The production of a musical in High School is obviously supported by the students that will act, sing and dance but also build the set, help with the light and the sound, help the actors rehearse…
For example in the Frederick High School 2019 production, Starmites, there was a lot of different crews. Some students were building the set, some were painting it, some were in charge of the sound, some of the light, some people were in the art crew, the makeup crew or the costumes crew.. There is also a stage manager.
But a musical wouldn’t happen in a High school without the teachers. There are usually up to 5 roles that teachers might have to fill up in a High School musical production.
First, there is the producer that oversee everything that is happening in the show. He needs to see the big picture and make sure that show running smoothly.
The music director makes sure that the singers are prepared. He connects the music with the acting.
The director is in charge of staging and preparing the actors. He takes care of the acting technique.
The tech director is in charge of sound, lights and sets.
The orchestra director, if there is an orchestra in the show, needs to prepare the orchestra and connect with the singers.
When the musical department of a high school has to choose a new production, they have to look at several factors.
Who will we need : They have to figure out if they have the actors that could fill up the roles in the show.
What’s the vision : How do they want the show to look ? Are they inspired by it and what idea of the show do they already have ?
Royalties : Who owns the rights and how much does the show cost. Can they afford it ?
What’s the music : Is it something that the students can perform ?
Performers feasibility : Is it something that they can get done in the amount of time that they get to prepare the show ?
Tech feasibility : Is it something that the tech department can pull of (videos, Fx..) ?
Challenge :Is it something that is going to challenge the department enough ? Is it different from what they have done before ?
Audience : Is the audience going to like it ? Would they be interested and watch the show? Is it appropriate and does it suit the community ? Is there a high school edition of this musical ?
Urgency : Is there a need to tell the story the musical tells ?
Here are some examples of musical often produced in high school or that FHS has already done,
The Beauty and the Beast :
Into the woods :
This musical tells the story of a Baker and his wife, who wish to have a child; Cinderella, who wishes to attend the King’s Festival; and Jack, who wishes his cow would give milk. But the Baker and his wife were cursed thus they try to find a way to break it. Everyone’s wish is granted, but the consequences of their actions return to haunt them later with disastrous results.
This show is often produced in High School because it has a lot of opportfornthe performers and everyone knows the characters in the story. It is a good family-friendly musical.
High School Musical :
Everybody knows those Disney Channel movies. Well they is an on-stage version that High School often choose to perform. It is always very fun for the students and there also is a large-sized cast to fill up. Everyone knows the music and can have fun watching Troy Bolton, the star athlete at a small-town high school, falling for nerdy beauty Gabriella Montez at a holiday karaoke part as they audition for the upcoming school musical although they are both far from this world at first.
Seussical :
Seussical is a musical mixing several of the Dr Seuss’ stories together. The Cat in a Hat, Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, the Grinch.. Once again, everyone knows Dr Seuss. That makes that musical really fun to watch in family and to produce as a High School.
Theatre kids 