Reminder: Three-Ring Binders and Activity Checks

Hi Cast Members - 

Our first Wizard of Oz rehearsal is Tuesday from 2:30 - 4:00!  We will read through the whole show with the entire cast.  Then on Thursday we'll sing the musical parts of the show.  You'll have a chance to hear most of the music so you can practice over Winter Break.  

For Tuesday's practice, please bring in a three-ring binder for your music.   

Stop by the registration table in the hall to pick up your name badge and drop off your activity fee checks before rehearsal begins. 

We can't wait to start the show!

Musical Theater Team

Get Ready for Our First Rehearsal!

Our first Wizard of Oz rehearsals are Next Week!
Tuesday, December 18 and Thursday, December 20 from 2:30 - 4:00pm
On December 18th, cast members should bring their $95 activity fee to rehearsal.  Make your check payable to "Great Valley School District" and in the memo "Middle School Musical".  If a cast member qualifies for free or reduced lunch, please contact Dr. Souders so arrangements can be made for the activity fee. Strict confidentiality will be maintained.


Bake up some Treats for Thursday!

Sunday evening you received an e-mail from "SignUp Genius" to sign up for baked items and other treats for the Winter Concert on Thursday, December 13th .  It is one of our biggest fund raisers for the musical. If possible please donate time, treats or baked items.  We could use some cookies!  If for some reason you did not receive this email, please contact us as soon as possible.  

See you on the 18th!

Wizard of Oz Musical Team

December Rehearsals

Hi Cast Members - 
We hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving Break!

December rehearsals...

Just a reminder we have two rehearsals before Winter Break!  These two rehearsals will be a run-through to get everyone familiar with the music.  Bring your water bottles and be ready to SING! 

We'll meet in the Choral Room.

December 18        2:30 - 4:00pm
December 20        2:30 - 4:00pm

Drumroll please...

Dear Auditioners,

Thank you for coming out to auditions. The audition process is like many other things in life... like trying out for a sport, or even going through the job interview process. There are certain hurdles that must be overcome before you can continue on. And if it works out you get that far, there is still no guarantee you will make the team or get the job. I was told once, “You would be a good fit for the job, but we thought another person was a better fit.”

I appreciate the effort you all put into your auditions. I hope, in turn, you can appreciate and even respect the decisions made on the behalf of this musical. I have spent hours pouring over your application sheets and your judging scores. I have tried to utilize as many of you as I can. Unfortunately, due to the overwhelming turnout, it was necessary to make cuts. It was truly a hard thing for me to do.

Moving on. To those who have been cast, you must remain eligible according to the school’s academic requirements. Also, if you accept the role, you are making a commitment to this musical and agreeing to be faithful and give it your all especially during the rehearsals.

That said, we are going to have a fabulous production. I look forward to working with each and every one of you. Let’s go “knock ‘em dead!”

Mrs. Morrell

Cast of Characters

Dorothy Gale – Anagha Havildar

Aunt Em – Emma Apple

Uncle Henry – Wyck Kinkade

Zeke – Matt Cowgill

Hickory – Noah Tarnoff

Hunk -- Tommy Lock

Miss Gultch – Calista Capetola

Professor Marvel/The Wizard of Oz – Dyson Kennedy

Glinda – Alli Brophy

Wicked Witch -- Dena Swope

Scarecrow – Matt Sheaffer

Tin Man - Nick Stillwell

Lion – Ben Nurthen

Mayor – Evan Search

Coroner -- Josh Huestis

Barrister -- Seth Schuck

City Father 1 – Toby Shenk

City Father 2 – Iain Johnston

Lollipop Guild -- Seth Schuck, Iain Johnston, Ryan DeStefano, Kevin Beck, Parth Sachar

Lullaby League -- Cecilia Haubold, Melissa Stern, Leah Rizzi, Lauri Kennedy, Olivia Wolfrom

Guard – Andrew Schuck

Guard Quartet -- Matt Cowgill, Tommy Lock, Graham Dore

Gloria (Guard’s Daughter/part of guard quartet) – Ally Carbonar

Beauticians – Emma Apple, Kaitlin Toal, Jordan Gerson, Erin Sutton-Beals

Polishers – Chip Leland, Kevin Beck, Iain Johnston, Josh Huestis

Manicurists – Divya Jain, Mary Wenner, Olivia Wolfrom

Winkie General – Seth Schuck

Nikko (Commander of Monkeys) – Rohit Haridas

Jitterbug Dancers – Melissa Stern, Cassie Tiburcio, Leah Rizzi, Kaitlyn McGhee, Katie Ford

