Blake High School Stage Company Boosters Association

Friday, May 17

3:00 pm – Scholarship Submission Deadline – This Friday!

Friday, May 17

9:00 am – Footloose – Second Round of Auditions

Saturday, May 18

9:00 am – Footloose – Second Round of Auditions

Wednesday, May 29

6:00 pm – Awards Dinner Banquet Norbeck Country Club

Please do not miss this awesome event! Sign up and get tickets now!

Monday, July 1

9:00 am - Groove Institute

Thursday, July 18

7:30 pm – Footloose Show

Friday, July 19

7:30 pm – Footloose Show

Saturday, July 20

7:30 pm – Footloose Show

Sunday, July 21

2:00 pm – Footloose Show

Read more »

A reminder to all that we will be holding auditions for our summer production  FOOTLOOSE as well as our Summer Middle School Program this weekend beginning on Friday at 2:30 – 4:30 pm in the Choral Room and on Saturday, the 18^th from 9 am – 11 am in the Black Box Theater.

Please let me know if you need an appointment time.  In addition, please inform friends who might wish to participate.

Looking forward to an exciting summer!

Michael D’Anna
Director

Dear Parents and Members of the Stage Company and Forensics Team,

The Stage Company invites all members of the Company and the Forensics Team to attend and participate in our annual Awards Dinner and Celebration at the Norbeck Country Club on May 29^th, 2013 from 6 – 10 pm.

This event will include a complete buffet dinner of vegetable and fruit salads, breads, cheeses and spreads, and a main course of chicken picata & grilled salmon with lemon dill butter accompanied by, pasta primavera, rice pilaf, green beans almondine, and a dessert bar of fresh fruit and ice cream with fix-ins to grow large on as you make your own sundaes. Beverages include iced tea, soda, and coffee.

The Stage Company will recognize students and parents who have participated in our many shows:  Legally Blonde, No Frills Revue, Into the Woods, You Can’t Take It With You, Midsummer Night’s Dream and More!!!!!

A sign-up/payment form is available here  (Click to download, print, fill form, return with $25 check per person).  We need you to respond to this as soon as possible — preferably by May 23^rd so we can advise Norbeck of our numbers for dinner.  We need the money in by the 23^rd, too!  Please make your checks out to Blake HS Stage Boosters.  The cost is $25 per person.  Since we need to provide a head count prior to the event, we cannot accept walk ins. Completed forms can either be handed to Mr. D’Anna or mailed to Blake High School
“Attn: Blake Stage Company Booster Association”.

Read more »

Here is our  April-May Newsletter  thanks to Jacqueline Hyman and Sami Wright.

FOOTLOOSE this Summer!

We would like people to know that we are already off to a great start on our summer show of FOOTLOOSE.  25 students from Blake and other schools auditioned in April.  The second round of Auditions will be held May 17 and 18 and we urge everyone to spend a worthwhile summer of musical theatre with us!

For Blake students, there are sign-ups on the call board.  For other students, call me  (Mr. Michael D’Anna) for a time.  Remember — a one-minute monologue and an upbeat song from a musical.  See  here  on the blakestagecompany.com  (website) for additional information.

There are a multitude of roles in this show as well as many, many fabulous dance numbers, and a fabled story that’s about different perspectives of life from divergent parental and teen views.

I want to thank Kenn Hill and Eric Lewanda for keeping us up-to-date on the website and thru the e-mails.  Terrific Support!

Middle School Institute

We will also be staging a middle school musical in July and would ask you to publicize it to friends, relatives and neighbors. Auditions are also in May (17 and 18).

Band and Dance Institutes

We will also be holding a Band Institute with Ms. Lader in the lead this summer, as well as our first Dance Institute from July 15 – 26.  This is mainly for students in grades 6 thru 9.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream Thank You

We had a strong audience see our DREAM this past month and on behalf of myself and the students in the show who worked so hard, thank you for supporting our efforts!

ALUMNI

Please send your news for us to publish in our May Newsletter, NOW!   We want to know what’s up!!!!!!!  Also, Alums are invited to the Awards Night!

The Blake Performing Arts Institute Presents

A Summer of Instrumental Music

July 1—July 26, 2013 For students entering grades 6-12 in 2013 Individualized Training in jazz, pit orchestra, Instrument technique and more!  For more details, please email: Rachel_L_Lader@mcpsmd.org

Read more »

All Hail to our Forensics Team Champions! 

