I've never altered individual parts for a show, but there are always ways to work with what you have. The alternate orchestration for WSS is slightly smaller than the standard and shrinks down the number of string parts which is a big help. When we did "Into the Woods" we had a similar concern, but we had a lot of success with focusing on the most important wind parts and using those to support the piano and synth parts. It was a smaller, chamber sound, but it worked very well. Something similar may work with WSS.
I assume your director has seen the score for the show, but if not, I have the piano score as well as the full score if you'd like to see it.
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Patrick McGuire
Drama Director
Round Lake High School
Round Lake, IL
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-09-2017 23:00
From: Abra Chusid
Subject: West Side Story Simplified Score?
Hi, I am considering doing West Side Story next year for many reasons, primarily that it suits our current students and is an incredibly poignant way to talk about race and the current tensions in our country without being political. However, my pit conductor, who has been conducting a full and talented pit at the school for 12 years, is worried about the score being far too difficult for students to play successfully. There was a discussion thread in the forum in 2014 about its challenges, but I am wondering if anyone has found ways to modify the score to make it more successful for student musicians? (We are not interested in utilizing digital supplements at this time.)
I appreciate any thoughts!
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Abra Chusid
Theatre Director
Buffalo Grove IL
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