Welcome Back! We are excited to begin this new season! Here are some dates to get you started!
SEPTEMBER 17th -- 7pm TAPS meeting in the Chorus room (n.b. this meeting MAY be moved to the PAC depending on attendance)
Welcome back and introductory meeting. This meeting is for NEW and returning GHSTA folks AND for all new and returning parents and we will go over all materials for the school year.
Please invite a friend or a first year student to join us!
Audition materials for the fall play and Interview materials for those interested in leadership positions will be handed out at this meeting.
Please note that all students interested in leadership positions in technical areas will need to interview and that ALL students are eligible for consideration for leadership positions.
Mrs. Camarco, Mr. Ripa and Ms. Mulqueen-Teasdale will meet after the interviews and do interview "call backs."
SEPTEMBER 18th Auditions
SEPTEMBER 19th -- Call Backs if needed
FALL PLAY 2019 -- November 7, 8 & 9
12 Angry Jurors
by Reginald Rose
SYNOPSISOn a hot summer day after a long trial, a jury must decide whether a 19-year-old man is guilty of murdering his father. The jury votes 11-1 that the man is guilty of the crime, but laws in the United States require a unanimous vote by all 12 jurors in order to pass judgment. Tempers flare as the eleven jurors try their best to convince the 1 dissenter to come around to their side. As the evidence is re-examined, however, new uncertainties come to light, forcing everyone to truly question if there is in fact some measure of "reasonable doubt". Twelve Angry Jurors is a heightened courtroom thriller that puts you on the edge of your seat while powerfully exploring what it means to live in a democracy.
Spring Musical 2020
TBA
24 Hr Play Festival 2019
TBA
SEPTEMBER 17th -- 7pm TAPS meeting in the Chorus room (n.b. this meeting MAY be moved to the PAC depending on attendance)
Welcome back and introductory meeting. This meeting is for NEW and returning GHSTA folks AND for all new and returning parents and we will go over all materials for the school year.
Please invite a friend or a first year student to join us!
Audition materials for the fall play and Interview materials for those interested in leadership positions will be handed out at this meeting.
Please note that all students interested in leadership positions in technical areas will need to interview and that ALL students are eligible for consideration for leadership positions.
Mrs. Camarco, Mr. Ripa and Ms. Mulqueen-Teasdale will meet after the interviews and do interview "call backs."
SEPTEMBER 18th Auditions
SEPTEMBER 19th -- Call Backs if needed
FALL PLAY 2019 -- November 7, 8 & 9
12 Angry Jurors
by Reginald Rose
SYNOPSISOn a hot summer day after a long trial, a jury must decide whether a 19-year-old man is guilty of murdering his father. The jury votes 11-1 that the man is guilty of the crime, but laws in the United States require a unanimous vote by all 12 jurors in order to pass judgment. Tempers flare as the eleven jurors try their best to convince the 1 dissenter to come around to their side. As the evidence is re-examined, however, new uncertainties come to light, forcing everyone to truly question if there is in fact some measure of "reasonable doubt". Twelve Angry Jurors is a heightened courtroom thriller that puts you on the edge of your seat while powerfully exploring what it means to live in a democracy.
Spring Musical 2020
TBA
24 Hr Play Festival 2019
TBA
How do you make your casting decisions?
A little insight into OUR process for casting the GHSTA productions...
The audition pool for GHSTA has gotten stronger and stronger every year and we are often asked by students how, exactly, do we go about casting. I am truly astounded at how much development the Theatre Arts students of Guilford High School have shown in skill, preparation and showcasing their individual talents. You give us so many things to weigh and consider when casting.
AFTER CALL BACKS FINISH..... we jot down our gut impressions, leave the building and do not discuss anything that evening. We relax and reflect individually and then meet the next morning to dive into deliberations.
First, we start tackling discussions about the principal characters. We review our notes from the music audition, and the cold readings as well as our individual reflection notes. We review your audition sheets for any alerts regarding conflicts listed and we note the grade level of each auditioner. Conflicts can be a factor in our casting. Seniority and previous casting in GHSTA shows is considered when two people have equally strong auditions with our decision going to the upper-class person in that case. Please note that in casting a musical -- the many facets of theatre (acting, singing, and movement and ensemble work) are all EQUALLY IMPORTANT in considering who is cast.
