Nov 8th, 9th and 10th, 2012 in the Jerry R. Knight Auditorium
Mrs. Romanowski and Mr.Schaefer have been talking about doing this show for quite some time and it was a joy to hear that several students in the department also felt we should take it on, so we were thrilled to announce it as our muscial for 2012.
The story unfolds...
Mrs. Romanowski and Mr.Schaefer have been talking about doing this show for quite some time and it was a joy to hear that several students in the department also felt we should take it on, so we were thrilled to announce it as our muscial for 2012.
The story unfolds...
We spent all summer before listening to the score and discussing the possibilities for the show and the various ways to approach the design of this particular show in our auditorium. It seemed like a perfect fit. We had the right kids and our space was perfect for it!
Let's make some magic!!!
The cast and crew of Into the Woods Nov 2012
*********************************************
*********************************************
To view a montage of show clips
from our Act I, follow the link below:
**************************************************
PHASE ONE of Preproduction
September 2012
We started this exciting journey with three days of intense auditions and casting
Like all of musicals, we hold three days of auditions that involve a day for singing, one for dancing, and one for acting.
Auditions were already a buzz in the department from day one of the school year, we had no problem finding willing contenders for the roles. We have done several very large cast musicals over the years, but this production only requires a mere 18 actors to pull it off.
The students did a really great job showing off, and the casting table did not have an easy time. We did however end up with a phenominal cast of performers ready to take on the challenge.
September 2012
We started this exciting journey with three days of intense auditions and casting
Like all of musicals, we hold three days of auditions that involve a day for singing, one for dancing, and one for acting.
Auditions were already a buzz in the department from day one of the school year, we had no problem finding willing contenders for the roles. We have done several very large cast musicals over the years, but this production only requires a mere 18 actors to pull it off.
The students did a really great job showing off, and the casting table did not have an easy time. We did however end up with a phenominal cast of performers ready to take on the challenge.
Technical Crew Interviews / assignments
Similar to the other technically challenging shows we have tackled in the department we decided to once again focus on the recruitment of technicians and designers very early in the process, and try to get to work right away so as to finish everything by deadline.
This was the first year for a serious attempt at techie interviews, and they worked well in finding out who wanted to do specific jobs, and who wanted to learn some new skills...
Marketing Designs 
Techie T-shirt design by Meaghan Sullivan
(Our first crew T-shirt)
Completed in Technical Theater Classes
We spent about one week working on the designs in class and between the two classes and the outside submissions we had over 45 designs that were voted on by the classes, the cast and the crew.
The technical theater classes begin by reading some of the libretto, listening to the cast album (if available) and talking through the plot.
With several days of discussion and exposure to the script and the playwright's intentions, we begin with dramaturgy and image research.
The classes then generate symbol lists from the story, props lists and we have many conversations about the themes and structure of the piece.
Then we follow the same three steps to find an original design:
1.) Thumbnail drawings (at least 8 different ideas)
2.) One Rough draft drawn of the best idea
3.) One final (camera ready) rendering
The classes, the cast, and the crew vote the top design into production.
T-shirt design was completed by Derek Abbott
ECHO insert ad design by Meaghan Sullivan
******************************************************
Meaghan Sullivan...........Senior entrance banner designNic Paci..................................Top pick poster design
It is all about the MUSIC
Mr. Kinworthy (Musical Director) and Mrs. Raddick (Conductor/Pianist) met with the cast throughout the entire process and really worked hard to get the music taught and rehearsed.
This is an incredibly difficult show to learn and even harder to memorize. The students really worked through the score like a true professional cast. Everyone was very focused.
Mel Umbaugh (Stage Manager) and Liv Kohring (Student Director)
for "Into the Woods" in the new Choir Room for a music rehearsal after school
We took advantage of the recording equipment that is now available and used Facebook to post rehearsal material and info for some of our young singers. The cast had to commit to self rehearsal at home, or this would never have come together in 3 months.
The ability for the students to record the harder parts to take home and work really helped with the more difficult rhythms in this show. Some of the cast was very new to this type of musical theater. At times it seemed like were working on an opera.
PHASE TWO of Preproduction
October 2012
The REHEARSALS
With rehearsals every Monday-Thurs 3:00-5:00pm we worked very hard to get as much out of each gathering. We discovered that running ACT I and ACT II separately proved to be the best choice for our Mon and Thurs meetings, and so Tues and Wed became our time to do scene work. The cast did well with this structure and the progress was very impressive! We had a lot of cast members who carried very busy schedules during the production, and they still managed to find the time to get their parts memorized.
As we get closer to opening the key was repetition!!!
The cast is getting the scene with the giant just right!
Costumes
(pull / fittings / building) When we began the costume work on the show it started with a several days of going through the medieval clothing the choir department had built for their mandrigal dinners. Some of them worked well, and we were able to get several people costumed from that stock. We also were able to pull some smaller items from our drama costume stock...
But the majority of the costumes had to be made, and we had our hands full with this task, and THE MOST FABULOUS GROUP OF COSTUMERS EVER!!!! to help make it happen!
Max and Garrett made perfect royality. Prince
Max also played the wolf to Sarah's Little Red. Cape and Skirt designed and built by Sarah Drost. Wolf was a group effort of many people and turned out great! 
