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  • 1.  Grease vs Addams Family vs ???

    Posted 05-20-2022 13:28
    Looking ahead to next year, I got excited about the possibility of doing the Grease: School Edition for our middle school. I just got back the pricing for the licensing and it's astronomical. No complaints since I knew going in it's one of their most expensive shows to license. I'm not closing the door on it yet (and I'm well aware the themes are concerning to some but I believe you can put on a show and have kids delve into the social issues) but need to come up with a plan B. Enter The Addams Family. 

    I've watched a few online, haven't seen it ever in person. It looks incredibly fun. I know the Young@Part is recommended for middle schoolers. What is the difference between the Young@Part version and the School Edition? Is there a benefit to doing one over the other at the middle school level? Would love to hear from folx on the challenges they faced and the rewarding parts of putting on The Addams Family. 

    Finally, I'm open to other show suggestions. My criteria is something fun, lots of opportunity for dancing, adaptable for a large ensemble (we usually have 60 kids participate), and a crowd pleaser. Shows out of the running because they've been done in the district within recent years - Annie Jr, Beauty & the Beast Jr, SpongeBob, Into The Woods Jr, Matilda Jr, Seussical, Elf Jr, Hairspray Jr, and Little Mermaid Jr and Mary Poppins Jr were both under way and never made it to the stage during the panini. I'll also say that I get the sense kids wouldn't be inclined to do something that felt too young. They've dropped hints about High School Musical Jr. and Legally Blonde Jr. but those don't excite me at the middle school level (but I'm open to being convinced). Thank you!

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    Carla
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  • 2.  RE: Grease vs Addams Family vs ???

    Posted 05-23-2022 21:42
    Hi Carla,

    Back in the fall of 2019, we did a really fun show with my middle school drama students and one of the choir classes (a lot of my drama kids were also in that class) called "Don't Say No to the U.S.O."  This is the one-act version of "Kilroy Was Here." My choir co-worker can be a bit of a "music" snob (i.e. he isn't much for "jukebox" musicals). The music in this show is all original and all of the kids really enjoyed the music. And there are definitely opportunities for dance since it has a U.S.O. component to it....and fun 40's costuming.
    https://www.pioneerdrama.com/searchdetail.asp?pc=DONTSAYNOT 

    I have it on my "to do again" list...and I'd even be willing to do the full version as our high school musical once the kids who did it in middle school graduate.

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    Lynda Gibson
    Director
    Troupe 2829
    Flushing High School
    Junior Troupe 88305
    Flushing Middle School
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  • 3.  RE: Grease vs Addams Family vs ???

    Posted 05-24-2022 10:46
    Hi Carla,

    Our middle school did Grease about seven years ago (not sure how different the pricing was then).  I think we essentially broke even, as it was a big hit with audiences and that covered the higher-than-MTI-Jr-prices.  The kids loved doing it, and we did discuss the issues frequently.  We also added staging at the end with Danny and Sandy switching their jackets, so that Sandy had the letterman's sweater and Danny the leather jacket (true to themselves).  It helped.  The biggest (and still done respectfully by the parent) pushback was for the "pantsing" scene.  All said, most people loved it, the dance was super-fun, but I wouldn't do it again.  The issues with the content still felt too icky, even with all our mitigation efforts.  Still, every school system is different, and there were still many parents who said it was our best show ever.  It was longer than the MTI Jr shows (which we usually use), I seem to remember nearly 90 minutes.  This meant some longer rehearsals, but luckily we had a very strong group that year, so it was doable.

    We haven't done Adams Family, though I just saw a full length version at a high school.  It seemed a little lighter on dance than we usually like for our middle school shows, and with a lot of the conversation in the text about what makes a good marriage.  I decided my middle schoolers wouldn't be able to carry it off, but again, every school is different.  I'd definitely like to hear from middle school directors who have produced it!

    We just closed High School Musical Jr a couple of months ago (also did it 9 years earlier).  It has a ton of fun dance numbers, and loads for a large ensemble.  The kids loved it, and they are able to carry it off as middle schoolers because the junior version really dials down the romance and puts the emphasis on not being 'put in a box.'  If your kids are into it, I would definitely recommend it.  It's also a big audience pull.  Is it a literary masterpiece?  No.  But it is still really fun.

    The other shows we've done that might fit your requirements are Shrek Jr. and Frozen Jr.  I'd love to hear how you and your students felt about Mary Poppins Jr., SpongeBob, and Into the Woods Jr., as we haven't done any of those yet.  Did you manage to get an ensemble for Into the Woods somehow?

    Happy planning!

    Kristin Hall
    Pronouns: she/her/hers
    Drama Teacher/Director
    Lincoln Public Schools
    Lincoln, MA





  • 4.  RE: Grease vs Addams Family vs ???

    Posted 05-24-2022 12:00
    Thanks for the feedback on Grease. Barring any Covid bumps in the road, I think we could definitely make the expense worth it. It sounds like your community responds well to the same kinds of shows my community does. I appreciate your honesty about what a success it was and still feeling it was too dated in its messaging. 

    I hope someone chimes in with their experience with the Kids@Part or whatever they call the middle school version of Addams Family. I've watched a few productions online and it looks super fun but I worry it won't have enough for a large ensemble. It's one of the most produced shows by high schools so I'm surprised it hasn't been done in our town!

    High School Musical is on my list! Some of the kids have subtly hinted they'd love to do it LOL Would love to hear more about your experience putting it on. 

    Here's some insight on the shows you mentioned - 

    Into the Woods Jr was done before I was directing but I did get to see it. It was fun and well received. However, it was a bummer for kids in the ensemble. They just didn't have enough to do. Some kids like ensemble because they can dance or get into character but in our case, the ensemble were essentially trees in the woods. Maybe that was our director's choice and someone else can get more creative to give kids something meatier to sink their teeth into. 

    Mary Poppins Jr unfortunately never hit the stage. We were getting to tech week when Covid hit. I wasn't the director on that one so I haven't got much feedback. I've seen it done at the high school level and it's incredibly playful and fun to watch. 

    SpongeBob was the high school not the middle school. It was a fun show and definitely felt very appropriate for the times we're living in. I'd say you want to be sure you've got strong costumes and set design to bring the story to life. Plenty for an ensemble to play around with. 

    Thank you for the Shrek and Frozen recs! I have to check when Shrek was last done and I worry our middle schoolers will think they're "too old" for Frozen. But both are such feel good shows that I'll definitely take a look at them.

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    Carla
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  • 5.  RE: Grease vs Addams Family vs ???

    Posted 05-24-2022 11:46
    I'll look into that one. Thank you! I tend to forget to look at Pioneer since our district hasn't done a lot of their shows. Great reminder!

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    Carla
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  • 6.  RE: Grease vs Addams Family vs ???

    Posted 05-25-2022 17:13
    Hi!  I have produced Addams Family at the High School level and was one of the kids' favorite shows.  Audiences loved it.  I think it would work at middle school level no problem.  I ended up using the ensemble which were the dead ancestors as set pieces... and the kids loved it and it worked really well.

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    Karin Neal
    Theatre Director
    Trinity Catholic High School
    KS
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