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Huge Fall Musical

  • 1.  Huge Fall Musical

    Posted 11-14-2017 22:01
    Does anyone put on a huge fall musical every single year and if so, do you like doing this? Is it really great for your students, your program, and your community? My administration thankfully loved my first show, but is now requesting it become a tradition. I'm nervous to agree to something so long term.

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    Taylor Horne
    Upper School Theatre Director
    Jacksonville FL
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  • 2.  RE: Huge Fall Musical

    Posted 11-15-2017 08:27
    I am in favor of a spring musical rather than a fall one, mainly because it gives us more time to plan it all out. (Also, football is out of the way, freeing up a lot of band students) My production team is assembled before Thanksgiving break, the kids receive audition materials right before the winter break, auditions are held in January, and the show is in April. This gives me an 12 week production calendar with plenty of time for costume design, set building, choreography, voice, publicity, etc. Having Thanksgiving break, winter break, and spring break to work on production elements GREATLY reduces the stress and time crunch of it all. I simply cannot imagine doing a fall musical ...

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    Ritchie Jackson
    Theatre Director
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Huge Fall Musical

    Posted 11-16-2017 07:53
    Hello,

    I co-direct with our band/choir teacher a musical every fall and have for the last eight years or so.  (We just finished The Sound of Music.)  We used to do the musical in the spring, but the band/choir teacher at the time did not like fighting snow days and delays and losing rehearsal time since we are in Indiana and the winter weather is so unpredictable!   As the Drama Club sponsor, I still have do a straight show in the spring, so I still have to battle the weather.   Our drama program is strictly extracurricular, and we are a small school, so as far as sports it does not matter whether it is fall or spring.  Some students have to decide whether they want to do sports or the show, although we have been able to be flexible with some coaches and share students.  I guess fall works well for us because the weather is not a big factor then.  The key is to start planning as early as possible no matter when you schedule a musical.  Good luck with whatever you decide

    Ken Robinson

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    Kenneth Robinson
    Drama Club Sponsor
    Wapahani High School
    Selma IN
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Huge Fall Musical

    Posted 11-16-2017 12:44
    I do our Musical in the fall because the Spring is full of contest and concerts for the Voice students.  We don't have to compete with football since we are a performing arts school.  I start at the end of August; for a month only have music and dance.  Then I start adding blocking and putting it all together.  It's a long process.  However, we just closed Guys and Dolls, a cast of 41 and we had 1000 audience members with standing ovations every night.  So, it can be done.

    Good luck,

    Patti Reeves
    Drama Department Head
    Caddo Magnet High School
    Shreveport, LA 
    A Blue Ribbon School of Excellence



    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Huge Fall Musical

    Posted 11-15-2017 08:54
    I'm in year 24 of directing in a small town in northern Wisconsin. My first musical was also really well-received, but one decision that has made this more sustainable for me - because of the overwhelming task of a musical without a lot of extra adult help - has been doing one every other year. We are a 9-12 school, so a student gets the opportunity as an underclassman, as well as an upperclassman.

    Eventually, we added a combined music and theatre Renaissance Dinner opposite the musicals, so there was something every fall. This was nice <g class="gr_ gr_818 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="818" data-gr-id="818">because</g> costumes, props, set, etc. could be reused every two years. The workload was much less intense than a musical.

    However, the big idea here is that every other year made it more sustainable for me, over the span of 20+ years.

    Best of luck with your choice!

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    Amy Pelle, Director of Theatre at Rice Lake High School
    Rice Lake WI
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Huge Fall Musical

    Posted 11-15-2017 10:15
    I may be in a somewhat different situation than you since I have a curricular Musical Theatre program.  I traditionally do a HUGE fall musical (just closed The Addams Family), and then 2nd semester my Musical Theatre 2 will do a show (Into the Woods this year), and Musical Theatre 1 also does a show (Singin' in the Rain, Jr., this year) that we take to elementary schools and then perform at the high school.  It's a ton of work, but it is a HUGE benefit to my program.

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    Mike Hancey
    Musical Theatre, Drama, Theatre Guild, & Theater Manager
    Laramie High School
    Laramie, WY
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Huge Fall Musical

    Posted 11-15-2017 10:34
    We have a traditional musical in the fall. But  . . .   we sometimes do a second musical int he fall.

    The additional fall musical is typically small in nature or a show that features a lot of diversity. 

    It puts a tremendous strain on our resources of both time and money but it is a tremendous learning experience and the kids really enjoy it. 

    We did MEMPHIS in early October this year and will be doing CHICAGO in April.

