Issaquah High School Theatre Arts
Director: Holly Whiting, whitingh@issaquah.wednet.edu
This is the Web site for the theatre arts program of Issaquah High School, Issaquah, Washington, USA. Students in this program have performed plays in various venues in the Puget Sound region (Seattle area). During a typical school year, the theatre arts program mounts a full-length straight play and a musical play in conjunction with the choir and orchestra programs. Participation in these productions is open by audition to any Issaquah High School student (grades 10-12) in good standing, as well as to any PCFC student (grade 9) in good standing who is bound for Issaquah High School. The Drama Club is open to all interested students.
During the rebuild of Issaquah High School, all dramatic productions will be presented on alternate stages. The 2009 musical play will be presented at the Skyline High School Lyceum Theatre. The Roving Players will perform at various elementary schools in the district. The venue and schedule for the Spring Play will be announced at a later date. Monitor this Web site for developments.
2009-2010 Theatre Season
| White Christmas | Tuesday 8 December 2009, 7:30 PM,
Skyline High School (Preview Performance) Wednesday 9 December 2009, 7:30 PM, Skyline High School Thursday 10 December 2009, 7:30 PM, Skyline High School Friday 11 December 2009, 7:30 PM, Skyline High School Saturday 12 December 2009, 2:00 PM, Skyline High School Saturday 12 December 2009, 7:30 PM, Skyline High School |
| The Women | Tuesday 9 February 2010, 7:30 PM,
Skyline High School Wednesday 10 February 2010, 7:30 PM, Skyline High School Thursday 11 February 2010, 7:30 PM, Skyline High School Friday 12 February 2010, 7:30 PM, Skyline High School |
| Tickets are available at the door for every performance, as usual. This year, we are also offering presales of tickets. If you're interested, please download the ticket form, print it out, fill it in, and deliver it with a check according to the instructions on the form. |
Drama Club
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Issaquah School District Home Page | This page last modified 19 November 2009 |
ROVING PLAYERS
This year the Roving Players will present a children's show to be performed at several district elementary schools. The play, dates, and venues are still to be determined. Watch this space for developments.
MUSICAL PLAY
This season's musical play is White Christmas, the stage adaptation of the 1954 Paramount Pictures hit movie, with book by David Ives and Paul Blake, and music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. The movie (the first ever made in VistaVision) was the highest-grossing film of 1954 and has remained a holiday classic since its release. The musical play, officially titled "Irving Berlin's White Christmas", premiered in San Francisco in 2004 and opened on Broadway on 14 November 2008 at the Marquis Theatre, where it ran for 12 previews and 53 performances. It toured the United Kingdom from 2006 through 2008.
The movie and the musical both feature 17 Irving Berlin songs. The title song was written in 1940 at poolside in Arizona and was first introduced in the 1942 film Holiday Inn (from which the motel chain took its name). Berlin regarded it as "... the best song I've ever written – hell, ... the best song that anybody's ever written!" Curiously, although it was by far his most lucrative copyright, is not often associated with him, as many people suppose it evolved from a folk song in the same manner as other Christmas carols. Nevertheless, "White Christmas" won the 1942 Academy Award for Best Original Song for Holiday Inn. Bing Crosby's recording sold over 100 million copies and is the only "single" in history to top the charts in three different years. The song's combination of nostalgia, comfort, and optimism spoke eloquently to a nation embroiled in World War II. The visions of sleigh rides and happy children strongly evoke longing for the idealized New England Christmases of the past and for the sanctuary of home and family.
The plot begins on Christmas Eve 1944 at a military camp somewhere on the Western Front. Army buddies Bob Wallace and Phil Davis are entertaining troops with their song-and-dance act. Their commander, General Waverly, informs them he is being transferred back to the States for medical treatment, and wonders aloud where they will all be in ten years. The scene promptly shifts by ten years to 1954, where Bob and Phil's post-war success has landed them on the Ed Sullivan Show. After the broadcast, they meet Betty and Judy Haynes, sisters of another of their buddies, who also have a successful song-and-dance act. Bob and Betty, though attracted to each other, are cynical and apprehensive about love, but Phil and Judy hit it off right away.
