The theater department production team takes heavy thought when considering picks for upcoming shows. They consider a number of factors and eagerly anticipate the reveal.
The picking of new shows is done by the production team consisting of director Matt McKay, music director Jack Phillipson, choreographer Phoebe Dawson, costumer Elizabeth Rohe and Mike Frank the Technical Director of the Performing Arts Center and set designer.
When beginning the process, the group looks back at their recent productions.
“We try to give a variety of theater experience so do we want to look at comedies or dramas, or was it a modern play or a classic,” McKay said.
Capability and talent of the cast are major factors within the selection. Certain shows require big sets, props, and costumes that Northview doesn’t have the capacity for.
When factoring in voice types and physical characteristics of actors, specific requirements can be limiting to the group.
“We aren’t pre-casting the show, but we need to know if the talent available to audition is even available,” McKay said.
On the technical side, Frank prefers that the directors find a pool of shows that excite them before stepping in. After that, he goes into the characteristics of cost, popularity, production and cast size.
A final consideration that Frank takes into account is whether or not the show is appropriate for the school and community.
“There are alot of shows out there that just are not appropriate for a high school to perform,” Frank said.
Although this may seem obvious, many shows have hidden controversial topics and small innuendos that may fly under the radar.
There are no current traditions for the announcement of shows. The team likes to build excitement upon the reveal; however, this backfired with last year’s Mary Poppins announcement.
Within the theater realm, schools can’t put on a show if there is another school in the area that already purchased the rights. This is exactly what occurred with Mary Poppins, another theater secured the rights before Northview could finalize them financially.
The Production Team enjoys hearing input from the students on what shows they’d like to see. Although this doesn’t heavily affect the decision and their choices aren’t always realistic, the students have high hopes. In a survey conducted by Kennedi Beauchamp, the students revealed their top four choices for productions.