Jitterbug Singers – Kaitlin Toal, Brianna Flanagan, Emily Benesch, Michaela Colahan, Mary Wenner, Jordan Gerson

Flying Monkeys

Josh Huestis

Iain Johnston

Gabriel Maningas

Evan Search

Ryan DeStefano

Jake DiLaura

Toby Shenk

Parth Sachar

Chorus

Sravya Alla

Kaavya Anand

Hannah Atlas

Elana Babbitt

Hannah Baugher

Kevin Beck

Emily Benesch

Shannon Beston

Ellie Bleecker

Jessie Bleecker

Bridget Boerger

Ava Bones

Monica Brosius
Maddi Brown

Taylor Caba

Bridget Cahill
Laura Campbell

Lizzie Cannella

Samantha Carvalho

Monica Castro

Megan Caterino

Erin Colahan

Michaela Colahan

Carlyn Crisi

Sarah Curley

Dana D’Auria

Eve Dawson

Annie Defina

Emilia DeMarco
Ryan DeStefano

Jake DiLaura

Brenna Dondero

Olivia Dremann

Eliza Elliott

Brianna Flanagan

Jillian Flanagan

Katie Ford

Katie Foreman

Grace Furey

Megan Gamble

Jordan Gerson

Stephanie Getz

Cassie Graff

Julia Gresh

Sarah Goldman

Anna Guilin

Christine Guistwhite

Rohit Haridas

Maya Hairston

Ashley Hancock

Cecilia Haubold

Clara Haubold

Jennie Hirsch

Lara Hurley

Sophie Hutchison

Divya Jain

Brittany John

Iain Johnston

Christa Jones

Lauri Kennedy

Maura Kern

Wyck Kinkade

Camila Lamoratta

Chip Leland

Molly Lynch

Gabriel Maningas

Carly Martinez

Isabel Martinez
Rebecca Matson

Kaitlyn McGhee

Katie McGlone

Kelly McQueston

Sarah Merriwether

Bryony Morgan

Katie Munyan

Kristina Newman
Arundhati Nittur

Kira Ousey

Talia Pikounis

Katie Podell

Leah Rizzi

Parth Sachar

Seth Schuck

Katie Sharp

Toby Shenk

Margaret Silvestri

Maggie Stagnaro

Melissa Stern

Erin Sutton-Beals

Noah Tarnoff

Samantha Taylor

Maya Tetali

Mena Tetali

Audrey Thompson

Cassie Tiburcio

Kaitlin Toal

Mary Wenner

Olivia Wolfrom

Kelsea Wong

Please know that there are some featured speakers, singers, and dancers that will be cast as we move through the rehearsal process. The first few weeks of rehearsals will be like another audition process... give it your all and you might snag a featured role!

Quick announcement

Anonymous commenting will be disabled if our readers do not utilize the comments section appropriately. This is the only warning.

If anonymous commenting is disabled, readers must have a Google, LiveJournal, WordPress, TypePad, AIM, OR OpenID account in order to comment.

We do not want to put limits on who can or cannot comment, but if anonymous commenters continue to abuse the comments section, we have no other choice.

Thank you for your understanding and maturity.

Auditions & callbacks

Thank you to all who came out to auditions on Tuesday and today! It was such a pleasure seeing everyone and we look forward to working with many of you.

Those who are being asked to callbacks will receive a phone call tonight from one of our producers, Mrs. Linda Day Sheaffer or Mrs. Carrie Kennedy.

Photo by Brian Negin at flickr's Creative Commons

Please take the time to read about callbacks in your audition packet. Not receiving a callback does not mean you have not made the show. Receiving a callback does not guarantee you a principal role. It is crucial that you all understand this! Casting a show is a difficult process... please keep this in mind as well.

For those coming to callbacks tomorrow: prepare by being familiar the songs and readings in your audition packets. We may ask you to read for one part, we may ask you to read for multiple parts. We want to see how you can embody different characters and interact with your peers on stage.

Otherwise, stay tuned to the blog. The cast list will be posted sometime in the following week.

Thanks! 

Auditions

We hope you all have been preparing for auditions next week! We are so excited to begin working on this year's musical production of "The Wizard of Oz," and we hope you are too!

The audition packet (available at school in the hallway by the dining room) has all of the information you need. Please familiarize yourself with the readings and the musical selections. Piano accompaniment will be provided on the day of your audition. Although the packet says music is available for download on this blog, the only music you need is right in the audition packet. This is the sheet music that will be played on piano at your audition. Sorry for the confusion!