Phil talks Bob into following the sisters to their next show, at an inn in Vermont. When they get there, they find it almost empty because there is no snow. As they start to leave, they learn that the innkeeper is none other than General Waverly. They decide to stay and try to drum up some business for their beloved former commander. They bring their entire show up to the inn, which helps, but only a little. The performers go through a series of misunderstandings and romantic crises on the way to their opening night. Bob goes on national TV to get the men from his 151st division to surprise the general on Christmas Eve. The show goes on as scheduled, the general finds his true (non-military) calling, and Bob and Betty open themselves to love. White Christmas is an uplifting, "feel-good" musical worthy of staging at any time of year.
In addition to the beloved title song, well-known musical numbers from White Christmas include "Happy Holiday", "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep", "Blue Skies", "How Deep Is the Ocean", and "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm".
For information about this musical play, please visit the following sites:
- R & H Theatricals: White Christmas
- Irving Berlin's White Christmas
- IMDb Plot Summary: White Christmas
- Broadway Musical Home: White Christmas
- Associated Content: White Christmas
- Wikipedia: White Christmas musical
- Wikipedia: White Christmas song
Auditions are scheduled for Wednesday 23 September on the PCFC stage and Thursday 24 in the Issaquah HS choir room (C-9), from shortly after school until everyone has auditioned for that day. You will be asked to read one or more script selections "cold" (no prior knowledge), but you can prepare yourself by examining the character descriptions, and you can also check out a script from Mrs. Whiting in portable P-4.
Be sure you're on time for your audition, and please plan to stay until the end, in case you're needed for a re-reading. For leading roles, be prepared to sing the appropriate song(s).
Packets. You can download an audition packet at any time, or you can pick one up from Mrs. Whiting in portable P-4 if you have trouble downloading or printing. Before the auditions, please print out the packet, fill in the forms, and sign up for a day and time on the audition sheet. This sheet will be on the Issaquah HS choir room door (C-9) and at the PCFC front office.
Songs.
The audition songs are available from the following links:
Betty and Judy
Bob, Phil, Snoring Man, General, Sheldrake
Martha, Snoring Man's Wife
Susan
Piano accompaniment will be provided at the audition.
Posting. The final cast list will be posted outside the Issaquah HS choir room (C-9) on Monday 28 September.
With a few necessary exceptions, rehearsals will take place on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 until 7:00, and on Saturdays from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM. Because only two weekdays are taken for rehearsals, Saturday rehearsals are mandatory. Rehearsals will begin Wednesday 30 September with a mandatory full-cast call.
| Wednesday 23 September 3:00-finished | Auditions, PCFC stage |
| Thursday 24 September 2:30-finished | Auditions, Issaquah HS choir room (C-9) |
| Friday 25 September 2:30-finished | Callbacks, Issaquah HS choir room (C-9) |
| Wednesday 30 September 3:30-7:00 | Mandatory ALL-CALL meeting (cast and techs), choir room (C-9) |
| Thursday 1 October 3:30-7:00 | Blocking — all LEADS, portable P-3 |
| Saturday 3 October | [Salmon Days Festival] |
| Wednesday 7 October 3:30-7:00 | Blocking — all LEADS, portable P-3 |
| Thursday 8 October 3:30-7:00 | Blocking — all LEADS, portable P-3 |
| Saturday 10 October 10:00-4:00 | FULL CAST rehearsal, portable P-3 |
