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  • 1.  Sweeny Todd (school edition)

    Posted 09-27-2018 13:40
    I have been lucky enough to get a "tentative approval" for our troupe to do Sweeny Todd as our spring musical. Obviously I am super excited to work with such a challenging score, and I know my kids are going to eat it up. What I am wondering, and what my administration is wondering, is if anyone has worked with the show before? What are some of the struggles that you faced while putting it on? What went well or not so well?

    Any and all feedback is super appreciated.

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    Jonathan Kind
    Lake Orion MI
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  • 2.  RE: Sweeny Todd (school edition)

    Posted 09-28-2018 07:20
    We did the regular edition a number of year's ago and did not encounter any problems.  My plan is to make a show like that so good that people don't have time to complain and if they do, they appear petty.

    I can tell you that it is a very long show and requires more than the usual amount of rehearsal. We really paired it down to emphasize the performances, story, and music instead of the scenery. we used a unit set with a large, rough-hewn table and 6 chairs. People really liked it and it sold well. The movie was new then and likely helped to sell tickets.

    I have not worked with the school edition so I do not know how it is different.
    --
    Mark A. Zimmerman
    Theatre Director,

    Akron School for the Arts
    Firestone High School
    470 Castle Blvd
    Akron, Ohio 44313

    330-761-3275

    FirestoneTheatre.com




    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Sweeny Todd (school edition)

    Posted 09-28-2018 07:28
    I've directed the show twice.  It's great.  The theme "revenge is self-destructive" is a tremendous lesson.  The only things to be careful about WA are the rape scene (we just encircled the judge and woman with the cast) and the use of a pistol during the mayhem scene (we did use a starter pistol handed to the actor just before the scene by a staff member and returned as the actors left the stage). Musically, city on fire was probably the hardest due to staging and timing. 

    Our staging was inspired by the Patti Lupone/Michael Cerevis production so the barber chair was not an issue. 

    You're right.  Your actors will eat this material up. 



    Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone



    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Sweeny Todd (school edition)

    Posted 09-28-2018 08:33
    We did the full edition a couple years ago (at home, chapter festival, and International) and we managed to keep the show "alive" for almost 9 months.  It helps to have such fantastic material.  The kids loved it because it presented a challenge that they knew they could master with help.  My suggestion would be to recruit plenty of adult help.  Vocal directors (we had 2), orchestra conductor, costumer, lighting, etc. and start early.  We focused on music for quite a while before beginning staging.

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    [William] [Myatt] [Director of Theatre]

    [Pleasant Valley High School]

    [myattw@pleasval.k12.ia.us][563-332-5151][Bettendorf][IA][USA]
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Sweeny Todd (school edition)

    Posted 09-28-2018 09:09
    I worked with this show, during a summer camp for 14-18 year-olds, this summer.  It is a fantastic show and I was blessed to work with a top rate production team and a superb group of students (I was the costume designer).
    Although this is a "school edition" the score is extremely demanding, but the payoff is amazing! The biggest hurdle we faced, was the audience being unprepared for the dark subject matter.  This was despite very clear warnings on the website, a bloody razor featured prominently in the ads, and features on the local news.  It is very disheartening for kids to see people exit (only a handful, but still) during their performance because they were unaware of the content.

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    Myndee Washington
    Music/ Drama Director
    Union Park Charter Academy
    Wesley Chapel, FL
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    Original Message


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