigorous local laws, including a ban on dancing. Five years ago, a car accident took the lives of 4 teens. The teens were rumored to be drunk. Racked by the tragedy, the bereaved community, led by Reverend Moore, takes a firm stand not just against teenage drinking, but also censures activities that many feel inspire underage drinking. This includes dancing. The rule becomes testimony to the memories of the fallen teens. Yet, in attempting to suppress their youth, the community and in particular the Reverend himself, must not only grapple with the consequences of their overprotectiveness, but also more importantly, how to move forward in the face of great loss.
Dean Pitchford, director of the original movie, which came before the stage version, said that ‘Footloose is stuff that many fables are made of: A stranger comes to town and changes the lives of everyone there. A boy without a father locks horns with a man who lost his son. Yet, it is the music that makes the fable new. Music makes it possible for the audience to experience Ren’s passion and frustration, to share Ariel’s (The Reverend’s Daughter) longing, and to identify with Reverend Moore and his community’s loss. ”
With its dynamic musical score, the play ironically contains a huge amount of true dance, the movement of passion, desperate longing, emotional healing, and finally celebratory optimism. “Footloose” celebrates the wisdom of listening to young people, guiding them with a warm heart and an open mind.
Middle School: “Seussical Jr.”
(Some of the below extracted from the Music Theatre International Web Site) Most of us have enjoyed the wonderful writings of Dr. Seuss, from the ‘Cat in the Hat’ to the classic ‘Green Eggs and Ham’. Who would have thought you’d rediscover them once again in a successful Broadway musical? In this ‘fantastical, magical, musical extravaganza’ appear favorite Dr. Seuss characters, including the Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, Amayzing Mayzie and the Whos of Whoville! These classic colorful tales are brought together by Jojo, a young ‘thinker of strange and wonderful thinks.’
A fairly new play, ‘Seussical’ has become an immensely popular musical to produce, particularly for Middle and High Schools. It is no wonder why. Within the highly entertaining and rhythmic form, relevant, profound and subtle themes unfold- not only the power of the imagination, and the determination of love, but also the need for compassion and humanity, that ‘a person’s a person no matter how small.’ The score emerges as a Seussian like gumbo of musical styles, ranging from Latin to pop, swing to gospel, and R&B to funk.
As a clarification to the ‘Junior’ aspect, Music Theatre International offers renditions of established musicals in slightly shortened versions with the musical score catered to younger voices in terms of complexity as well as pitch and range. We have produced ‘Junior’ versions over the years and while the format is extremely workable, the process is the same as for any show.
As those familiar with our Middle School plays know, we set our bar high, asking all performers, directors and designers to fully invest, playfully explore and collaborate respectfully and humanely. In particular for our Middle School students, bring your excitement, healthy curiosity, and, as the playbill promises, ‘let your toes tap, your fingers snap, and your imagination run wild’.
See you all in September (There’s still plenty of summer left! Hooray!).
The PA Team
Brian, Mayana, Sampad and Sinead