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    Mark A. Zimmerman,

    Theatre Director
    Akron School for the Arts
    Firestone Community Learning Center
    470 Castle Blvd
    Akron, Ohio 44313

    Troupe 5570

    mzimmerm@apslearn.org
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    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Huge Fall Musical

    Posted 11-15-2017 11:05

    We do a "huge" musical every fall.   It is our commitment to the administration for an activity that involves as many students as possible.  Then, I have a lot more freedom in choosing the contest one-act and spring show, which get much less attention.  It is also a big community event and the district uses it to reach out to senior citizens in the community (They are the invited audience for our final dress.) as a way to build good will relating to their voting for levy referendums. 

     

    Mark Quinlan

    Theater Director, Head Speech Coach

    Centennial High School

    763-792-5099

    finearts@isd12.org

     




    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Huge Fall Musical

    Posted 11-15-2017 19:47
     We do a musical every fall. It interferes with fewer sports activities so we have a much larger casting pool.  Also, kids are eager to join something at the beginning of the school year. A musical attracts a wider range of kids at my school, and many, after doing one show, are hooked and I have them for the whole year! Depending on when the school year starts, we perform the week before Thanksgiving or the week after. 



    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Huge Fall Musical

    Posted 11-16-2017 10:06
    Our school typically does our musical in the winter (yes, we're crazy) with a straight play in the fall and spring.  We used to have the musical in the spring, but our school has a HUGE music program that's heavy into show choir competition, and all of our best singers were tied up every weekend with competitions (they compete every weekend for two months straight).  We debated moving it to the fall, but we also have a very competitive marching band who ALSO has a two month competitive season, and we realized that we would lose all of those kids and have no pit if we did it in the fall.  Our musical is currently in January, which we hate, but it is literally the only time we could find that could include all eligible students.

    Ideally, I would love to have it in the spring again.  It gives you more time to prepare, as musicals do tend to take a lot more work than a straight play.  We also drew a bigger crowd as we are also in Indiana and deal with mood-swing weather in the winter.  :)  However, I think this is a situation that needs to go on a school to school basis.  What works for one school may not work for another.  Personally, I say pick the time of year that is going to give the greatest chance to a wide variety of students.  Good luck!

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    Nicole Deckert
    Theater Director
    Northridge Middle School/Northridge High School
    Middlebury, IN
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    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: Huge Fall Musical

    Posted 11-16-2017 15:00
    Each school community is different, and my school community works really well with a large fall musical.  We actually have auditions at the end of September and put on the show the second week of December!  So, it's an 8 week rehearsal process.  We are fortunate that our school's football team isn't so great, so we get the orchestra by mid November.  We are currently rehearsing for Bonnie & Clyde (LOVING this show!!), and I completely agree with the teacher who said that if you can hook them with the musical, you can convince them to audition for the play later in your season.  We audition our play right after winter break (first week of January) and perform the last weekend of February.  
    After that, I'm done with the BIG stuff for the year!  And, I don't interfere with spring sports which many drama kids are involved in.
    As long as you can swing a musical, it really does keep your program alive and helps keep the money flowing.  The kids also LOVE doing musicals and it's become the largest extracurricular activity on our campus.  About 100 kids are involved between the cast/crew/orchestra!  
    So, if you like doing a musical in the fall/winter, go for it!  I always like to think that I work hardest at the start of the year, and then, when the weather gets nice, I get to go home like regular teachers do and enjoy the afternoons :)

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    Lisa Dyer
    Henrico VA
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    Original Message


  • 12.  RE: Huge Fall Musical

    Posted 11-20-2017 11:01
    When I do a musical it's always in fall because the choir teacher and kids are always travelling in spring. I used to do one every other year but have done one for the last 3 years. I'm not doing another next year and have already made that clear. Everyone loves seeing the shows every year but I just don't have the energy to commit to it every year. Look at the work vs payoff (to you - not your students) and make a decision with that in mind.

    Are you responsible for everything? Do you have a choreographer, music director, tech director, help with costumes, etc? The only help I get is with the music. Everything else falls on my shoulders so it becomes very draining. If you have a lot of support and think you can handle the work load annually, and want to, I'd say go for it. If not I'd look at the every other year option. It's worked pretty well for me.

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    Shira Schwartz
    Chandler Unified School District
    Chandler AZ
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    Original Message


  • 13.  RE: Huge Fall Musical

    Posted 11-30-2017 18:42
    Our school only had a big spring musical until my sophomore year. We started up a smaller fall play that has played off very well on the community, and has given more kids a shot in theater and gotten more kids interested into our drama program. I can't speak for how a large scale musical would work, but i do believe that more than one bigger production a year helps increase student, and community involvement.

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    Patrick Lanstrum
    West Farmington OH
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    Original Message


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