<p>Baymom, I'm impressed with the Ragtime being at the high school. That is not commonly done (yet) at many high schools. Where we live, we don't have the diversity but we have a fairly small high school but it is bigger than yours. What did your son play in Ragtime? I love that show, saw it on Broadway.</p>
<p>My son was Henry Ford and of course a whole bunch of other parts. The Henry Ford scene in the factory was awesome - the set was amazing as was the chroeography that turned the "factory workers" into living machinery. So he had a real showcase number.</p>
<p>It really was an amazing show for high schoolers to put on. Our Coalhouse (he'll be a junior in MT at Syracuse in the fall) was simply incredible. An amazing voice and presence. Our Mother was also terrific - a really fine actress, powerful vocie and so mature as a junior (she'll be a sophomore at Evansville this year).</p>
<p>Our school is very diverse. It's in a very white bread suburb of Milwaukee but draws kids from all over - central city to rural communities. It's about 35% miniority with many of them African American and Hispanic students so we were blessed to be able to stage this show. The kids also got to do it at one of our downtown showcase theaters and it was a sell-out crowd especially as it was the first production of "Ragtime" to be done in Wisconsin after the rights came out.</p>
<p>Baymom, thanks for sharing that anecdote. It sounds like an incredible high school production and then to do it downtown in the community is like wow! Our high school is not ethnically diverse though it is economically diverse. We would not have the cast for this show. </p>
<p>I thought Ragtime was an incredible musical when I saw it on Broadway right before it closed. My D knows the original Little Girl, as she went to theater camp with her. She has not seen her in years but she is going to the same college BFA program as her next fall. My own child once auditioned for that role on the National Tour but was told she was too tall (her agent had sent in an outdated resume by mistake and so she was taller than the height on the old resume). My D has had the good fortune of doing several shows with a woman who was in the original Bdway cast. This woman is phenomenal and has been in several Bdway shows and she is a CMU alum in fact. This actress' boyfriend also was in the original Bdway cast and one winter, the both of them came to visit us at our rural home in VT and go skiing and both my girls who were around middle school age at the time were just so fascinated to spend the weekend with these two actors from Ragtime and teach them to ski. My younger D used to play the CD over and over again (she does that every time she gets passionate about a show to the point where as much as a love the show, I can get sick of the CD pretty fast in the car!). My D once played the character of Emma Goldman but in a different musical, so that was another interesting thing at the time when we saw it on Bdway. I thought one neat thing was that it was not only a great musical with a great score, but it was almost like seeing a play that could easily stand alone without the music, almost more than many musicals. I still am impressed that your small high school did it. I know that PSU has done it and heard it was great. Thanks for sharing. </p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>my school didn't do any full musicals ... just a review show. our full length plays this year were "as you like it," and "a view from the bridge" in honor of arthur miller's passing. we also did a bunch of scene presentations and some improv and sketch comedy shows.</p>
<p>we, too, have a great theatre and choral department.
Soph: Oklahoma!, Out of the Frying Pan
Junior: Philadelphia, Mixed Nuts
Senior: Steel Magnolias, Once Upon a Matress, Charlie's Aunt
They only do a musical every other year because they're so involved and so expensive. But, they're always quality.</p>
<p>My S was fortunate in that his high school did a musical in the fall, and then our church did a musical in the spring. The church musical was a very high quality show in a major university theater, with a professional director.
Freshman: Music Man (church)
Soph: The Boyfriend (HS), Oklahoma (church)
Junior: Fiddler on the Roof (at both!)
Senior: Guys and Dolls (HS)</p>
<p>We are lucky, sort of, because there are many high schools in New Orleans. Many of them are same sex Catholic High Schools. When it comes to drama, the girls can try out for their own school shows or they can audition for the boys schools shows. So they have many options. My D & S go to the Performing Arts High School, which gives them another option and there are continuous community theater shows that regularly cast high schoolers. I will give a run down of some of the schools and how S and D have participated. (D is a rising Senior, S is a rising Freshmen) :</p>
<p>freshmen: Copacabana ( D ensemble)
One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest (were doing a community show)
Jesus Christ Superstar (All girl cast; D was Herod's Dancer and ensemble) </p>
<p>sophmore: Chess (D reporter from tenessee, featured dancer, ensemble)
To Kill a Mockingbird (jury member)</p>
<p>junior: Dead Man Walking (was doing a community show)
Running Through Time (PAHS - D was featured soloist and ensemble)
Singing in the Rain (D was Kathy Selden)
In the Beginning (S was Pheti)</p>
<p>Freshmen:
The Women
Wait Until Dark
Durang Me (tons of differant durang scenes)
Company Show
Pippin
Footloose
Copacabana
The Plaids</p>
<p>Soph:
Company Show
Children of Eden
Copacabana
The Nerd
Big
Showcase</p>
<p>Junior:
Sylvia
Big Time
Romeo and Juliet
West Side Story
The Diviners
Showcase
Sideshow</p>
<p>you can look at all the pics at <a href="http://www.cccepa.com%5B/url%5D">www.cccepa.com</a></p>
<p>Stacy,
You are very lucky to go to a high school like that! We don't have performing arts high schools in our state but yours sure looks amazing. The shows look great. One weird thing was when I was viewing the showcase, when I clicked on each picture, it came on as video (really great talent) but then when I tried to do it a second time by clicking on the page, it never happened again and it was just photos (still good of course). </p>
<p>Our high school is strong in the arts and so we do have good plays and musicals and also very good music department. But unlike your experience at your performing arts high school, our family has to piece that kind of experience together, and add to school and go many places every afternoon, night and weekend and when those elements are added together, a kid can get lots of the same things (but just not all at school). But it must be amazing to go to a school that focuses on that. That is likely one thing my daughter loves about her yearly summer program where everyone is doing theater (dance, drama, etc.). You get that all year at school so that must be pretty terrific! Thanks for sharing the site and photos. </p>
<p>I also liked how they had a showcase, seemed wonderful. It reminded me a tiny bit of something my D created at her school the past two years when she wrote, produced and directed a musical cabaret. But otherwise, our school had nothing like that. I do think our school does great shows and all but there is simply not nearly as much going on as at a performing arts high school like you have. You are fortunate, I hope you know! Are you gonna head to a college program in this field?