Bert Lahr, Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, and Jack Haley from the 1939 feature film, "The Wizard of Oz" (image via Wikimedia Commons)

Please let us know if you have any questions. Keep practicing and we will see you soon!

It's that time again!

Sorry for the delay, but the blog will be up and running shortly. Stay tuned!

Reminder to unsubscribe!

Just a reminder to all former GVMS musical students and parents:

If you no longer want to receive email notifications from this blog, please unsubscribe now!


If you have received this post via email, there should be an "unsubscribe" link somewhere at the bottom of the message. Unsubscribe now to avoid getting messages once the show starts.

Thanks!

A note from Mrs. Taylor

Dear Great Valley Musical Theatre Students,

I hope you are all enjoying your summer and are getting excited for the new school year! I wanted to take some time and let you know that I sadly need to step down as the Director of Musical Theatre Productions at the Great Valley Middle School. This has been a very hard decision for me and has honestly resulted in many sleepless nights but I feel that this is best choice for me. I have been given a promotion at work that will limit my availability and will not allow me the time that I want to dedicate to the play.

Even though this is a very exciting time for me professionally I feel such a sense of sadness knowing that I will not be there next year to work with you and to see each of you grow. The past 4 years have truly been unforgettable for me and each moment has shaped me into the person I am today. I would have never dreamed of having a position teaching something I love so much with such talented kids. Every year I am blown away by the talent and passion for the arts that the Great Valley School District has and it has been an honor working with each and every one of you.

Goodbyes are never easy and I wish I could have known last year so that I could tell you in person. I can’t wait to see how each of you grow next year and I am counting down the days till I can sit in the audience next year and see you all shine on stage!

Thank you for making the past four years amazing for me. I will truly miss each and every one of you.

Much love always,

Mrs. Taylor

A note from Ms. Neville

Dear GVMS Musical Theater students and parents,


As many of you may know, this year marked the end of my undergraduate career at Penn State Brandywine. I am now a college graduate! Though I am still figuring out what I want to do when I grow up, I have spent some time this summer beginning my first "real job" search. I'm very excited (albeit a little scared!) to begin this new chapter of my life.


I have been doing a lot of thinking about my future -- weighing pros and cons of every possible situation -- and with the support of my friends and family, I have decided to charge full steam ahead, continuing to search for my fit in today's job market. Endings are hard, new beginnings are even harder, and I know that I am ready for the challenge of working full-time and supporting myself by doing something I love.


I wish I had made this decision earlier. I wish I had known during the run of Once On This Island that it would be my last show with Great Valley Middle School. I wish I could have shared proper goodbyes with all of you. Every student and parent I have worked with, every show I have been a part of, and every minute of my six years at Great Valley have helped shape me into a more patient, trusting,  creative, and confident person. The talent that runs deep within this community never fails to astonish me, and I am so inspired by the love of theater that radiates from every single student I have worked with. I cannot believe how lucky I am to have been able to work with such an amazing group of kids, year after year.


Please keep in touch! I still have access to the gvmusical email account, and if you're around July 19th or 20th, I will be at the performances of CCMP's "The Music Man," and would love to see you!


I can't wait to see what all of you have in store for the future. You're all such amazing kids, and I'm so sad to leave you, but I know that you will continue to shine just as you always have for me.

I've heard it said that people come into our lives 

For a reason, bringing something we must learn, 

And we are led to those who help us most to grow

If we let them, and we help them in return

Now I don't know if I believe that's true, 

But I know I'm who I am today because I knew you.

So much of me is made of what I learned from you

You'll be with me, like a handprint on my heart

Steven Schwartz's "For Good" from Wicked

Love always,

Ms. Neville

gvmusical@gmail.com

YOU are why we tell the story!!

Thank you so much for an amazing production and an amazing year! We are so proud of all of you and hope you are proud of yourselves. We hope to see some of you at CCMP this summer. Otherwise, have a great rest of the school year, and see you in October!

Love always,
Ms. Neville, Mrs. Taylor, Ms. Sunnergren, Mrs. Armbruster

Scripts

The following students must return their scripts to Mrs. Weaver on Monday, or else you will not receive your copy of the DVD:

- Ari Pikounis
- Nick Stillwell
- Ben Nurthen
- Christy Leland
- Aaron Skarzenski
- Matt Cowgill

Thank you!

Thank you!!!

Thank you to everyone involved in this year's production! It's been an amazing run and we are so proud of all you have accomplished!

