Greetings to you all,
My high school is the PA representative for "The United States of Frozen". I would love to share the show with you, your Thespian Troupes, as well as family and friends, and little people in your lives through our TWO (2) live-streaming performances. Since many of you are also Producers/Directors at your school, I encourage you to look closely at this show. The adaptation for Broadway with some added songs and scenes is strong with a message of love and support for each person to find their authentic, true voice and celebrate who they are.
Disney Theatrical Group tasked all of 52 schools with adapting Frozen for high schools of varying size, population, technical "toys" and such. We have chosen to go with almost full LED lighting, thanks to a former student with talent and his own business, and are not really doing much projection at all which Broadway, the West End, and touring productions and many schools have use. We created other solutions for the set and such. Given the fact that we sold out our 7 live performances in 2 days with a 1700 seat auditorium -- this is a crowd pleaser and a potential financial boost to your program.
- Dates for two live streaming shows on April 29 and May 6 @ 7:30 PM. One $35 ticket for unlimited patrons.
Have a Watch Party!
Have a fundraiser for your troupe or school OR charity.
Have people attending bring a canned good for admission and donate to a local food bank.
Sing along with the show.
Get some live (appropriate) social media chatter going with your troupe or other PA Troupes.
Come up with another idea and share it with the Community!
For any who watch the live stream, there will be a quick google doc on our website or QR code during the live stream shows and on our website so we can collect data on who is watching, from where you are watching, and what you bought (such as special refreshments, decorations, costumes?). We hope to use the data to create an Economic Impact Survey Study. Find the Guest Survey here, too!
Our community is abuzz. It's been a bit overwhelming. We have also included events around the theme of the "United States of Frozen," including:
- The "Love is an Open Door" Contest. Students K-12 were tasked with creating something in art, music, media, dance, theatre, written or spoken word to express what "Love is an Open Door" means to them. 54 students answered the challenge. Their entries are being compiled and will be posted on the website above. They were each offered 6 complimentary tickets to a performance.
- "Love is an Open Book" Ten of our actors and 3-4 second grade classes from each of our 13 elementary schools met on a live Google Meet. Our students read Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon and The Invisible Boy to the 2nd graders. There was an engaging exchange between the 2nd graders and the high school students about finding your authentic voice, handling the (very big) high school, and participating in theatre and the arts and other opportunities through middle and high school. An impromptu performance of the "Finale" of Frozen ("Let It Go" - what else?) had students singing in their classrooms.
- International Spring Festival, Organized by many local organizations in the North Penn School District, and presented at the high school each year, it is the largest multicultural community gathering and festival, I think, in PA. Through permission from DTG, our cast performed a mini concert of some of the Frozen songs.
- "Love is an Open Door" Food Drive. Our community food bank is dealing with overwhelming food insecurity and depressed donations. Publicity is going out by Friday that we will be gathering non-perishable items at all performances with an option to give monetary donations through a QR Code. Our Student Government Association, Class Cabinets, other school clubs are getting involved and helping with collecting, packing, weighing (so we can let people know how much was donated), and delivering the items. The food bank is providing us with lists of what they need.
I hope other "United States of Frozen" productions who may be streaming in the future through next fall will share their ticket information. North Penn would like to celebrate with you!
In the midst of all of this, we also celebrated "Thespis's Birthday Party", marking the end or Theatre in Our Schools Month on March 31. The brainchild of our Drama Major class studying Greek Drama, we had cake, a stuffed goat prize to present to the best Karaoke performance, laurel leaf crowns and lot's of fun. (Hint: National TiOS activity???).
If Love is an Open Door -- and at North Penn High School we firmly believe it is, let's find a moment of joy beyond the difficult issues we in educational theatre encounter daily. Watching Frozen (and considering it for next year) may be a moment to celebrate!
Thank you for all that you do each day and through long nights and weekends to provide theatre for our young people and give them voice! You are heroes for being teachers, for creating theatre experiences, and for doing it all again, year after year.
"Warm hugs"
Andrea
P.S. We'll also have some set pieces, props, and costumes.
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Andrea Lee Roney
Theatre Teacher/Director
roneya@npenn.orgNorth Penn High School
PA
roneya@npenn.org------------------------------