2013 Montgomery County Public Schools Forensics Team Champions

Meetings are held Tuesdays and Thursdays at lunch in room D-153
Sponsor: Michael D’Anna (contact)

“The Forensics Team is a division of the Blake Stage Company and is open to all Blake High School students who want to improve their public speaking skills.  Forensics competitions take place periodically through the year, and allow students to compete in a wide array of speaking categories.  These include dramatic and humorous interpretation, children’s literature, informative and persuasive speech, duet acting and readers’ theatre, and more. Students will be encouraged to work on their speech pieces independently, and will have a chance to practice and receive feedback at weekly meetings. This is an excellent performance opportunity for students who may not be cast in productions with the Stage Company.”  - Blake HS

Order DVDs for Legally Blonde

Please support Blake’s Stage Company by buying DVDs early, for yourself, your family or friends.

To order Legally Blonde DVDs, please download and print the Order Form  and return with payment to Mr. D’Anna in Room D-150 at
Blake High School
300 Norwood Road
Silver Spring, MD 20905

DVD orders may also be submitted online.

Thank you!

The Blake Stage Company proudly announces its newest production of Kaufman and Hart’s American Comedy Classic and Pulitzer Prize-winning show, YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU.

Please download, print and return the  these forms:

• DVD Orders (may be handed in separately)

Interested in the Blake Stage Company Spring 2013 Play “You Can’t Take It with You”?  Here are background, a plot synopsis, a trailer and the IMDB info, for your reference, entertainment and to whet your tastebuds:

A man from a family of rich snobs becomes engaged to a woman from a good-natured but decidedly eccentric family.

Director: Frank Capra

Writers: Robert Riskin (screenplay), based upon the play by George S. Kaufman

Stars: Jean Arthur, James Stewart and Lionel Barrymore

Footloose

The Calendar of Events is available for download here.

Here’s our latest newsletter, the Stage Company SpotLight thanks to Jacqueline Hyman.  Alums are asked to send us news updates for our next issue —- PLEASE!!!!
Happy Holidays to all!
Michael D’Anna and the 2012 Stage Company Family

The Blake Stage Company proudly announces its summer production selection of THE American musical sensation, FOOTLOOSE.

Auditions take place on April 19 and 20, 2013 in the Blake High School Choral Room, D-150,  and will be followed by Callbacks for roles a week later.

FOOTLOOSE represents another popular musical choice for our Summer institute Program which has also produced highly acclaimed productions of GREASE, CAMP ROCK, AIDA, ALL SHOOK UP, and HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL TWO the past 5 years. Our Sixth season looks like another winner!

Introduction and Mission

The purpose of the Summer Musical Theatre Institute provides students from any public or private high school an excellent fun-filled, low – cost summer training program, with proven instructors, as well as participation in the performance of a full-length Broadway musical. The objective of the program includes developmental training in vocals, acting, dance and performance skills as well as technical skills for students seeking to develop talents in stage management, sound, lighting, set/props construction, scenic painting, the business of theatre, costumes and make-up.

Read more »

Here is the February – March 2013 Newsletter thanks to the brilliant Jacqueline Hyman!  Kudos also to Sami Wright for photos!  Congratulations to Heidi Petersen for her winning Spirit Wear Design!

  Download and Read the entire Newsletter!

Director’s Note

Recently, in reading the editorial pages of the Washington Post, I noticed a comment in a letter to the editor that caused me to turn my thoughts inward for awhile. The comment was a criticism about educational training with the idea being put forward that students chose not to pursue the study of philosophy. Rather they preferred the world of “staging their lives” utilizing real-life entertainers as models.

Needless to say, this is quite a bit to chew on. Students are set-up by television, music, movies, videos and the like to imitate what they see and hear. Yes, many students do go down this self-absorbed path. It is one that I see as quite unsatisfying when an end product is arrived at. Moreover, life is not as broad in scope as one might think it is if we choose to allow ourselves to be caught in the trap of only focusing on a few areas of interest over our short life times.
The joy of involvement in an art like theatre puts us in touch with the great philosophers and great philosophies. We study the different worlds that mankind incurs in life. We study the great questions (remember that Hamlet deals with 144 great questions in Shakespeare’s uber-tragedy.)  More importantly, we bring all of this to life in production after production.

