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St. David High thespians ready for weekend show
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| On stage: The cast of "Choose Your Own Adventure: the Musical" pictured during dress rehearsal. Performers take the stage Friday and Saturday, May 1 and May 2. All performances are at 7 p.m. (Thelma Grimes/photo.) |
Thelma Grimes/San Pedro Valley News-Sun
Allowing the audience to decide the outcome, members of the St. David music and drama class will be presenting "Choose Your Own Adventure: the Musical" this weekend.
In the first dress rehearsal for the play, students performed for the press and a small audience.
The adventure is centered around Brad Crum, a St. David senior who plays David, a regular guy faced with whether or not to take a chance on life or play it safe.
Crum said preparing for the musical has been tough, especially because he has had to learn three different sets of lines, and won't know which ones he will be saying until the audience makes their decisions.
"It's been a little bit nerve-wracking trying to memorize all those lines and words," he said. "But it's cool to get the audience involved and let them interact. It just makes the show better."
While Crum said he was nervous before last week's dress rehearsal, on stage he appeared at ease. He showed his musical ability along with co-stars Joseph Jones, Mariah Mayberry and Anika Mayberry, who plays David's love interest, Paige.
Anika Mayberry said she came into St. David's drama program with no musical background, but has loved the experience, noting that instructor Daniel Tenney has been supportive throughout the process.
She applauded Tenney, who has written and directed the musical.
"It has been fun to learn the stuff Mr. Tenney wrote," she said. "It's been hard though; you have some props you need in some of the scenes, and some you don't. It just depends on what the audience decides. Then, with two of the endings, I have a solo, so it gets to be kind of confusing. I am pleased with how hard the cast has worked. We've had to work three times as hard with three different scenarios."
Tenney said he wanted this year's production to be different, which is why he chose to include the audience.
"I've always wanted to do a choose-your-own adventure kind of musical," Tenney said. "The thing that makes live theater special is it's always different, and this literally has three very different endings."
The comedy has been fun to work on, Tenney said, but noted it's also been a challenge for him and the students to pull together a larger, in-depth production. With a 50-minute class and a group of busy students who are also keeping up academics and participating in athletics, Tenney said not only have the students had to work very hard to memorize three separate sets of lines, they have also had to manage daily life.
"These students didn't just memorize a scene, they memorized three separate plays," Tenney said. "The version they perform will depend on the audience."
At times throughout the performance, narrator Heidy Kartchner will step on to the stage, and give the audience their choices and then ask for a vote. Some are as easy as should David go left or right, some are as tough as what life-altering decision should he make.
Mixed in with music and comedy, the play keeps the audience entertained and guessing. Some standout voices in the show came from not only Crum, but also Mariah Mayberry, who stole the stage as Madam Mysterioso and Matthew Curtin, who plays David's best friend.
The students will take the stage this weekend, performing in the Mary Pat Lansing Auditorium at St. David School on Friday and Saturday night at 7 p.m., and on May 1 and May 2.
Allowing the audience to decide the outcome, members of the St. David music and drama class will be presenting "Choose Your Own Adventure: the Musical" this weekend.
In the first dress rehearsal for the play, students performed for the press and a small audience.
The adventure is centered around Brad Crum, a St. David senior who plays David, a regular guy faced with whether or not to take a chance on life or play it safe.
Crum said preparing for the musical has been tough, especially because he has had to learn three different sets of lines, and won't know which ones he will be saying until the audience makes their decisions.
"It's been a little bit nerve-wracking trying to memorize all those lines and words," he said. "But it's cool to get the audience involved and let them interact. It just makes the show better."
While Crum said he was nervous before last week's dress rehearsal, on stage he appeared at ease. He showed his musical ability along with co-stars Joseph Jones, Mariah Mayberry and Anika Mayberry, who plays David's love interest, Paige.
Anika Mayberry said she came into St. David's drama program with no musical background, but has loved the experience, noting that instructor Daniel Tenney has been supportive throughout the process.
She applauded Tenney, who has written and directed the musical.
"It has been fun to learn the stuff Mr. Tenney wrote," she said. "It's been hard though; you have some props you need in some of the scenes, and some you don't. It just depends on what the audience decides. Then, with two of the endings, I have a solo, so it gets to be kind of confusing. I am pleased with how hard the cast has worked. We've had to work three times as hard with three different scenarios."
Tenney said he wanted this year's production to be different, which is why he chose to include the audience.
"I've always wanted to do a choose-your-own adventure kind of musical," Tenney said. "The thing that makes live theater special is it's always different, and this literally has three very different endings."
The comedy has been fun to work on, Tenney said, but noted it's also been a challenge for him and the students to pull together a larger, in-depth production. With a 50-minute class and a group of busy students who are also keeping up academics and participating in athletics, Tenney said not only have the students had to work very hard to memorize three separate sets of lines, they have also had to manage daily life.
"These students didn't just memorize a scene, they memorized three separate plays," Tenney said. "The version they perform will depend on the audience."
At times throughout the performance, narrator Heidy Kartchner will step on to the stage, and give the audience their choices and then ask for a vote. Some are as easy as should David go left or right, some are as tough as what life-altering decision should he make.
Mixed in with music and comedy, the play keeps the audience entertained and guessing. Some standout voices in the show came from not only Crum, but also Mariah Mayberry, who stole the stage as Madam Mysterioso and Matthew Curtin, who plays David's best friend.
The students will take the stage this weekend, performing in the Mary Pat Lansing Auditorium at St. David School on Friday and Saturday night at 7 p.m., and on May 1 and May 2.
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