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| Steak and Shake Closing Night |
Monday, July 21, 2008
Thank You Mr. and Mrs. Marsee!
Words cannot express how grateful we are to you for all you've done for us. The friendships, experiences and wonderful memories made during our summer spent with our youth theatre family are all because of you --and for that we are very thankful.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Friday, 7/18 bonsai
Bonsai is a tradition designed to "rally the troops" just before places are called. Each night a senior leads bonsai and encourages each and every cast member to get their energy up, do their best and have a great show. Last night, it was Katie Sally's turn.
I emailed Ms. Carol to ask about the origin of bonsai and this was her reply:
When Stephen Foster Story went to Japan in 1985, Andy and I were part of the cast(but not a "couple", then!). the Japanese people had the tradition of the Bonsai meaning "good luck" in Japanese. They had a whole ceremony complete with Japanese drums and that awful smelling and tasting saki...Andy remembered how excited all of us were when the Japanese did the Bonsai for us and chose to bring that to all of the shows that he did.
So there you have it.
Friday, 7/18 hugging circle
HISTORY
The Hugging Circle started in Youth Theatre before any one person can remember. This tradition is to bring the cast together and to define when the preparation for the show is to begin and to leave everything else behind. The seniors are fully in charge of this event and this is the time to make any announcements to the rest of the cast, to scold and re-lay down the rules, to give encouragement, and to decide on gifts and cards to thank the crew members.
RULES
The hugging circle is formed starting at the dress rehearsals and not before, and continue to and through the strike party.
The crew members are not allowed in the hugging circle, only the cast, until the strike party. At the end of the strike party everyone may assemble in the "last hugging circle" who was involved with the play in anyway.
As suggested in the title everyone gathers in a circle in a space big enough to accommodate everyone. The lead characters must be aligned in one spot of the circle.
The seniors make their announcements (usually decided before hand on what should be mentioned). This can include collecting money for crew gifts and also a mention of when and where to sign cards (usually as they leave the hugging circle towards the dressing room) and anything else the crew has said or other points of interest.(Remember to ask if there is anything else or any questions.)
Once the announcements are finished, whoever has been asked to say a prayer will begin.
The hugging then commences with the first lead in line and one by one each person follows the line around the circle to give each cast member a hug and a sign of a prosperous show along with a few encouraging words. Keep quiet, it is only between you and the person you are wishing to do well.
Remember never to say the dreaded GL word (you may use Break-a-leg, have a great show, give it your best, or anything else you can think of).
The oldest male senior is to have a variety of certs and plenty for each member, as he continues around the circle he offers the certs to each cast member and they each take one.
A record-breaking show!!
We're well on our way to breaking all youth theatre attendance records for a show--assuming that tonight is as big as last night--which was around 590 according to Mr. Marsee.
AWESOME!
Friday, July 18 show
Can you guess which senior the costume ladies were honoring last night? 
Blake getting his makeup done--with what he calls his 5-minute rhinoplasty--
Friday, July 18, 2008
Thursday night at Fazoli's
After the show, Fazoli's stayed open after-hours just for us and we enjoyed each other's company while unwinding post-show.
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| fazoli's |
dinner show
What talent we have within the YTHC! Of course, we already knew that--but the dinner provides an avenue to showcase all these talented performers! And the dinner was SO good! We enjoyed :
salad a la vinaigrette
pork loin or chicken marinated in wine with mushroom gravy
haricots vert (green beans)
carottes (carrots)
ponnes de terre (potatoes)
pain francais (french bread)
and assorted desserts
all made deliciously by Cobblestone Catering. Thanks to Mrs. Ruehling for organizing the dinner before the show and for making the lovely table centerpieces. We appreciate your hard work!
Here are some photos from the dinner--thanks to Bruce Reeves for sending me his photos from last night.
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| dinner show |
Monday, July 14, 2008
Pool Party
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| Pool Party |
After the matinee on Sunday afternoon, the Ahmads graciously invited cast and crew to their home for a pool party. A good time was had by all!
Thanks very much to Shaheen and her family for their hospitality, and to Bruce Reeves for taking photos.
misc. photos from our Sunday matinee
Is this not the cutest chair you've ever seen in your life?!!
the meet and greet.
