Strike/Cast Party- TomorrowOur last Newsies event is our Strike/Cast Party on Monday, March 30th. We'll be meeting right after school and will go till 5:30pm. Students are welcome to stay a bit longer, if they're having fun. Striking doesn't mean that we're going to protest, it's actually a theatre term that means we'll be disassembling and putting everything away. Our stage needs to be cleared and have everything put away for a district event on Tuesday. The Cast Party is an opportunity for students to celebrate the success of their production. It's also a chance to just talk and process the ending. It's honestly a bit of a wake. Here's what we're planning on doing:
Thank You!Thanks to all of you for your support of this musical and for the kind director gifts! Many of you have put in countless volunteer hours. Please know that I deeply appreciate you and all you have done. Thank you for inviting friends, neighbors and family to come see the show! It was so good for our students to have such great audiences each night. Thank you for adjusting all the appointments and lessons as well as your schedule so that your student could be at rehearsals. Thank you for raising such incredible teens! They are truly phenomenal! Post-Show BluesRemember at the beginning when the cast list came out and I said to expect emotions? Well, expect emotions now that the musical is over too. If you've never been in a musical/play it's hard to grasp how close and connected cast members become. We build friendships, gain trust and learn to rely on each other. A production can become a place of belonging, especially during this time of great change at their age. They've seen each other just about everyday since January. All of the sudden in one full swoop it is gone. All gone. Yes, friendships can continue beyond the production (I certainly hope they do), but it is often more difficult to get together. If they're in different grades, it becomes even trickier. It is normal for students to feel sad and even a bit depressed that it's over. I closed a production this past summer and even though I've been in countless productions, I was surprised how hard post-show blues hit me. Here's some tips you can give to help your student:
Cast PicturesThanks to Ryan Winterton and Amie Glauser for all these amazing cast pictures and headshots! Feel free to download and keep any pictures you want as keepsakes of this musical. The grand question...At this point the question on everyone's mind is, "What is the musical for next year?" The answer: we haven't started that process yet. We put all our focus and energy into this year's musical before diving into the next. We'll be spending the next couple of months reading scripts and really pondering what will be the best musical for this whole group of students. We literally look at all the students in 7th and 6th grade and think about what will push them and what will they excel in. Newsies pushed these students, but they also excelled in it. That's our goal. People often are curious if we decide shows based on specific people. The answer is no. Junior high students change so drastically from year to year. We simply have no idea who will be who until auditions and callbacks are complete. When will the musical be announced? During the End-of-the-Year Assembly in May. We will continue the tradition of having our 8th grade cast members be part of the announcement. So in May I'll send out an email asking for 8th grade volunteers to participate. It's pretty fun! thank you, Newsies cast members and parents!Rehearsal/Performances This weekMonday- 3/23 Dress Rehearsal @ 3-6pm (I don't foresee it, but students may be asked to stay longer if something is needed since it is our very last rehearsal)
Upland Terrace Elementary Performance @ 2-3:30pm Call Times:
Opening Night Performance- 7pm Call Time:
Performance- 7pm Call Time:
Performance- 7pm Call Time:
Closing Night Performance- 7pm Call Time:
Thank you!I just wanted to thank all of you for making this rehearsal process go so smoothly! I started listing all the parent volunteer work that has already gone into this show and it is really long. I just want you to know that I have been blown away by your generous donations of food items for rehearsals and concessions. Not to mention your generous donation of time and talents. I know there is still a lot of time being given this week for performances. If I am unable to tell you in person, please know I'm extremely grateful. Thank you for your strong support of this musical! Cash box trainingIf you are working with tickets or concessions, please make sure you receive cash box training from Ms. Flanagan in the Front Office. It's pretty short. Filming PErformancesThere is no video recording without prior permission. Please contact me if you have any questions about this. There will not be a professional video recording of the performance. Closing NightOnce the performance is done on Closing Night, students will need to turn in their rented or borrowed costume items before leaving. All items brought from home will need to be taken home that evening. Strike/Cast PartyStriking the set (putting everything away) and our cast party will be the following Monday, March 30th @ 3-5:30pm. Our auditorium is going to be needed for another event on Tuesday so that's why everything has to be cleaned up on Monday. Once we've worked, we'll party! More details coming. Audience Etiquette RemindersAs part of the curriculum of the performing arts classes, students learn and practice good audience etiquette. Here's the good audience etiquette list we created in our Theatre 2 class:
rehearsals this weekMonday- 3/16 Cast Picture Day @ 3-5pm
Dance Clean Up Day @ 3-5pm
Tech Rehearsal @ 3-5:30pm
Tech Rehearsal @ 3-5:30pm
Dress Rehearsal @ 12:45-4:45pm
ConcessionsThe concessions committee could really use some more volunteers. Part of the rules with cash boxes is that they have to have more than one person helping. So, please email me if you are able to join this fun committee. Also, we could use some donations for our concessions. The money we make at concessions goes right back to our musical budget for next year. Here's a SignUpGenius to donate concessions items. Please deliver any donations to the front office. Hair and MakeupTomorrow is our Cast Picture Day! Makeup Makeup is very minimal. We're going Hamilton with this production where there is little to no makeup used. Girls (especially our leads) may want some mascara, blush, brows, and lips. Medda, Ada, Olive, Ethel and the vaudeville performers are the only ones that can go all out with makeup. Just be mindful that when you are a newsie, you cannot have lots of makeup. Hair Hair for Newsies will be very simple. These are kids, after all.
