Sunday, January 18th:
Happy End of Semester and MLK Weekend-
We hope everyone can take some time this weekend to engage in reflection or activity in why we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. and his and countless others' work in the past and still today.
We had an amazingly productive week! We've learned two full dances and over half the music, blocked and rehearsed the prologue, and interviewed and invited 44 crew members to the crew teams (reminder to stop in my room to pick up your crew agreement and email me back that you 'agree to the commitments' once you've received your crew team). Great work everyone!
Music and Dance Practice:
All Cast: Please use the videos and part-specific vocal practice tracks on the website to continuously review the dances and harmonies we've learned. As we add layers to the show, the more rehearsed you are with these isolated singing parts and your specific choreography, the easier it is for you to sing the harmonies while dancing and acting. 🙂
This Week: Please double check the rehearsals you are called to this week so you ensure your attendance. **CREW: Looking ahead to next week, costume crew is called Monday 1/26 and all other crews are called Friday 1/30.**
Keep the questions coming! We appreciate everyone's continual communication about conflicts/absences/illnesses. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Sunday, January 11th:
Happy Sunday All!
This Past Week:
We had an incredible first full week of rehearsal. We were so impressed with the the majority of the cast's engagement in rehearsals! They learned a lot!
Crew:
We also had a great tour and interview session with our crew on Friday. We will be posting crew roles later this week. All crew members will receive a list of expectations for their role and will need to agree to the expectations that come with their crew role-stay tuned!
Website:
We've posted the Jump in the Line video from Friday morning choreography as well as added all the vocal rehearsal tracks to the website. Please be sure you are well-versed in accessing the website and are actively using these support tools to practice your singing and dancing.
Morning Dance:
Please remember to arrive at the theater for morning rehearsal by 7:55, complete attendance and be on stage warming up by 8:00. Parents, please drop your child off on the building-side, not from an aisle in the parking lot. It's not safe for them to cross from the parking lot with so many cars dropping off and pulling out. Thank you!
Calendar:
We've updated the calendar on the website for both cast and crew through January (February is soon to follow!). Of note this week, we have morning dance tomorrow and no school Friday (nor NEXT Monday). If you cannot attend flex, please reach out to us-no worries! We know how precious flexes can be at the end of the semester.
This Week:
Thank you for all your communication about rehearsal attendance. We feel strongly that we know where every cast and crew member is if they're not at a rehearsal they are called to. Your (child's) safety and well-being will always be our number one priority. Thank you for continuing to keep us informed of your (their) whereabouts. As always, don't hesitate to reach out with questions.
TEAM BEETLEJUICE!
Saturday, January 3rd:
Happy New Year Cast, Crew and Families!
We hope you all had a lively winter break and that you all are feeling rejuvenated as well and ready to continue our rehearsals for the musical.
Scripts:
Please be sure you’ve read through the script and have learned some of the lyrics to songs you don’t already know. 😊 Remember to pack your script in your backpack tonight so you have it for rehearsals (if you missed our kickoff rehearsal or didn't have your one-inch binder, be sure to have your binder ready to go and we’ll have your script for you at rehearsal). Be sure to have a highlighter and pencil and eraser with your script at all times.
Calendar:
We've updated the calendar for specific groups for the first few weeks of rehearsal. Please bookmark the calendar so you can reference it each Sunday night to plan out your week. As is usually the case, the first couple of weeks are heavier than usual for all cast members since we'll be frontloading some all-cast music and dance numbers. Please work to prioritize the musical and communicate absences ahead of time (see 'Attendance and Rehearsals' below).
This Week:
Attendance and Rehearsals:
Please remember that you are expected to attend rehearsals when you are ‘called’ (called means that you’re expected to be at that rehearsal. Sometimes certain ensemble groups (ie.8th Grade Mourners), crew groups (ie. Run Crew) or leads (ie. Lydia and Beetlejuice) may be ‘called’ to a rehearsal while other times we’ll call ‘all cast’). Again, these first three weeks will be heavy for All Cast and then we will start to break out more into ensemble roles and call ensemble groups one to two times per week. All Company means Cast and Crew.
If you cannot attend for some reason, please send Mrs. Gardner and Cristiana an email as well as the Ms. Gordhamer or Ms. Skoglund if they are running the rehearsal so we can update attendance (please don’t tell a friend to tell us).
If you are going to miss three or more rehearsals, please talk to a director as it is expected that you do not miss more than that. We can be flexible with ensemble but we need to make a plan still.
Bring a snack for directly after school to eat before rehearsal starts; be sure your labeled water bottle is full and set it on the edge of the stage; use the restroom before rehearsal begins.
Fill out the attendance form (located on the website) and head onto stage by 4:10; our rehearsal slot is short; we need to maximize our time together each day.
Morning Dance: Please arrive at Door 10 between 7:50 and 8:00 AM. Rehearsal begins promptly at 8:00 AM but we will start warming up at 7:55 as soon as people have taken attendance. Anyone who arrives after 8:00 AM will need to check-in through Door 1.
