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 Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board :Producing Theater :Play Suggestions |
 Topic: Junior Musicals( Topic Closed) |
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castMe
Celebrity 
Joined: 11/02/05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 206 |
 Posted: 5/26/06 at 8:46pm |
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Last year one of our local community theaters presented Peter Pan and
mid-way thru rehearsals someone in the cast asked if it was right for
us to refer to the Indians as "Indians". After much debate, the
theater administration, thank goodness, decided the script was the
script and programs were printed listing the actors as "Indians".
To my knowledge, no one protested this decision. My point at the time
was "What the hell do we call them....Native United Kingdomers?
The American Pirate Anti-Defamation League did, however lodge an offical protest thus preventing the theater from performing "The Pirates of Penzanze" Damn pirates. Seriously, I am (although I shouldn't be by this time) amazed each time I hear of someone or another trying to edit, censor or otherwise change lyric, script or plot because of "Political Correctness" Blooody stupid thing political correctness. I think it was Picasso who commented (I am paraphrasing) That if art doesn't offend someone, it isn't art. I agree and often tell my casts if we don't offend somebody, we're not doing it right. I don't want to do white bread, lowest common denominator made-for-TV crap. It's often risky, sure, but I love the feeling being way out on a limb. And I do, at the end of the day, have to answer to myself. |
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Investigate. Imagine. Choose.
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Gaafa
Celebrity
Joined: 3/21/04 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 1181 |
Posted: 5/26/06 at 8:51pm |
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?Taking to the street? that could be a song Topper!.
Maybe you should all calibrate & write a Musical? 
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Joe
Western Gondawandaland turn right @ Perth. Hear the light & see the sound. Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"} May you always play to a full house} |
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casey05
Lead 
Joined: 6/17/05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 42 |
Posted: 5/27/06 at 8:38am |
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Wasn't it the Wizard of Oz which changed one character's name from Hunk to Huck because the name Hunk wasn't considered PC (for whatever reasons I simply cannot imagine)?
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mtgirl118
Player 
Joined: 4/10/06 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 0 |
Posted: 6/24/06 at 10:53am |
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I think Junior musicals are great. My small youth theater recently did "Honk! Jr.". This was good because it came with a backing track. My theater can not pay an orchestra and it couldn't even fit one in the theater anyway! The royalties were also cheaper, which is very good. It was advertised as Honk! Jr. It was a great show. Les Mis : School Edition? That wouldn't work in my community. But in other places, I'm sure it would be fine. Rent : School Edition? I think that's going a little too far. Okay, a lot too far. Ellen |
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Once upon a time I was a shy young thing ~ Could barely walk and talk so much as dance and sing ~ But let me hit that stage I want to take my bow ~ Cause Momma I'm a big girl now - "Hairspray"
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tristanrobin
Celebrity
Joined: 4/25/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 704 |
Posted: 6/25/06 at 7:31am |
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castMe - though I agree in theory with you, I think there is a difference
between art that offends as its goal - and art that offends accidentally because the artist didn't know any better. 
I must admit, that (with the exception of "Peter Pan" LOL) when I hear or read about "indians," I immediately presume it's about East Indians, not Native Americans. Around these parts I don't hear "Indians" used to describe Native Americans any more than I hear "Negroes" used to describe African Americans. Maybe it's an east coast thing LOL. I like political correctness. It's also okay to ignore it - I do it all the time. But, it DOES make us stop and think about what we're saying, and often helps us avoid hurting somebody's feelings or insulting them unintentionally. And I think that's a good thing. |
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casey05
Lead
Joined: 6/17/05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 42 |
Posted: 6/25/06 at 8:00am |
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Music Theatre International are now apparently also releasing High School Musical (the recent Disney movie-musical) as a junior show, to be released this fall. Should be interesting to see how that one fairs.
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POB14
Celebrity
Joined: 7/01/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 349 |
Posted: 6/26/06 at 9:37am |
So that would make it High School Musical: The Junior High School Musical? |
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POB
Old Bugger, Curmudgeon, and Antisocial B**tard |
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b6307
Walk-On 
Joined: 7/14/05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 0 |
Posted: 7/14/06 at 10:45am |
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To reiterate and expand on Topper's previous post in this thread - most of you disgruntled purists are missing the point. If the new trend of more approachable/doable musicals ultimately exposes more folks to the theatre at a younger age, how can that be a bad thing? Sometimes I think we take our art/avocation way too seriously. The goal with this new genre (and yes, it is a new genre of sorts) is to make the medium more available/accessible to the masses. Are some overly worried that this will somehow diminish the art itself? Perhaps, but we need to get over it. We can't complain on the one hand about the diminishing pool of patrons/participants and then on the other have elitist attitudes that contribute towards further alienation. I'm all for the new genre and thanks for the RH info. I only knew about the MTI Broadway Jr. offerings. |
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Shatcher
Celebrity
Joined: 2/21/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 251 |
Posted: 7/14/06 at 11:17am |
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Some of us Disgruntled purists are more worried that the subject matter of the shows is right for the age group preforming them. I still don't think a jr high school kid can relate to a piece like Les Miz. can they really reach the leval they need to play Jean Val Jean? I've meet many talanted young actors but at that age can they do "Bring him home" and convay even a little bit of what is going on in that monent. I think I would rather see new works for young actors that deal with subjects they can relate to. I see your point but, Sorry I just don't like it. |
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b6307
Walk-On
Joined: 7/14/05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 0 |
Posted: 7/14/06 at 12:37pm |
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I absolutely agree with the point on being rather selective with which works are "transformed". Most Broadway musicals would not be suited to performance by younger actors (the previous poster was kidding about "Rent" being adapted wasn't he? Yikes!) Anyway, for a very small theatre like ours in a very rural community it's a relief to be able to have access to these very producable musicals and, I unashamedly admit, they are cash cows. But that just frees us up to do other more interesting (from an actor's perspective) productions without having to constantly worry about the bottom line. It also helps the younger people have good theatre experiences and get bitten by the "bug" so that later on we can shepherd a few really talented ones on through to bigger and better things. |
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