West University Examiner - News
The real High School Musical
 |
| John Allman made his St. John’s musical debut in third-grade in 1999’s production of “Fiddler on the Roof,” as a lower school member of the chorus, surrounded by Tevye’s daughters, all longing for romance... |
By CYNTHIA LESCALLEET
Today’s high school musical productions have gotten so good, their audiences aren’t just family members.
Behind the rising “wow” factor at shows are talented students and supportive schools that make the most of their fine arts funding in productions picked to showcase performers and programs alike.
Meanwhile, the annual Tommy Tune Awards competition, which brings recognition as well as scholarships, helps set the bar high for excellence in a range of production categories, from acting to ensemble performance to costuming and set design.
Said one director, the annual competition is “an extra bonus, but not the goal.” Another said the program gives students get a chance to see what their peers are capable of, regardless of how their own production fares.
While local audiences can expect to see a few musical classics in the productions ahead, this year’s announced shows include few duplicates. In fact, several high schools chose lesser known musicals, including one based on a different kind of classic, as in Greek, and one on a Shakespearean tale.
Faced with picking which show to produce each year, high school directors are challenged to find a good fit. Whim has little to do with it, they said, though personal favorites might make the short list.
Rather, their annual task is to balance available talent for acting, singing and dancing with technical ability given stage limitations, budget constraints and the sensibilities of school officials (and parents).
Some directors try to make their pick interesting for the students involved —and for themselves —since the show will occupy every living moment during weeks of rehearsals.
And they really do try not to pick what another school will be presenting, as was the case a few years ago with the string of shows featuring tap dancing ensembles or the year with the dueling Tevyes from “Fiddler on the Roof.”
Recently, this year’s list of high school productions that will compete for nominations at the Tommy Tune Awards was released by host Theater Under the Stars. The roster of 45 shows includes several from Examiner neighborhoods. A few of the directors shared how they picked what will be on their school’s stage in the season ahead.
At Bellaire High School, the production is “The Frogs.” A socio-political tale, it’s based loosely on a Aristophenes’ story. Complex composer Steven Sondheim adapted it and Nathan Lane later updated the production for a Broadway revival.
Fine Arts Department Chairman Paul Munson said he picked it because as a recently released show, “It hasn’t been done around here before.”
He also figured his students will learn something from the story, which has its interesting, funny qualities.
Meanwhile, the BHS dance department’s premiere troupe, “Emotions” will be well-featured in aerial dance sequences.
And the choir? Think chorus. As in Greek Chorus.
Like many older schools, the BHS stage was built as part of an auditorium rather than as a theater, affecting staging and even the type of show that can be staged. The venue is being transformed, however, with a renovated tech booth and a new sound system under way, he said.
St. John’s School is also presenting a classic with a twist: “Two Gentlemen of Verona — The Musical,” which is a ‘60s-flavored rock musical of the tale.
Director Bill McDonald said in an e-mail response that the school tries to pick shows with a flexible cast to accommodate as many students as would like to participate.
“We also try to vary genres from year-to-year,” he said. Last year was the school’s first time to participate in the Tommy Tune Awards, and it garnered best musical and best actor nominations.
For students, “It was a nice opportunity to see what other schools are doing and it gave the students a chance to interact with their peers.”
John Allman, a senior and veteran of SJS musicals since third-grade at the K-12 school, says productions are great for teaching students to take risks and think on their feet — and learning how to handle possibly falling on your face.
He enjoys how the students in a production start off as individuals but become one cast as rehearsals culminate in a show.
“It’s like a team,” said Allman, who also has appeared in prouctions by TUTS, HITS and Masquerade Theater. He’s serious about a future in theater.
The hardest part of performing, he said, is the withdrawal after a show closes.
“It’s bizarre not to have rehearsal anymore,” he said. “It’s a little sad afterwards.”
St. Agnes Academy opted to produce “Les Miserables” this season.
“It’s a hard piece but if I’m going to do it, this is the year,” said Arthur Buckley, chairman of the performing arts department.
For Buckley, “selecting a show is the eternal challenge.” While in theory the possible choices include all of Broadway’s classics, revivals and newly released shows, he said, only a subset is deemed appropriate for a Catholic high school.