Still, casting a show is a difficult puzzle even with our combined experience. The difficult reality is that, at the end of the day, only ONE student can be cast in each role. As students grow in their experience and demonstrate increased skill and thorough preparation in their auditions, there are often several viable choices for lead characters.
Casting choices can come down to a singular moment at callbacks that resulted from someone making a big choice that resonates with both of us.
It’s not that the other potentials did anything wrong or could have improved at all. It’s just that the artistic choice of one spoke to our hearts, minds and creative vision of the piece in a unique way and the decision is made.
After that first definitive character is cast, we work outward from there to cast the rest of the show.
We begin to discuss chemistry in scene reads, matching up of vocal tone, stage presence, energy, risk taking etc.
Here is what else we do (true story):
We celebrate what each of you showed us at the audition in terms of your choices and preparation.
We rave over your growth as students.
We smile over new students who surprise us and applaud returning students who continue to develop their talents.
We honor each and every student who auditions with positive remarks about their audition.
After the principal characters are determined, then we start the task of casting all the ensemble roles. We look to give each student the amount of stage time that will help you to grow in skill, be successful with expectations, and help the overall energy of the show. Each show has unique challenges, so the we explore which student actors can best address those challenges. We often phone parents and other teachers/coaches to cross reference concerns and questions we may have regarding rehearsals and a student's’ time, availability and/or outside commitments.
When we feel unified in our vision and have the cast set, we pinky swear to secrecy and, again, go home to reflect. We touch base by mid-afternoon on Sunday to confirm the casting choices. We do this because we take this role very seriously and feel that having another insurance period of reflection in a non-rushed atmosphere will allow us to confirm our selections.
Please know that even as we grow in our excitement to begin work on the show, we are very mindful of those who will read the cast list with disappointment. As performing artists ourselves, we have been through both the joy of being cast and the profound disappointment of not being cast or not being cast in the role we set our hearts on. It is, unfortunately, an unavoidable challenge of the auditioning process and you should be extraordinarily proud of yourselves for putting your talent out there for consideration. You are braver than you may realize in doing this.
Dealing With Your Disappointment
Auditions are not a competition. You can only offer your best effort. So, when your offering did not win you the role that you desired, the sting of disappointment can sometimes be unbearable. Students are caught in the juxtaposition between genuine excitement for their friends and disappointment for themselves, or the reverse.
Mr. Buno and I ask you to remember that long before we announce the show in the summer, we have spent MONTHS doing preparation and study of the script and the score and together with Mr. Ripa and the other technical advisors develop a complete vision and artistic concept based on our many collective years and training working in musical theatre.
There are often needs within the show that we know about; opportunities for leadership and featured roles and solos, that are not part of the official cast list.
We want you to know that we carefully consider each of you and truly believe that you are all uniquely gifted and talented. Unfortunately, some of your gifts and talents as a performer may not be the best fit for a particular show, but we have many other points of participation in the production company that we’d love to invite you to participate in.
We also know that there is a silver lining: disappointment in casting often leads to development of the most rewarding relationships of a student’s life. Because of extended Tech/Rehearsal/Chorus Room/Green Room time where we work, collaborate and create, many GHSTA members have stories of how they found their best friends and memories from high school by participating in theatre.
All the best,
Ms. M-T, Mr. Buno, Mr. Gahm
CAST LIST WILL BE POSTED HERE following Auditions.
THIS LIST WILL BE POSTED ON THE THEATRE ARTS BOARD OUTSIDE THE PA OFFICE. PLEASE INITIAL YOUR NAME IF YOU INTEND TO ACCEPT THE PART YOU WERE CAST IN.
A little insight into OUR process for casting the GHSTA productions...
The audition pool for GHSTA has gotten stronger and stronger every year and we are often asked by students how, exactly, do we go about casting. I am truly astounded at how much development the Theatre Arts students of Guilford High School have shown in skill, preparation and showcasing their individual talents. You give us so many things to weigh and consider when casting.
AFTER CALL BACKS FINISH..... we jot down our gut impressions, leave the building and do not discuss anything that evening. We relax and reflect individually and then meet the next morning to dive into deliberations.