 Performances next weekNext week is performance week! Yay! We can't wait to share it all with you. Students who speak in the show will need to be at the school by 5pm each night. Everyone else should be there before 5:45pm. We will be starting our warmups, fight call and performance traditions at that time. This is an important part of preparing for a performance as this helps unify us and get our minds in the right headspace before performing. Please help your student be on time. The Elementary Performance will be on Tuesday, March 24th, at 2pm. Many of our cast members are part of the Wasatch instrumental program and will be gone till about 1pm that day for a district band festival. We will have all speaking roles come to the auditorium right after 4th period/2nd lunch. All others will be excused after 5th period. If your student is gone on the band festival, we will have them join us as soon as they arrive back at school. The Elementary Performance is a closed performance for parents. Meaning, this performance is only for Upland Terrace students and their accompanying teachers/chaperones. If there is a situation like a family member is unable to come any of the performance nights, but can come for that performance, please let me know. Students should be able to go home at 3:30pm. There will not be a rehearsal that afternoon. Utah Shakespeare FestivalThe Utah Shakespeare Festival is coming to Wasatch this Thursday to do acting workshops and a performance for our students. This is during school and completely free. It's quite an opportunity for our students to receive time like this with professional actors. I'm going to close the signups for the workshops on Monday, so please tell your students to register if they are interested.
rehearsals this weekMonday- 3/9 Act II Scenes @ 3-5pm meet in the cafeteria
Newspaper articles/content due Stumble Through @ 3-5pm
Run Show @ 3-5pm
Run Show @ 3-5pm
No Rehearsal- no school due to end of term CostumesThank you for all the help on Friday for the Costume Parade! It was really fun to see all the costumes. Many students were missing just one thing. Most were missing socks or their boots. Just a reminder that if you would rather, your student can be a barefooted newsie. Please be sure your student has all costume items by the end of the week. March 16th is our Cast Picture Day that will be in full costume. Longer rehearsalsWe're starting to run the show this week. These rehearsals can get pretty boring and exhausting. They also can feel clunky and a bit discouraging as everyone is trying to remember everything. If your student comes home feeling a bit discouraged, please remind them that this is a normal part of the process that even professionals experience. Please encourage your student to have something they can do or work on while they wait for their turn. This can help pass the time. If they are still unsure about choreography, blocking or singing, now is the time to learn and solidify with a fellow cast mate during any downtime. We are fortunate to have a committee of parents providing snacks for these long days - thank you so much! Be sure your student is bringing a water bottle to stay hydrated. Remaining tasksWe're in the home-stretch! There are some things that are on my to-do list. If you have time and would like to help with these items, please let me know. We are unable to do anything on Monday (tomorrow) as Skyline will be using the auditorium. I will plan on staying after rehearsals on Tuesday and Thursday if you want to come over to work on any of these items.
To-do List:
Tonight at 8pm the Newsies tickets will go on sale! Yay! Here is the ticket link.