Get ready to celebrate tonight at the cast party, held at GW right after our closing performance. The party ends at 11. Bring your dancing shoes! :)

Some more photos from dress rehearsal!

TonTon meets the wrath of the Beauxhommes' gatekeepers 

Super sopranos!

Ti Moune & Daniel 

Awesome altos!

You guys are so ready!

So psyched for our last rehearsal tomorrow. You all did a fantastic job tonight and should be so proud of all of your hard work!

A few notes (everyone must read these before tonight):


Notes from Ms. Neville
We Dance

• Ben, come see us for a note! We have to reposition you at one point because you're so tall!
• Matt, PROJECT! Your voice drops off at the end of your line... your tone gets so low for the "Mercedes" part and we can't hear it at all... it's such a great line!!
• Alex, you are so vibrant at the end. Keep it up!

One Small Girl

• Rayne & Ari, your battle for Christy & Ben's attention is so great! Keep up the great movement.
• Alli, Christy, Ben, your moment in the hut is SO ADORABLE I CAN'T EVEN TAKE IT.
• Storytellers, make sure your clump SR is tighter at the end of this song. Your clump during Waiting for Life is perfect, but some of you were too far center during One Small Girl.

Waiting for Life

• My eyes went right to Caroline Badyna, Eliza Elliott, Maddy Brown, Ryan DeStefano, Iain Johnston -- you guys are doing a great job acting here! 

And the Gods Heard Her Prayer/Rain

• Gods: awesome, awesome, awesome! This is a song where all four of you shine! You work so well together.
• Dyson & Noah: act a little bit more when you're coming up the steps. Feel the rain storm beginning!
• Carly Martinez, Divya Jain, Cassie Graff: you were ROCKIN' it during Rain!

Pray

• EVERYONE: Make sure you are frozen when the lights come up on Alex. If you are in the wrong position, don't worry about it, just get there when you unfreeze. YOU MUST BE FROZEN IN THE BEGINNING! If half of you freeze and the other half don't, it looks kinda goofy!
• Melissa and Robyn: thank you for always being in character and so energetic onstage!
• Jordan: I always forget to tell you how much I love your line - "if it hadn't been for Julian's daughter" - it's so clear, and you sound great!
• Ciara and Matt S.: during the blackout after Rain, hop up onstage (right above where you are on the risers); after you say your lines, come back down to the risers -- we want to make sure you are lit during your lines so the audience knows where the voices are coming from!

Forever Yours

• Rayne, your movement here is fantastic. You really give the illusion that you are working some powerful sort of magic. Keep up the amazing work!
• Matt, the way you fell after Ari "dropped" you yesterday was PERFECT PERFECT PERFECT! You pulled your body up perfectly and then sort of crumpled to the side, facing the audience... LOVE IT!
• Andrew, thank you for taking initiative when your cast mates were not ready for their cue. When in doubt, DO IT.

* Everyone: a note on missing cues *

If any of your cast mates ever miss a cue, the music doesn't come on, someone's mic is out, whatever (so many things can potentially happen during a show), all you have to do is STAY IN CHARACTER and no one will notice. If you enter with a handful of others and no one is ready, ENTER ANYWAY. If someone drops a line, do not whisper it under your breath to them, try to think what your character would say and say it in a way that might jog your cast mate's memory. This can be tricky, but it CAN be done! 

Ti Moune

• Alex, great job slowing down the dialogue right before you sing, "What I am..." 
• Ben, Christy, and Alex: all 3 of you did an amazing job acting in this song. I noticed some pauses in the dialogue/singing just because I know the music so well, but your acting was flawless and made the whole scene feel so heartfelt. Keep thinking about what your characters are thinking in that moment, and this could very well be one of most emotional numbers in the show. I had chills!

Mama Will Provide

• EVERYONE: Remind me to talk to you about hats!
• Everyone on stage: when the playoff begins, keep rockin' out onstage. Stay in character and dance back so the curtain can close but DO NOT EXIT THE STAGE UNTIL THE CURTAIN HAS CLOSED COMPLETELY. Ally will call out to Alex, "Now go and find him, Ti Moune" and she will reply "Thank you, thank you!" so make sure you are not making noise over them.

Some Say

• Nick: come see me & Ms. Sunnergren!
• Boys: practice your harmonies for this at home. Your harmony needs to be cleaner!

Pray Reprise

• Alex & Matt C.: PROJECT YOUR VOICES! We couldn't hear you when you were on the back platform during the bit with the necklace. You cannot rely on your microphones!