Susan</p>
<p>Thanks, I LOVE my school. The pictures are all the photos at the top and the videos are all located at the very bottum. I am going to go to college for drama</p>
<p>Here is what my High school did my four years there and what I got to play in them. </p>
<p>Frosh year:</p>
<p>Dark of The Moon- Barbara Allen
Sideshow- Violet Hilton</p>
<p>Soph Year: </p>
<p>Lend ME a Tenor- Maggie
Bat Boy the Musical- Shelley Parker
Les Miserables- Cosette</p>
<p>Junior YEar:</p>
<p>The Bill show- Mystery Woman
DAvid and Lisa- Kate
Songs for a NEw World- Woman 1
Cabaret- Sally Bowles</p>
<p>Senior Year: </p>
<p>A Midsummer Night's Dream: Helena
Diary of ANne Frank: Miep
Last 5 years: Cathy
Beauty and the BEast: Belle</p>
<p>As you can see our shool does a lot of varied things. I'm really lucky!</p>
<p>Freshman
The Music Man (Marian)
Fiddler on the Roof (Shprintze)
Is There Life After High School? (performer and director)</p>
<p>Sophomore
The Crucible (Mary Warren)
Crazy For You (Patricia Fodor)
Hello, Dolly! (Ermengarde)
Scenes from Assassins (director)</p>
<p>Junior
The Man Who Came to Dinner (Sheridan Whiteside)
Oklahoma! (Ado Annie)</p>
<p>My high school is grades 7-12, so I was doing high school shows when I was still in junior high. In seventh and eighth grade, I was a storyteller in Once On This Island and Cinderella in Into The Woods. I'm also constantly time, Merrily We Roll Along. Yay!</p>
<p>Cadget, your high school also sounds amazing. I am thinking it is also a performing arts high school? You have played some terrrific roles, good for you! I can't remember but are you going to CAP21 next fall (forgive me for not keeping everyone straight, I ought to keep a list by the computer). I thought you might be going to school with my daughter. </p>
<p>Reno....very cool shows and I am wondering if that is also a performing arts high school to be doing two musicals in one year (most high schools seem to only have one musical in a year, I thought). My D has similarities to you, lol.....having also been Mary Warren in The Crucible and Ado Annie in Oklahoma. She also did Once on This Island twice, once as Ti Moune, and one time as Little Ti Moune, and Into the Woods but was Little Red, not Cinderella. At our high school, they allow middle school kids to try out for the high school dramas and musicals (even though the middle school has its own musical) as it is attached to the high school and shares some of the same facilities. In middle school, my D always did the high school productions too, like YOU! </p>
<p>All this time I figured you have played Reno in Anything Goes and been in Sweeney...hmm, have ya? Or ya just like those shows? </p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>Hey Sooziviet</p>
<p>Nope, not a performing arts high school. Just a lot of kids who pusjed or shows and an ambitious director. :) I am not going to CAp next year, I was accepted and was toiling over it, however I decided on Northwestern Univeristy for next year But i have some very good friends going to CAP so your daughter will definately be in good company!</p>
<p>Cadget, I do recall you getting accepted into CAP and that was my confusion but good for you for getting into Northwestern! It'll be great. Hope my daughter gets to know your friends when she gets to college. You've played some great roles and I am sure you have a bright future ahead!
Susan</p>
<p>yay i just found out next season's shows!!</p>
<p>Noises Off! (fall play)
AIDA (spring musical!!)</p>
<p>i'm so excited!!</p>
<p>Actually, Susan, I attend an inter-district performing arts program for half the day where I take theatre classes, but the only show I listed that I performed there was Crazy For You. Rather, my school allows jr. high students and high school students to perform in both the "junior high" and "high school" musicals. The only difference between the two being that the "junior high" show is in the fall, and the director tends to cast younger students in leads. Also, that show has a smaller budget. </p>
<p>So, though the cast for, say Fiddler and Music Man were the same, us froshies had a much greater chance at leads in the latter. Also, at the whim of a director/adviser they occasionally do more shows than usual a year. If someone feels like producing it.</p>
<p>I have, unfortunately, never appeared in either Anything Goes or Sweeney Todd. I hope to remedy that soon.</p>
<p>for noises off are ya'll going to get a set that does a 360*?</p>
<p>yeah. apparently we're going to be welding, something that's never been done before at our school. i'm really excited!</p>
<p>Freshman:
Witness for the prosecution (play)
Evita (musical)</p>
<p>Sophomore
The Mystery of Edwin Drood(musical)
Once on this Island(musical)</p>
<p>Junior
Metamorphoses (play)
A Funny Thing Happened on The way to the Forum (musical)</p>
<p>this coming Senior Year
Arabian Nights(play)
Les Miserables (musical)</p>
<p>my school has an amazing drama department. In fact we are as good as the local colleges and even unfortunaetly turned down the offer to perform Starmites at the international thespian festival. For metamorphoses we turn our very deep orchestra pit into a pool that was 4 feet deep. Our set are amazing no joke. Les Miserables next year will have a rotating stage as well. I feel very honored to have such great facilities.</p>