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What are Your Productions for Next Year?

  • 1.  What are Your Productions for Next Year?

    Posted 06-26-2022 18:32
    Hey all you over-achievers who have already decided your season next year, 

    Please tell us what you selected and why, such as:

    ...because I have 2 boys and 43 girls
    ...because it ties in with the English department literature 
    ...because of diversity
    ...because I needed a comedy
    ...because it's an easy set and costume show
    ...because my choreographer quit
    ...because it's on my bucket list and the kids will probably hate it, but it's about me right now
    ...because I'm about to retire and I've already done this show four times and I need an easy button

    You get the idea, and we would love to steal your idea.  Community!

    ------------------------------
    James Thomas Bailey
    Director of Theatre Arts
    Justin-Siena HS, Napa CA
    Artistic Director, CSz Los Angeles
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: What are Your Productions for Next Year?

    Posted 06-27-2022 09:03
    Because it seems EXACTLY the right time for Lysistrata!




  • 3.  RE: What are Your Productions for Next Year?

    Posted 06-27-2022 09:40
    Curtains, Young@part edition. Because my students LOVE murder mysteries, and I need to regrow the program after the pandemic. Because we haven't done a musical in three years, and it looks more like an ensemble show that doesn't need many powerhouse singers.  I don't know this show at all other than what I read on the website, so fingers crossed that it's a successful choice!

    ------------------------------
    [Pam] [Podolner]
    [Speech/Drama Teacher]
    [Lincoln Middle School]
    [Berwyn] [IL]
    ------------------------------



  • 4.  RE: What are Your Productions for Next Year?

    Posted 06-27-2022 12:22
    We are doing Puffs in the fall. I needed something for a cast of 25-30 and Puffs can be expanded. It serves my mostly comedic actors very well.

    We are doing Beauty and the Beast in the spring. We chose it mainly to serve our students. And we have a fantastic costume designer.

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  • 5.  RE: What are Your Productions for Next Year?

    Posted 06-27-2022 12:43
    I love the questions, James-- thanks for "keeping it real."
    --Jeffrey LM

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    Jeffrey Leptak-Moreau
    Cincinnati OH
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  • 6.  RE: What are Your Productions for Next Year?

    Posted 06-28-2022 10:09

    We are producing The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood in the fall because we needed a short, family friendly comedy that would also attract guys. 

    Our fall musical is Matilda because I needed to do a musical but my strong vocal talent is in our middle school with only one or two strong females in my high school. We are going to combine the middle and high school for this production. 

    min the spring I needed to produce a classic, so we are going with The Tempest. While reading through several with students, they were super excited about the story and the themes in the script. They will sell this one to their peers. 

    I'm excited about our magical season, now to pull off all the SFX they require. 🧐



    ------------------------------
    Joshua Cain
    Theatre Teacher
    The Independent School
    KS
    ------------------------------



  • 7.  RE: What are Your Productions for Next Year?

    Posted 06-29-2022 09:14
    1-Fall Dracula- we wanted a show that would technically challenge our students since I am now teaching all the tech and my colleague who will take over foe me in 2024-2025 will be scenes scenes. I will mow have time to let them DESIGN not just get the production done.
    2-Winter is our Marathon Shorts: Exposure By Abeyratne and three student written one-act plays allows students to test out playwrighting, directing and production design in small chunks and gives our marching band students their first chance to participate since football will be over.
    Junior High- Either We will Rock You or Dr.Jekyl please Don't Hyde gives our Junior Thespians their own musical production this year foe the FIRST time, ever-new troupe.
    3-Spring- Once Upon A Mattress because this is a primarily vocal musical and allows new to musical theatre to learn simple choreography and feel confident- draws a community crowd/

    ------------------------------
    Christy Barker
    Teacher
    Wayne High School
    OH
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  • 8.  RE: What are Your Productions for Next Year?

    Posted 06-30-2022 19:52
    We have definitely decided on Liza and The Riddling Cave.  The cast can expand or contract depending on who shows up, We we're going to do it this fall but were told we might have to do video again so we decided to devise our own.  

    For our one act I am thinking about doing Do Not Go Gentle.... I love the show and I want to involve and challenge more students in backstage areas.

    It is a non musical year so our late spring show may be student directed if someone comes forward.

