<p>OCU is about a 3 hour drive for us, and even though my D is only a high school freshman, she was very interested in checking out the show, the campus and the city. We were not disappointed. It was very much a worthwhile trip.</p>
<p>We were blown away by the show. The level of talent was absoutely amazing. My D is looking forward to finding out more about this school and hope to see more shows in their upcoming season.</p>
<p>I'm new to this forum, but to any of you kids who are attending OCU or just got accepted, kudos and best wishes to you all! I thought every cast member we saw seemed completely "Broadway ready!"</p>
<p>Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, as we had so hoped to get to see this show. As you can tell by the decision list, OCU is drawing so many CC kids! We are also very interested for the future and are anxiously waiting for acceptance into the summer program at OCU.</p>
<p>We would have traveled to OCU for this but Eric is finishing up an excellent run of Annie Get Your Gun which ends in another week. He has taken the little brother role of Little Jake and turned it into the funniest character of the show (guess I'm doing my braggin on your new thread!).</p>
<p>ah i love seussical. we did it at my high school this year. i was gertrude. out of all the plays ive been in, thats probably my favorite. it was so fun!</p>
<p>My D was in Seussical last summer/fall and was also Gertrude! She loved it! She was in a local community theater production. What a cute show. and Gertrude is really a cute role with funny parts and touching parts too with her relationship with Horton (who happened to be one of her very dearest friends).</p>
<p>Do you have a connection to UM? My D is just finishing her freshman year as an MT there and is excited about Seussical next spring. It will have a large cast and is being directed by the faculty dance teacher who my D will have for "Styles" next year. Sophomore year is a big dance year - the MT's take ballet (as they did this freshman year), styles (Broadway dance) and tap. UM will also be doing Boys From Syracuse in October and Company in November.</p>
<p>BW is doing Company next fall as well! It's interesting how I see a lot of the same shows be done by colleges, its no surprise cause theyre great shows!</p>
<p>Yes, OCU's Seussical was a great show! I drove up there Friday night. Just in case anyone was wondering, next season OCU is doing (in no particular order, except I know Parade is last): Guys and Dolls, Pirates of Penzance (yes!), La Sonnambula, La Boheme (YES!), Lucky Stiff, and Parade.</p>
<p>Theatermom, WNYDanceMom's daughter is a freshman BFA in Dance student at UM!!</p>
<p>Wow, look at all the Gertrudes on this forum :D.
I have yet to see Seussical (though my D's summer program did it last year but she was not in it), but my D has played Gertrude many times in a show that was JUST about Gertrude McFuzz. She is quite a character!
Susan</p>
<p>We are tempted to go up for every show. I love the OCR for Parade but have never seen it performed. An Austin area theater (three hour drive the other way, LOL) was planning on doing it over a year ago but dropped it due to budget cuts. The first time I heard it I sat through the whole thing wearing a Walkman. My hubby was reading a book and he looked over to see me with tears in my eyes.</p>
<p>My D was in Pirates of Penzance in another nearby college town (home of UNT) when she was 12. We love this one especially, too. Mabel is one of my D's dream roles.</p>
<p>Looks like a great lineup of shows. Lucky students and theater patrons!</p>
<p>Thanks SoozieVt for the WNYdancemom/UM connection! My old brain goes on vacation without me sometimes.........</p>
<p>Sorry WNYdancemom! I know we've even "shared" a discussion about UM dance......(see above reference to my brain)......The MT kids are talking about UM's Seussical as being a "big dance show," but I've never seen it. Would dance majors consider auditioning for this show? Are they permitted to? I know my D just performed in one of the MFA Dance student's graduation pieces, but don't know if dance majors ever work in MT department shows or would want to. (For those who don't know, the UM Dance dept is heavily focused on Modern Dance.)</p>
<p>My D. loves the dance program at UM, and is very involved in modern dance. She also loves jazz dance, but has the impression that the MT dept. is very hesitant about letting dance majors into their shows. (yet, there were 4 or 5 MT male students in this year's main dance show -- in Fosse, which my D. was cast in and LOVED being in). This annoys her, as she'd love to be in the musical, too, even though her dance stuff keeps her quite busy. (and, this year anyway, the spring musical was the same weekend as the senior BFA show, which she was cast in this year) Now, I don't know if her impression is correct...I WILL let her know that the show is "dance heavy," and see if she wants to do something about it. She has a very good friend who is a MT freshman (Zach) who is excited about next year.
