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All My Children Discussion Group
Read if you will this could get long (lol).
As with every year we lost a LOT of talent through graduation. We lost MOST. I call this cast the nicest bunch of no talents I ever worked with. We chose songs and one acts to suit them.
When The Midnight Choo Choo Leaves For Alabam (Irving Berlin)
A jazzy version of Wash That Man from a Rogers and Hammerstein review
CHARM (one act...very cute)
My Funny Valentine (great rendition for four girls)
MAGICIAN BEN VS. THE WIZARD MERLIN (one act...so so for newbies)
Freedom (from Shenandoah)
MARRED BLISS (hysterical one act...nicely done by upper classmen)
Go Into Your Dance (tap from 42nd Street)
Everybody Ought To Have A Maid (brought the house down - from FORUM)
Tick Tock Goes The Clock (60s girl dance number from Promises Promises to end the act. Girls did fab).
The Monster Mash (My annual Holloweeny number - full set with monsters, zombies, Boris and Igor. Gloriously goofy)
TABLE FOR THREE (One act with 3 newbies pulling it off and then some)
Montage (3 numbers that mix from FOLLIES)
Oh How I Hate To get Up In The Morning (another Berlin and boys are adorable in their army garb)
FIGHT DREAMS (one act about a fantasy...eh)
It's Raining On Prom Night (Grease - with a twist in staging...fun and funny)
EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE (one act about lost luggage - all actors ARE the luggage)
Friendship (Our senior number)
Freedom (a reprise for company as curtain call)
Everything was going along swimmingly. Tough with so many green performers but they were doing their best. Then came the morning of opening day...
I get an e-mail from my director that's labeled DISASTER. A freshman girl in the show was suspended due to a text, she's gone. Another, sophomore, also involved may be gone too. Must start damage control. I jump into my car as a third is named and director says he's canceling (4rd girl is cleared of any wrong doing). Puhleeeze...this is theater and the show MUST go on AND WILL if I have a say.
Seems freshman girl received a disgusting text and showed to sophomore girl (who initially got the blame for sending it). For some GODforsaken reason she wants the text and tries to forward from freshman cell to her own and it goes far and wide and includes an elementary school student. No word who finally put a stop to it but this went on for a few days before it came to light. Teen boys, we don't know, started this and given the language and subject matter they are in big trouble. Our girls got 5 days at home suspension.
Both girls have siblings in the show. Sophomore girl has a freshman sister and freshman girl has identical twin so they are highly effected, too (not to mention the poor embarrassed parents). Tech is redone to cover. Junior covers freshman scene and sophomore (the cleared one) covers her monologue (at a moments notice, this is NOT easy as it was wordy and hard). Senior covers sophomore in Wash That Man and dance captain covers her in the tap number. NO ONE can learn (or fit the costume) for 60s girl number so I re-stage for four instead of five. All this is done from 12 noon until we open at 7. Good lord!
Thank goodness they all had their concentration caps ON and the show was a hit and no one would know our dilemma. I feel bad for the two girls missing their Footlights Club debuts but a hard lesson was learned by all. The stress was unreal but the success more than made up for it.
I tell them constantly if I see cell phones in use my head will explode. Now I've got ammo for the future as we're not supposed to disallow them use after school. Watch me!!
Hi, W.E. I've been to the board and saw your post but said to myself: I need time to read this, so I didn't look until I had the time to comment. I always enjoy reading about your shows. It reflects all of your hard work, the love you have for your craft and love for your students.
Now that I said that don't you just want to strangle those kids for driving you nuts over a text!!!! T
The show sounds fabulous . Great variety of musical numbers. I bet I would have enjoyed Monster Mash and the One Act Table For Three, but the entire program is wonderful. I don't know how you handled so many numbers with a freshman group. It must have been very demanding.
Thanks so much for letting us know how it went. Bravo!
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Each year brings these last minute surprises and I know how much you enjoy being surprised!! Kudos to you for being able to still manage to pull things together at the last minute, especially with this particular mess!!!
I love the musical lineup and am so sorry that I couldn't attend this year. The program looks like my cup of tea. Oh well, I'm going to give a shout out to CURTAINS from last spring. THAT was great and the kids really came through for you.
Good luck with your ''newbies''. I'm sure that you'll whip them into shape and they'll love you for it. Each year I watch the kids display their affection and respect for you. Carry on, and hopefully I'll see you at the spring musical.
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You keep doing great things and are amazing! A job well done!
:::::those darn cell phones:::::
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As they say, all's well that ends well, but what a hellish afternoon that must have been. And, even with that, I still think you have a an awesome job...working with any age kids is really rewarding.
You had some great stuff for the Showcase. Just think of all the new talent you'll be helping to develope.
(and why didn't I see this on the other board? lol)
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Even with a cast of "no talents" your show sounds like it was a lot of fun, W.E. It is true that 'Everybody Ought To Have A Maid', and I wish I could have been part of the house that was brought down. I'm sure your 'Monster Mash' was fabulous, and I would have loved to have seen 'Emotional Baggage' to see people luggage. It sounds hilarious.
I am so sorry for the DISASTER you encountered, but being the consummate professional that you are, you made it work. I'm sure the stress level was off the charts for one and all, especially you. Yes, a very difficult lesson for those young ladies to learn, but a necessary one. Young people need to be held accountable and understand the far-reaching consequences of their actions. Future ammunition for cell phone usage ... see? you are turning those lemons into lemonade!
Brava, to you W.E., and all of your "no talents". Under your wonderful tutelage and direction, just watch 'em blossom!
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