Bonsai--the rap version, as only A.J. could do it. Wish I had recorded it.
Cast members sitting in the hall.
Mrs. Wimsatt and Mrs. Mingus doing a little repair work on Mrs. Potts' costume. It's a tradition that the costume mistresses recognize one of our seniors on each show date. This day, it was Andrew Justice, who played the Cat in the Hat in Seussical, the Musical two years ago.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
opening night meet and greet
Wow! We had a great audience for opening night! They were so responsive--laughing and clapping at all the right places--and even in some places that were unexpected!
It was a terrific opening night. Afterward, we had a meet and greet in the Commons area with the cast getting their photos taken and signing autographs.
Mr. Maffet and Mr. Wimsatt had the idea of displaying the contraption for everyone to see, and JD was happy to give demonstrations. And he did a great job!
http://picasaweb.google.com/YTHC2008/MeetAndGreet#
Thanks to Bruce Reeves for sharing his photos from last night.
lasagna dinner
Cast and crew feasted on a wonderful lasagna dinner after the show. We were all hungry and it was really good. Thanks to all the helpers in the kitchen!
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| Lasagna Dinner |
fun
The cast had social time (until midnight) after the lasagna dinner and everyone enjoyed themselves. It was good to have this time to celebrate a successful opening night.
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| fun after lasagna dinner |
Friday, July 11, 2008
Our Seniors
As all YTHC members know, every night has a different theme. The other night it was show shirts and our seven seniors wore the shirts from all our shows for the last 7 years. That was a great idea!
Happy Birthday Nora!
Happy Birthday to Nora Sweat today! We've really missed your smiling face around the PAC and hope you are feeling much better.
Preparing for Opening Night Lasagna Dinner
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Mrs. Mingus did all the shopping and organizing and some parents came this morning to the kitchen at JHHS to prepare the meal for the cast to eat after the OPENING NIGHT show tonight. The menu will include salad, lasagna (both meat and meatless), and assorted yummy desserts. With so many helpers, we were done in short order. Thanks to the parents and also Mrs. Mingus who made it very easy for everyone.
Thanks to Dominic for taking these photos!
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Thursday, July 10, 2008
In the Pulse today
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Be our guest...
By BECCA OWSLEY
bowsley@thenewsenterprise.com
RADCLIFF — The 37th season of the Youth Theatre of Hardin County will present a tale as old as time in a lavish production of “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.”
A Gothic set with staircases, balconies, columns and archways fills the deep stage at the Hardin County Performing Arts Center at John Hardin High School. The production has the scope of the Broadway stage as dancing furniture and dishes come to life in the enchanted castle.
Although the troupe used rigging to fly in “Peter Pan,” its first production at the PAC, this year everything — from the staging to the costumes — is more elaborate.
“The community won’t realize how professional it is until they see it,” said Betty Marsee, Youth Theatre president.
Moving to the PAC several years ago has expanded what the company has been able to do with the Youth Theatre program. For several years, it performed in Central Hardin High School's commons area and had to build the stage. Nothing elaborate could be done in those surroundings.
Then the group moved to the stage at T.K. Stone Middle School, which had no backstage dressing room. Now, the company can do high flying special effects and enhance the program by working on a professional stage.
There are many elaborate costumes for the cast of 50. Costume designer Cherie Mingus estimated 70 to 80 costumes for the production as she finished stuffing the sugar bowl costume, adding a swimming noodle, to help the costume keep its shape.
Some costumes have been made, such as the cakes and cheese grader costumes, and the rest have been adjusted from costumes rented from a Chattanooga theater company.
While many of the cast members are new to the stage, there are some veterans like Caitlyn Wimsatt, 18, who has been with the program for seven years and is playing her first lead role as Belle.
“Being Belle is probably the biggest part of my life,” Wimsatt said. “I love it. It’s frustrating at times, but once you get out on stage it is totally worth it.”
Wimsatt has been told the role is perfect for her.
“I’m just like Belle, the oddball bookworm that is dreamy and knows what she wants in life,” Wimsatt said. "People think she’s odd but she really doesn’t care.”
