Elements of audience participation, contemporary theater and more will be represented at this
Isabel Ali as Ursula in the Jones Middle School 2014 fall production of Little Mermaid Jr. Photos courtesy of Jones Middle School
year’s collection of stage performances at Upper Arlington City Schools. Check out our roundup below for a look at what’s coming up this school year.
Jones Middle School
High School Musical Junior
Oct. 22-25
Each year, Jones Middle School chooses which musical to stage based on a three-year rotation of fantasy, modern and traditional musicals, says Sarah Santilli, music teacher.
“This is a modern, contemporary year, and we thought High School Musical would be a good fit,” she says.
Casting has not yet been finalized, but Santilli estimates based on past years that quite a few students will have an opportunity to be involved in High School Musical Junior.
“Past years, we’ve had about 200 students involved both onstage and backstage,” she says.
Hastings Middle School
Anna Campise as Ariel in Little Mermaid Jr.
Night of One Acts
Nov. 5-6
Performing a series of one-acts instead of a full-length play gives more students the opportunity to be involved in the production, says David Monseur, advisor and musical director at Hastings Middle School.
“The titles of the plays are announced to the students at the time of auditions. Because as many as 90 students can be involved in the production, performing multiple plays is a way to involve as many students as possible,” Monseur says.
Upper Arlington High School
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Nov. 12-14
Upper Arlington High School’s production will feature nine main roles that will be cast with students, says Greg Varner, theater teacher. Other characters will involve audience participation.
“The unique thing about this project is that the cast also includes a few non-actors who are called into the performance from the audience to become characters in the show,” Varner says.
Varner hopes that the element of audience participation will present a unique challenge for his students.
“The show itself will challenge my students as producers of theater because the non-actors invited into the performance create a variable that requires quick instincts,” he says.
Athnie McMillan-Comeaux is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at ssole@cityscenemediagroup.com.
