Thanks, Dana

 

 

 

The lion's share of the production budget for "Les Mis" goes towards licensing, scripts and music.  So if it appears overly grandiose for a high school to do "Les Mis", it is not.  It's all smoke and mirrors...(and hazers!)  Any appearance that this particular show is a super-Broadway-hot-ticket-extravaganza is only because it's a very recent Broadway hit.  (And it's still running professionally...so community theaters are not allowed to run it yet...only schools).  If our production comes across as too mega-sized for the high school tradition, then I feel it's only because of the fine talents of our career bound actors...and of course my "plum sexy" lighting design!!! 

 

And a note about "production value" in general.  Yes, I am a full-time designer/tech director...so I shouldn't be saying this:  But I like to feel that our performers could do just as fine a performance in front of my black velour traveler and one followspot!  Yes, I would be out of a job, but they would still be tremendous. 

 

The scenic elements, I feel, are for the purpose of enhancing the "suspension of disbelief" on the part of our audience.   An audience, by the way, which has grown up seeing Spielberg-quality movies and flying up to Broadway over Christmas break to see "Lion King" or "Phantom".   No, no...nobody seriously tries to mimic that level of the art.  But some nieve theatre patrons enter the house on opening night with those kinds of pre-concieved prejudices ingrained in their imaginations.   One hundred years ago folks payed cash to sit in a tent at the state fair and cheer for a silent slide show!...so back then it was easier to impress theatre-goers with a couple muslin flats.

 

The other "image" or prejudice that parents bring into a high school theatre, I feel, is the production value of the huge community theatre plays these days.  Our school parents have kids who also do lots of community theatre on the side.  Maybe some patrons are "sensitized" to mega-theatre each year when the community theatre's business manager comes out on stage for a curtain speech and says:  "Welcome to our $80 thousand production of "High School Musical" or whatever the show is. 

 

In summary, hmmm, I don't know what to say.  Yes, high school plays surely look glossier than the ones I did in the 70's.  But I don't feel that this pollutes the basic experience and fun memories for the kids.  I did 55 plays when I was in high school...it was "my thing"...and 6 or 8 of my theatre buddies are still my best friends today!  One was recently my "best man" and one I recently hired to paint the set for "Narnia".    Likewise, the kids today at this school will often admit on graduation day that theatre was their favorite part of the day...(and for a few, the biggest draw for coming to school!)   And even if they leave us for NYU, Northwestern or Juilliard, they still want to return for "Alumni Night" with old friends at our Fall musical.  So that aspect has not changed.  That's a good thing.

 

Our drama department motto is:  "It's all about the process!"  And our school motto is:  "Friendship, Scholarship, Sportsmanship"...(notice "Friendship" is first?)  So I hope we can always cling to this idea and not become a "factory of glitz and stardom".

 

The only other quip I can think of is, once we raise the bar with one big production, it's hard to turn back after the precedent of high quality has been set.

 

Thanks for reading my ramblings.  -Dana