Since St. Agnes is a girls school, he’s always on the lookout for stories with strong roles for females. While female leads are often found in one-woman shows, musical theater has more male roles. (The school’s productions also feature students from Strake Jesuit.)
You can only do “Sound of Music” so many times, Buckely quipped. Besides, that particular musical racks up a lot of expenses for costumes, he said. Every time the Von Trapp children show up on stage, they’re wearing different clothes.
He’s also sensitive to the time commitment that students make to be in a show. For eight weeks, members of the chorus and students with minor roles rehearse an average of 10 hours a week. Lead actors average more than 15.
As a director, Buckley tries to pick a show students “can sink their teeth into” and one he can live with for a year of planning.
“Les Mis” has been on his short list for awhile, so he’s looking forward to the spring production. The school has twice earned a Tommy Tune Award for Best Ensemble.
Number one on directors’ list of considerations is their talent pool, said Kent Johnson of Episcopal High School, which earned six Tommy Tune Awards in 2008. This year’s production is “Pippin.”
With Episcopal’s large ensemble of capable actors, singers and dancers, Johnson was looking for a show in which many could shine.
School administrators like the big shows, he said, because they want to encourage and involve as many students as possible. More students means more potential audience members as well as more volunteers and other supporters of the production, he said.
A second consideration is whether the show has a compelling story with good writing and good music, both of which are rather subjective, he admitted.
Johnson said he and drama teacher George Brock “look for plays that are less done.”
Other show-picking factors include the “sensibilities” of high school administration, which deems whether a production is “school appropriate.”
“Rent,” for example, is likely too edgy for family audiences.
Traditional musicals, those workhorses of staging, carry the kind of name recognition that translates into an audience beyond the family, friends and classmates of those in the production, he said. The more familiar shows, however, also have to counter over-exposure and falling out of favor.
But even the big-name, perennially popular shows have unique challenges from a high school casting standpoint, he said.
Anything by Stephen Sondheim, for example, is musically dense and complex for players to master.
Andrew Lloyd Webber productions require sophisticated technical staging to include, say, the pivotal chandelier that drops in “Phantom of the Opera.”
And some shows, such as “Wicked” or “Spamalot,” are still doing well enough on Broadway and in touring productions that they’re not yet released for schools to stage.
A third factor in show selection is the stage itself and what it can accommodate in terms of scenery, action and props, he said. Older musicals tend to have a lot of scene changes. Most high schools don’t have the fly space or wing space to pull them off, he said. (Westchester Academy’s “Peter Pan,” for example, took out the top curtain to accommodate the equipment for the characters to fly).
As with coaching a sports team, Johnson said, building a stable of performers means making sure the bench is full of up and coming players.
It doesn’t always work out that way, though, he said. Sometimes, a talented student in the chute one year changes his or her interests.
And sometimes, you simply can’t find a strong enough tenor.
At Westchester Academy for International Studies, a Spring Branch ISD magnet school, “Peter Pan” continues its two-weekend run Nov. 13-15, complete with a high-flying namesake character (who cut her mane to play the role, as did the Lost Boys).
Director Caroline Helander said the school likes to hit the musical season early in the year, having selected its show the previous spring and developed the set and staging over the summer for rehearsals as school begins.
The school of 400 students has a tradition of choosing “known shows that draw audience of all ages,” she said. As a small school with a small talent pool and budget, picking a show that allows students to shine against larger productions at other schools does pose a challenge, she said.
Regardless, the musical each year is a big deal for students, she said. With no sports program, “this is their outlet,” she said. Once rehearsals crank up, “We see them more than their parents.”
For those unfamiliar with what participation in a musical brings students, senior Martha Patton, who plays the title role, said they gain confidence and the intense experience forges a sense of family and friendship among participants —on and off the stage. They’ve got to cooperate and work out their disagreements without drama, she said, intending the pun.
It’s addicting for students and theater teachers, Helander said.
As with a football game, students have a shared goal, she said, and that is to tackle putting on a seamless show.
While a show is fun for those involved, it’s also a lot of work. Patton, for example, has been juggling rehearsals, weekend voice lessons, academics and all those college applications that go with being a senior.
TUTS’ Tommy Tune Awards program has changed the face of high school musicals in Houston, directors said.
