Open Forum

Has anyone done this charming show and if so, how large of a cast did you go with? Also, can any of the roles be flipped for gender (Arpad or Ladislav, for instance)? These roles could be from the storytelling side, I think, but maybe not without a lot of rewrites of the singing parts. 

Next year is my first year directing following the departure of our great music director and (separate person) choreographer. We also have a shift in our student population from a large group of really talented upperclassmen to a smaller set of those and a lot of eager but less capable underclassmen. I know many of you who have been doing this a long time are familiar with these ebbs and flows, but this is my first time. For the past 6 years, we've had a well-developed and quite strong stable of talented kids, plus great adults to steer the various ships, so that we could do big shows well. Now, I'm just not sure who will be coming along on the staff side (international school hirings are challenging – not as many people up for an adventure overseas, I guess), so I need to decide: big easier show or smaller ensemble show? 

In the small show camp, I love She Loves Me and would really enjoy directing it, and I think my kids could pull it off, but would like to expand it a bit at least. Or go with something else. After this big year – just wrapped a great production of In the Heights – the kids are sensing that next year might be not so good. It is my job to keep them optimistic and do a show they will love, the audience will love, but something not quite as demanding in all areas – staging, singing, dancing, set – than this year.

------------------------------
Steven Slaughter
English/Theatre
Rosslyn Academy
Nairobi, Kenya

"Be joyful, though you have considered all the facts." - W Berry
------------------------------

Original Message------

Has anyone done this charming show and if so, how large of a cast did you go with? Also, can any of the roles be flipped for gender (Arpad or Ladislav, for instance)? These roles could be from the storytelling side, I think, but maybe not without a lot of rewrites of the singing parts. 

Next year is my first year directing following the departure of our great music director and (separate person) choreographer. We also have a shift in our student population from a large group of really talented upperclassmen to a smaller set of those and a lot of eager but less capable underclassmen. I know many of you who have been doing this a long time are familiar with these ebbs and flows, but this is my first time. For the past 6 years, we've had a well-developed and quite strong stable of talented kids, plus great adults to steer the various ships, so that we could do big shows well. Now, I'm just not sure who will be coming along on the staff side (international school hirings are challenging – not as many people up for an adventure overseas, I guess), so I need to decide: big easier show or smaller ensemble show? 

In the small show camp, I love She Loves Me and would really enjoy directing it, and I think my kids could pull it off, but would like to expand it a bit at least. Or go with something else. After this big year – just wrapped a great production of In the Heights – the kids are sensing that next year might be not so good. It is my job to keep them optimistic and do a show they will love, the audience will love, but something not quite as demanding in all areas – staging, singing, dancing, set – than this year.

------------------------------
Steven Slaughter
English/Theatre
Rosslyn Academy
Nairobi, Kenya

"Be joyful, though you have considered all the facts." - W Berry
------------------------------

We just wrapped SLM at the end of March, the show was so fun and absolutely PERFECT for our department and school.  I agree that I do not see gender bending roles for this one.

We ran our production with 17 students in the cast, which for us meant that the customers in the shop were often the same ladies and this did not bother audiences at all.  We were able to double up on the customer's vocal parts to round out the sound of the ensemble as well. 

I'd say the most difficult thing about SLM is making sure your Georg and Amalia can play off of each other well, this also holds true for Arpad and Sipos (I likened these characters to the two old men in the Muppets to our actors playing them and they were definitely audience favorites, the boys even tied for Best Supporting Actors at our end of year banquet this Spring.)

Good luck with SLM if you decide to produce it, it's so fun and has a good storyline - we marketed it as the original "You've Got Mail" so we brought in a large crowd for that reason alone :)

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Gabrielle McMullen
Drama Director
Troupe 7822
Thomasville GA
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-17-2018 14:26
From: Mark A. Zimmerman
Subject: She Loves Me

We presented SHE LOVES ME a number of years ago. It is of course a lovely piece and nearly perfect in its own way.

I do not see gender swapping roles  -- not sure you could secure permission to do this.

We had a cast of about 36 and there was not much for the chorus/ensemble to do but one one complained -- at least not to me.  They are customers in the shop and have a few ensemble numbers in the show.

--

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------

Has anyone done this charming show and if so, how large of a cast did you go with? Also, can any of the roles be flipped for gender (Arpad or Ladislav, for instance)? These roles could be from the storytelling side, I think, but maybe not without a lot of rewrites of the singing parts.

Next year is my first year directing following the departure of our great music director and (separate person) choreographer. We also have a shift in our student population from a large group of really talented upperclassmen to a smaller set of those and a lot of eager but less capable underclassmen. I know many of you who have been doing this a long time are familiar with these ebbs and flows, but this is my first time. For the past 6 years, we've had a well-developed and quite strong stable of talented kids, plus great adults to steer the various ships, so that we could do big shows well. Now, I'm just not sure who will be coming along on the staff side (international school hirings are challenging – not as many people up for an adventure overseas, I guess), so I need to decide: big easier show or smaller ensemble show?

In the small show camp, I love She Loves Me and would really enjoy directing it, and I think my kids could pull it off, but would like to expand it a bit at least. Or go with something else. After this big year – just wrapped a great production of In the Heights – the kids are sensing that next year might be not so good. It is my job to keep them optimistic and do a show they will love, the audience will love, but something not quite as demanding in all areas – staging, singing, dancing, set – than this year.

------------------------------
Steven Slaughter
English/Theatre
Rosslyn Academy
Nairobi, Kenya

"Be joyful, though you have considered all the facts." - W Berry
------------------------------

We did it this year and I love.  We did gender swap Sipos (and cute his song for time) and Arpad was played by a girl but as a boy.  There was no problem there at all.

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Anne Schwartz
Escondido CA
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-16-2018 04:15
From: Steven Slaughter
Subject: She Loves Me

Has anyone done this charming show and if so, how large of a cast did you go with? Also, can any of the roles be flipped for gender (Arpad or Ladislav, for instance)? These roles could be from the storytelling side, I think, but maybe not without a lot of rewrites of the singing parts.

Next year is my first year directing following the departure of our great music director and (separate person) choreographer. We also have a shift in our student population from a large group of really talented upperclassmen to a smaller set of those and a lot of eager but less capable underclassmen. I know many of you who have been doing this a long time are familiar with these ebbs and flows, but this is my first time. For the past 6 years, we've had a well-developed and quite strong stable of talented kids, plus great adults to steer the various ships, so that we could do big shows well. Now, I'm just not sure who will be coming along on the staff side (international school hirings are challenging – not as many people up for an adventure overseas, I guess), so I need to decide: big easier show or smaller ensemble show?

In the small show camp, I love She Loves Me and would really enjoy directing it, and I think my kids could pull it off, but would like to expand it a bit at least. Or go with something else. After this big year – just wrapped a great production of In the Heights – the kids are sensing that next year might be not so good. It is my job to keep them optimistic and do a show they will love, the audience will love, but something not quite as demanding in all areas – staging, singing, dancing, set – than this year.

------------------------------
Steven Slaughter
English/Theatre
Rosslyn Academy
Nairobi, Kenya

"Be joyful, though you have considered all the facts." - W Berry
------------------------------