Play Pro brings Broadway to South

by Cady Pacholski
5.25.10

Having to mix different ingredients to make a great meal is what top chefs have to do. PL South’s Play Production class applied this philosophy to drama when it put together a play from different songs and scenes from Broadway productions for this year’s Play Pro show, “Give My Regards to Broadway.”

“It was a class project,” director Jeff Nienhuser said. “They did all the research based on Broadway history.”

The students made the scene selections for their overall production and also had to choreograph dances and design their own costumes for the play.

“We had to choreograph our own dance,” junior Amaris Baker said. “We had to write our own intros and make our own costumes.”

Along with having to create their own designs and dances, the students also had multiple rehearsals.

“It was a long process,” Nienhuser said. “We started working at the beginning of the year, rehearsing for six weeks. They spent everyday for the last two weeks for this. Probably 30 or 40 hours outside of class.”

During preparation for the show the students did face a few hardships, according to Baker.

“Some challenges were putting stuff together,” Baker said. “The little stuff was the hardest part, like what to take out of the play.”

With challenges during rehearsals, the students found time to just let loose.

“We all liked to dance in our Lion King costumes during practice,” Baker said. “We learned all of the dances in about a month.”

The old saying always goes, “the show must go on,” and in Nienhueser’s eyes, the motivation was what made the show go on.

“It really was a great project for them,” Nienhuser said. “They had to be motivated and they were.”
Baker also thought that the show ran smoothly.

“I think it went pretty well, better than we thought because the week before, rehearsals weren’t organized. We were all kind of tense,” Baker said. “But on performance night I think after the first song we were relaxed. It turned out to be a fantabulous show.”

Crystal Zamora/The Torch