The Ball

• Mary Wenner: so graceful and cheery! You are a joy to watch in this number!
• Carly Martinez: you are always acting, always "on!" Great job!

Forever Yours Reprise:

• Ari: love how you start out low and then jump up the octave for "you keep!" Threaten her with those words. Let the "you keep!" pull you deeper into the darkness of your character... you're about to give her the ultimate test! This is what Papa Ge has been waiting for! Also, when you raise the knife on "your life is forever mine," make sure you are right up in Alex's face... you're too far away!

Notes from Ms. Sunnergren

WE DANCE:

• Everyone! I NEED the “V” at the end of “alive.” It sounds like you’re all singing “a lie.” My, how important consonants are! Please fix this!

ATTENTION SOPRANO ENSEMBLE: I’m not hearing enough soprano 2 harmony. First sopranos, I divided you in half for a reason. You know which part you should be singing.  I’ve instructed section leader, Hannah Atlas to remind those of you who should be singing soprano 2... if you’re not sure what the part is (I hope this is not the case!) please see me… OR you may ask Hannah, as she is a section leader and doing a fantastic job!

ONE SMALL GIRL:

• Ensemble: Half of you missed your cue before “On this is island of two different worlds.”  Your heads MUST be up and your eyes must be on me when you hear Rayne say “strength of love.”  

WAITING FOR LIFE:

• ATTENTION Alto girls and some boys: After Alex sings “Catcing a glimpse of a stranger in white racing BY” you MATCH HER PITCH on your “OOOh la” ‘s.  DO NOT sing an octave lower with the few boys who are. The only people who should be singing an octave lower are Andrew, Chip and Iain.  

RAIN:

• Ensemble: Sing “THE Rain” at the end, not just “Rain.” Some of you forgot.  
• Tommy, center your microphone at the top of your cape, please.  Every time you turned your head we lost your voice. “Let there be a girl” – see me. 

PRAY:

• Ben, “I will find where he comes from”- see me. 

MAMA WILL PROVIDE:

• Ensemble: Do not sing mama’s line “and whatever you need mama will” before the little percussion interlude at the end of the piece.  You only sing “PROVIDE” at the end.  

PRAY REPRISE:

• Featured Villagers: Keep the dialogue rolling during that beginning segment. MELISSA, be prepared to sing over someone else’s dialogue in case it’s not spoken in time.  YOU DID this in rehearsal -- WAY TO BE ON THE BALL! 
• Robyn, thank you for jumping in at 3 minutes notice. Great job!
• Aaron, you’ve got the entrance down! Make sure to look up at me for your cue.  

WE TELL THE STORY: 

I had tears of joy in my eyes after the glissando! WOW what a sound!  The sound just comes flooding out when you don’t breathe there … it’s incredible. KEEP DOING THAT! Music has brought me to tears a handful of times in my entire life…. And I can name each one of those times. You just added one to the list. Thank you for making such beautiful music. I am so proud to be conducting you all. 

See you from 6PM-9PM at GWES tonight!

Get excited!

 We dance!

 Sleepy girls.

Loving what we're seeing!

"One Small Girl"

 Little Ti Moune in the tree.

 Awesome alto peasants!

"Mama Will Provide"

 Storyteller birdies!

Villagers Emma & Dyson

 Storytellers - a vision in white!

Beautiful Andrea

A big thank you to Mrs. Lori Brophy for these great photos!

Monday & Tuesday rehearsals; call times for performances

Monday night is going to be a dress rehearsal, but we will not be doing make-up. Please do your hair. As soon as you come to GWES, change into your costume. Once you are in costume, come sit in the auditorium to warm up. We need to start running the show at 6:45.

Tuesday's rehearsal will not be a dress rehearsal. We will keep you posted on other details.

Though we have not timed the show yet, we anticipate it will be between an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half (including the 20 minute intermission).

Thursday & Friday
Cast call: 6:00PM
Gods: please come at 5:30 to get started on make-up, report to auditorium
Show time: 7:30PM
Pick-up: between 9PM-9:30

Saturday matinee
Cast call: 12:00PM
Show time: 2:00PM
Pick up: 3:30-4PM

* All cast and crew MUST be picked up after the Saturday matinee. NO ONE is to remain in the building in between the shows.

Saturday night
Cast call: 6:00PM
Show time: 7:30PM
Cast party: starts after the show is over and costumes are returned (more to come on that later!), runs until 11:00PM-ish (stay tuned for confirmation on this).

Quick announcement... notes to come soon!

