About WBLAHS Musicals: FAQ info

SHOWS

Details

White Bear Lake High School does one musical a year, with performances traditionally scheduled the 2nd and 3rd weekends in November prior to Thanksgiving. The first weekend run is Friday 7pm, Sat 2pm and 7pm. The second weekend run is Thursday and Friday 7pm, Saturday 2pm and 7pm. 

Choosing the Show

When selecting a show for the fall musical, many elements come into play. Budget, style and genre of the show, vocal and instrumental demands, set and tech expectations and choreography. Depending on the process for retaining copyright licenses, the show may be announced as early as the year-end banquet, or as late as the audition clinic. As soon as the show is announced, the director will provide audition cuts for lead parts so that students can prepare an audition piece based on their desired part.

JOINING CAST, CREW, & PIT

Audition Clinic

On the 3rd or 4th Wednesday evening in August, the director holds an audition clinic at the District Center for WBL students (grades 6-12). This is a great way to help kids prepare for the upcoming auditions and meet other current theatre students, as incoming freshmen. Information on dates/time is typically shared through the WBL Theatre Facebook groups: Aida WBLAHS Theatre (private) and White Bear Lake High School Theatre (public).

Auditions

Students should prepare a 1 minute excerpt from a musical that can be sung acapella or accompanied (you will need to bring music in the correct key). Someone will be onsite to play piano for auditions. Your student does not need to be in choir to be eligible to participate in the production!

Crew 

The first Crew/Introduction Meeting was Tuesday, September 23rd: 4-5pm. Students interested in crew will assist with lighting, sound, backstage, ushering, props, hair and makeup. If you have questions about this aspect of the show, please contact Morgan Baumbach (Morgan.Baumbach@isd624.org) or check out the Crew page. 

Crew Signup Form: Crew Application 

Crew Signups are due by this coming Monday the 29th at 3pm. 

Pit Orchestra

Watch the school announcements for the date/time of the auditions. Communication will also occur via band and orchestra directors. Pit orchestra instrumentation varies from year to year depending on what musical is chosen. Auditions usually occur during the 2nd week of school (September), with rehearsals starting the first week of October. They are scheduled twice a week from 4:00-6:30pm for the first 4-6 weeks or until they move into the theatre. If you have questions about this aspect of the show, please contact Matthew Pham (Matthew.pham@isd624.org) or check out the Pit Orchestra page on the WBL Theatre Website.

PARENT INFO & INVOLVEMENT

Communication

At the parent meeting (usually the second Monday of rehearsals), you will fill out a parent volunteer form.  The director will use your submitted email address for communication. There is also a WBL Theatre Website and a White Bear Lake High School Theatre Facebook page.  You will find fun photos and come a cross a variety of announcements on the FB page.

Parent Involvement

Our productions do not happen without our parent volunteers! On average, our musicals involve the hard work and dedication of 50+ volunteer adults working on various aspects of the show - set design, costumes, props, hair/makeup, publicity, concessions, ticket sales, etc. If you want to be part of our theatre “family” there is a place for you! The theatre becomes a second home for many of the kids who will be spending most of their after school hours in rehearsals, so if you want to see your kids more often during the 2.5 month long production season, VOLUNTEER!

Make every effort to attend the parent meeting, scheduled typically on the Monday of the 2nd week of rehearsals. This will be your opportunity to meet the director and get all your questions answered!

PRE-SHOW & REHEARSAL SEASON

Rehearsal Schedule

The director maintains a Google Doc Spreadsheet outlining the overall rehearsal schedule for the production. Bookmark it and reference it often, as it does change over time. Your student may or may not be required to attend every single rehearsal, so review the schedule carefully to determine when they need to be there or not.

• Rehearsals are almost never scheduled on Wednesday nights or Sundays.

• There are often two weekend dance rehearsals scheduled at the Shoreview YMCA; typically 2 hours in the afternoon on a Sat/Sun.

• Some weekday rehearsals go from 4:00 - 9/9:30pm with an hour dinner break. Some parents choose to bring dinner to school so students can stay onsite to get schoolwork done. Students who drive often choose to head to nearby restaurants to purchase food and get away for a break. If you are fortunate enough to live close by WBLAHS, your student is welcome to spend that break at home.

• On some of these long rehearsal nights, the meal coordinator will arrange to pick up pizza at Dominos for $1/slice. Kids can preorder pizza slices and stay at WBLAHS to eat dinner and catch up on schoolwork. These will be noted on the schedule.