| Wednesday 14 October 3:30-7:00 | Blocking — all LEADS, portable P-3 |
| Thursday 15 October 3:30-7:00 | Blocking — FULL CAST, portable P-3 |
| Saturday 17 October 10:00-4:00 | FULL CAST rehearsal, portable P-3 |
| Wednesday 21 October 3:30-7:00 | FULL CAST rehearsal, portable P-3 |
| Thursday 22 October 3:30-7:00 | FULL CAST rehearsal, portable P-3 |
| Saturday 24 October 10:00-2:00 | FULL CAST rehearsal, portable P-3 |
| Wednesday 28 October 3:30-7:00 | FULL CAST rehearsal, portable P-3 |
| Thursday 29 October 3:30-7:00 | FULL CAST rehearsal, portable P-3 |
| Saturday 31 October 10:00-4:00 | FULL CAST rehearsal, portable P-3 |
| Wednesday 4 November 3:30-7:00 | FULL CAST rehearsal, portable P-3 |
| Thursday 5 November 3:30-7:00 | FULL CAST rehearsal, portable P-3 |
| Saturday 7 November 10:00-4:00 | TECH CREW, Skyline High School |
| Tuesday 10 November 3:30-7:00 | DANCE rehearsal — FULL CAST, portable P-3 |
| Wednesday 11 November | [Veterans Day] |
| Thursday 12 November 3:30-7:00 | FULL CAST rehearsal, Skyline High School |
| Saturday 14 November 10:00-4:00 | FULL CAST rehearsal, Skyline High School |
| Sunday 15 November 9:00-3:00 | All LEADS, Skyline High School |
| Monday 16 November 5:00-8:00 | DANCE rehearsal — FULL CAST, Skyline High School |
| Tuesday 17 November 3:30-7:00 | Blocking — SNOW CAST, Skyline High School |
| Wednesday 18 November 3:30-7:00 | FULL CAST rehearsal, Skyline High School |
| Thursday 19 November 3:30-7:00 | FULL CAST rehearsal, Skyline High School |
| Friday 20 November 5:00-8:00 | DANCE rehearsal — BLUE SKIES CAST, Skyline High School |
| Saturday 21 November 10:00-4:00 | FULL CAST rehearsal, cast members at Issaquah HS, portable P-3 |
| Sunday 22 November 9:00-3:00 | All LEADS at Issaquah HS, portable P-3 |
| Monday 23 November 3:30-7:00 | FULL CAST rehearsal, Skyline High School |
| Tuesday 24 November 3:30-7:00 | FULL CAST rehearsal, Skyline High School |
| Wednessday 25 November | FULL CAST rehearsal, Skyline High School |
| Saturday 28 November | [Thanksgiving holiday] |
| Monday 30 November 3:30-7:00 | Full show, Skyline High School |
| Tuesday 1 December 3:30-8:00 | Full show, Skyline High School |
| Wednesday 2 December 3:30-7:00 | FULL CAST rehearsal, cast members at Issaquah HS, portable P-3 |
| Thursday 3 December 3:30-7:00 | Wet tech (FULL CAST), Skyline High School |
| Friday 4 December 3:15-10:00 | Dress rehearsal, Skyline High School (dinner provided) |
| Saturday 5 December 9:00-7:00 | Dress rehearsal, Skyline High School (lunch provided) |
| Monday 7 December 3:30-10:00 | Dress rehearsal, Skyline High School (dinner provided) |
| Tuesday 8 December 6:00 call | Preview performance, Skyline High School |
| Wednesday 9 December, 6:00 call | Performance, Skyline High School |
| Thursday 10 December, 6:00 call | Performance, Skyline High School |
| Friday 11 December, 6:00 call | Performance, Skyline High School |
| Saturday 12 December, 12:30 call | Matinee and Evening Performances, Skyline High School |
SPRING PLAY
This season's Spring Play is The Women by Clare Boothe Luce (1903-1987), an American playwright, editor, journalist, ambassador, socialite, and one of the first women to serve in the U.S. Congress, representing the state of Connecticut. The Women, her second of six plays, premiered on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on 26 December 1936, with an all-female cast that included Arlene Francis, Ilka Chase, and Marjorie Main. It ran for 666 performances, to cool critical review but great popularity with the audiences, and went on to a wildly successful tour in 19 countries, something almost unheard of for a non-musical. It was made into a film in 1939 and a musical film in 1956, revived on Broadway in 1973 and 2001, and remade — with considerable modifications — into another film in 2008.