Flex: We will sometimes call a small group during flex for choreo, solo/duet work, or small group acting. We will schedule you into these flexes; please let us know ahead of time if you have a conflict and need to attend a different flex for academic reasons.
CREW: Please come to the theater right after school on Friday, take attendance and Aaron, Cristiana and Mrs. Gardner will take you all on a tour and get you rolling in your interviews. Stage Managers should plan to audition on Friday as well.
Activity Fee:
Reminder emails were sent to each family who needs to send in their activity fee with their child to rehearsal this week. Please reach out to any of the directors if you are in need of financial assistance. Thank you!
Activity Bus:
We've received a couple of questions regarding the activity bus. It leaves from Door 1 at 5:45. Here's the link the transportation information: https://hornets.edinaschools.org/about-the-hornets/shuttle-bus-schedule
As always, please reach out with questions and clarifications. We wil be having a caregiver, thespian, directors meeting after rehearsal soon. Stay tuned!
We are looking forward to a great first week!
Friday, December 19th:
Happy Winter Break, Ya'll! Go on, git on home and enjoy break!
We had a fun kick-off on Wednesday reading and singing through a good portion of the script. We did not get through the entire musical, but the cast and crew have been 'assigned' homework over winter break to read, read, read the script and begin to memorize lyrics, scene order, lines, etc. to help them build their background of the plotline. The more the cast AND crew can know the musical when we return, the better. If anyone does not have a script, remember to come to my classroom with a 1-inch binder to receive your script.
Costume Measurement Form
We need ALL cast members to submit this form BY THIS Monday, December 22 so we can start creating costumes for the different roles in this show! Please email Cristiana with any questions.
Rehearsals:
Cast and Crew should arrive to rehearsals they are called to with their script, a couple good pencils with erasers, highlighters, a snack, water bottle, clothes they can move in and an open mindset to engage and learn.
Rehearsals will be updated on the calendar on the website with at least one week’s advance notice. Any changes within the week will be relayed via email and on the calendar.
We are currently planning on rehearsals Monday through Friday every day after school and Monday/Friday mornings for choreography as well as some flexes for small groups/solos. All rehearsals begin right after school and run until 5:30 (usually in the theater but sometimes in the orchestra, band or choir rooms during concert season). We appreciate your flexibility as we continue to navigate the unknowns ahead of us. Be sure you’re checking the calendar on the website. Again, any changes in what we post on the calendar will be relayed in an email.
Upcoming Rehearsals:
**All morning rehearsals are 8-9 AM in the theater; all after-school rehearsals are right after school until 5:30 in the theater for the month of January.
· Monday: 1/5 after school: All Cast
· Tuesday: 1/6 after school: All Cast
· Wednesday: 1/7 after school: All Cast
· Thursday: 1/8 after school: All Characters with lines
· Friday 1/9: 8 -9 AM DANCE!!! for All Cast; All CREW after school (no cast)
*For morning rehearsals, please arrive at Door 10 between 7:50 and NO LATER than 8:00 AM (dance begins at 8:00). If you arrive AFTER 8:00, please go to Door 1 and check in through the main office.
**There IS an Activity Bus that leaves from Door #1 at 5:45 each day. Please feel free to contact me with any questions regarding this free transportation option.**
Absences:
Please keep the musical as a priority and in the event of an absence, please inform me via email or students can let me know via email. Even if your child put a date on their audition form that they’ll be missing, please be sure to have your child remind me via email or in person that they’ll be missing a rehearsal that they were called for. If they’re sick and can’t attend rehearsal, please let me know this as well (we don’t receive an all-school attendance list each day). This is an expectation that the student takes responsibility for during the entire musical season.
Engagement and No Technology:
We expect that cast and crew are engaged in the rehearsal. We are a ‘no phone zone’ and ‘no technology zone’ during rehearsal.
Crew:
We loved have crew at rehearsal on Wednesday, and we believe that every rehearsal we call them to that they should be engaged and participate in the expectations. Please talk to your crew member about being a part of the show and being 'present' as a crew member. We honestly struggled with some of their behavior (on day one) and had, to redirect them to encourage them to follow the script. They have their interviews on January 9th after school.
Volunteer Information:
Thank you to everyone who marked their availability to help out in so many different ways for the musical on the parent permission form. We will be sending out more information as well as Sign-Up Genius links as we get closer to the show, or I will be contacting you individually based on your form. In the meantime, thank you for supporting your child’s involvement in the musical by helping them to know what days they have rehearsal and picking them up after school (Door 10 on the west side of the building is the perfect pick-up door). The calendar is the best place to check for when they’re called. A great Sunday night ritual is to look at the calendar and help your child know which days they’re staying that week after schools as well as which days they need to be in the theater before school.
Activity Fee and Forms
This is a friendly reminder that a handful of families have not paid the activity fee yet ($100 cash or check made out to SVMS with DRAMA on the memo line). Please take care of this at your earliest convenience. These can be dropped off in the front office or sent with your child in person. It really is the best deal in town! Also, if you’d like an email added to this distribution list, please let me know.
Thank you for loaning us your talented child(ren) for the next few months! This is going to be such an amazing experience and exciting journey for all of us! As always, don’t hesitate to reach out with any additional questions.
