Next spring, I may find myself for the first time in the position of feeling like we simply do have the staffing resources to pull off a big musical. We've had a bit of a golden run for the last 6 years since I've been here. This is not to claim credit – the musical has always been directed by one of two excellent musically-gifted musical directors (who also teach choir, etc) and I have focused on acting, blocking, and the tech side, with still others on choreography, etc. etc.
International schools have greater turn-over than schools in the States and our hiring pool is smaller. This year, unfortunately, several of our key people are moving on and I don't know yet who we'll have. We may not find someone at all. And I know my limits. I have a good ear for music and can sing, so I can hear that pitch is off and diction and other things need work...but I don't have the training to teach a singer how to fix that problem.
So...with that as a lead-up, if we simply do NOT get a person that can do vocal training, what are my options? Because of the legacy of our program, the expectation is pretty high that we will always do great musicals, but this is a lot of pressure on me if we simply cannot staff it to make that happen. One option seems to be to NOT do a musical next year, but instead, look for a large-cast play, ideally with some, but less ambitious, musical elements. Since I'm doing a comedy with cast of 15 for the fall play, I would be up for something bigger or grander, but not sure what. Some Shakespeare productions have included added music, right? Any other great ideas?
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Steven Slaughter
English/Theatre
Rosslyn Academy
Nairobi, Kenya
"Be joyful, though you have considered all the facts." - W Berry
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