The annual competition brings recognition to rising talent and to school performing arts programs. It also brings scholarships to outstanding students.
Started in 2003, when 19 schools competed, the awards program will review 45 productions this year.
Last year, 41 schools spent a total of $630,000 on their productions, said Ginnie Cisneros, a TUTS administrator who works with school representatives and judges.
To help even the competition between schools, judges consider production budgets as well as talent and outside help. It’s fine for a school to tap expert resources for a production element, she said, however doing so means that particular category will not be one in which the show is judged.
Two years ago, for example, Nimitz High School won best costume category having spent about $300, with arrestingly simply results, she said.
Noted or not, Houston’s high school musicals bring fine entertainment to audiences, even if you don’t know someone in the cast, she said.
“These kids are putting their whole lives into it,” she said. “It gets better and better every year.”
High School Musicals 2008-’09
Theatre Under the Stars tapped 45 high school musicals for consideration in the 2008-09 Tommy Tune Awards program.
In the weeks and months ahead, a team of 29 Houston-based theater professionals will evaluate the participating school productions.
The winners will be announced at a Tony Awards-style ceremony to be held April 21 at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. The event will feature spotlight numbers from the nominated shows. Awards will be presented in 15 categories.
Participating high schools in the Examiner Newspapers readership area include:
Bellaire High School, “The Frogs” (Re-scheduled post Hurricane Ike for January).
Duchesne Academy, “Meet Me In St. Louis” (March 6-7).
Episcopal High School, “Pippin” (March 6-8).
Houston Christian High School, “Kiss Me Kate” (Jan. 22-25).
Kinkaid School, To be determined, (March 6-8).
Memorial High School, “Beauty and the Beast” (Jan. 29-31 and Feb. 5-7).
St. Agnes Academy, “Les Miserables” (Feb. 27, March 1, 7 and 9).
St. John’s School, “Two Gentlemen of Verona — The Musical” (March 6-7).
Stratford High School, “Barnum” (Jan. 29-31 and Feb. 5-7).
Westchester Academy, “Peter Pan” (November 6-8 and 13-15).
The Tommy Tune Awards ceremony is open to the public, and tickets will be available for purchase beginning April 8, 2009. For information, call 713-558-2600 or visit www.tuts.org, which also has the complete list of nominated productions.
Behind the rising “wow” factor at shows are talented students and supportive schools that make the most of their fine arts funding in productions picked to showcase performers and programs alike.
Meanwhile, the annual Tommy Tune Awards competition, which brings recognition as well as scholarships, helps set the bar high for excellence in a range of production categories, from acting to ensemble performance to costuming and set design.
Said one director, the annual competition is “an extra bonus, but not the goal.” Another said the program gives students get a chance to see what their peers are capable of, regardless of how their own production fares.
While local audiences can expect to see a few musical classics in the productions ahead, this year’s announced shows include few duplicates. In fact, several high schools chose lesser known musicals, including one based on a different kind of classic, as in Greek, and one on a Shakespearean tale.
Faced with picking which show to produce each year, high school directors are challenged to find a good fit. Whim has little to do with it, they said, though personal favorites might make the short list.
Rather, their annual task is to balance available talent for acting, singing and dancing with technical ability given stage limitations, budget constraints and the sensibilities of school officials (and parents).
Some directors try to make their pick interesting for the students involved —and for themselves —since the show will occupy every living moment during weeks of rehearsals.
And they really do try not to pick what another school will be presenting, as was the case a few years ago with the string of shows featuring tap dancing ensembles or the year with the dueling Tevyes from “Fiddler on the Roof.”
Recently, this year’s list of high school productions that will compete for nominations at the Tommy Tune Awards was released by host Theater Under the Stars. The roster of 45 shows includes several from Examiner neighborhoods. A few of the directors shared how they picked what will be on their school’s stage in the season ahead.
At Bellaire High School, the production is “The Frogs.” A socio-political tale, it’s based loosely on a Aristophenes’ story. Complex composer Steven Sondheim adapted it and Nathan Lane later updated the production for a Broadway revival.
Fine Arts Department Chairman Paul Munson said he picked it because as a recently released show, “It hasn’t been done around here before.”
He also figured his students will learn something from the story, which has its interesting, funny qualities.