Described variously as a "comedy of manners" and a "bitchfest", The Women is an acidic commentary on the pampered lives and power struggles of wealthy 1930s Manhattan socialites and up-and-comers, and on the gossip that propels and damages their relationships. While men frequently are the subject of their lively discussions and play an important role in the on-stage action, they are strictly characters mentioned but never seen. What makes The Women so special is that despite their period and class, they are totally recognizable today, when women still find themselves defined by the male company they keep. Clare herself said "The women who inspired this play deserved to be smacked across the head with a meat ax and that, I flatter myself, is exactly what I smacked them with."
The action centers around Mary Haines, a wealthy and happily married socialite who is friends with Sylvia Fowler, an ambitious magazine publisher and a poisonous gossip. Sylvia discovers that Mary's husband is having a torrid affair with sexy shop girl Crystal Allen. Mary takes her mother's advice and ignores the affair, hoping it will blow over, but Sylvia explodes it into a front-page scandal, and divorce is the result. Along the way we receive portraits of the women of the era: wealthy women, titled women, clerks, secretaries, models, maids, cooks, and wives — some happy, some unhappy. One divorce follows another, and one scandal erupts after another.
The Women was written in a era in which it was assumed that a woman's only real satisfaction was marriage to a successful man, and it reflects the attitude of the day. The play is as much drama as comedy, moving at a fast clip and taking pot shots at virtually every female stereotype imaginable. Although it is wickedly funny, it is also a surprisingly effective argument for feminism in its portrait of a distinctly anti-feministic society.
For information about this play, please visit the following sites:
- Wikipedia: The Women (play)
- PBS Stage and Screen: The Women
- IMDb: The Women
- Spike: The Women (trailer)
- Answers.com: The Women (themes)
- Amazon.com: The Women
Auditions are scheduled for Friday 20 November at 3:00 in the Issaquah HS drama room (portable P-3) . You will be asked to read one or more script selections "cold" (no prior preparation), but you can gain some insight into the characters at The Women (Characters), and you can also check out a script from Mrs. Whiting in portable P-4.
Be sure you're on time for your audition, and please plan to stay until the end, in case you're needed for a re-reading.
Packets. An audition packet will be finalized in the near future and will be available to download from a link on this site.
You must have your parent permission slip signed before you audition.
Posting. The final cast list will be posted on the drama room window outside portable P-3 on Monday 23 November.
With a few necessary exceptions, rehearsals will be on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 until 7:00, and on Saturdays from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM. Because only two weekdays are taken for rehearsals, Saturday rehearsals are mandatory. There will be a full-cast meeting on Wednesday 16 December, and regular rehearsals will begin on Wednesday 6 January.
If you have trouble making any rehearsal, contact Mrs. Whiting well in advance.
DRAMA CLUB
The 2009-2010 Drama Club season is getting underway. This year the club will again explore and experience theatre through various activities and events. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to join the club. Typically, the club meets shortly after school every other Friday in the drama room (portable P-3).
If you need information immediately, see Mrs. Whiting in portable P-4, or contact her at whitingh@issaquah.wednet.edu.
MEETING DATES
To avoid the most possible conflicts, the Drama Club meetings will now take place after school (at 2:30) on Fridays. Everyone with any level of interest is welcome. The agenda always includes sharing of activity ideas.
| Thursday 17 September | Election of officers; discussion of activity ideas |
| Friday 25 September | Activity and performance planning |
| Friday 9 October | Activity and performance planning |
| Friday 30 October | Activity and performance planning |
| Friday 6 November | Auditions for Roving Players |
| Friday 13 November | Auditions for One-Act plays |
| Friday 20 November | [Auditions for The Women (3:00)] |
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
| Short Play Festival (SPF), BCC | Saturday 23 January 2010, times TBA |