    I love the Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood.  we did it in the round and by a weird twist of fate the playwright was in Vermont and came to the show which was a little nerve wracking but it turned out to be a wonderful experience. She is an amazing person.... spent time with the students after the show and even came to Denny's with us for our cast party.  If you have any questions or problems contact her and she will be there to help you
    cathy





  • 9.  RE: What are Your Productions for Next Year?

    Posted 06-30-2022 10:45
    We re going with a One Act cutting of the Diviners for competition in the Fall. We alternate every year with a musical and a drama for One Act. This play has a bunch of parts and the opportunity to add some great, onstage musicians. It's a beautiful piece and all my cuts were approved! I was happily surprised.

    Our Winter Musical will be Fiddler! I have four strong senior girls and a gang of talented boys so I think it will cover all my talent.

    Haven't gotten to the Spring Play yet! ugh. I am thinking of Alibis. if you've done it, let me know your thoughts!

    ------------------------------
    DJ Queenan
    Director of Fine Arts
    Savannah Country Day School
    GA
    ------------------------------



  • 10.  RE: What are Your Productions for Next Year?

    Posted 06-27-2022 16:12
    The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane because I have a guest director who does a small cast show early each fall, and our program is adjacent to other strong performing arts programs where crossover between theatre/band, theatre/choir is easy and important.  And we all still needs lessons about love. 

    Museum because the biggest learning gap I've seen over the past two years is in bold character development.  I need a comedy in that late fall slot this year, and it's been years since we've tackled an Absurdist piece (I try my best not to repeat genres over four years).  And I think making people aware of what they think and say about art is important right now after the arts sustained many, many people as they bridged over to now from "the before times."  Everyone will play 2-3 roles, which is awesome for us right now. 

    I do an original 10-Minute Play Festival in early spring, which has grown in popularity and quality.  It's something students now look forward to writing for in the fall and pulls in reluctant students who think, "It's only ten minutes--how much commitment can THAT be?"  And then some of them remain in the program from then on. 

    Finally, late spring we're doing Chicago:  Teen Edition because we need something with many and great roles for women and an opportunity to continue building ensemble skills/commitment.  Also, what the play says about us, celebrity, media, and attention-getting remains relevant (sigh).

    ------------------------------
    Rod Hearn
    teacher
    Damonte Ranch High School
    NV
    ------------------------------



  • 11.  RE: What are Your Productions for Next Year?

    Posted 06-28-2022 11:47
    • Emma JV: A Pop Musical (Advanced Class, Musical, One-Act Competition Show): Because I needed a female-heavy musical, and I needed to do a musical for one-act competition instead of doing the musical as a separate open call show this year. Plus I just love jukebox musicals.
    • The Norse Mythology Ragnasplosion (Open Call Play): Because it's a large cast show that offers lots of roles that can be played by students of any gender, and it's structured in a way that makes it easy to plan rehearsals for an open call show that will be all after school. As a bonus, it capitalizes on the new Thor movie coming out this summer.
    • Puffs (Advanced Class): Our theatre-cousins at a nearby school did it last year and my kids absolutely loved it and kept saying how much they wanted to do it. I've got lots of great casting options for it and I think my stagecraft class will have a lot of fun building the set for it.
    • A student-written/directed 10 minute play festival because it gives kids a chance to show off their original work.
    I'm still trying to decide on a children's play for my intermediate class to perform. Trying to find something with roles for 20-25 students where most students have actual characters with lines instead of nameless background roles. I was planning to write something, but I'm on deadline for a book right now and it looks like that's going to take most of my summer. Open to any suggestions!

    ------------------------------
    Brian Work
    Archer High School
    GA
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  • 12.  RE: What are Your Productions for Next Year?

    Posted 06-30-2022 11:49
    Great thread idea James!

    We are doing Disaster for our spring musical--because there are a lot of roles for girls and guys - everyone is featured.  (In fact, on Stage Agent every role is listed as "supporting".) AND I can add in ensemble members.  (We did Into the Woods this past spring - I wanted to keep the cast small due to Covid...but I usually cast about 40 in our musicals--so I really need to bring back the ensemble.)

    As for a fall play--I keep reading...I'm trying to find a play with a lot of roles - aren't we all.
    We did Puffs last fall - such a great show! I see that other people have that on their lists as well.

    ------------------------------
    Cindy Skelton
    Drama Teacher
    Burlingame High School
    Burlingame CA
    ------------------------------