Helen and Spencer lead us through the woods asthe troubled baking couple. Their outfits were a collaborative effort of many people. Special thanks to Jenny Barrnett for being the "patch" master for all the costumes for Act I. Also to all the people in the drama classes who helped braid the tons of fabric used to dress a lot of the costumes and make them look so cool in the end.
Gabbie Moreland made the fantastic robe for Essence to wear while she remained "ugly". It was a very complex outfit with lots of hand-sewing, braiding and hot glue!!! She also styled the wig and Mr. Schaefer made the mask.
Essence Taylor and Brigit Carmody were the perfect disfuctional mother daughter team, and we had to make both of the wicked Witch's outfits.
Mrs. Romanowski assembled the "pretty" witch gown that Essence wore after the spell was broken. It was the product of two different dresses cut up and sewn into one. Lots of hand sewing on this one!
Charlie Sears joined us again from the College School and we were so happy! He had to have two different tops for the show and we made both of them out of old mens shirts and some braided trim. All the boys were put in cut off pants that we helmed into knickers.
Cinderella's dress was also a combination of several dresses! This one was made out of four different dresses plus a hoop skirt we borrowed from Sara Thomas. Special thanks to Ms.Schwartz for tackling the constant mending. Hannah Lieb looked beautiful!
Duncan had a ball as the Narrator and the crazy Mysterious man. His costumes was also a product of lots of braiding and lots of hot glue, but it looked great on stage!
Rachel and Scout played a fabulous set of the rudest step-sisters, and Mr. Schaefer made both of their corsetts out of men's shirts turned backward and trimmed with lots of braiding and bows. The bloomers were from a previous production and the hair pieces were just extensions attatched to hair clips. Katy and Pat also helped complete the picture of that nasty group as the Step mother and Cindy's father.
"This is just a moment in the woods..." - Cinderella's Prince
THE SET
The Technical Theater classes and Mr. Schaefer got the set for the show up earlier than normal to make sure that the cast got to play on it for a couple of weeks before dressing it. The structure was rather abstract looking in it's bare form, and there were no railings on the higher platforms so it was essential to make sure the cast had plenty of time to get comfortable navigating the different levels, step units and the dramatically steep ramp.
The Auditroium provides us with several hurdles when it comes to scenic design. Mostly it is a very wide space, but it also has major limitations in the wings. We always have to make sure we accomidate the rather small doorways when we have wagon units that have to exit stage left or right and go completely out of the space, cause they always have to be made shorter than 6 1/2 '.
The techies were brought into the rehearsals early to help get props into the actors hands and to get some of the actors a microphone when needed. With so many little things to assemble and paint we had to start working on all of the details of the show right from the beginning of the rehearsal process. This helped build a real collaborative evironment.
We played around with many options for the structure of the main unit of the set, and it ultimately became a combination of many people's ideas and a lot of puzzle work with the actual stock pieces we had to use.
Milky White had to actually eat the four items!
Technical Theatre classes had been drawing up designs and doing dramaturg work for over a month and had sat through many lectures/discussion about the songs, the plot, the characters, the symbols, the dramatic structure, and the numerous metaphors the musical provides in the text.
TREES! TREES! and more TREES!!!
So much is said through the design and the woods must become a character in the play. It must comment on the story and it is interactive. The actors are all over the stage and are constantly running up and down and around the structure. The classes have made it extra secure and by the end of the Oct it will begin Phase 3 and will start being dressed to look like the actual woods.
We made two stumps with this design and they looked great!!!The incredible artwork generated from each student in the tech classes (hung up during the process for inspiration on the walls of the house) we have a pretty firm grasp on the over-all look we hope to achieve. Essentially it is the woods, but more...
The giant's wife isn't happy!
The festival lighting and end of Act I
We also used some wagons units in the show's design, like Granny's house.
All of the CREWS
Fly: James Grosch and Tanner Nelson
Lights: Ryan Tumminello, Garrett Bell and Linden Crouch
Sound: Jonah Schnell, Bret Walterman, and Erica Donemeyer
Spot lights: Linden Crouch and Jimmy Springer
Props: Lilly Newsham and Erica Donemeyer
Costumes: Gabbie Moreland, Abby Allert, Charlotte Gavin, Sarah Drost, Jessica Pierce, Izzy, Jenny Barnett, Mrs. R, and Mr. Schaefer
House Managment: Reece Hartsfield
Display Coordinators - Alexis Albretch and Kelsey Kroenlin
The Cast (photos by Meaghan Sullivan Photography)
This was a great ensemble for this show and we couldn't have asked for a harder working cast to take on this tough material!
Narrator/Mysterious Man- Duncan Kinzie
Baker- Spencer Milford
Baker’s Wife- Helen George
The Witch- Essence Tyler
Rapunzel- Brigit Carmody
Rapunzel’s Prince- Garrett Bell
Cinderella- Hannah LiebCinderella’s
Prince/Wolf- Max Farver
Cindy’s Mom- Liz Drollinger
Cinderella’s Stepmom- Katy Napier
Florinda - Rachel Riley
Lucinda - Scout Horhnkohl
Cinderella’s father-Patrick Ryan
Sleeping Beauty- Liv Kohring
Snow White- Logan Milford
Snow White- Logan Milford
Our department has a great tradition of giving the cast some "hell" before the opening night performance, and this year they really made the presentation count! Way to go Stage Managers!!!
Here's to another great production at WGHS!!!
ROCK and ROLL!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment