You Can't Stop the Beat -- HAIRSPRAY rehearsal progresses nicely

HAIRSPRAY rehearsal is pretty crazy. 


Having blocking, vocal rehersal, and dance all in one rehersal makes it sure that you have a good night sleep. Going over the music for HAIRSPRAY is pretty difficult at times. The piano is playing one tune and you're singing another, then backround singers come in and it's crazy. Though when it all comes together it sounds awesome! 


I love blocking. Standing on stage trying to figure out your character voice and how your character moves and acts is a lot of fun. I really enjoy working with Denzel, he is easy to get a long with and is always a happy soul at rehearsal.


The dancing. My goodness the dancing. I'm not the best at it but so far I seem to be catching on fast. When the cast dances together with all their energy and just has fun with it, it's a blast. I really enjoy the cast of this show. Everyone works hard, cheers each other on and just goes crazy with it. 


So far I have to say the enjoyment of working with the cast as a whole and blocking my scenes with denzel have got to be my favorite.


ally freel

SCHOOLHOUSE rocks on Despite a Few Stumbles

Schoolhouse Rock! Live, Jr. had its second performance this past week, for Case Elementary School. 

Over the previous long weekend, we held a few brush-up rehearsals. This prepared us for the shows much better than independent morning rehearsals had just before the first show.

We did have some unexpected surprises on Tuesday, the day of our show. About thirty seconds into the performance, our music didn’t turn on. We improvised for a few minutes while Imokhai and LaSosha tried to fix the problem, but eventually we just plunged into the first number a cappella. We sang our first two songs without our accompaniment, until Imokhai found a second boom box to play our CD.

Other than those few glitches, our performance went very well. We knew the lines and songs much better than we had before. The students waved to us from the audience, called out spontaneously, and one or two danced along. This is the biggest joy of performing for such young audiences – they are so open and enthusiastic. 

We look forward to that enthusiasm at our third performance next week.

shea lee

She does not have the Answers but She asks the Right Questions.

Firestone Theatre is set to present Dear Gabby: The Confessions of an Over-Achiever at the Akron Civic Theatre. You should make plans now to see this single public performance of a fantastic play.

Dear Gabby: The Confessions of an Over-Achiever tells the story of a teen-aged girl who confronts a series of important life-lessons as she writes the advice column for her school’s paper. This powerfully funny and poignant play will be presented at the Civic Theatre in Downtown Akron for a single performance on Wednesday, February 2, 2011. 

Tickets are $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for all students and are available by calling the Civic box office at 330.253.2488 or online at www.akroncivic.com.  Seating is limited so patrons are encouraged to buy their tickets in advance.

            Dear Gabby: The Confessions of an Over-Achiever is by Chris DeCarlo and Evelyn Rudie, who serve as co-Artistic Directors of the Santa Monica Playhouse in California. They describe their play as an interactive theatre experience, which explores such teen concerns as first love, peer pressure, rejection, relationships, drugs, cheating, self-esteem, and the passion and pain of piano lessons.

Dear Gabby is under the direction of guest artist Elynmarie Kazle who has already directed the play three times at Firestone High School. She worked at the Santa Monica Playhouse at the time of Dear Gabby’s original performances and tours. Firestone Theatre has presented the play six times over ten years to a wide variety of audiences. One production toured to the Dayton, Ohio, area as well as returned home to the Santa Monica Playhouse for two fund-raising performances. Kazle has served as the school’s Stage Management Trainer and Mentor for 10 years and recently worked with the Cleveland Playhouse.

The cast of Dear Gabby: The Confessions of an Over-Achiever is lead by seniors Hayley Hineline and Caeli Droge. They are supported by sophomores Amelia Britton, Aaron Eckhardt, Deandre Hairston, Sierrah Jesiolowski, Jada Langston, Moe McHargh; and freshman Lani Skelley. SophomoreWill Banno Rothman serves as the stage manager. Junior Marissa Wilson serves as the student director.

Call the Firestone HS theatre office at 330-873-3408 for additional information.

maz