When I made the announcement at the end of rehearsal yesterday, I made a mistake with the time!

Rehearsal begins at 6:30. We are going to be starting running the show at 6:45.

You MUST be in costume and ready to go at 6:45.

If this means you need to come early, please do so.

Stay tuned for notes from yesterday's rehearsal. I will post them later tonight.

Get some rest!

Some vocal notes from Ms. Sunnergren

Now that we're running the show, we have started taking notes about little things that need to be tweaked. Below are Ms. Sunnergren's notes from yesterday's rehearsal. Everyone must read these before tomorrow, so spread the word and start thinking about these things now so we get it nice and sharp tomorrow!

ENSEMBLE:

“Waiting for Life”

Remember the form.  A - Dip - A - Slide. A lot of you forgot the dip! Please go over your music and remind yourselves!

“Forever Yours”  vs. “Forever Yours Reprise”

Remember the “oooh”s are longer in the first “Forever Yours.” The reprise has the short cut-off (Papa Ge sings “forEVER”-- you cut off on the “-ever")

“PRAY”

WOW- you are going to blow the audience away!  Ensemble, you ROCKED it. It is SO exciting to watch and your acting/singing is fantastic.

 Two notes:

1. “The only thing that will save the boys life is to send him back to his world”While you are doing a GREAT job acting here, you must be looking for your cue. A lot of you missed it. This means, be looking up as mama is speaking “And if he lives oh how angry the gods will be.”
2. The first ending is “And a girl who placed herself in their way” The second ending is “And the girl will have the Gods to repay”  I’m still hearing a lot of mumbling here.  This should have been memorized weeks ago. MEMORIZE IT.

“We Tell the Story”

This is wonderful!  Two notes:

1. Those last “we tell the story”s .... DO NOT SLOW DOWN until the very last one where you squat down while raising your hands (the one you sing a cappella).
2. About that very last move, a large number of you forgot to squat! WOOPS.  I know you’ll fix it :)

GENERAL ENSEMBLE NOTE: As a whole, please be careful of your singing voices.  It’s easy to get carried away with the excitement and I hear some belting voices bordering on yelling which I haven’t heard before.  Please don’t get too carried away in the heat of the moment and forget all about your beautiful choral sound!!!! This means BE LISTENING to those around you as you are singing and blend together!  The audience should not hear one voice above the others.  Specifically, I hear this during “Pray” and the beginning of “We Dance.” 

CHARACTER/ SONG NOTES:

“Ti Moune” (The song)

• Christy, thank you for taking such good direction and fixing the beginning melody right on the spot...it’s the same melody the second time. You got it girl! :) Sounds beautiful.
• Alex, “what I am you made me” ... look to the audience during this whole segment, we want to hear your words and see your beautiful face the whole time so we can sympathize with Ti Moune.  It’s such a powerful moment!  Turn to them after “but if i look back, i’ll never go."  Alex, also slow down your dialogue a little in the interludes. 

“Mama Will Provide”

• Ally, wow. I get chills every time you sing this...especially the “whoa whoa whoa” part. ...(you know what I mean!).  It’s fantastic.  
• Ensemble: you bring down the house here!!! What a great closer to the first act! 
• Nick: Great job listening for that cue. We will make sure to wait for the applause to die down a bit before the music is started, but keep up the good listening!

“SOME SAY”

• Graham, Matt, Dena, Jen, Ciara, and Nick - every one of guys are so great in this! Your solos/duets...so well done! I am so proud of you- I hope you are too! 
• Nick, don’t forget your spoken line! 
• Alli Brophy - beautiful.  You are so entertaining to watch and listen to! Remember the note I gave you before on “was her love too strong” and “story and our song”.  :) 

Alex Keane - your singing is beautiful and your acting is so mature.  It’s so exciting to watch you.  :)

EVERYONE - WHAT TALENT GVMS HAS! 

It is so fun and rewarding to work with you all!  KEEP IT UP! 

IMPORTANT SATURDAY UPDATE

The plan for tomorrow:

• All cast members should arrive with hair and makeup ready (directions can be found here).
• As soon as you arrive, go to the make-up room to have your make-up approved and/or touched up.
• Once you are approved, come sit in the auditorium.
• Featured villagers need to be approved FIRST, as we need to work on the Wedding Sequence with you while the rest of the cast is getting their make-up approved.
• DO NOT GET INTO COSTUME RIGHT AWAY.

Once everyone's make-up is approved, we will clean up and run Act II to make sure we iron out transitions and feel comfortable with the most recent staging.