I am in a meeting at 8pm tonight, so I will be unavailable to answer questions during that time. Our Newsies t-shirts have arrived! Those who have already paid the musical fee will receive their shirts starting tomorrow. Majority of students still haven't paid the fee yet. It can be paid through Focus, or by calling Ms. Flanagan tomorrow to pay over the phone. You can also pay in-person in the front office if you prefer that. Remember students need to bring all costume pieces tomorrow so we can see what they have and what they still need. Students will be putting it all on tomorrow. I have asked that the auditorium be opened up in the morning so costumes can be dropped off. Tell your student to just drape it over one of the chairs. rehearsals this weekMonday- 3/2 8th grade only- Dance/Sing: Brooklyn's Here @ 3-4:30pm
Dance/Sing: Brooklyn's Here @ 3-4:30pm
Choreography: Seize the Day- Part 1 @ 3-3:30pm
Tickets go live at 8pm! Review Scenes @ 3-5pm
Costumes Due- Costume Parade Review Songs and Dances @ 12:45-2:45pm
Costumes dueAll cast members need to bring their costumes and put them on on Friday during rehearsal. We need to see what everyone has and is still missing for their costume. TicketsNewsies tickets will go on sale starting Thursday, March 5th at 8pm. This is reserved seating tickets. There will not be a pre-sale or a limited number of tickets you can buy like years past. Tickets are $8. Unfortunately the website still charges the $1 convenience fee. We will have tickets being sold at the door with seats already reserved in the upper section if you would rather not pay the fee. Ticket sales and Concessions sales go directly back to our musical fund to provide for next year's musical. Newspaper writingThis was discussed with the students on Friday, but I wanted to get the message out to those who either forgot or wasn't there. We are creating a newspaper for Newsies and I need help putting one together! Students can submit articles, comic strips, ads, sketches, puzzles, etc. I just ask that it is somewhat Newsies related and school-appropriate. I already have a crossword puzzle being created. Everything needs to be sent to me digitally. If it is drawn, I can get it scanned in. Students who are interested in contributing to the newspaper need to talk to me about what they want to do and get their submission approved. All items need to be turned in by March 10th.
rehearsals this weekMonday- 2/23 Dance/Sing: Just A Pretty Face @ 3-4:30pm
Dance/Sing: The World Will Know @ 3-4:30pm
Dance/Sing: Just A Pretty Face @ 3-4:30pm
Dance/Sing: The World Will Know @ 3-4:30pm
Review all Dances, Songs & Scenes @ 12:45-2:45pm
thank you!Wow! Another fabulous Parent Work Day! I can't thank you enough for your generous support and the giving of your time/resources to put this show together! We got a lot accomplished on Saturday. There are a few things left to do, but not enough to have another Parent Work Day. I'll be reaching out to various committees to help out with finishing up the painting and other various projects. Costume due dateIf you haven't already checked your costume off, please get it checked off with Ms. Emily. Our amazing costumer, Brooke Matheson, has had an injury and will not be able to work on costumes due to surgery and recovery. With that, we may be reaching out to you if we need assistance in costuming your student. Costumes are due March 6th. That's in 2 weeks. On that day, all students will put on their costumes (base layers included) so we can see what is still missing. Many in this cast are taking on different roles throughout the show. Sometimes they're a newsie and other times they're a reporter, vaudeville performer, or New Yorker. We are doing our best to costume the reporters, vaudeville performers, and New Yorkers in the costumes we have. We will let you know if something else is needed for those. We need you to provide the newsie costume if they chose to do that as well. Hope that makes sense. If you chose to rent a newsie costume from Brooke Matheson instead of providing your own, please be sure to Venmo her $20 (@BrookeMatheson-12). Also, in order to keep costume items from getting lost, please provide a garment bag or a garbage bag to contain all items. Musical fee has been addedThank you to all those who have already paid the musical fee! As a reminder, this fee covers the cast t-shirt, linner meal, cast party, scripts, and royalties. You can pay the fee now online through your student's Focus account, over the phone with Ms. Flanagan, or paying in-person with Ms. Flanagan.
For your enjoyment or interest, here is an article about the Newsies strike from The Sun newspaper on Friday, July 21st, 1899. The title of the article is: "The Only Tie-Up In Town".
Rehearsals this weekMonday- 2/16
No Rehearsal Tuesday- 2/17 No Rehearsal Wednesday- 2/18 Dance/Sing: King of New York @ 3-4:30pm
Dance/Sing: King of New York @ 3-4:30pm
Dance/Sing: King of New York @ 12:45-2:45pm
Parent Work Day @ 9am-2pm
Rehearsals this weekMonday- 2/9 Block Scenes 4, 10 & 12 @ 3- 4:30pm
Block/Sing: Santa Fe- Prologue @ 3-4pm
No Rehearsal- Parent/Teacher Conferences Thursday- 2/12 Dance/Sing: Seize the Day- Reprise @ 3-4:30pm
No Rehearsal- No School (Enjoy your long weekend! Next rehearsal will be on Wednesday, Feb. 18th) Thank youThank you to the many volunteers that came on Saturday and gave of their talent and time so freely. I'm truly astounded at how much was accomplished in such a short amount of time. Thank you for supporting this musical! Also thank you to our incredible cast members who completed a hard, exhausting week of rehearsals. It was a lot of movement and tricky music that we covered this past week. Way to do hard things! Costumes UpdateIf you are wanting to rent a Newsies costume instead of provide your own, the last day to request that is this Tuesday (Feb. 10). It's been fun seeing all the costumes coming together! If you have any questions, please look at the Costume document our costumer has prepared.
|
Archives
March 2026
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
