KISJ HS Theater production of The Drowsy Chaperone, directed by Ms. Tara May, is coming to HS PAC on December 8 and 9, 2022. This decision, of course, was made in the context of the prediction that COVID protocols will not interfere with live performances in the near future.
The interest meeting held on Monday, August 22, revealed that the musical was chosen primarily for its ensemble cast—with multiple principal characters, stage time is divided between actors fairly equally.
The preparation for the show has kicked off to a busy start. Due to the show’s heavy emphasis on synchronized choreography and choral singing, dance and vocal workshops are being offered to prospective actors throughout the week leading up to the auditions, which will begin on August 29. Callbacks, if needed, will take place on Thursday, September 1, and the final cast list will be announced at the end of the following day.
Sienna (G12) expressed her excitement for the show when she said, “I’m so happy that we get to perform on stage, not through a recording. I’m looking forward to working with the new drama teacher. There will be a lot of back-up dancers and understudies, which is amazing.”
Often described as “a loving send-up” of the American musical genre in the Jazz Age, The Drowsy Chaperone begins with a middle-aged, die-hard theater fan as he plays the recording of a fictitious musical of the same name. Like a story within a story, the man looks on as the musical comes to life, “poking fun at all the tropes that characterize the musical theater genre” (“The Drowsy Chaperone”).
Published by Bob Martin and Don McKellar in 1998 and performed on Broadway in 2006, the show received five Tony Awards.
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“The Drowsy Chaperone.” Music Theatre International, 6 Sep. 2021, https://www.mtishows.com/the-drowsy-chaperone.