Hopefully, your D. will be in the show next year (with all her dance, I'm sure she will be!) and I'll get to see her!</p>
<p>theatermom: That's great about Suessical being a dance show! (I don't know it at all, so its good to read these posts) I am sure your D will be in it! Do you think most times they choose shows keeping mindful of what kind of talent they have?</p>
<p>I don't want to get ahead of myself with this as I said I have never seen the show (although have purchased the OCR at my D's request and have listened to it all of one time so far). I just know that the kids have been talking about it and those who are dancers seem to be pleased with the choice. I would love it if those CC people who have seen the show could enlighten us - would you consider Seussical a "dance heavy" show or not? if so, what kind(s) of dance is it? Is there a chorus that dances? Do any of the featured parts require dance?</p>
<p>Gkoukla - In regard to your question about choosing shows, I'm sure there are many factors that come into play. I don't think that they literally cast ahead of time in their minds, but as with any producing entity, they have to consider what the strengths are of the the pool of people from which they have to cast. But they also have real budget issues to deal with. The rights to shows are not inexpensive. And the scene and costume demands of the shows are also budgetary considerations. Lots to think about.</p>
<p>WNYdancemom - I didn't know that there were so many MT boys in the Dance show, although I do know that there are many strong dancers in the MT program, as witness the Fall production of Chorus Line - I was really impressed by the uniformly high quality of the dancing and it was all original choreography as it was guest directed by Kerry Casserly, who was in the Broadway, national and international tours. I'm sorry I didn't get to see the Fosse show. Keep us posted on when you D is performing so maybe we can see her! Was she in the graduate student recital by any chance? How is she spending her summer?</p>
<p>D. was asked to be in the MFA show, but for the first time since she's been at UM, had to decline due to time constraints, lol! (she wanted to be in a certain person's piece, but I forgot whose!) She did "tech" for it, though. In addition, this spring she was in the Freshman touring company, where they "traveled" to schools and nursing homes, etc (in 2 dances, choreographed another!), her "Buto" class piece (Japanese/Javanese modern dance -- very weird -- one LONGGGG dance), a video dance piece, an independent concert for a sophomore dance friend, AND the senior BFA choreography show (also in 2 pieces!). Exhausted,here, just thinking about it. </p>
<p>Anyway, to clarify: the Power Center show in February is the Dance Dept.'s "big" concert. It was called Jazzin' this year, but it was mostly modern dance pieces set to old and new jazz music, all played brilliantly by the superb music students. Anyway, Linda Goodrich wanted to restage "Rich Man's Frug" from Sweet Charity for that concert (and so, all the dance students just called it the "Fosse" piece). It came out just great. They actually had to use some of the MT boys, because there are only a few male dance majors (6, i think?), but a couple of the dance boys were NOT in "Fosse," so I think there were some grumblings that they used MT boys instead. (are you at all following this????) My opinion is that that particular piece calls for a lot of "acting," and so, some of the dance boys might not have been right for it. But the dancers were a little miffed, I guess!</p>
<p>By the way, D. thought "A Chorus Line" was just great, very impressive, and she's very picky about dance musicals!</p>
<p>Thanks for the clarification! Sounds like your D had a very busy year! and a diverse and exciting one.</p>
<p>I wish I lived closer to UM so I could see all the great performances. Sorry the Fosse number caused any hard feelings......Linda Goodrich will direct Seussical (you probably know that) and will teach the Styles class my D will be in next year. She cannot stop raving about her dance teachers at UM. Even after 11 years of training at home, she feels like she is learning so much at UM. And even more dance next year! - ballet, styles AND tap! she's in hog heaven.......</p>
<p>PS - my D was one of 3 MT freshmen girls who were in the funky ballet piece choreographed to music by Nine Inch Nails - you should have seen the costumes.....yikes! ask your D to tell you......</p>
<p>Regarding Seussical being a dance show....I recently saw it at a local high school and there was SOME dance in it, but I can't say I would call it a dance show...but maybe this production just toned down that aspect. It's the first time I had seen the show. This high school has some fine dancers so I don't think there would be any reason to tone down the dancing for that reason.</p>
<p>Ha! Perhaps the UM MT students are excited about Seussical because this past spring's musical was City of Angels. Compared to that, Seussical is indeed a "dance heavy show!"</p>