The Light in the Distance
August is over, and it’s time to reflect on another wonderful summer season. This summer’s shows couldn’t have been more different.
In June, our younger students mounted Seussical Jr. –– The Movie. Yes, the cameras were once again rolling at Lundstrum, as we converted our first summer musical from in-person show to a film performance that was shared online. For two weeks, students studied dance, acting and vocal technique each morning and spent their afternoons rehearsing the show. On the third and final week, everyone got ready for their film close-up. Over the course of three days, our cast filmed Seussical Jr.. Our young students got to experiment with performing multiple takes of scenes and performing for a camera instead of a live audience. Director Katie Wodele even collaborated with students to create a “Crazy Cart Caper” sketch that played while the credits rolled, so students had their own opportunity to share ideas and create a piece of the show.
Converting musicals into movies has been a wild ride over the last two summers. It’s been a great learning opportunity for us and our students. We’re grateful for the flexibility our community and the creativity shown by our faculty and cast during this time has been inspiring. It’s nice to know when times get tough, our community can rise to the challenge.
The Seusssical Jr. cast performs their opening number, “Oh, The Things You Can Think!”
Audrey Monica and May Anderson perform as Kim and Rose in Bye Bye Birdie.
Movies can be magical, but there’s nothing quite like live theater…
We were thrilled to return to live theater for our second summer musical, Bye Bye Birdie! This musical theater classic was a great reminder of why we love the performing arts so much. After 14 months, we got to tear down our 20-foot-long green screen, and set up our spotlights. And, because we had to limit costume colors in front of a green screen, our costume designs were also restored to the full spectrum of color: greens and blues for everyone!
Note that in returning to live performance, Lundstrum re-doubled its commitment to the safety of students and adults during the pandemic, reducing our in-person capacity in the theater, spacing seats with extra aisles, sanitizing spaces, and providing masks during performances.
We couldn’t have asked for a better cast for our return to live performance. From powerful newcomers to accomplished veteran performers, the dedication our students showed over the four weeks of rehearsal was inspiring. And we weren’t alone in our opinion, they performed to three sold-out audiences!
We know we’re not out of the woods yet with this pandemic, but when the lights went up on opening night, they felt like the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s been a long year and a half, but these milestones remind us that step-by-step, we’ll get back to normal lives. Those lives will once again be full of live shows with our students dancing and singing together. It hasn’t been easy, but Bye Bye Birdie reminded us, that creating art together is just as beautiful as we remember-and so needed for our community.
Join us this Fall!
You can be a part of the magic.