Can a group of talented teenagers make this adult musical work?

Ever since a young age, I've known that I wanted to be a performer in musical theatre. My parents have been incredibly supportive of me and have helped me pursue my dreams, which are becoming increasingly real as I apply and begin to audition for college musical theatre programs. Unfortunately, some kids do not have the support I have received.

Full disclosure, cast members were possibly reviewing choreography from our dance call before walking into our very first Footloose rehearsal. Our fabulous co-choreographer, Jeff Dimitriou, set the bar high prior to day one and we wanted to be ready. More importantly, there was so much recall from that audition day because it was an exuberant experience! And, the moves were accessible because they were married to impulse. The choreography Jeff gifts to us is full, extended and comes from the heart. Dancing it out on stage is totally visceral, but only when we honour the steps as intended. It is so interesting how the energy of a scene shifts drastically by simply 'being bigger'. There is no grand explanation, but the energy percolates when we give in to the story told through movement. Over lunch, Jeff and I took a corner of our rehearsal space and talked life, art and Footloose. If you did not know before, Jeff's artistry stems far beyond choreography - he is a painter as well. We began by talking about this side of his work. 

Summer is for friends, family, fun times, and fearing reading assignments. In the months of schoolless weekdays, some of us thespians do summer theatre camps, in and out of town. Some take master classes, or perform in mainstage theatre shows, or rehearse for show choirs or Thespian troupes. If you're an older theatre kid like me, there's also college-searching to be done.

During my week in New York, I had the amazing opportunity to interview Harvey Evans! He was a Jet in West Side Story on Broadway and in the movie, and danced alongside legends such as Gwen Verdon, Chita Rivera, and Ann Margret. Harvey was so sweet and kind to talk to, and here are my questions and his responses!

Every two years, across the nation, State Thespian Societies hold an All-State Play. This year, the Missouri All-State Play is the greek tragedy Iphigenia: the sad tale of what happened to Agamemnon's family in order for the greek ships to sail to Troy. In January of this year, the Missouri State Thespian Conference was held in Kansas City, Missouri where six members of my troupe auditioned and interviewed for spots in the show--in between running to individual events and workshops. It was the most emotional audition process I have ever been a part of. It was like being on a bullet train that makes frequent turns and trying to walk in a straight line. 

The powerhouse Courteney McClutchy and the lovely Katie Davis lead the cast in this enjoyable version of the classic Disney musical.

Summer: a time for reflection, relaxation, and work. As I have been reading, writing, and working on my craft, I reflected constantly back to a few months ago, during Seussical the Musical, when I saw firsthand the stress crew undergoes to provide the best environment for cast members. I have said it before and I will say it every day until I die: without the thankless work of crew and tech, the cast wouldn't even exist. Thanks to these reflections, I have decided the best blog as the summer begins to come to an end is a blog with a theme that I hope carries into the next school year and theatre season: tech deserves the spotlight. 

Directing Kids and Teens sounds like a very difficult job, but for these 4 directors, the task is very easy. Cheryl Baxter-Ratliff  (Los Angeles), Joel & Christine Seger (Massachusetts), and Kelley Manson (Massachusetts) have had their fair share of young adult productions to be proud of.  No matter what coast they are from, they all can agree that kids and teens are "sponges" that can soak up information and that they do not have any bad habits they need to break on stage. They also talk about their beginnings in directing kids and teens, memorable moments thus far in their directing, and more. Read my Q&A below to see what they said. 

Last night at 501 Queens Road in Charlotte NC, the sound of laughter shattered the confines of the 13-row theater by transporting the audience into the world of 'The Drowsy Chaperone.' This musical, put on by Theatre Charlotte's Student Theatre Guild is the 5th STG musical and the 8th TC production I've had the privilege of being a part of. In August of 2009 my feet entered Theatre Charlotte's doors for the first time. I smelled its smell. I stood in its wings. I accepted its welcoming invitation to audition for those 13 empty rows-all for the very first time. Little did I know that this audition for 'Annie' would mark the beginning of a beautiful relationship between a little girl with a dream and a little white theater awaiting a dream to foster. Little did I know that this smell would become my haven, these wings would become my comfort and this tiny theater would become my own little corner of the world.

My life is as crazy as ever. Just because it is the summer does not mean that it is any less busy than the school year. I interned at Sportody.com this summer, I have to write an Extended Essay for the IB program, I have to get Inbound Certified for my fall internship, I just started my own blog, koffeekisses.com. I have schoolwork. And I haven't even thought about preparing for the District Festival for Thespians this fall. 

Whip out every drop of skill acquired from those Reading Comprehension lessons in Lit Class, my friends. I want to ask you to analyze the words of the title.

