Monday, December 31, 2007

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Saturday, December 29, 2007

BHSDC NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS!


If you would like to contact the Barnstable High School Drama Club by e-mail please use BHSDCWB@hotmail.com. We will try to get back to you in a timely fashion.

Warner Bros Studio 2.0 is coming to the Barnstable High School Drama Club

Dear Parents, Teachers, Students, and Staff,

Warner Bros. Studio 2.0 is producing an internet based documentary series about the making of a real high school musical. To find the ideal subject for this project, we launched a year-long nationwide search for the most impressive high school theatre program. Three months ago, we narrowed down our lengthy list of candidates to three schools.

After visiting Barnstable High, and meeting with your principal, drama head, teachers, and drama students, our clear choice was Barnstable. Our decision was based upon the quality of your theatre program, the enthusiasm of the students and faculty, the sophistication of your theater facilities, and the overall energy and creativity of your school. You should all be proud of this amazing institution.

The series will be comprised of approximately 10 to 20 5-minute “webisodes” presented on the internet. It will feature the process and product of making a musical. Our small crew will document your upcoming Wizard of Oz production --from casting to curtain call. We will feature the work of the student actors, artists, technicians, and organizers who will make this musical a reality.

This series will be a team effort. We plan to involve Barnstable students in the shooting and writing of the project, and to hold a number of classes on production and new media. The internet promises to be a major part of every Barnstable student’s future in whatever discipline they choose. We think this opportunity will help advance their understanding of how to create, market, and monetize this medium to their advantage.

It is our hope that this project will also generate the nationwide attention to Barnstable’s extraordinary theatre arts program that it deserves.

In order for us to proceed with this project, each person involved in the upcoming Wizard of Oz production would need to sign a standard release, or to have it signed by their parent or guardian. We ask that those who choose not to sign the release, or appear in this video project on camera, speak to Mr. John Sullivan as soon as possible.

We look forward to working together in the new-media first, and to a great learning experience.

Sincerely,

James Percelay & Rich Rosenthal

Sunday, December 2, 2007

WIZARD OF OZ AUDITIONS!!!!


Thw Wizard of Oz, the most beloved musical of all time will be produced by the Barnstable High School Drama Club in March/April.

Auditions will be held for High Schoolers Jan 7, 8, 9 from 6 to 8:30 in the Performing Arts Center at Barnstable High School. Auditions for Middle School and Elementary School students will be held on Jan 14 and 15 from 6 to 8. Students from the Barnstable School System only are allowed to audition. We will be looking at children from 8 to 18 for the roles available. High school auditioners (14 -18) will include speaking as well as a singing audition. Younger children will be only asked for a singing audition. More information call 508 771 6246.

The Barnstable High School Drama Club will pull out all stops to make this a most memoriable production of The Wizard of Oz. Flying by Foy a company that the club used to fly Peter Pan for that production will be returning to help add to the magic of this production.

TIN MAN on the Sci-Fi channel



Barnstable High School Drama Club alumnus Neal McDonough has a starring role in Tin Man on the Sci-fi Channel. Neal got his start with acting with the Drama Club as a freshman when he played Snoopy in "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown." Neal also starred as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz in his senior year 23 years ago. Now he plays the Tin Man in the series bearing the same name!






Tin Man Star Praises Cast

Neal McDonough, who plays the title character in the upcoming SCI FI original miniseries Tin Man, told SCI FI Wire that his co-stars were "incredibly perfect" for their respective roles.

Based on L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the six-hour Tin Man stars McDonough as ex-cop Wyatt Cain (known as a Tin Man) opposite Zooey Deschanel as DG, Alan Cumming as Glitch (who's missing half his brain) and Raoul Trujillo as Raw (a nervous wolverine-like creature).