She added that she shares an independent streak with the character as well.
Wimsatt plans on doing some plays when she attends Berea College in the fall. She plans on majoring in education with a double minor in drama and history so she can teach drama or arts and humanities.
“I love acting in general,” she said. “It’s a place I can come and be with friends and express myself and not have to worry about what other people are thinking. It’s like my second family.”
Fourteen-year-olds Richard Shufelt and Ashley Featherstone have not been in as many productions as Wimsatt, but both are looking forward to their roles.
Shufelt plays Monsieur D’ Arque and is looking forward to the dark purple costume with spider webs on the side that he gets to wear, along with a mask that makes him look much older.
“I like to dance, that’s what I really liked to do, and act," Shufelt said. “I’ve always liked acting.”
Featherstone is the enchanted wardrobe that befriends Belle in the castle.
She said she gets to stand on stage in a big box the entire show.
“It’s the best costume I have ever had,” Featherstone said. “People will think that it is just a little kid thing that we are doing with just middle schoolers and high schoolers who really don’t know what they are doing, but we have real sets, real costumes. We’re the real deal.”
She hopes to be on to Broadway some day and already has enjoyed her two years with the program.
“Youth Theatre is really fun,” Featherstone said. “It’s my life.”
Blake Ryan, 17, plays the Beast. In his fifth production, it is the biggest role he has played so far.
“I like the people that you get to meet — there are different shapes, different sizes and different ages,” Ryan said. “You get to meet with people and sometimes you get people who don’t know what to do and you get to teach them — they are watching you or watching the show and they are like an audience member that gets to come out and just have fun with it.”
Ryan describes his role as a man who gets transformed into a beast because he is unkind to people and has to learn to find love within himself before he can love others.
“He winds up trying to be mean to people all around him until one day a girl comes by and he tries to be mean to her at first and he changes and he starts to fall in love with her," Ryan said. “He wants her to fall in love with him so he can break the spell.”
The excitement the kids like Ryan show for their roles and performances is a big reason why Youth Theatre has been successful, Marsee said.
“One reason we stay with it is the dedicated young people,” she said. “It is such a thrill to see how hard they work and what they accomplish, we just really enjoy working with them.”
IF YOU GO
The Youth Theatre of Hardin County invites theatergoers to be its guests for performances of “Disney's Beauty and the Beast” at Hardin County Performing Arts Center at John Hardin High School. Shows will be 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, and 7 p.m. July 18 and 19. There will be a dinner theater at 5 p.m. July 17 with the performance to follow at 7 p.m. Ticket prices for the shows are $10 for adults and $5 for kids age 12 and younger. Dinner theater tickets are $25. Contact Bill and Betty Marsee at (270) 765-5421 for more information.
Becca Owsley can be reached at (270) 505-1741.
Parent's Night A Huge Success
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| Parent's Night |
Congratulations to the entire cast and crew for a fantastic show last night! We're thankful for no major glitches and that everything went so well. We still need a little tweaking here and there (listen to your notes!) but overall you guys did a wonderful job. Keep up the good work!
Tonight is First Federal night and we're expecting a full house. We want to do our very best for them because without them, we wouldn't have been able to do this show.
I'm posting photos from last night and they haven't been edited at all because I wanted to get them up quickly. To view the whole photo album, just click on the slideshow.
We're so proud of you!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
congratulations Kaleigh!
Kaleigh Campbell, a youth theatre member who wasn't able to be in the show this year(but raised an incredible amount of sponsorships for us anyway) won the Miss Teen Pageant at the Hardin County Fair last night!! Congratulations!!
Monday, July 7, 2008
tech week
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| dress rehearsal 7/6/08 |
Here we go! Things are shaping up! And while there are a few kinks still to be worked out, the show is really coming together. Thanks for all your hard work and attention to detail. Just a few more days...
Friday, July 4, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
in the shop
So much work is going on behind the scenes to help make the musical come to life. Here are Mrs. Clark and Michael brainstorming about how to fix up Gaston's chair.
Cast member Ebony M. staying late after rehearsal to help paint Belle's house.
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