Today the teens practiced the dance to "Razzle Dazzle." This is excellent news, because I know how to play "Razzle Dazzle" on the ukulele.
Of course the ukulele is the most important instrument in the Chicago pit band. But I digress.
Classes started today! Dance, voice, and acting lessons all around. In the morning, I sat in during a preteen voice lesson with musical director Jake Fry.
There the students learned about proper singing posture and singing healthily. We also had a hissing contest, WHICH I LOST, to learn about breathing control. We even looked at a model of the vocal chords to see how best not to destroy them. And that was not even the most exciting part of today!
"Jeepers, Smee! What could possibly be more exciting than anatomical cross sections of the human throat?"
There is only one thing, and that is getting CAST LISTS POSTED!
Some campers were new to the idea of double- and triple-casting, which Stage Right uses during the camps to give as many students a chance to learn a role as possible. Those without named characters, and those who are not playing their character at that time, become ensemble members to flesh out the worlds of both musicals.
Musical director Chris McAllister reminded the teens that even if some were disappointed not to get the role they hoped for, a "no" in theatre is not permanent but simply "a 'no' for now." And with that, they began to tackle the sharp, articulated group numbers in Chicago.
I, of course, was hoping to be cast as the Chicago in this production. On one hand, I did not see my name on the cast list. On the other hand, it didn't say I DIDN'T get the part of the Chicago. So I would count this as an all-around successful day.