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So I was under the impression that the high school I was going to had one of the best theatre departments in the United States. I was pretty proud of my school, specifically for that reason. Then a friend of mine called me up last night and was like "Hey, let's go see Les Miserables Student Edition in the neighboring district!" and so naturally, I was like sweet. I love Les Miz to death. That was how I got into musicals. And the worst that could happen was that I could leave there with a sense of pride that my school kicked their school's a** theatrically speaking.

I had to stand in the back because it was sold out all three nights, but I was cool about it. I took my place and I was totally blown away. It started with their pit, which I knew was going to be great. Their symphonic band has repeatedly smoked our band at states for the past 4 years. At least. I could've kissed their timpanist, he was so brilliant. Their french horn section was brilliant, too. Then came Valjean. Though I hated the wig he was wearing in the opening sequence, his voice made me want to run up on the stage and jump him. Javert was pretty much the same way. So was Eponine! She was Broadway material, I swear.

Anyway, I pretty much wanted to die after that. Because the stars have not aligned at my high school to create a beautiful cast like that in the past 4 or 5 years. Everyone who was any good graduated 3 years ago and so we're quickly losing our place in the community. We're still miles ahead of our sister school, but not where we could be.

My point in all this being, if you don't have kids in the theatre department that care deeply about what they're doing- right down to the tech- the show is going to suffer. Which is why my high school's theatre is suffering right now. People are just in theatre because it's fun. Not that we should begrudge those people parts or not even let them be in theatre at all, but the people who are passionate about theatre is what turns a high school performance into a college-level performance.

I hated my high school theatre department. It was nothing but favourites and the same like 10 people played the leads.. ick. And a lot of them were Divas.

Though I will say it made me love The Pajama Game and Bells are Ringing. Not because my school did them but because I had a chance to see them and I want to Direct them for my families Company.

But other then that my high school sucked butt!

Well if it makes u feel any better, my school doesn't even have an auditorium, so we weren't able to put on a fall play or a spring musical! All we had were one-acts on a makeshift stage in the cafeteria. The good news is, WE GET A BRAND NEW GORGEOUS AUDITORIUM IN THE FALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Myself and the drama teacher are so excited.


Divas. yeah. This is my drama teacher's first year, so he didn't get to have favrites yet. Last year, though, you could sorta tell that the productions were pretty much cast before the auditions were even held. The directors dont' do it on purpose, but when they also teach u in class, it's hard to choose just based on auditions. But it does suck.

I can't really complain about my high school theater experience... well, no, I can, I'm going to---but it wasn't horrid.

We had 3 productions a year, 4 if one counts the biiiiiig talent show. 2 of the shows had the same directors but since one was the musical and one was a madrigal feaste, the genres were so different that they couldn't cast the same people (though... they did T__T) and the spring straight play was an entirely different director. It was cool because we got such different experiences and learned different things from each director.

The common problem of favorites pops up again here. I'm heavier than the ideal actor these days, so I often found myself in the chorus and choreographed near the back. BUT, I was always center stage cause I had a voice that they wanted projected. They just didn't want me seen. So I figured they hated me. But then they turned around and awarded me the drama club scholarship at graduation. It was all so complicated.

And I hate to be a horrid person and crush hopes... but for those of you that plan to continue: it doesn't get much better in college. Or in professional auditions. College is like a jacked up HS situation and professional audtions... well, you just really have NO clue what they're looking for, so you don't know what good is anymore. You just have to love what you do =) No one can take that love away from you.

My school's musical theater kids are great, but we are, unfortunately, an inner-city urban campus that was built as a vocational school in the 1950's. So we don't have a good auditorium. or enough land to build one. Apparently once a few years ago we did our musical at a school in the suburbs with an AMAZING auditorium and advertised it as one of our productions and some people still said, "Wow! I didn't know (suburban high school) had so much talent!"

So we don't do shows there anymore.

... I think I win.

Our stage is half the size of a walk-in closet. We share the room with ROP, so the crazy children are always denting the stage and making huge scratches in it. We have to use fold-out chairs for our audience, and then fold them back up so the freshman can have their homeroom there. It always smells like old fruit rollups and cat spray.

We have never done a musical in the history of our school. There is talk of one this year, (which would be yay because I'll be a junior) but no one's quite for sure. We have many willing and some able students, but no teacher is willing to buy rights/direct/support it. We are stuck doing improv and writing our own crap... which of course, sucks.

My rant! YAY!

): That sucks

I hope my high school does good productions

The choir/musical director there is one of the top three theater "bigwig"s in the state, and I also know her personally, and she's really good, but a lot of good singers are graduating this year : (

Well my school did Footloose this year. Another school, Jamesville-Dewitt did Beuty and the Beast which I planned to see, but didnt realize it was the weekend I was taking a trip to NYC. When I came back eveyrone said how great it was and how it was better than our show even.

It wasnt that we were bad(This is people from my show talking), but they were amazing apparently. Even so, we had full houses for 3 of our 4 shows and we were pretty much a success.

Except me missing one entrance in the 1st act. xp Thats probably the benefit of ensemble roles. You can get away with things like that.