Students Step Up
Once a show is chosen, students begin applying to be stage managers. From the start of the rehearsal process to the final performance, these student leaders play an integral role in the show by creating and managing the props list, assisting with lines and blocking, and leading the backstage, lights, and sound crews.
Shortly after spring break, the cast is chosen by a volunteer committee of Middle School( grades 6 – 8) teachers.“ Having a teacher-led casting committee is nice,” Esswein shares,“ because you get a lot of different teachers involved early in the process.” Another unique aspect of Falk casting is that each show has two casts, with different students in each role. Performances alternate between casts to feature as many students as possible and to foster a culture of mutual support and collaboration.
Additionally, because rehearsals take place during the school day, being a cast member is highly accessible and inclusive, particularly for those who have existing after-school commitments or would be hesitant to devote several hours a week to a musical outside of school. As Cheryl Capezzuti, K – 5 art teacher and sets / props designer, puts it, it may be the first and last time some of these students are on stage, but“ even if you never participate in musical theater again, it builds an appreciation for what goes into making something bigger than yourself.”
During rehearsals, which begin in the spring, students often split into groups to conquer different aspects of the show, from music and dialogue to staging and choreography. At the start of the rehearsal process, Esswein and Bohanan direct students, but as everyone becomes more familiar with the show, responsibility is slowly handed over to student choreographers and stage managers.
Last year’ s production,“ Frozen JR,” had two to three choreographers per dance and four stage managers. As early as March, they were leading rehearsals and teaching their peers the steps for each scene.“ We let [ the choreographers ] direct the rehearsal with teacher guidance if needed,” Esswein says,“ and as that was happening, we [ watched ] our first scene come together. We had our stage managers in the booth, and they started lighting the scene for the first time, so we were kind of getting a picture of what the show would look like.”
Esswein adds that it’ s fun to see students step into starring roles after getting to know them in a classroom environment for many years. Sometimes it’ s the people you wouldn’ t expect to be performers who shine the most, she says, and“ you get to see [ them ] in a different light than in a core academic sense.”
FALK LABORATORY SCHOOL | UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH 7