Academy presents the "do-re-mi's" of Rodgers & Hammerstein
Thomas Currey
Issue date: 4/3/08 Section: Arts
Phillips Auditorium will come alive with the sound of music this weekend as students from the Hillsdale and Will Carleton Academies present their production of "The Sound of Music," the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical.
The production will follow seven months of rehearsal and collaboration between the academies and the community.
Director Bob Thomas and music director Gail Nelson cast students within the first two weeks of school.
The massive undertaking to build sets, arrange music, and schedule rehearsals, Thomas said, would not have been possible without the generous support of parents, local businesses and Hillsdale College.
"We have lots of friends," Thomas said.
"The Sound of Music" is only the second the Academy has produced. Hillsdale Academy senior Caitlyn Hubbard was instrumental in starting the Hillsdale Academy's drama program two years ago.
"It's been really great working with all the people and my peers," Hubbard said. "It really means a lot to me, because I started the drama program two years ago. I just felt like there was a real need for an outlet at the Academy."
After the program's initial success, Nelson suggested to Hubbard the possibility of performing a musical, and the result was last year's production of "Bye Bye Birdie".
The show was well received, and already two out of "The Sound of Music's" four performances are sold out.
"The Sound of Music" has delighted generations of viewers since its first appearance on Broadway in 1959.
Rodgers and Hammerstein based their story on the experiences of the von Trapp family in Nazi-occupied Austria.
Maria, questioning her decision to become a novice in a Salzburg abbey, agrees to become the governess of the widower Captain von Trapp's seven incorrigible children.
Over time, she forges a strong connection with the entire family grounded in the joyful music she brings to the house.
Not least among the contributors to the academies' production, of course, are the students themselves.
"Our students are star athletes, they're stars academically, and [now] they're stars in a show," Nelson said.
"I've watched the movie so many times," said Hillsdale Academy sophomore Bitsy Brady, who shares the role of Maria with Hubbard. "I love it! It's wonderful."
Brady said she enjoys working with her eleven-year-old sister Cecelia, who plays Marta, the second youngest of the seven von Trapp children.
"Pretty much the best part of the play is being able to have fun behind the scenes while you're putting it together," Cecelia said.
Putting together a musical is not all fun and games, though.
"We've been working very hard," said Hillsdale Academy sophomore Ethan Gehrke, who plays Rolfe in the musical. "It's a good three dollars," he added, referring to the charge for students and seniors.
The production will follow seven months of rehearsal and collaboration between the academies and the community.
Director Bob Thomas and music director Gail Nelson cast students within the first two weeks of school.
The massive undertaking to build sets, arrange music, and schedule rehearsals, Thomas said, would not have been possible without the generous support of parents, local businesses and Hillsdale College.
"We have lots of friends," Thomas said.
"The Sound of Music" is only the second the Academy has produced. Hillsdale Academy senior Caitlyn Hubbard was instrumental in starting the Hillsdale Academy's drama program two years ago.
"It's been really great working with all the people and my peers," Hubbard said. "It really means a lot to me, because I started the drama program two years ago. I just felt like there was a real need for an outlet at the Academy."
After the program's initial success, Nelson suggested to Hubbard the possibility of performing a musical, and the result was last year's production of "Bye Bye Birdie".
The show was well received, and already two out of "The Sound of Music's" four performances are sold out.
"The Sound of Music" has delighted generations of viewers since its first appearance on Broadway in 1959.
Rodgers and Hammerstein based their story on the experiences of the von Trapp family in Nazi-occupied Austria.
Maria, questioning her decision to become a novice in a Salzburg abbey, agrees to become the governess of the widower Captain von Trapp's seven incorrigible children.
Over time, she forges a strong connection with the entire family grounded in the joyful music she brings to the house.
Not least among the contributors to the academies' production, of course, are the students themselves.
"Our students are star athletes, they're stars academically, and [now] they're stars in a show," Nelson said.
"I've watched the movie so many times," said Hillsdale Academy sophomore Bitsy Brady, who shares the role of Maria with Hubbard. "I love it! It's wonderful."
Brady said she enjoys working with her eleven-year-old sister Cecelia, who plays Marta, the second youngest of the seven von Trapp children.
"Pretty much the best part of the play is being able to have fun behind the scenes while you're putting it together," Cecelia said.
Putting together a musical is not all fun and games, though.
"We've been working very hard," said Hillsdale Academy sophomore Ethan Gehrke, who plays Rolfe in the musical. "It's a good three dollars," he added, referring to the charge for students and seniors.
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