Open Forum

  • 1.  Cabaret in high school

    Posted 05-22-2014 09:07
    What are people's experiences doing Carbaret with high schoolers? I love the play and have the cast for it, but am concerned it may be too racy for our community (rural Maine). Any suggestions for ways to make it slightly more mild without losing what makes it great?

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    Beth Lambert
    Performing Arts Teacher
    Carrabec High School
    Fairfield ME
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  • 2.  RE: Cabaret in high school

    Posted 05-23-2014 09:38
    #1 Tone down the costumes.  The cast pictures will last a long time in people's memories.  #2 No matter what happens in rehearsals, someone will perform it more sexual than you wanted.  Be prepared to laugh about it and shake your head at that moment when eyebrows are raised.  . 

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    Vicki Bartholomew
    Playwright
    Sherwood OR
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  • 3.  RE: Cabaret in high school

    Posted 05-24-2014 08:07
    We did this show a few years ago and it has been the most powerful show we have done because we focused on the history of the show and not the sex factor. We inserted a scene in the end (this is done commonly) transforming our kit Kat girls and emcee into holocaust victims. This left the final image of them as victims and not sexual symbols. We toned down the costumes, played the sexual characters as "flirty" and aimed that to be as cute as possible and not adult sexy. We played Cliff as straight and truly in love with Sally so the scene where she chooses the club over him is more acceptable for a more conservative crowd. We took our kids to a holocaust museum to discuss the importance of the piece and contacted local survivors and asked to use their actual ID numbers on the uniforms we made for the show. We included a display in our lobby about them and their story and our use of their numbers as a means of honoring them. We preformed the show on our high school stage (rural community), a professional stage in a nearby city, at VA Thespian Conference, and in the UK on a school stage. We encountered complaints in our own community and at Conference but ultimately saw overwhelming support for the important social significance we were focused on. Loved the show, changed my student's perceptions of the world. ------------------------------------------- Victoria Kesling Councill Theatre Teacher New Kent County Public Schools New Kent VA -------------------------------------------
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  • 4.  RE: Cabaret in high school

    Posted 05-25-2014 10:13
    Our Cabaret production (spring 2013) was especially bittersweet because it was the last show in our black box theater (the Pit) before building renovations took away our space.  Everyone who worked on the show -- actors, crew, faculty -- put forth their absolute best efforts, and the production was incredibly fine!  As far as racy costumes, let me just say that a couple of the adults involved wanted to expose more skin than I (costume designer) was comfortable with.  Sort of creepy, actually... 
    My advice would be to concentrate on the history, including the fact that just about everyone in that time period in Berlin was literally starving; the Kit Kat Klub epitomized their desperation.  "Even the ORCHESTRA is beautiful":  beautiful being gaunt, pale, demoralized, and willing to do anything to survive.

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    Joanne Buyniski
    Whitinsville MA
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