Amazing High School productions

[Bartleymc]

Posted: 9/8/12 at 1:03am

Love the worst high school performance thread...but lets celebrate some of the best

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYUmfb4inQk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vkx2ULneh8w&feature=related



Updated On: 9/8/12 at 01:03 AM

[muchadoabout_me2]

Posted: 9/8/12 at 1:11am

Can I take a guess at what high school you attended (attend?)

[Bartleymc]

Posted: 9/8/12 at 1:13am

Im the TD at this high school...the kids are so great at what they do from pit to stage crew

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/8/12 at 1:21am

I'm going to steal this one from the bad high school productions thread because, aside from the Engineer, this is still the best looking high school production I've ever seen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4_am2KDIqA

[AwesomeDanny]

Posted: 9/8/12 at 1:36am

I have a few friends who were in this production of Phantom of the Opera. They had a $50,000 budget from a donation a local supporter of the arts gave, and so they had a fly system, a chandelier, and the boat that can be seen in this clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vSEpAeuPJ0

The Phantom (the role was double cast, so I'm not sure if it's the one here) was in the event featured in the new PBS documentary thing "Broadway or Bust," and he had to win a really competitive competition to get there because the schools in this area have great funding for the arts.

[BroadwayBuff4Life]

Posted: 9/8/12 at 9:41am

Aida - Parkland High School - Allentown, PA. STELLAR.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ul3JjOtWNY&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SGQ5nMPo5A


Updated On: 9/8/12 at 09:41 AM

[Quiche2]

Posted: 9/8/12 at 10:00am

AwesomeDanny, that is probably the best high school production I have ever seen. Im in 12th grade, and I have been in the school musical almost every year since 7th grade, and have NEVER experienced anything like this. I also love to attend school shows to see how the students interpert the show. Was the boat on a track? I've never seen a fly system or a track in any high school shows. The best I've ever seen is a couple of 9th graders pushing the sets on and off.

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 9/8/12 at 11:45am

My HS productions of Ragtime and Pirates!

Coalhouse Demands
http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=US#/watch?v=Mmsis241dcg

Pirates Act I Finale
http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=US#/watch?v=3xzckD63tSw

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 9/8/12 at 1:42pm

The set for that Parkland HS production of Aida is the rental set, designed by Kelly Tighe, available from the Gateway Playhouse.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/8/12 at 2:19pm

^It's kind of cheating when you rent a set from a professional company.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 9/8/12 at 2:35pm

I was simply making note because I think I think it's an attractive set, but yes, to be fair, it was not designed and built by faculty and students or school parents.

[Jungle Red]

Posted: 9/8/12 at 3:18pm

If a HS can afford to rent, why shouldn't they?

My HS rented sets for every major musical production. We only built our play sets.

(On a side note, I will never forget our set for RUMORS. Looked great from the front but oh so dangerous from the back. Lots and lots of duct tape!)

[dramamama611]

Posted: 9/8/12 at 3:20pm

Cheating what? They aren't in a competition, they were putting up a production. I know LOTS of HS's that rent a great deal of their sets. Not the way I want to spend MY budget, but to each his own.

It did, however, look like they had some dedicated, talented kids, regardless of the rented set.

[wonkit]

Posted: 9/8/12 at 5:39pm

The use of a rented set gives talented youngsters a real taste of a professional production. One of the best performances I have seen of MY FAIR LADY was a high school production at Danbury High School (CT) in the 1970's, with a rented set and (more importantly) rented Ascot costumes. Phenomenal.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 9/8/12 at 8:28pm

LOL. I only posted and made note in case someone were so inclined as to check out the rental page from Gateway and see the set in action. It's very nice..
Ha.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 9/8/12 at 9:15pm

I was addressing CATSNY comment that they were cheating. S/he was the only one that seem to be negative about it.

My set designer gets mad whenever I even suggest renting a backdrop!

[BroadwayBuff4Life]

Posted: 9/8/12 at 9:29pm

Well thats unfortunate that your set designer is unaware how to efficiently implement a budget...

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 9/8/12 at 9:42pm

It depends on the school. Were I went to HS, stagecraft was as important as any other class, so it would have betrayed the point to have a rental set. But I imagine many schools aren't in the same situation.

[Jon]

Posted: 9/8/12 at 10:56pm

I agree - if it's "educational theatre", part of that education includes building and painting scenery. In my high school, there were art students who were thrilled with the opportunity to design and paint backdrops. They got class credit for it.

[morosco]

Posted: 9/9/12 at 12:02am

This girl is phenomenal. High school.....amazing.
Never - On The Twentieth Century

[ACL2006]

Posted: 9/9/12 at 1:13am

well I wouldn't call that HS production of Aida exactly Stellar. it was good, but the girl playing Aida clearly cracks badly at the end of "Dance of the Robes". And the one thing I can't stand with certain HS is how they feel the need to cast everyone that auditions. In the case of Parkland HS's Aida, there's around 50 "Nubians" on stage, looking way too crowded. There "The Gods Love Nubia" was slow, but pretty damn good.

[AwesomeDanny]

Posted: 9/9/12 at 2:43am

High schools that cast everyone who auditions don't usually do so because they think everyone is extremely talented, but everyone deserves the opportunity. While it's rewarding to put on a fantastic show, the main goal is for students to learn. If that makes the stage look a little too crowded, so be it. The video of Phantom I posted had a cast of more than 90 people, although their stage was huge, and they had a 2,000 seat theatre. And, besides, at many schools, a cast of 50 can be quite selective. When my school did Chicago, almost one hundred people auditioned, and about 40 were cast, and the stage was very crowded. There are many reasons for a school to have a large cast.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 9/9/12 at 7:18am

It has nothing to DO with budget issues. He wants all the set to be designed and/or created by students. As a few people mentioned: we are teaching all the students...not just the actors.

We are one of those HS that casts everyone in the musical. Do they realize that's not the 'real world'? Of course. But are they experiencing something wonderful? Well, usually. They learn, they experience, they are a part of something bigger than just themselves. It might not be for everyone, but it works for us. There are enough competitive performances the rest of the year.

[trentsketch]

Posted: 9/9/12 at 9:43am

I also work a few different "cast everyone" high schools. They view educational theater as just that: an educational opportunity. Some have large budgets and can rent out sets and costumes. Most build their own and do the best they can.

The reason I like working with cast everyone high schools is that they encourage students to explore their interests in theater. The students are encouraged to show up on days they're not rehearsing and help build sets, sew costumes, organize props, or even go out and solicit advertisements for the playbill or donations from the program. If they decide they'd rather play in the pit or do makeup on show nights, we let them. I had one student that wanted nothing more than to help organize the box office. He wound up creating a new ticketing system that the school is still using for large events.

Are there times where there is a clear difference in skill onstage? Yes. Does that mean that, in a district encouraging students to explore the arts through the production of live theater, that students who are struggling to keep up in ensemble numbers should be cut or not cast at all? That's up for the program to decide. And a smart director will know how to cast a show to best showcase the students involved.

I prefer everyone who wants to be in the show to actually be in the show. The caveat is actually showing they want to be in it. Miss too many practices and I have no problem reassigning solos or featured roles to students who actually show up and put the work in.

[broadway guy]

Posted: 9/9/12 at 10:17am

The Best Highschool Beauty and the bEASt:BE OUR GUEST



http://youtu.be/OHds3nndnXY
Updated On: 9/9/12 at 10:17 AM