![]() ![]() With this in mind, I chose Rock of Ages: High School Edition, and it was the right choice for us. I was not sure how the storyline and dialogue in Rock of Ages would be received by our community and parents. Pawnee is a small, 2,700-person village in rural Illinois with strong church support throughout both our school and community. This was a definite concern for me as I was considering selecting this musical for our high school production. Myth #2 – My community is too conservative The girls that played these roles had no hesitation about it they actually could hit the notes in the octave written for the guys, and the audience completely bought into it. We took advantage of this allowance for the roles of both Lonny and Dennis, and it worked out perfectly for us. Also, the contract for the High School Edition allows gender-blind casting, which is extremely helpful in a high school setting where it is always difficult to get guys involved. This opened up a whole new group of talented students to draw from, students who enjoyed the experience so much that they are already excited about participating again next year and/or joining our music program for the next school year.Īnd a final note about casting – although there are many characters in this show, many of them can be doubled (we did this with our Mayor/Ja-Keith characters). Of our thirty member cast, ten had never been in a production prior to Rock of Ages: High School Edition, and several of those students were talented enough for lead roles. We dressed in eighties-inspired costumes, involved our principal singing a song from the musical, and really created a fun experience to get the kids excited about being a part of the production.Īnother unexpected positive outcome: I had students auditioning who were not previously or typically involved in the music program and/or had never before participated in a musical or theatre production. We also got students further excited by hosting a reveal rally in which we slowly gave performance and music clues to eventually reveal the musical to them. And I believe this great turnout is due in large part to the excitement generated by the title of this show paired with the popularity of the movie of the same name. Our school, Pawnee High School in Pawnee, Illinois has a high-school student body of less than 200 students, yet at the auditions for this musical, we had forty-five students audition - an entire grade for us! We ended up with a cast of thirty and a production crew of twenty - all students from grades nine through twelve. However, the great thing about this show is that the title is extremely recognizable and well-known, and it will get your desired demographic interested and excited enough to come out and audition, which is half the battle. This show is all about the ensemble, and if you are like me, you are worried about simply filling the main roles, let alone having enough quality singers to cast a large ensemble. ![]() Myth #1 – My school or program is too small Would our little school be able to pull this off? Were the kids even interested in this type of show/music? Does a more modern musical still provide benefit to my students? If you are considering this musical (or one similar) and can’t get past the looming concerns or voices of doubt in your head, this article will attempt to use personal successful experience to help allay your hesitations. ![]() But, with my interest and excitement came great hesitation - a racy script, challenging rock-style singing, and call for a big ensemble cast. ![]() This is when I stumbled upon the High School Edition of the musical Rock of Ages, and having recently seen the adult version at our local theater, my interest was immediately piqued. Yet on the other hand, I still wanted a production that would give them a meaningful music experience and would work for my small school and my equally small musical budget. Are you interested in a more modern musical with a rock feel, but have several hesitations that prevent you from considering this option? I was in this position at the beginning of the school year, searching for a musical that was new and different that would engage my students and get them excited about participating in a high school musical. ![]()
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