"Zooey is so terrific in the character," McDonough said in an interview. "She's that angst-ridden, 20-something-year-old girl who's just perfect in this really different ride. And it's a different ride from what you'd expect with The Wizard of Oz, and it's an amazing emotional ride. Alan, if there's ever a dull moment, he'll do something to make everyone laugh, and he'll do it without even knowing it. He's such a great, funny, charming, wonderful guy to have on a set. You always have to have an Alan Cumming on every set."

As for Trujillo, McDonough said that he enjoyed working with the actor and felt tremendous compassion for him. "Raoul, my God, what this poor guy had to go through," McDonough said. "Every day, he spent hours in a chair getting the makeup put on, and he never complained. I'm telling you, he never complained. I wouldn't be able to take it. I always have two rules when I'm choosing roles, and they are two things I can't have: tights and prosthetics. Raoul would go through that every day for hours. I was like, 'Man, how do you do it?' I'm just claustrophobic, I guess. He's so perfect as Raw."

ENCHANTED VILLAGE OPENS!!!



In the courtyard at The Cap Codder in Hyannis each night at dusk, you will be dazzled by the glow of more than 100,000 lights. Topiary animals will greet you as you make your way past rows of miniature Christmas Trees and Santa's Reindeer to a Santa's Village reminiscent of an old fashioned Enchanted Village. On Fridays and Saturdays from 5:30pm to 8:30pm and on Sundays from 5pm to 7pm, carolers from Barnstable High School Drama Club will walk among the visitors, dressed in festive costumes, spreading holiday spirit through song. And, back by popular demand, Santa will be taking some time out of his busy schedule to visit us at the Cape Codder! Children are welcome to sit on his lap to tell him their holiday wishes. (Please note: the carolers and Santa will be on-site until Sunday, December 16). Hot apple cider, hot chocolate and cookies (available for purchase in the Hearth 'n Kettle) may be enjoyed by the glow of the Cape Codder's bonfire, while children roast marshmallows and sing along with the carolers (weather permitting). The centerpiece of the Enchanted Village will be a 16 foot tall "Giving Tree" with a 3.5 foot star on top. Guests to the Enchanted Village are encouraged to bring an unwrapped new toy, gift card or non-perishable food to place under the tree. All donations will be given to Independence House in Hyannis. Last year, the "Giving Tree" yielded over $10,000 in food, toys, and gift cards for Independence House! Drop by and say "Hello!"

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Fiddler on the Roof REVIEW


Fiddler raises the roof at BHS Performance Center


Drama Club honors its own ‘Tradition!’


By Heather Wysocki
news@barnstablepatriot.com

If it takes a village to raise a child, it in turn takes a bunch of children to create a village. For evidence, simply look to the Barnstable High School Drama Club’s production of Fiddler on the Roof.

As part of its 50th anniversary celebration, the club reached into history, selecting a well-loved play last performed at the school in 2001.

What makes it just as special this time around is the same enthusiasm, professionalism and dedication the BHS players put into every performance.

Under all the spirit-gummed beards and ragged period costumes, it’s easy to mistake the kids in Fiddler for a much more seasoned group.

Director John Sullivan pulls out all the stops of a Broadway production, turning the BHS Performing Arts Center into a quintessential Russian village and his cast into peasants. Sullivan’s organization and direction take the show to the professional level, and the huge cast of high schoolers from ragtag to remarkable.

Per the Drama Club’s usual, Fiddler is presented traditionally, with plenty of Russian accents, small-town humor and that famous Russian drinking habit.

BHS’s Fiddler is the perfect mix of solemn and silly, befitting a quirky village facing quite a few hard decisions. The players’ true-to-script performances will please theater purists, while everybody-knows-them songs peppered throughout will please the ear of pretty much everyone.

Songs range from tender and touching (Tevye and Golde’s spectacular “Do You Love Me?) to wacky (Tevye’s “If I Were A Rich Man”), and each is performed with gusto and feeling.

Memorable performances by both BHS vets and newcomers create an enjoyable, all-out show befitting a stylish golden celebration.