This past fall my high school's theatre group travelled to local elementary schools to perform "Folktales For Fun", which connected folktales to different countries to teach kids all about different cultures. Some of the stories included Cinderella from Egypt (Rhodopis and Her Golden Scandals), The Three Hares (a take on the three little pigs) from Turkey, The Bremen Town Musicians from Germany, The Snake from Spain,  Why Bears Have Stumpy Tails from Norway,and How Tortoise Tricked Leopard . There were two casts, so that we could make it to more schools than we would have if we only had one cast and to not miss a lot of school ourselves. Our costumes were simple, but effective. The three headed snake was portrayed by three snake hats, the turtle was portrayed by a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles backpack on my back, and many other clever animal hats.  At first, I was a little curious on how the kids would respond to the play, because our teacher told the schools that it was geared toward 3rd to 5th graders. Which is always a tough audience. Once we got out to the schools, it was one of the most rewarding things that I have ever experienced.

When you are standing up on that stage, you enter an alternate reality. The lines you are saying, the motions you are making; they become real. You are transported into this world. It is an experience like no other- an experience which many people never get the pleasure of experiencing. 

Summertime. For theatre kids that aren't attending something like theatre camp, this season is complete agony. Even when you're on vacation, it's weird… Not getting the daily dose of rehearsal that your body feels like it needs after years of it. Yet, I feel like summertime is a perfect opportunity to try out new things in the theatre itself. It can help you understand what other parts of theatre you're interested in, because even if it doesn't seem like it, it's not all about the singing and the acting and the dancing! There are people behind all of that, and without their abilities, there wouldn't be a show at all. 

Ah, summer. A time for rest, relaxation, fun, and as of last week, catching virtual Pokemon in a multitude of locations. Of course, Pokemon Go can't make up for total boredom of summer. Yes, summer is a great time to accomplish activities that just don't fit into our school year rut. However, many of us fill our summers with naps and Netflix-binging and video games (and reading, right? Especially plays like 4000 Miles) which is not always the best idea. Thus, I present a guide to overcoming the plague of laziness that we all face during summer.

I'm back with part two of my trip to New York!

Last year I had the privilege of participating in the revived summer production program, which was created and funded by the School Board of Alachua County. We put on Hairspray Jr. It was my very first musical or theater production ever, and it genuinely changed my life. This year I was not able to participate in the production of High School Musical Jr. because of an internship opportunity with a company, but I got to see the production last night… so now I get to rave about it and the program. 

Taking care of yourself is often ranked as the top priority amongst actors. You need to be able to pull off long rehearsal hours standing, singing, and/or dancing. You need to be able to bend and move the way your director envisions you doing, so in that case, taking care of your body is the most important so that you have a good personal support system. However, I might argue that taking care of those around you is equally important. The friends and allies you make within the industry are often the difference between a cannonball and a belly flop. 

Another week of Side Show rehearsals has almost come to an end, and many different aspects of the show are beginning to fall into place. Perhaps the most noticeable of these developments is the set. Each day I've walked into the black box studio for rehearsal, the "side show tent" has been coming together piece by piece. We are finally able to block scenes with a more accurate estimate of where each person will actually be able to stand, and seeing the new additions each day seems to inspire the cast to bring even more effort to rehearsal. Seeing the construction of the set has always been one of my favorite parts of any show, as it is visual proof of the progress being made. As the set acquires detail after detail, it helps me to imagine what the finished product will be, and I start to look forward to that ever-elusive opening night with renewed excitement. 

The classic mammoth musical is given a Grade-A treatment by 42 talented students, ages eight to nineteen.

On June 21st 2016, students of the UHSPAC were afforded a unique opportunity. For our hard work endured throughout our season, our director arranged a Master Class with Eric Ulloa. He is currently in "On Your Feet!" presented at the Marquis Theatre on Broadway. Eric is a member of the ensemble where he has the opportunity to entertain as a variety of characters. He's also an understudy for the lead role of Emilio Estefan. 

I think it's only fair, dear reader, that I tell you a little bit of myself. If you are to continue indulging in this relationship we are forming it would only suffice that you know a bit about me and where I come from. I am a rising junior attending the private prep school MICDS in Saint Louis Missouri. I am an actress, poet, and story teller. I have always known I was an artist. Details often jump up at me and claim my attention. Sometimes they were sights or smells--vivid and demanding to be translated into art. The world has always been a bright and lively place to me. Through the years my mediums have danced about: from singing to dancing, painting to acting, drawing to modeling; however, the stage has always been my true home.  

Plays can be the most riveting, inspiring, heartbreaking, and exciting pieces of literature to read. Plays are consuming and often remind me of great classics because of their elegance and sheer effortlessness. Just like The Great Gatsby effortlessly leaves you questioning the morals of the wealthy class, plays can leave you with questions, answers, emotions, and nothing. As it's summer and most of us are traveling, working on our crafts (you'd better be, I blogged about it earlier), and relaxing, I propose a great piece of advice: read more plays!

Rent taught us young theatre-aficionados our first BIG number. "525,600 minutes…how do you measure, measure a year…"