Meanwhile, the BHS dance department’s premiere troupe, “Emotions” will be well-featured in aerial dance sequences.
And the choir? Think chorus. As in Greek Chorus.
Like many older schools, the BHS stage was built as part of an auditorium rather than as a theater, affecting staging and even the type of show that can be staged. The venue is being transformed, however, with a renovated tech booth and a new sound system under way, he said.
St. John’s School is also presenting a classic with a twist: “Two Gentlemen of Verona — The Musical,” which is a ‘60s-flavored rock musical of the tale.
Director Bill McDonald said in an e-mail response that the school tries to pick shows with a flexible cast to accommodate as many students as would like to participate.
“We also try to vary genres from year-to-year,” he said. Last year was the school’s first time to participate in the Tommy Tune Awards, and it garnered best musical and best actor nominations.
For students, “It was a nice opportunity to see what other schools are doing and it gave the students a chance to interact with their peers.”
John Allman, a senior and veteran of SJS musicals since third-grade at the K-12 school, says productions are great for teaching students to take risks and think on their feet — and learning how to handle possibly falling on your face.
He enjoys how the students in a production start off as individuals but become one cast as rehearsals culminate in a show.
“It’s like a team,” said Allman, who also has appeared in prouctions by TUTS, HITS and Masquerade Theater. He’s serious about a future in theater.
The hardest part of performing, he said, is the withdrawal after a show closes.
“It’s bizarre not to have rehearsal anymore,” he said. “It’s a little sad afterwards.”
St. Agnes Academy opted to produce “Les Miserables” this season.
“It’s a hard piece but if I’m going to do it, this is the year,” said Arthur Buckley, chairman of the performing arts department.
For Buckley, “selecting a show is the eternal challenge.” While in theory the possible choices include all of Broadway’s classics, revivals and newly released shows, he said, only a subset is deemed appropriate for a Catholic high school.
Since St. Agnes is a girls school, he’s always on the lookout for stories with strong roles for females. While female leads are often found in one-woman shows, musical theater has more male roles. (The school’s productions also feature students from Strake Jesuit.)
You can only do “Sound of Music” so many times, Buckely quipped. Besides, that particular musical racks up a lot of expenses for costumes, he said. Every time the Von Trapp children show up on stage, they’re wearing different clothes.
He’s also sensitive to the time commitment that students make to be in a show. For eight weeks, members of the chorus and students with minor roles rehearse an average of 10 hours a week. Lead actors average more than 15.
As a director, Buckley tries to pick a show students “can sink their teeth into” and one he can live with for a year of planning.
“Les Mis” has been on his short list for awhile, so he’s looking forward to the spring production. The school has twice earned a Tommy Tune Award for Best Ensemble.
Number one on directors’ list of considerations is their talent pool, said Kent Johnson of Episcopal High School, which earned six Tommy Tune Awards in 2008. This year’s production is “Pippin.”
With Episcopal’s large ensemble of capable actors, singers and dancers, Johnson was looking for a show in which many could shine.
School administrators like the big shows, he said, because they want to encourage and involve as many students as possible. More students means more potential audience members as well as more volunteers and other supporters of the production, he said.
A second consideration is whether the show has a compelling story with good writing and good music, both of which are rather subjective, he admitted.
Johnson said he and drama teacher George Brock “look for plays that are less done.”
Other show-picking factors include the “sensibilities” of high school administration, which deems whether a production is “school appropriate.”
“Rent,” for example, is likely too edgy for family audiences.
Traditional musicals, those workhorses of staging, carry the kind of name recognition that translates into an audience beyond the family, friends and classmates of those in the production, he said. The more familiar shows, however, also have to counter over-exposure and falling out of favor.
But even the big-name, perennially popular shows have unique challenges from a high school casting standpoint, he said.
Anything by Stephen Sondheim, for example, is musically dense and complex for players to master.
Andrew Lloyd Webber productions require sophisticated technical staging to include, say, the pivotal chandelier that drops in “Phantom of the Opera.”
And some shows, such as “Wicked” or “Spamalot,” are still doing well enough on Broadway and in touring productions that they’re not yet released for schools to stage.