Costumes

If cast members need to purchase anything in addition to the costumes they are provided, you will know. Typically these items can include tights, specific undergarments and dance shoes. Costume support is a huge job, so if you like to sew or are handy with a glue gun, get yourself plugged in!

You may be asked to wash pieces of your students costume once or twice during the production, and also after the final performance to get ready for turn in. Costume turn in occurs on the Monday after the last performance.

Hair and Makeup

The parent in charge of this aspect of the production will let the students know what products are needed for the show. They will vary from show to show, but typically include foundation, eye liner, mascara, fake eyelashes and lipstick. Character makeup or special hair products are most often provided.

Set Design

Opportunities for involvement (building and/or painting) will be determined by the set design coordinator. If you are handy with tools, enjoy building things or have a way with a paint brush, please get yourself involved! Set design typically occurs on Wednesday nights and Saturdays, beginning the 3rd or 4th week of September.

Ticket Sales

Our theatre program has overwhelming community support, and the tickets to most shows sell out very fast. Parents do get first access to ticket sales (usually early October), prior to them opening to the public. So, watch for the email and purchase your tickets during this pre-sale window to ensure you get tickets for each performance you want to attend. Some parents will purchase tickets for multiple performances if they are unsure when they will attend and resell any they don’t need through the FB groups to anyone looking for extra tickets to a sold out show.

Production Photography

One of our long-standing parent volunteers, Kathy Burnham, takes professional shots of the show multiple nights and shares them with a Google Drive Folder Link for everyone to have and share on social media to promote the show. Trust us, you will not need to take a single photo of the show! They are really, really good!  Make sure to download the photos as the Google Drive Folder will eventually be pulled off the drive to save on storage.  

Apparel Order

There will be production apparel available to purchase. Watch for an email and the notice on the rehearsal schedule with details and deadlines. Students that purchase apparel are typically asked to wear the item on certain days at school to promote the show.

PERFORMANCES & SHOW SEASON

DVDs

The production is recorded professionally and a DVD can be purchased. The DVD is traditionally distributed at the year-end banquet in June.  Families will receive a private YouTube link with the show.  You need to have a Gmail acct in order for us to share the video with you.

Dress Rehearsal

A formal dress rehearsal is scheduled on the Thursday prior to the first performance and parents are invited to attend for free. You are also welcome to take video/pictures.

Cast Parties

Be forewarned. There are cast parties after every single performance (except the Thursday show, as it’s a school night)! Per tradition, seniors (and juniors) get first pick of dates for hosting. If there are any nights remaining, sophomores and freshmen are welcome to it! These parties should never be exclusive to a particular group and open to all cast, crew and pit kids. Theater kids become family and everyone is included. Attendance at parties is totally optional (some students will need to opt to go home to get much needed sleep), but a big reason why theatre kids become fast friends are these fun opportunities to hang out and celebrate the hard work they’ve put into the shows.

Guys/Girls Breakfasts

In addition to cast parties, in recent years, guys and girls breakfasts have become another event kids/parents volunteer to host prior to both Saturday matinees. Again, attendance is totally optional. Even though they are up late the night before, most kids find a way to get up and go because they’re fun!

Other Production Week Stuff

Rehearsal Meals

During production weeks, in an effort to keep kids onsite, meals are provided potluck style - with parents signing up to bring items. Watch for an email from the parent coordinating this effort for details and sign ups. Watch the rehearsal schedule closely to see when these meals are being offered so that you know when your student is being taken care of onsite.

Keeping up with Schoolwork

Rehearsal days are often long with only a dinner break. So, encourage your kid to make use of any downtime they have to get schoolwork done. During rehearsals and even performance days, most kids pull out homework during any breaks they have, so have them bring it with them when necessary. 

All WBL teachers are also very supportive of student involvement in these productions and willing to flex on deadlines for schoolwork if needed. So, encourage your student to talk to teachers about any pressing deadlines that seem impossible to meet, especially in the last two weeks of performances.

Staying Healthy

These productions are physically, mentally and emotionally demanding. It’ll be important to support your student to stay healthy. Eating well-balanced meals and encouraging as much sleep as possible will be helpful. Drinking hot tea with honey or Throat Coat can be very soothing for tired vocal cords. During the run of show, there is a tea, honey and lemon station set up in the back hallway so that students can access hot drinks throughout the day. Students also find that sucking on hard candy and vitamin C drops can also be helpful.

Performance Meals

During performance days, kids eat onsite and meals are provided once again, potluck style with parents signing up to bring items. Watch for an email from the parent coordinating this effort for details and sign ups.

