As our first full week of rehearsals draws to an end, we are beginning to see the show take shape before our very eyes. None of this is be possible without our wonderful director, dedicated stage manager or supremely talented cast. Our Nifty Chorus makes each rehearsal period just fly by. Pictured above: Aria Rustage (Chorus) and Sophie Bottling (Chorus/Ella understudy). Although not the stars of the show, each Chorus member brings their own unique experiences and creative ideas! When asked what she thought about being in her first musical, grade 11 Musical Theatre student Gretel Kaune (Chorus/ Lady Pinkleton understudy) said, “I've learned so much these past two months and I'm feeling super confident going into the show because I have lots of help from my friends and teachers.” She then continued saying, “These people feel like a family to me and it's been really easy to learn techniques and acting strategies from them.” Being in the Chorus can be just as taxing as being a lead sometimes. We have some quick changes that last around 30 seconds. Each person plays at least three characters, each with their own personality, motivations and costumes. Although not the centre of focus onstage the majority of the time, an abundance of character development work goes into playing a background character and making each action purposeful and unique. Another aspect of the chorus life is the understudying, eight talented members of the Chorus learn all the movement, lines, songs for a lead and stand ready to perform if the person they understudy becomes sick or unavailable. On top of their own Chorus blocking, dancing and vocals, they learn the character they understudy for inside and out! They have all the blocking and choreo written down to help not only themselves but the person they understudy and act as a sort of support. Not every Chorus member is an understudy, but each person in the show helps it flow, not one person is unimportant in the grand scheme of things! Chorus members are also a major part of the vocal work for the show. Without a strong chorus of committed vocals, many of the larger numbers would be supremely lackluster. When asked what the hardest part he had to deal with so far in the show, Noah Miller (Chorus/Jean-Micheal understudy) had this to say; “The vocals and workload are more difficult than expected.” All of it becomes worthwhile as we continue to plan and polish our scenes, but those high notes do take a toll! Being able to consider ourselves a part of Cinderella and a part of the company is a huge honor, and we couldn't be more proud to tackle this show with the BEST group of talented, dedicated friends. We are able to push ourselves and each other to put on the best version of Cinderella we can. Nothing drives the Chorus more than being able to share the thrills of musical theatre with the family we’ve built. Pictured above: Chorus members: Alivia Buchan (Gabrielle understudy), Gretel Kaune (Lady Pinkleton understudy), Waverly Porter, Noah Miller (Jean-Micheal understudy), Nicole Craymer, Sophie Bottling (Ella understudy), Mckie Dummit (Sebastian understudy) Grace Hatherly, Chelsea Macklin (Charlotte understudy), Aria Rustage and Amelia Hansen (Madame understudy).
Not pictured: Chorus members: Dhilan Mahara (Prince Topher understudy), Kie Reynolds and Faith Guest. Written by: Nicole Craymer (Chorus) and Amelia Hansen (Chorus/Madame understudy). ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
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Last week the musical theatre class sat down and spent an afternoon doing a full read through of our entire script for Cinderella! This was one of our most exciting days yet, as it was a first look at how the cast is able to work together, and our first glimpse at what our musical will be! The room was full of positive energy and smiles, as we finally came together as a group, and had the feeling that our journey was really beginning. Through the ups and downs of the afternoon, we laughed, we cried, and we experienced new feelings. The most interesting part was seeing people play around with their characters and ideas. For some, this was the first time we would read the entire script. For others, we were learning to look at some characters in a new light. Everyone's characters changed and developed throughout the read through, and although it was funny at times, almost everyone seemed to begin to find themselves, and to develop and attach emotions to their characters. Moving forward, it is important for us to remember to be confident in the choices that we make; as our incredible co-op student, Chelsey Carberry puts it: “The read through was pretty strong, although I felt a few people were nervous and holding back from their full potential” This advice can apply to an situation that we come across, it is important to always remember to push ourselves,for the best possible outcome. This read through was an exciting first look at our characters, and we are all so excited for them to grow and change as time goes on, and it is important for us all to remember that we are always learning. Written by Dylan Macdonald and Sara Lytle :)
Yes! That's finally it, we are done with auditions and call backs! Now everyone can take a deep breath and relax. To kick off our week, we started with our highly anticipated casting announcement, which was an emotional rollercoaster for everyone involved! Ms.Tye and Mr. Jackson thought long and hard about who to cast in what role. “Casting Cinderella was a challenge, but certainly the challenge that every director wants to have,” says Ms. Tye. “Everyone came so prepared to auditions that we had several great options for all of the roles! We worked hard all audition week, rehearsing scenes, learning new songs, and having important character development discussions to help us narrow down our choices. We feel really great about the casting decisions we made, and Mr. Jackson and I are incredibly proud of all the hard work this class put into audition week.” In the end, it came down to not only talent, but the effort our classmates put into auditions throughout the week. To be successful in Musical Theatre, you must put effort into everything you do, which was what Ms. Tye and Mr. Jackson were looking for last week, inside and outside of auditions. It came down to a few simple criterias that our teachers had:
It was a very difficult decision to make but when it finally came down to announcing the roles, both of our teachers seemed very confident with their decisions. DRUM ROLL PLEASE! CAST LIST:
Dylan Macdonald and Grace De Mara (who are playing Prince Topher and Ella), rehearse for their auditions. After all was said and done, there were tears of both excitement and sadness, but everyone was very supportive and encouraging to the people who got the larger, sought-after roles. Although some of our classmates were away volunteering on a trip, we were still able to share the joy and excitement with them over the phone. Their cheers of elation and support echoed through the room. Overall, the class was very pleased with the casting decisions, and are all looking forward to seeing each individual thrive as they take on their role.