A third factor in show selection is the stage itself and what it can accommodate in terms of scenery, action and props, he said. Older musicals tend to have a lot of scene changes. Most high schools don’t have the fly space or wing space to pull them off, he said. (Westchester Academy’s “Peter Pan,” for example, took out the top curtain to accommodate the equipment for the characters to fly).
As with coaching a sports team, Johnson said, building a stable of performers means making sure the bench is full of up and coming players.
It doesn’t always work out that way, though, he said. Sometimes, a talented student in the chute one year changes his or her interests.
And sometimes, you simply can’t find a strong enough tenor.
At Westchester Academy for International Studies, a Spring Branch ISD magnet school, “Peter Pan” continues its two-weekend run Nov. 13-15, complete with a high-flying namesake character (who cut her mane to play the role, as did the Lost Boys).
Director Caroline Helander said the school likes to hit the musical season early in the year, having selected its show the previous spring and developed the set and staging over the summer for rehearsals as school begins.
The school of 400 students has a tradition of choosing “known shows that draw audience of all ages,” she said. As a small school with a small talent pool and budget, picking a show that allows students to shine against larger productions at other schools does pose a challenge, she said.
Regardless, the musical each year is a big deal for students, she said. With no sports program, “this is their outlet,” she said. Once rehearsals crank up, “We see them more than their parents.”
For those unfamiliar with what participation in a musical brings students, senior Martha Patton, who plays the title role, said they gain confidence and the intense experience forges a sense of family and friendship among participants —on and off the stage. They’ve got to cooperate and work out their disagreements without drama, she said, intending the pun.
It’s addicting for students and theater teachers, Helander said.
As with a football game, students have a shared goal, she said, and that is to tackle putting on a seamless show.
While a show is fun for those involved, it’s also a lot of work. Patton, for example, has been juggling rehearsals, weekend voice lessons, academics and all those college applications that go with being a senior.
TUTS’ Tommy Tune Awards program has changed the face of high school musicals in Houston, directors said.
The annual competition brings recognition to rising talent and to school performing arts programs. It also brings scholarships to outstanding students.
Started in 2003, when 19 schools competed, the awards program will review 45 productions this year.
Last year, 41 schools spent a total of $630,000 on their productions, said Ginnie Cisneros, a TUTS administrator who works with school representatives and judges.
To help even the competition between schools, judges consider production budgets as well as talent and outside help. It’s fine for a school to tap expert resources for a production element, she said, however doing so means that particular category will not be one in which the show is judged.
Two years ago, for example, Nimitz High School won best costume category having spent about $300, with arrestingly simply results, she said.
Noted or not, Houston’s high school musicals bring fine entertainment to audiences, even if you don’t know someone in the cast, she said.
“These kids are putting their whole lives into it,” she said. “It gets better and better every year.”
High School Musicals 2008-’09
Theatre Under the Stars tapped 45 high school musicals for consideration in the 2008-09 Tommy Tune Awards program.
In the weeks and months ahead, a team of 29 Houston-based theater professionals will evaluate the participating school productions.
The winners will be announced at a Tony Awards-style ceremony to be held April 21 at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. The event will feature spotlight numbers from the nominated shows. Awards will be presented in 15 categories.
Participating high schools in the Examiner Newspapers readership area include:
Bellaire High School, “The Frogs” (Re-scheduled post Hurricane Ike for January).
Duchesne Academy, “Meet Me In St. Louis” (March 6-7).
Episcopal High School, “Pippin” (March 6-8).
Houston Christian High School, “Kiss Me Kate” (Jan. 22-25).
Kinkaid School, To be determined, (March 6-8).
Memorial High School, “Beauty and the Beast” (Jan. 29-31 and Feb. 5-7).
St. Agnes Academy, “Les Miserables” (Feb. 27, March 1, 7 and 9).
St. John’s School, “Two Gentlemen of Verona — The Musical” (March 6-7).
Stratford High School, “Barnum” (Jan. 29-31 and Feb. 5-7).
Westchester Academy, “Peter Pan” (November 6-8 and 13-15).
The Tommy Tune Awards ceremony is open to the public, and tickets will be available for purchase beginning April 8, 2009. For information, call 713-558-2600 or visit www.tuts.org, which also has the complete list of nominated productions.
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