As the “papa” of a family of six women, Matt Kohler simply stuns with his Tevye. Kohler combines an appropriately extravagant Russian accent with Tevye’s other quirks to create a loveable, laughable main character. Tevye’s decisions regarding his family are painful to watch, while his unique conversations with God are sarcastic and highly amusing.

Don’t miss Kohler’s wacky, wiggly dance, either; the legs-made-of-Jell-O walk and enthusiastic snaps are hilarious and shouldn’t be discounted.

Women of the household Golde, Tevye’s wife, and Tzeitel, his first daughter, bring both the family and the town together with their mix of traditional (Golde’s tendency to invite matchmaker Yente, played by an absolutely wacky Emily Kanzer, to hitch her daughters on a daily basis) and rebellious (Tzeitel’s decision to marry for love).

As the two women, Kelly Mosher and Cait Gardipe, respectively, bring strong voices and strong performances to the stage. Gardipe’s saucy wit and Mosher’s uptight mothering mix perfectly, creating the perfect onstage example of a loving family at odds.

The chemistry between Shane Harris as rebel student Perchick and Rachel Miller as second daughter Hodel is palpable, and Miller’s “Far From the Home I Love” is stirring and altogether beautiful.

Adding even more to Fiddler are performances by Joe Barry as the elderly but still swinging rabbi, Elliot Sicard as Tzeitel’s unassuming husband, Siobhan Magnus as an appropriately shrieky ghost, and the huge cast of traditional villagers that add to each scene they’re in.

The BHS cast loves what they do, and it shows in strong voices and performances throughout. Though the cast’s individual performances are spectacular, what makes Fiddler so successful is the obvious teamwork onstage.

Essential to the production, too, are the costumes, created by a bevy of BHS volunteers and parents. Outfitting a cast of more than 50 in beards, prayer shawls and peasant garb can’t be easy, but each player onstage has a full and realistic costume.

Professional-grade musicians under the director of conductor Michael Gross keep the play moving, missing nary a note. The single instrument of fiddler Ethan Brown, the title character who makes a few appearances onstage, lends a yearning quality to the music that an entire orchestra of fiddles couldn’t.

The play’s set designers, too, deserve a nod for their unique renditions of Tevye’s daydreams (the use of a green screen to create an eerie, ephemeral memory is brilliant) and wonderfully versatile village buildings.

Though each scene, song and speech lends a little something to the whole of Fiddler, the BHS production could have been shortened somewhat to appeal more to playgoers used to shorter shows. At three hours, Fiddler never reaches boring, but some scenes do drag and could have easily been cut. For this reason, Fiddler probably isn’t a great show for the Nickelodeon Jr. set.

Through their sometimes mournful, sometimes zany antics as villagers, the kids in Fiddler teach an important lesson: Traditions can come and go, but the spirit of community is what can keep a little town together.


The BHS Drama Club production of Fiddler on the Roof will show Nov. 23 and 24 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 25 at 2 p.m. in the BHS Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased by calling the box office at 508-771-6246.

SHOWTIME!!!!

Fiddler on the Roof Last weekend!
Nov 23 and 24 at 7 and 25 at 2
All Seats are $10.
Reservations - call 508 771 6246
Tickets for all performances can also be purchased in advance at the following locations: Cape Cod Five, Hyannis and Centerville branches, Puritan Shop, Orleans and Hyannis stores and at Books by the Sea, Main Street, Osterville.

Monday, November 19, 2007

Matt Kohler as Tevya askes his wife Golde played by Kelly Mosher "Do You Love Me?"



Matt Kohler as Tevya the milkman and Chris Houghton as Perchik and Rachael Miller as Tevya's daughter Hodel in the production of Fiddler on the Roof.

Fiddler on the Roof a "must see"

by
Janet Joakim
Town Council President
Town Council Precint 6


I just got back from watching a wonderful performance of Fiddler on the Roof.

The kids in this town are so talented!

The acting and singing were superb! The set was incredibly well-done, the lighting and special effects fabulous, the costumes and the music from the orchestra in the pit were all tremendous!!