First, we start tackling discussions about the principal characters. We review our notes from the music audition, and the cold readings as well as our individual reflection notes. We review your audition sheets for any alerts regarding conflicts listed and we note the grade level of each auditioner. Conflicts can be a factor in our casting. Seniority and previous casting in GHSTA shows is considered when two people have equally strong auditions with our decision going to the upper-class person in that case. Please note that in casting a musical -- the many facets of theatre (acting, singing, and movement and ensemble work) are all EQUALLY IMPORTANT in considering who is cast.
Still, casting a show is a difficult puzzle even with our combined experience. The difficult reality is that, at the end of the day, only ONE student can be cast in each role. As students grow in their experience and demonstrate increased skill and thorough preparation in their auditions, there are often several viable choices for lead characters.
Casting choices can come down to a singular moment at callbacks that resulted from someone making a big choice that resonates with both of us.
It’s not that the other potentials did anything wrong or could have improved at all. It’s just that the artistic choice of one spoke to our hearts, minds and creative vision of the piece in a unique way and the decision is made.
After that first definitive character is cast, we work outward from there to cast the rest of the show.
We begin to discuss chemistry in scene reads, matching up of vocal tone, stage presence, energy, risk taking etc.
Here is what else we do (true story):
We celebrate what each of you showed us at the audition in terms of your choices and preparation.
We rave over your growth as students.
We smile over new students who surprise us and applaud returning students who continue to develop their talents.
We honor each and every student who auditions with positive remarks about their audition.
After the principal characters are determined, then we start the task of casting all the ensemble roles. We look to give each student the amount of stage time that will help you to grow in skill, be successful with expectations, and help the overall energy of the show. Each show has unique challenges, so the we explore which student actors can best address those challenges. We often phone parents and other teachers/coaches to cross reference concerns and questions we may have regarding rehearsals and a student's’ time, availability and/or outside commitments.
When we feel unified in our vision and have the cast set, we pinky swear to secrecy and, again, go home to reflect. We touch base by mid-afternoon on Sunday to confirm the casting choices. We do this because we take this role very seriously and feel that having another insurance period of reflection in a non-rushed atmosphere will allow us to confirm our selections.
Please know that even as we grow in our excitement to begin work on the show, we are very mindful of those who will read the cast list with disappointment. As performing artists ourselves, we have been through both the joy of being cast and the profound disappointment of not being cast or not being cast in the role we set our hearts on. It is, unfortunately, an unavoidable challenge of the auditioning process and you should be extraordinarily proud of yourselves for putting your talent out there for consideration. You are braver than you may realize in doing this.
Dealing With Your Disappointment
Auditions are not a competition. You can only offer your best effort. So, when your offering did not win you the role that you desired, the sting of disappointment can sometimes be unbearable. Students are caught in the juxtaposition between genuine excitement for their friends and disappointment for themselves, or the reverse.
Mr. Buno and I ask you to remember that long before we announce the show in the summer, we have spent MONTHS doing preparation and study of the script and the score and together with Mr. Ripa and the other technical advisors develop a complete vision and artistic concept based on our many collective years and training working in musical theatre.
There are often needs within the show that we know about; opportunities for leadership and featured roles and solos, that are not part of the official cast list.
We want you to know that we carefully consider each of you and truly believe that you are all uniquely gifted and talented. Unfortunately, some of your gifts and talents as a performer may not be the best fit for a particular show, but we have many other points of participation in the production company that we’d love to invite you to participate in.
We also know that there is a silver lining: disappointment in casting often leads to development of the most rewarding relationships of a student’s life. Because of extended Tech/Rehearsal/Chorus Room/Green Room time where we work, collaborate and create, many GHSTA members have stories of how they found their best friends and memories from high school by participating in theatre.
All the best,
Ms. M-T, Mr. Buno, Mr. Gahm
CAST LIST WILL BE POSTED HERE following Auditions.
THIS LIST WILL BE POSTED ON THE THEATRE ARTS BOARD OUTSIDE THE PA OFFICE. PLEASE INITIAL YOUR NAME IF YOU INTEND TO ACCEPT THE PART YOU WERE CAST IN.