They've learned the lines, the dance moves and songs. They've shaved their heads and dyed their hair shades darker before twisting it into knots above their head. They've learned the sound of Siamese words and the feel of traditional costume. They've worked for months to bring to life Rogers and Hammerstein's musical "The King & I."
But for the Buchanan High cast and crew, the stakes are just a little higher this year.
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Buchanan's assistant director Melinda Pate, lower left, and director Brent Moser study the dance scene of "The King and I" during rehearsal. The musical opens May 9 at the Mercedes Edwards Theatre.
(Dean Slagel / The Clovis Independent) |
When the curtain rises and the stage lights flash on the evening of May 9, it will not be the first time the story and songs of Anna and her king dazzle Clovis audiences.
Clovis East just finished its own run of "The King & I" April 27, just a few weeks ago.
For the first time ever, Clovis Unified high schools are sharing musical productions to help cut down on costs and ease the workload on the four-person technical crew, who now have to put on four major musicals in just four months.
The average high school musical can cost anywhere from $18,000 to $25,000, according to Dan Husak, manager of the district's technical crew responsible for stage productions. The royalties alone on some musicals can be upwards of $5,000, he said.
"You can't get out of the MET (Mercedes Edwards Theatre) for less than $12,000, and that is all generated by ticket sales. That's why in show biz the operative word is business," said Randy Stump, the director of Clovis East's drama department.
Sharing sets, props and some costumes enables the high schools to spend less than two-thirds of what they normally would, Husak said. It also makes the lives of the technical crew a little more liveable.
"We still have the same four guys in the technical crew now with four high schools as we did when there were only two. We had to think outside of the box on how to not kill the technical crew," Stump said.
Starting Jan. 7, right after the district's winter break and going through the end of May, the tech crew puts on four full-blown musicals, the Miss Clovis pageant and several band and dramatic festivals as well as intermediate and elementary school productions.
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Cheri Stark plays Anna for BHS' show.
(Dean Slagel / The Clovis Independent) |
With school budgets feeling the pinch this year, hiring another crew member was not an option, Husak said, and neither was moving around the production schedule. After all, the district only has one theater and the fall is booked, with four straight plays for the high schools and other festivals.
"Trying to stage four full-blown musicals in one semester with climbing costs was getting to be tough. Now we can put together a much better product at a lower cost," Husak said.
When the musical season began in January, Clovis West and Clovis High shared a set, score and script when they both put on Cole Porter's "Anything Goes." Now Clovis East and Buchanan have worked to not only pull off "The King and I," but also have tried to keep it fresh and different with only a few weeks between them.
"I love it," said Brent Moser, director of dramatic productions in the district and head of Buchanan's drama department. "I get to come into the theater and my set is complete and ready to go. For the kids I think it loses a little luster, but we really don't share an audience, so it will still be new for our crowd."
Some Buchanan drama students say they understand the decision based on the cost, but they have their concerns.
Not only does the shared musical result in stiffer competition for the district's annual "Danny Awards," but the students worry that audience draw may not be even.
"It threw me for a loop. It seemed like a really weird concept. I'm just relieved that Clovis East went first because we got to learn from their mistakes and their successes," said Buchanan student Lito Solorio, who after years of working on the stage crew has landed his first starring role as the king.
Because the cast of each come from different areas of the district, the directors and tech crew believe box-office draw won't be a problem.
With different directorial interpretations and acting styles, Stump said that his production and Moser's are almost two different shows.
"There's been concern that perhaps audiences won't come to see the same show twice, but the audiences are so different anyway. If your son plays for Clovis West's football team how often are you going to watch Clovis High play?" Husak said. "I think the audience may even pick up a few more people who want to compare the two."
Another area of concern has been that sharing musicals may encourage students and schools to vie for the best version.
"This isn't my favorite thing," said Jeff Eben, principal of Clovis East High School. "I just hope we never get to a place where we feel like we have to win or one-up each other. I have no idea whether that happens, but it is a concern of mine."
It may not be unfounded. While mostly supportive of each other's efforts, students said that already there are definite touches of competition between sharing schools.
"There is a competitive feel to this. They [Clovis East cast members] already told us that our Anna won't beat theirs. They're proud of their department and we're proud of ours," said Buchanan student Jessica Matzen, 16, who plays the first wife of the king.
Even before the schools decided to share musicals, there was a slightly competitive feel to the productions among actors who all wanted to take home Danny Awards, the district's drama awards, just as Broadway shows yearn for the Tony.
But along with competition, there is also support.
"I really enjoyed getting to meet their king and Anna. We grew to respect each other because we're going through the same things and struggling with the same aspects of a part, like learning to pronounce Siamese," Solorio said.
When Clovis East started its run of performances, the Buchanan crew came and filled the first two rows in support of their fellow actors. When Buchanan performs its musical on closing night, Clovis East will be there to cheer and help take down the set.
"The Buchanan kids were a real class act at our performance. It was great to see the kids bond together. Now my kids can't wait to go and see their production," Stump said.
May 16 - 7:00 P.M. -- Parent volunteers attended the Mt. View Elementary Schools year end Spring Concert this evening. While there, the opportunity availed the parent volunteers to place about 
2. That the protest sign was not in violation of egress or property lines, and unless law enforcement must be called, the sign would have to be returned, intact!
CUSD officials photographed the parent volunteers while they were standing vigil. The parent volunteers, wanting to be friendly themselves, photographed the CUSD photographer as well!!