Not only was cast list announced, but the production roles were announced as well. The audience may only see the actors shining onstage, but there so many people who shine backstage, who ultimately allow the show “to go on” and run without a hitch. Everyone was very satisfied with their production roles and over the past few days, we have been able to see each individual really start to embrace their onstage and backstage roles. This week, we are beginning to dive into the script in anticipation for the upcoming week, when rehearsals begin. This week, we have all been given the opportunity to step back, breathe, and catch up on some homework before the craziness of rehearsals consumes us. We are all excited to be spending the next few months working alongside our classmates to create something we hope everyone will enjoy! We are all looking forward to beginning this new adventure together, and are thrilled to be a part of this year’s production of Cinderella! -By Faith Morales (Stage Manager) and Miranda Steiginga (Gabrielle) That’s right, folks. You heard it from us first - it’s auditions! Get ready to hear about our action-packed week for the casting of Cinderella! Auditions are the process when directors watch their performers act, sing, and sometimes dance to see who has the most potential for specific roles. Our directors (Ms Tye and Mr Jackson) have that daunting job of choosing who gets each part. This show is going to be especially challenging to cast because our group has a lot of talent, and there are multiple good fits for each character - but that’s a good problem to have! We kicked off Monday with our singing auditions which was a big step out of most people’s comfort zones. However, with the help of the marvelously talented Justin Hiscox (our superhero piano accompanist), the thought of singing alone onstage with an audience was a little bit less scary. With a bunch of love and support from our castmates, everyone got up on that stage and absolutely KILLED their singing auditions! The auditorium has been buzzing with positivity and support for each other, which has been just the best feeling ever. Faith Morales, one of our cast members, said “We’re able to laugh with each other and have fun together. It’s such a supportive community!”. Building trust with your cast mates is extremely important, not just because it is more fun to work with people you trust, but a supportive cast backstage is a powerful cast onstage, and it really shows through. Stuff started to get more intense on Wednesday when callbacks began. That’s when Ms Tye and Mr Jackson started narrowing down the possible candidates for each role. It became more nerve-wracking for all of us, but it’s a good thing we never lost our supportive class vibe. A handful of roles have already been decided, others are becoming more and more obvious as the week goes on, and some are still very unclear as to who will get it. You’ll just have to stay tuned until next week for the official casting announcement! Here are a few of Ms Tye’s audition tips that we found very helpful this week:
-Kaia Douglas & Gretel Kaune This week we are preparing excitedly for our Auditions that are coming up quickly! this is one of the most thrilling parts of the musical process for students and the director. At this point we get to know the show better as well as cast. Although this is an exciting and new experience there are always those nervous butterflies, However nothing a little practice and confidence won't fix. We have gone over audition tips and audition prep to ensure these students get the most out of their auditions.