The audience was full of lots of familiar faces from around the community - occasionally as we enjoyed the show, we forgot that we were watching a high school performance.

The Barnstable High School drama club is an institution that has been held together by the talent and dedication of John Sullivan. The performances bring together the time and talent from around the halls of the school. The art work, engineering and design that goes into sets and set manipulation, the musical talents of musicians who play throughout the performance from the lowered pit in front of the stage, the technical talents of the kids who manipulate the sound and lighting boards, design and create costumes, design and do makeup, dance choreography, and what I used to call when I was in high school drama- set and prop choreography, the advertising,the design and printing of posters and programs, the selling of tickets, the kitchen set up to sell food, and the ushers….. and there is much more…. so many of our talented students and dedicated adults work together to make these shows something we are so proud to call our own here in Barnstable.

Those of us who participated in the effort to win the All America City Award learned first hand of the experience John Sullivan and his side kick, Shakespeare extraordinaire Ed O’Toole share with their students.

This is a wonderful way to spend and afternoon or evening with family and friends during this holiday week.

And, new this year is a partnership with Cape Cod Hospital Auxillary - this partnership will help both the drama club and the effort to raise money for the hospital’s cardio-care facility.

Please come out and catch a show before it wraps up!

See all of the details here: http://www.bhsdc.org/

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3 Comments »


The BHS drama club does it again!
BRAVO!!
Comment by CW - cotuit — November 19, 2007 #


Congratulations to all on a job well done.
These students at BHS are so lucky to have these opportunities. It is like being on a winning team in sports. I was in this program over ten years ago and it has meant so much to me, and helped make me who I am today.
Comment by Fitz278 — November 19, 2007 #


MAKE THIS SHOW A PART OF YOUR THANKGSIVING WEEKEND PLANS!!!!!!!! (COLLEGE FOOTBALL CAN GET OLD, RIGHT?)
THE SHOW SCHEDULE IS
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 23 AT 7PM
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 24 AT 7PM
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 25 AT 2PM
TICKETS ARE $10 AND YOU CAN EVEN RESERVE THEM AHEAD OF TIME BY CALLING — 508 771 6246
Comment by Anonymous — November 19, 2007 #
Fiddler on the Roof Opens!

This review came from Cape Cod Today...

I caught the Barnstable High School Drama Club production of "Fiddler on the Roof" Saturday night, November 17, and the operative word is PRODUCTION. It rivaled any professional presentation I've seen.

Director and Set Designer John Sullivan's research, attention to detail, and the cast's smooth and clever set-changing gave it all the hallmarks of a Broadway production. Sullivan, an art teacher at the school, directed a cast of over 100 students, including some from middle school to play the younger parts.

Matt Kohler, in the lead role as Tevye, looked and acted the part besides singing it. People asked me, "Is he a student? He looks like an old man." The makeup, perfected mannerisms and rough, baritone voice did it. He WAS Tevye.

Siobhan Magnus played his wife, Golda, Saturday. (Sullivan alternates some of the cast members.) Her voice was operatic. Absolutely enchanting. The rest of the cast was also spectacular with splendid singing and acting and exceptional dancing.

Backing up the Drama Club in the orchestra pit, under the direction of Michael Gross, was a sixteen-piece orchestra, fifteen local professionals and one student. My friend and old high school chum, Cape Cod's ever-popular John Salerno, played accordion to give the sound an old world flair, accompanied by other members of his Big Swing Band, including Dennis Nobrega on clarinet with his klezmer styling, and Phil Vitali keeping rhythm on percussion.

The BHS Drama Club is donating a portion of the proceeds from all performances and ALL the proceeds from the Sunday, November 18 matinee at 2pm, to the Cape Cod Hospital Auxiliary.

The show continues next Friday and Saturday nights, November 23 and 24, at 7pm, and next Sunday afternoon, November 25, at 2pm. You will truly have an enchanted evening and will know you are helping our local hospital at the same time. And it's only ten bucks. Make it a point to see it. You'll be glad you did.