You will not be getting into costumes until after lunch. This is also when you will start getting souvenir photos taken. We will address this tomorrow.

Get some rest tonight! Snuggle up with some tea and a good movie and VOCAL REST VOCAL REST VOCAL REST! Please take care of yourselves!!

We need everyone to contribute!

CALLING ALL CAST AND CREW MEMBERS' FAMILIES:

 

The annual bake/refreshment sale will be held during each of the performances of  Once on this Island. This event is an enormous fundraiser for the musical!  We will be selling desserts, bottled water, and soft pretzels.  All of the money raised goes directly into the musical funds to cover expenses and to help in future years.

 

We need EACH cast and crew member to provide ONE treat to be sold at the sale.  In order to provide fresh items for each show day/night, we are asking you to follow the schedule below. Please note that things should be packaged individually; for example, if you are baking brownies, please cut them and place one or two in a sealed baggie so that things are sized for one person to purchase them. Store-bought items and individually wrapped candy that is sized/packaged for one person to buy are also welcome.

 

If your LAST name begins with A-H, please bring your treat when you report on THURSDAY, March 1 for the show.

 

If your LAST name begins with I-O, please bring your treat when you report on FRIDAY, March 2 for the show.

 

If your LAST name begins with P-Z, please bring your treat when you report on SATURDAY afternoon, March 3 for the show.

 

There will be long tables set up just inside the main doors of GWES outside the cafeteria, you can just place your items there.

 

Any questions, please contact Rhonda Schuck at rhondaschuck @ juno.com.

 

THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!

Saturday!

Souvenir photos will be taken on Saturday morning. 

Each year, we let our cast members get photos with their friends and cast mates while they are in full costume & make-up, so that everyone has a photo memory of the production.

Be prepared to be pulled by our photographer, Mrs. Lane, to take a few quick group snaps. These photos should be finished within the first two hours of rehearsal.

Although these aren't souvenir photos, this is a taste of what a final production looks like. Remember this, 8th graders? :)

Stay healthy, please! And some important notes...

Please take care of yourselves! Make sure you're getting enough protein (the basis of your immune system) and eating your fruits & veggies for all those yummy vitamins and minerals that will keep you healthy and happy!

Unless you are sick, there are NO excused absences from now until closing night. We need everyone at rehearsals so we can work our best as a team! 

Storytellers & Little Ti Moune: if you can arrive 10 minutes early to rehearsal tonight, please do. Ms. Neville wants to run through "Some Say" before we start our full cast rehearsal.


IMPORTANT -- Friday night's rehearsal: Friday night is our sound check with our sound system gurus. We will only need the following cast members to attend:

• Ti Moune
• Mama
• TonTon
• Little Ti Moune
• Storytellers
• Asaka
• Agwe
• Erzulie
• Papa Ge
• Daniel
• Andrea
• Daniel's father

Everyone else, PLEASE take Friday night off (including understudies and swings!). Rest your voices, and load up on your Vitamins C and E!

Saturday is EXTREMELY important. We will be running the show and completing a FULL dress rehearsal. Everyone must be IN THE BUILDING PROMPTLY at 9:00AM, and follow the instructions mentioned below regarding getting into costumes, hair, and make-up.

EVERYONE MUST READ 

THIS POST ABOUT COSTUMES, HAIR, AND MAKE-UP

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, 

PLEASE BRING THEM TO REHEARSAL TONIGHT

Stay healthy! See you tonight! 

CAST MEMBERS: Important make-up information!

“ONCE ON THIS ISLAND” MAKE UP & HAIR INFORMATION

BEFORE ARRIVAL:

1. Eat, shower, dry your hair, and apply deodorant (please!)
2. All performers: Apply foundation one shade darker than your own skin color to face, neck and ears.  If you have a low neckline on your costume, don’t forget your chest.  The foundation make up should be applied so as to look natural.    
3. If your skin is sensitive, consider putting on a primer lotion to protect your skin before you apply foundation. This can be found at a drug store, cosmetic counter, or Ulta.  
4. IN A PLASTIC BAG WITH YOUR NAME, please bring your own personal:

• Comb and/or brush
• Mascara & eyeliner
• Natural lipstick – NO FIRE ENGINE RED OR BRIGHT PINK LIPS!

Bring Baggie to  Dress Rehearsal on Saturday, 25 February 2012.  

This will stay in your Costume Bin.   

