Hello, again!
I have done some reflecting over our casting process, and I decided to do so here, as well. I feel that I have now further articulated what I was trying to say in my last post. Maybe now I will make more sense.
Casting is one of the most interesting and most frustrating things about being on the production staff of a show, especially an FCCMT show in which we have many different goals to keep in mind. At Far Corners we have a few major goals in putting on this show: 1) to teach kids about musical theatre, 2) to put on a great show, 3) to inspire kids to try something new and take risks in the arts, and 4) to get the entire community engaged in an artistic endeavor. While all of these are great goals and goals in which I believe whole-heartedly, they are not always compatible at different stages of the production. In casting, for example, it is difficult to balance putting on the best possible show and giving kids the opportunity to try something new and take risks. We have some kids who have done almost every FCCMT show since the organization began and are, therefore, more trained in musical theatre than others. Technically speaking, these kids are the ones who should be getting the lead roles. However, because we are an educational organization, we also want to give different kids the chance to explore their own artistic abilities even if they may not have as much experience as someone else. Balancing our cast and our goals as an organization can be very tricky, and it makes the casting process a bit of a headache.
All headaches aside, I am extremely happy with the cast we have put together. It is a smaller cast this year, especially since we put the age limit on the production, but I think that means this show has the capacity to be even tighter than last year. I hope it will also allow the students to get to know each other on a more personal level. We expanded the original cast delineations to include more of an ensemble while also maintaining the three Greek chorus figures—Ronnette, Chiffon, and Crystal. I’m excited about this aspect of our cast because it means that the more “production number” songs will have a stronger sound and bigger dancing, but the songs that don’t require more than just the three main chorus girls can stay small, simple, and clean. The less cleaning I have to do, the better!
On Monday we really began rehearsing. Lisa had all kinds of singing sessions upstairs while Scott and I occupied the main floor with blocking and choreography rehearsals. I can’t speak for Lisa or Scott, but I am already impressed with the speed at which people are picking things up and their positive responses to the show. I had a dance rehearsal with the girls playing Ronnette, Chiffon, and Crystal to start teaching them the Prologue, and they learned the first minute of it in under an hour, including cleaning time. Of course, it’s not perfect, but they got farther in the dance and with more enthusiasm than I expected them to. And today we finished that dance (it's about 3 minutes of choreography) in another hour-long rehearsal. I also began teaching the Dentist dance to Antonio, Sofia, Kelly, and Nati. It is already looking hilarious. Antonio is great and moving well, and the girls are catching on just as quickly as they did with the Prologue dance. I'm very optimistic for the rest of the summer! We also finished the read-through of the play from where we left off on Saturday, and at least the principals seem really jazzed about the show and are really anxious to keep learning! Plus, today I was able to sit in on more blocking rehearsals, and things are looking really good. Scott is really good at engaging the kids and getting them excited for their scenes. Some of our actors could still come out of their shells more, but it's only day two of rehearsals! And the fact that I'm already being nit-picky about character choices bodes very well.
I have done some reflecting over our casting process, and I decided to do so here, as well. I feel that I have now further articulated what I was trying to say in my last post. Maybe now I will make more sense.
Casting is one of the most interesting and most frustrating things about being on the production staff of a show, especially an FCCMT show in which we have many different goals to keep in mind. At Far Corners we have a few major goals in putting on this show: 1) to teach kids about musical theatre, 2) to put on a great show, 3) to inspire kids to try something new and take risks in the arts, and 4) to get the entire community engaged in an artistic endeavor. While all of these are great goals and goals in which I believe whole-heartedly, they are not always compatible at different stages of the production. In casting, for example, it is difficult to balance putting on the best possible show and giving kids the opportunity to try something new and take risks. We have some kids who have done almost every FCCMT show since the organization began and are, therefore, more trained in musical theatre than others. Technically speaking, these kids are the ones who should be getting the lead roles. However, because we are an educational organization, we also want to give different kids the chance to explore their own artistic abilities even if they may not have as much experience as someone else. Balancing our cast and our goals as an organization can be very tricky, and it makes the casting process a bit of a headache.
All headaches aside, I am extremely happy with the cast we have put together. It is a smaller cast this year, especially since we put the age limit on the production, but I think that means this show has the capacity to be even tighter than last year. I hope it will also allow the students to get to know each other on a more personal level. We expanded the original cast delineations to include more of an ensemble while also maintaining the three Greek chorus figures—Ronnette, Chiffon, and Crystal. I’m excited about this aspect of our cast because it means that the more “production number” songs will have a stronger sound and bigger dancing, but the songs that don’t require more than just the three main chorus girls can stay small, simple, and clean. The less cleaning I have to do, the better!
On Monday we really began rehearsing. Lisa had all kinds of singing sessions upstairs while Scott and I occupied the main floor with blocking and choreography rehearsals. I can’t speak for Lisa or Scott, but I am already impressed with the speed at which people are picking things up and their positive responses to the show. I had a dance rehearsal with the girls playing Ronnette, Chiffon, and Crystal to start teaching them the Prologue, and they learned the first minute of it in under an hour, including cleaning time. Of course, it’s not perfect, but they got farther in the dance and with more enthusiasm than I expected them to. And today we finished that dance (it's about 3 minutes of choreography) in another hour-long rehearsal. I also began teaching the Dentist dance to Antonio, Sofia, Kelly, and Nati. It is already looking hilarious. Antonio is great and moving well, and the girls are catching on just as quickly as they did with the Prologue dance. I'm very optimistic for the rest of the summer! We also finished the read-through of the play from where we left off on Saturday, and at least the principals seem really jazzed about the show and are really anxious to keep learning! Plus, today I was able to sit in on more blocking rehearsals, and things are looking really good. Scott is really good at engaging the kids and getting them excited for their scenes. Some of our actors could still come out of their shells more, but it's only day two of rehearsals! And the fact that I'm already being nit-picky about character choices bodes very well.
We also had our first informal cabaret rehearsal! On Sunday night, Vanessa, Sophia, and I made the trek to Bajo del Cementerio to the house that Dario is saying in for the summer which just so happens to have a piano. We did some singing and song-searching, but after Sophia left, the three remaining artists decided they were, indeed, starving artists. After hunting around the most eclectically decorated house I have ever seen, we finally found something edible--egg noodles, garlic, and butter! Let the cooking commence! It was a strange meal, but made better with great company and a good sense of humor. We also managed to leave the kitchen cleaner than it was when we found it. This was not a particularly difficult task since it wasn’t very clean in the first place and has been occupied solely by a 17-year-old boy for the last two weeks, but Vanessa and I were still proud of this fact.
This year’s staff and cast have a very different vibe from those of last year, but I feel like this summer is going to be so great. With a bigger staff, we are able to get so much more done more quickly and efficiently, and with a smaller cast, I think we will be able to keep the actors more focused and get the show cleaner faster. And to top it all off, with our amazing rehearsal and performance space, we can keep singing rehearsals separate from blocking and dancing rehearsals, which amounts to fewer distractions for the kids and staff members alike! To sum it all up, I am so excited for our show this summer and cannot wait to see how it turns out!
No comments:
Post a Comment