Chapter 14
Broadway Beckons
Nothing packs a school auditorium like an old-fashioned Broadway musical, replete with elaborate sets and costumes, lively dancing, and show-stopping chorus numbers. Personally, I love them. In fact, I do one every year. However, as any veteran high school musical director will tell you, producing one is no small task. It involves hours and hours of work you never thought you'd have to do. And then some.
It's entirely plausible for you to attempt a small show while you're building your choral program. In fact, doing a musical can generate significant student interest, which could result in larger numbers for future choirs. (That is precisely what happened to me after I helped out a colleague with Bye Bye Birdie my second year.) What's really important, however, is the way you approach doing any kind of stage show.
If doing Broadway musicals is a new concept for your school - or, as the case was in my district, a tradition abandoned long ago - then you're in luck. You can start on the ground floor and do things correctly from the get-go.
Few high schools have zero stage talent. There are always kids who want to - and can - perform. Your job is to bring out the best product your students' talents can deliver, and sometimes a musical theater production can do more to accomplish that feat than a choir.
The purpose of this chapter is not to outline every step of producing a Broadway musical or revue at your school. I'm assuming you know how to run auditions and rehearse material. Instead, what follows is advice on getting the process started if you've never done it before. Here's how to float the idea for a musical to students, parents, colleagues, and administrators...
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