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We are a high school with a drama club that is interested in producing it's first musical in about 12 years! I will begin my second year as director in the fall. I do not have a music background and our music department is not interested in any sort of participation. I am asking to start a parent support group to help with costumes and some of the mechanical construction. I have been a scenic arts instructor in this school for three years. We fabricate everything for our productions with recycled goods, in house, with students at the helm. Our budget is next to nothing. I feel that however backdoor this may seem, I want the students to have the best. I am all that they have for adult direction. We are interested in producing "Into the Woods, Junior" (thinking that the junior version may be a better fit for first timers). With the package I read it as including a CD that we could use for performances. Is that correct? Am I reading the catalogue correctly in that only the Jr. shows have music tracks that can be used during the productions?Is there an approx. cost for the package to perform the show two times to a house of 600 for ticket prices of $5 for adults, $3 seniors and students? I am a bit lost. I appreciate any other information that you may be able to provide that may help us move to the next level, musicals.Beth Richenbacher-LutzRavenna High School, Drama Club Advisor/Director, Scenic Arts InstructorRavenna, Ohio
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Hi Beth! Kudos on taking charge and getting a rewarding endeavor started for your district. As my friend Nathan said, the Broadway JR series is a great place to start as the shows are all a little over an hour long and come with accompaniment and performance tracks on CD, student rehearsal books, Piano/rehearsal book and most importantly, the Directors Guide. This is the goldmine that contains everything from costume, set, lighting, directing ideas to program prototypes. Depending on the ages of your group, I also would probably not begin with "Into the Woods JR." and start with something more ensemble based. Your cost will be approx. $550., depending on the license and if you are using it for students older than grade 9. Lets get you set up with perusal copies of several shows so you can get a grasp of how simple this can be for you. Please feel free to call me personally Beth, 716-649-8693 to help you make some custom choices for your situation. This is the most fool-proof way to go into musicals...truly rewarding and supportive from beginning to end. Very excited for you to go through the process - you will be hooked for life! Looking forward to chatting with you! Cindy
You've picked the right place to start! The Broadway Junior titles are AWESOME, and come with so much great stuff to help you as a director out. I've directed numerous Jr. Titles, and I plan on sticking with them.
The CD comes with guide vocals for the kids to listen to in order to learn the songs, which is great, and a performance track that you can use during the shows themselves. It is a huge help!
You can request a quote from MTI on their website, mtishows.com, and it is not binding until you sign it. Usually the rights for schools run around $500.
Into the Woods is a great show, but I would have to advise something a bit simpler for a first time production. (I have directed everything from 5 year olds to High Schoolers). It requires some intense vocals from the chorus and primarily solos, which you may have, I don't know.
If it were ME, doing a first musical, I would pick something more Ensemble based like "SchoolHouse Rock Live! JR," "Godspell Jr.," or "Dear Edwina Jr." That is just my opinion...
GOOD LUCK!!! It is so exciting when starting a program like this, and you seem like you have a good idea of how to begin. Keep plugging away at the music department though, maybe after a successful production they will jump on board!