TEAM BEETLEJUICE!
Saturday, December 13th:
Good Evening, BEETLEJUICE Cast, Crew and Families!
Ready, Set...
Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations on the INCREDIBLE two days of auditions! We had over 100 cast members audition and 40 crew members apply (interviews for crew will be January 9th) for our 2026 spring musical! You all came so prepared and really knocked our socks off ❤! We know this is just the beginning, and we can’t wait to start building this show with ALL of you. REMEMBER, everyone will be cast in the musical!
Below is the list of people we’d like to see/hear sing and act at callbacks on Monday after school (we also have a handful of people who were sick or couldn't make Wednesday/Friday auditions, so they will audition first). A callback DOES NOT mean these people will receive named roles (as you can see, there are more people listed than named roles in the show); we just need to hear some people again and see the dynamics between characters.
For CALLBACKS, we would like to see your best characterization for the roles in the songs on the chart below. There are also scenes linked below for some groups that we would like you to prepare for; we are looking for characterization and chemistry between characters in these scenes. Please check if your name is on more than one list so you are fully prepared.
We will meet in the theater and will begin with Otho followed by other roles; we will release people as we wrap up each group. We do not expect people to be 'off script' for callbacks, but the more you can show us your character, the better. We are not sure of the end time for each of the roles for callbacks as some will go quickly, and others may go longer. Please plan to stay until you are no longer needed and then connect with a parent via email or text. We ask that you wait for your ride in the lobby versus staying in the theater.
Ms. Gordhamer and Ms. Skoglund will rehearse the songs with each group as well at the beginning of callbacks. Please take note of the measures that we would like to hear for each song.
Please know that there will be many opportunities throughout the rehearsal process to highlight more voices as well as acting, dancing, tricks and stunts; when the opportunity arises for added solos and parts, we will look to people who show up consistently when they are called, are leaders on and off stage, are engaged and focused in rehearsals, and are kind and considerate of all their cast and crewmates as well as the directors. We will see EVERYONE at our first ALL COMPANY (CAST and CREW) meeting/rehearsal this WEDNESDAY after school from 4:05 until 5:30 in the theater. Remember to bring a 1-inch binder with your name on it.
Congratulations to everyone on your bravery and confidence on stage this week! You all showed so much courage. We know many people are not on this list, and we want everyone to remember to be gracious and thoughtful of one another; we are the theater family, and we take care of one another. Be well.
**See callback list on callback tab.**
TEAM BEETLEJUICE!
Sunday, December 7th:
Welcome to Beetlejuice, Jr, South View Middle School's spring musical! For those of you who have been on this journey with us before, welcome back! We are so excited to get started! Each week, you can expect a weekend update overviewing the week to come, but please know there is a plethora of information on our website. We are continuing to add drop-down pages to this as the season progresses. Please check there first when looking for information.
This week we have flex sessions to support cast singing and dance auditions during school as well as auditions after school for cast members. Next week we have callbacks and our ALL COMPANY first rehearsal (ALL COMPANY means cast AND crew.). Please check the calendar on the website for details.
What to expect at auditions (6th grade Wednesday=Choir Room; 7th/8th grade Friday-Theater):
4:05:
Drop backpacks
Turn activity fee check/money into Mrs. Gardner or Cristiana
Pick up your audition number & pin it to your shirt (up high near neckline)
Get your photo taken
Head to dance warm-ups
Ms. Skoglund will practice audition dance & warm up the kids
Join the dance as soon as your photo has been taken
4:30:
By 4:30, everyone should be warming up
Ms. Skoglund leads everyone through the dance once.
Then do the dance audition in groups of 10.
4:45:
Tap audition & Warm Up
Tappers go into the band room or hallway; Ms. Skoglund leads them through it once, and then they audition (tappers head to vocal warm-ups when done)
Ms. Gordhamer warms up all auditioners
5:00:
Start vocal auditions
6:00:
Auditions should be done by 6:00
**Auditioners: You are welcome to attend either Wednesday or Friday auditions if the other one doesn't work for your schedule. You may leave as soon as your audition is done. If you are auditioning for ensemble and need a group to sing with, just let us know and we'll help you!
Planning ahead:
Each cast and crew member will need a 1-inch 3-ring binder. They will receive their script at our All Company rehearsal on Wednesday, December 17th (but only if they have a binder). Please plan ahead to have this ready to go for this first rehearsal; many company members will 'personalize' the covers of these-have fun with this!
Questions?
Please direct questions to specific directors if you have a specific question. Otherwise, general questions can be sent to me.
Music:
kathryn.gordhamer@edinaschools.org
or
elizabeth.skoglund@edinaschools.org
Choreography:
elizabeth.skoglund@edinaschools.org
Costumes:
cristiana.hawthorne@edinaschools.org
Acting, blocking, calendar, general questions:
erica.gardner@edinaschools.org
or
cristiana.hawthorne@edinaschools.org
Crew:
erica.gardner@edinaschools.org
cristiana.hawthorne@edinaschools.org
or
aaron.lauby@edinaschools.org