The arts are certainly a community, and the Musical Theatre program has had a home performing numbers from the musicals at the TAS spring Music Night! We've been able to film the Music Night performances of the last couple years - did you miss them? Take a look below!
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It's offically holiday time, so we thought we'd share some of the top Christmas Musical Theatre songs!
Check out this awesome list, and tell us some of your other favourites: Top 10 Christmas Songs in Musical Theatre Have a wonderful holiday season with friends and family :) Aida was the first show that Ms. Tye got to do at T.A.S in 2015, so it's always going to hold a special place in her heart. Take a stroll down memory lane and check out some great photos of this emotionally stirring production. Photos by the ever wonderful Celia Fehr. These are not just “Peterborough” or “High School” productions. There is dedication, passion, commitment and talent in this city and it is shining. More so, there is a real sense of community within the arts. Performers, directors, stage hands, musicians, dancers and family and friends of all those groups go to see the others perform. Photo: Quin Shearer taking a bow with the company of Aida. Photo by Celia Fehr. Our son, Quin knew he wanted to be an actor from a young age and started taking improv lessons when he was 8 years old. He was in a couple of plays in public school, and performed a comedy routine for his classmates while they were away on a weekend trip, so having him apply for the integrated arts program was not a complete surprise. What happened when he got there was. Some way along the line Mr. Russell told him that if he wanted to make it in the business, he would have to be a triple threat: act, dance and sing. Quin took that advice and signed up for dance at TAS and started voice lessons once a week. I should say at this point that Quin was fortunate enough to have a group of exceptional teachers in Drama, Dance and Musical Theatre. Towards the end of high school his performance and rehearsal schedule could only be described as insane as he often left one rehearsal for another. I knew musical theatre in this city had somehow transformed when we saw Rent. I guess I had certain expectations based on historical information, but the performances we have seen in the last few years in Peterborough are re-writing history and this includes the musical theatre productions at TAS like Aida. These are not just “Peterborough” or “High School” productions. There is dedication, passion, commitment and talent in this city and it is shining. More so, there is a real sense of community within the arts. Performers, directors, stage hands, musicians, dancers and family and friends of all those groups go to see the others perform. What did this mean as a parent? It meant a lot of time in the car driving to/from events, rehearsals, auditions and shows. It meant getting off work and driving home for an hour and getting in the car to drive to another city to see someone else perform and then singing the songs at the top of our lungs on the way home. It meant eating fast food in the car, waiting when the rehearsals went long, opening night jitters and closing night parties. Most importantly it meant an expanded family. Guest Writer & "Theatre Kid Parent," Doug Shearer Doug's son, Quin, as Mereb in T.A.S's production of Aida in 2015. Photos by Celia Fehr. T.A.S's 2016 musical, The Little Mermaid, was so much fun and a great hit with audiences young and old! Check out some of our favourite photos from that year from one of our favourite photographers, Celia Fehr! When I was in high school I remember the musical theatre program being a very big deal. I was a grade 11 Integrated Arts visual arts student and was experimenting in the world of theatre. Signing up for the course took a tremendous amount of courage at the time, but it ended up being one of the best decisions I have ever made. In 2012 I was taught by Steve Russell and Sherry Latchford and the production was Little Shop of Horrors. Rachel Smith (front right in black), with some of the cast of Little Shop of Horrors. All photos in this post courtesy of Steve Russell. I had taken drama classes previously but I was still extremely nervous about the new dynamics musical theatre would bring. Our company was together all the time, rehearsing, singing - you name it. We became a community and we were always there for one another. We each had our own production position and mine was stage management. I had never stage managed before in my life but the organization and responsibility required for the job was something I enjoyed. Working with my friends and being a support system for them when they were actors was also something I absolutely adored. Most importantly, creating this production gave me an astounding amount of confidence. I consider this moment of my high school career a blossoming point to where I am today. I worked with many wonderful individuals and learned many things about myself throughout this process. I was able to utilize my love for visual arts, designing a poster and spending countless night’s chalk-lining and painting our set. I was also able to learn many new skills such as singing and supervising rehearsals while leading large groups of people. Most importantly, creating this production gave me an astounding amount of confidence. I consider this moment of my high school career a blossoming point to where I am today. The arts have always been a huge part of my life and the musical theatre program was unknowingly the start of something very special for me. I am now a second year BFA Theatre Production and Design Student at York University, minoring in Studio Art. I have went on to stage manage many other productions and am currently exploring the world of lighting and scenic paint for the stage. ...embrace every challenge. Advice I have for future students who decide to embark on this journey of musical theatre at TAS would be to embrace every challenge. Make the most of this grand opportunity by stepping outside of your comfort zone and learning as many new skills as you possibly can. Be kind to one another and come to class with a smile on your face. No matter how tired or frustrated you can sometimes become, the reward is always worth it when that curtain finally goes up. I would have never known my passion for theatre if I hadn't tried something new in my senior years of high school and I am so happy I did. I am truly thankful for my time spent in this class and I wish all the best to those involved in future musical productions on the TAS stage. Guest Writer and Former TAS Musical Theatre Student, Rachel Smith Hi everyone and welcome to our new Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School Musical Theatre Program website! I cannot wait to get started on this year's production... and before you ask... it's still a secret! :) Mr. Jackson and I will likely announce the show in January.
So, what can you expect from following us on this blog? You'll get an inside look into how a musical develops from beginning to end. Putting together a large production like this has dozens of moving parts, and often people who aren't involved in theatre don't realize everything that has to happen in order to get that curtain to open on opening night. If you've ever wanted to be a fly on the wall of a theatre, this is the place for you! What's happened so far, you ask? The biggest thing has been research into available musicals and narrowing down a list of shows that will work. There is a lot out there, and it takes some time to go through all of the musical options and narrow down the best options for each class. There are several major licensing companies, such as Music Theatre International, Tams-Whitmark, and Samuel French, and they all have lists and lists of shows that are available to buy the rights to. In order to legally produce a musical, you must purchase the rights and rehearsal materials (such as scripts and music scores) from the licensing company. Newer musicals (such as Hamilton, Something Rotten, or Aladdin, to name a few), won't be available for amateur and school groups to license for a little while yet. The professional companies get first crack at it :) Whether or not the rights are available is just one of many considerations when choosing a musical. From there you have to look at factors like:
So, that's where we are now! We are finalizing our short list of shows and then we will order "perusal scripts" from the licensing companies so that we can look at the script and music to understand exactly what the show is about and if we are able to produce it this year. We are looking forward to bringing you along on our journey as we continue to work on this year's musical. Tell us your favourite musicals in the comments below, and share our website and social media accounts with your friends and family! ~Ms. Sarah Tye |
AuthorOur blog and website is managed by T.A.S. Musical Theatre staff and students. Guest writers are also welcome - contact us if you'd like to contribute. Archives
January 2018
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