HAIR:  

Peasant women – Braids or cornrows (More island natural look)

Peasant men – Natural/messy/wind-tossled 

Grands hommes women - Buns or half buns (More sophisticated look)

Grands hommes men – Slicked down (we have gel in Make Up Room)

If you or someone at home like to braid hair, please do your hair at home.  Bring hair accessories for your hair style.  The peasants who transform into GH need to bring hair items to use at intermission.  We will also put more make up on you at that time to give you that sophisticated look.

UPON ARRIVAL:

1. Go directly to changing area and retrieve your bin.  Find your costume.
2. Change into your costume taking care to not get foundation make up on your costume, return hanger to the rack.  Place your street clothes in the bin.  Leave nothing on the floor.
3. Bring your Make Up Baggie to the Make Up Room.
4. There will be stations for:
1. Peasants
2. Grands Hommes
3. Storytellers
4. Gods
5. “Older Islanders”
6. Featured Dancers  

AT THE END OF THE SHOW:

1. All costumes go back on their hangers on the correct rack.
2. Make sure everything is there BEFORE you leave.
3. Bins are to be replaced after each show with your Make Up Baggies inside.
4. Let’s all work together to clean up and account for all costumes and make up!

WE CAN'T WAIT TO GET STARTED!!

To download a Word .doc of these instructions to print out, 

click here.

Parents: good with make-up?

Dear Parents of "Once On This Island" cast,

We are thrilled to have the following volunteers on the Hair & Make-up Committee and look forward to working with you:

-  Julia Tseng - Co Chair

-  Wendy Leland - Co Chair

-  Nicole Sakowitz - Designer

-  Kim Stillwell 

-  Dee Pancoast

-  Sunita Baghele

-  Caroline Ellis

-  Suzanna Morgenweck

-  Sharon Ford

As you may know, most of the time spent on this committee is during the dress rehearsal (Saturday, 25 Feb) and right before performance time (1, 2, 3 March). 

But we will have one short meeting at 6:30 on Wednesday, 22 February at GWES in the Make Up room.   

Please let us know your availability for the dress rehearsal and the shows at that time.

We have almost 100 actors to be made up within one hour prior to the show. 

No one will have to work every show, but we are in need of more volunteers. 

This is one of the great positions where you get to be with the excited kids right before performing and join in their energy!  

This year's production does not require elaborate hair or make-up. Everyone is qualified!  

For those of you volunteering, please let us know if you prefer to work with hair or make-up. We will be doing some various braids on the peasant women and more sophisticated styles on the townswomen. 

Call/email Wendy/Julia if you have any questions or concerns.  Wendy: 610.983.9032 (home) or 610.952.1973 (cell); Julia: 610.608.8967

Thanks again for volunteering!

Julia Tseng & Wendy Leland

Help for the cast party needed!

CAST PARTY CANDY NEEDED  and CAST PARTY CHAPERONE, SET-UP AND CLEAN UP HELP NEEDED

The cast party is looking for candy donations that will be used in the souvenir mug the kids will receive as a cast party favor.  Each child will receive a "Once on This Island" mug filled with candy and a photo with an island themed photo holder.    

Please make sure that all donated candy consists of small, wrapped pieces, and that they contain no nuts.  Hershey kisses and hard candy are great.  If you can help, please have your child bring a bag of candy by drop off on 2/25. 

If you would like to volunteer helping the cast party crew assemble the mugs on 2/25 in the morning at GWES, that would be very much appreciated.  Please contact Rita Stern at 484.678.4535 or rita @ mrs-stern.com.  It is a great time to buy after Valentine Day's candy.  The kids really look forward to the Cast Party. 

Also, any parents wanting to help chaperone, set-up or clean-up after the cast party please contact Rita as well. Thanks again for your support.

Parent volunteers needed for performances!

The "Front of the House" team has responsibility for ushering and selling flowers, show momentos, and good luck grams. The usher team is primarily comprised of students but we do need at least one adult per show to oversee the student ushers. For both ushering and selling we ask that you be at the performance 30-45  minutes prior to the show. Sales volunteers will sell prior to the performance as well as during intermission. We have the need for additional help at the following performances:

Thursday, March 1st - 1 volunteer to help with sales

Friday, March 2nd - 1 volunteer to help with sales

Saturday, March 3rd @ 2:00 PM - 1 volunteer to head the ushers and 4 volunteers to sell

Saturday, March 3rd @ 7:00 PM - 1 volunteer with sales

Please contact Debi Lynch at lynchkg2 @ comcast.net or 484.320.8299 or Sharon Mills Zalis at shzalis @ aol.com or 610.420.1381 if you can help.

Thank you!