The students now understand to be confident and prepared on the day of the audition. They know to understand their character as much as they can with the information they are given, but most of all they know to give it their all and to never hold back during an audition. Right now students are working together to read lines as well as rehearsing their vocals and of course rehearsing any other moment they get to fulling understand everything they need to know. We are confident that our students will be ready to kill the auditions and bring a whole new level of enthusiasm and excitement to the audition process of Cinderella. `~Chelsey, Co-op Student Starting up a new school year in September is always exciting. We look forward to reuniting with our friends, as well as starting reliable routines and new adventures. Oh, and that new binder smell... :) Well things are no different in our world of musical theatre! We have a couple of former musical theatre students returning as co-op students and peer tutors, we have several students who have volunteered backstage in the past now joining the course as students themselves, plus some new friendly faces joining the family. We have staff returning who have been with the program for years, some who are going into their second year, and some who are joining the family for the first time. When preparing to put on a musical, some things are a given. We know that we'll need to rehearse our music and choreography, that we'll need to do blocking and character development, that we'll need to design the sets and costumes, and that we'll need to build our teams of support from all around the school and community. But yet every single production is different. The needs of each show can vary so dramatically and the challenges we face to get the show from page to stage are varied, dynamic and exciting. I think these are the main reasons I have so much passion for theatre. I love working with people - ones who I've worked with before and gotten to know well, and meeting new colleagues and friends who love the same things I do. I also love a good challenge. Sure, it can be stressful and overwhelming sometimes, but oh man, is the reward ever worth it. To be honest with you, I don't know what show we are going to be doing this year. That's one of my projects for the next couple of weeks. But I can tell you that (as always) we are going to tackle this next adventure with enthusiasm, energy and a fantastic community spirit. Our production this year will be performing the week of December 11th, 2017, which will be a bit different than the last few years of late May/early June performances. We are pumped to hit the ground running this September to get an awesome production ready to share with all of you before the holiday season. Please mark your calendars and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to be in the loop as we move towards showtime! ~ Director/Producer Sarah Tye We're a special kind of people known as Show People... Musical theatre is about community. If you want to part of building that community, please consider donating to the Musical Theatre Program at T.A.S. See the attached PDF for details on what you would be contributing to, and the sponsorship benefits available.
Tickets are on sale now for Curtains!
Check out our box office for details on how you can purchase tickets! We are coming to the end of our first week of rehearsals of Curtains! We've had a lot going on and we have absolutely hit the ground running! Read on for details of some of our adventures. Vocal Rehearsals: Mr. Jackson and our band leader Justin have been leading our class on working on some of our more challenging music in Curtains. One of them is "In the Same Boat Completed." Curtains takes place backstage at a theatre in Boston in 1959. The leading lady of their production Robbin Hood is murdered on stage on opening night! Detective Frank Cioffi (who is also in love with theatre!) is assigned to solve the crime. This song happens in Act 2, when Cioffi has been helping the director and performers create a more impressive song for Robbin Hood - taking the various early versions of "In the Same Boat" and combining them into one epic showstopper! Listen here for the Original Broadway cast singing the number! You'll have to wait until we've polished our vocals before you'll hear ours :) Parker, who plays detective Frank Cioffi says "I'm actually really enjoying [vocal rehearsals]." Parker is fairly new to singing, but is picking it up quickly! "I'm frustrated because I'm sick and I can't hit the notes I normally can right now, but I'm working on it and starting to get it." Choreography Rehearsals: Choreographer Simon has been leading our performers learning choreography for "The Woman's Dead" and the first two versions of "In the Same Boat." These numbers are pretty dramatically different from each other - "The Woman's Dead" is a somber, yet overly dramatic large group song, which both of these first versions of "In the Same Boat" are cute and peppy - very classic musical theatre! Chelsey is one of our dance captains - she and her co-captain Jade work to support Simon by reviewing the choreography with the group, or one on one with anyone who misses a rehearsal (we've had a lot of sick people this week!) Chelsey commented "[Choreography rehearsals] seem to be going smoothly. People are being intuitive and asking questions." Blocking Rehearsals: Director Ms. Sarah Tye has been leading scene rehearsals focused on blocking the show. Blocking is where every actor stands and moves on the stage. We've started with a couple of our larger group scenes in Act 1, which take place backstage at the Boston theatre. We've been having a lot of fun with the comedy of this show! Stage Manager Alex Dove says about blocking rehearsals, " I like being busy, so going between the pages and taking notes is really nice. When someone comes to me the next day I can just go back and say you're upstage left!" Production: All of the students in the course are also working on a production role, running all of the other departments that need to operate in order to produce a musical! We had our first production meeting on Thursday this week, where all of the staff and students who are heading up departments met to talk about things like deadlines and requirements to make sure everyone is on the same page - and if anyone was facing any challenges (such as the fact that we need over 10 Tuxedos for our men!) they could share them with the whole team, who could help problem solve. Visit our social media pages for some photos of students working on their production roles. Overall, it's been an awesome and busy first week! Post written by Toronto Stage Manager and Producer, Erin Maxfield. I have been working professionally in Toronto’s arts and culture sector for just over two years, and as wonderful as it is to be pursuing my passion, there are a few things I wish I had known back when I was in high school, before I decided to study theatre in university, and long before I entered what people refer to as the “real world” (??) which I guess can be defined as a place where, instead of working for grades and learning new skills with the safety net of school, you’re working to pay your rent, honing the skills you already have, and learning new ones because you have no choice and someone’s got to design sound for the show you’re working on, so you better figure it out. The entire list of things I wish I had known is probably too long for a blog post, but I hope these three things will help you wherever you are within your journey of pursuing the performing arts.
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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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