Thank You Notes

On the last day of performances, the students traditionally write thank you notes to each other. It’s so important to receive affirmation from peers! So, encourage your student to participate and provide them with a supply of note cards. The final cast party typically includes students sitting around and reading through their stack of notes.

Middle School Performances

On the Tuesday between show weekends, your student will miss an entire day of school to perform an extended excerpt of the show to 7th grade Sunrise and Central middle school students. Part of the performance includes a Q&A where the cast/crew talk about their experience in theater and encourage middle schoolers to consider getting involved.

Joke Show

On the Wednesday between show weekends, the director allows the students to incorporate “jokes” into their final informal run through of the show before the last performances. Jokes need to be clean, and are intended to help the kids have fun during what can be an otherwise very stressful week.

Volunteer Appreciation

Prior to the last Saturday performance, parent volunteers are invited to join the cast/crew in the Choir Room (a.k.a. Green Room) for some student-led acknowledgements. Traditionally this happens at 6pm. Volunteers have also traditionally gathered at Washington Square or Manitou AFTER the final performance to celebrate over drinks and appetizers.

OTHER IMPORTANT INFO

Spotlight

Spotlight Education (through Hennepin Theatre Trust) is a program we participate in that honors and supports Minnesota high school musical theater students and programs. Schools that participate undergo a Production Assessment evaluation by Spotlight representatives for all aspects of the performance. Productions that receive awards are then invited to be part of the Spotlight Showcase, a professionally-produced, two-night event highlighting the hard work and talent of the students, teachers, families and community members that are part of the vibrant high school musical theatre community in Minnesota. Both nights of Showcase feature a variety of performances, including technical students and orchestra. Schools only perform one of the two nights, typically during the first week of June.

WBLAHS Fall Musical cast has performed at Spotlight 12 of the 15 past shows. If we are invited to participate, the cast will have a 2-3 rehearsals in the final weeks of school (June) to prepare. The performance is typically a 3-5 min medley highlighting the greatest hits of the show. And don’t worry, even though it’s been 6 months since the fall musical, they remember the songs and choreography easily! Students are given Spotlight branded t-shirts to wear for the performance. Trust us, you will want to purchase tickets to see this show. It features the best of theatre across the state, so essentially it’s the equivalent of “going to State” in the sports world. Crew members can apply to do work during tech week of the Spotlight Performance. Members of the pit orchestra will have an opportunity to rehearse and collaborate with other MN band members to perform a song at Spotlight in June.

Over the course of the entire year, there are also opportunities through this program for students of both cast and crew to attend master classes (acting, singing, dancing, etc.) as well as see professional shows at a discounted price. Look for emails from the director with registration dates, rehearsals and requirements. 

Shout Outs

This refers to space you can purchase in the program to have a special message printed for your student. They are great purchases for family and friends who live out-of-town and can’t attend a show. Shout outs in the program are $15 and $30 and all proceeds go towards funding the production.

Bear Water Run

WBL Theatre traditionally hosts a water station as part of the Bear Water Run on the 2nd Saturday in September as a fundraiser for the program. Students are invited to participate and typically choose a theme for the station and create signage. 

Homecoming Parade

WBL Theatre traditionally has a float in the parade to promote the program and fall musical. They will wear school apparel, and sing song selections from the musical. If your student can participate, it’s lots of fun!  This is an option for cast and crew.

OTHER THEATRE OPPORTUNITIES AND EVENTS

Year-End Banquet

Typically the Sunday before the last week of school, there is a celebration banquet hosted by the theatre directors. Parents and students should definitely attend, although be warned that students tend to sit together, not with their parents. That means it’s another great way to get to know other theatre parents! In addition to awards (both serious and funny) the banquet includes honoring the graduating class of seniors, featuring a compilation video of each student’s involvement in theatre (musical, one act and spring play) over the course of their high school career. The upcoming fall musical may or may not be announced at the banquet. 

One Act

WBL participates in the Minnesota State High School League One Act Play competition every year. Auditions for the one act take place in December, with rehearsals starting in January and running through the first week of February. Preparation for this show is much more low key and rehearsals are typically scheduled Mon-Thurs from 4:00-6:00pm at WBLAHS. There are traditionally two public performances of the one act during the first weekend in February. Any questions, contact the director Braylon Lane (Braylon.lane@isd624.org).

Spring Play

A final theatre opportunity for students occurs with the offering of a Spring Play. Performances occur over one weekend in May (before Memorial Day weekend) and auditions take place in March. Any questions, contact the director Braylon Lane (Braylon.lane@isd624.org).

Lettering

Students can letter by participating in many aspects of the theatre program. They will receive information about details from their theatre director.