This past year Stage Company Members visited …   Read more …

Michel D’Anna

Stage Company Boosters News

From the President

The weather cannot decide if it is Winter or is it Spring? What I do know is that we are warming up for You Can’t Take It With You. The cast and crew are, no doubt, hard at work in order to put on several fabulous performances. I hope to see many of you at the show(s).  In other news we raised $204 for the Boosters at the Mamma Lucia fund raiser.
By the time you read this you will already know that Heidi Petersen, as voted by her peers, is the designer of our new logo. Congratulations not only goes out to Heidi, but all the wonderful designers who submitted logos for the students to vote on.

Lastly (only for the purpose of this article) a HUGH YEEHAW to our Forensics team who steamrolled through the competition and gobbled up first place overall in the county!

Eric Lewanda

Blake Stage Company Booster Association Scholarship 2013

The Blake Stage Company Booster Association is proud to offer one (1) scholarship.  Read more…

To All,

While there is still a good deal happening between now and the end of school with the Stage Company and with our friends from other schools, it’s time to look ahead to summer for our mega-production of FOOTLOOSE. Here are some things to plan for if you want to be a part of another wonderful summer show:

1.  Tuition is still $600 making us the most inexpensive, worthwhile, and, we think, successful program going for secondary students and high school graduates.

2.  Yes, students who graduate this year may be in the show; we are also fine with taking students who are two years removed from high school.

3.  Our session goes for 5 weeks – longer than other groups in the state.   Dates are June 20 – July 24 from 9 am – 3 pm.

Read more »

The first round of auditions for FOOTLOOSE begins this Friday at Blake on Friday from 2:00 pm to 5 pm or so and on Saturday from 9 am – 12 noon or so.

We prefer folks try to audition early so we can get things rolling, but there is a second round of auditions on May 17 and 18.

For Blake students, there are sign-ups on the call board. For other students, e-mail me for a time.

Remember — a one-minute monologue and an upbeat song from a musical.

Thanks for your attention to this!

Mike

Footloose

Music by Tom Snow | Lyrics by Dean Pitchford | Stage Adaptation by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie | Based on the original screenplay by Dean Pitchford | Additional Music by Eric Carmen, Sammy Hagar, Kenny Loggins and Jim Steinman

One of the most explosive movie musicals in recent memory bursts onto the live stage with exhilarating results. When Ren and his mother move from Chicago to a small farming town, Ren is prepared for the inevitable adjustment period at his new high school. What he isn’t prepared for are the rigorous local edicts, including a ban on dancing instituted by the local preacher, determined to exercise the control over the town’s youth that he cannot command in his own home. When the reverend’s rebellious daughter sets her sights on Ren, her roughneck boyfriend tries to sabotage Ren’s reputation, with many of the locals eager to believe the worst about the new kid. The heartfelt story that emerges is of a father longing for the son he lost and of a young man aching for the father who walked out on him. To the rockin’ rhythm of its Oscar and Tony-nominated top 40 score (the soundtrack album reached number one on the Billboard charts and has sold over 15 million copies!) and augmented with dynamic new songs for the stage musical, FOOTLOOSE celebrates the wisdom of listening to young people, guiding them with a warm heart and an open mind.

PRINCIPALS
2 Woman
2 Teen Girls
1 Man
3 Teen Boys

FEATURED
3 Women
3 Teen Boys
1 Man

ENSEMBLE
Singing-dancing ensemble consisting of Townspeople and High School Students

CHARACTERS
Ren McCormack – teenage boy from Chicago
Ethel McCormack – his mother
Reverend Shaw Moore – the minister of Bomont
Vi Moore – his wife
Ariel Moore – their teenage daughter
Lulu Warnicker – Ren’s aunt
Wes Warnicker – her husband
Coach Roger Dunbar – the high school gym teacher
Eleanor Dunbar – his wife
Rusty – Ariel’s best friend
Urleen – Ariel’s friend
Wendy Jo – Ariel’s friend
Chuck Cranston – Ariel’s boyfriend
Lyle – Chuck’s buddy
Travis – Chuck’s buddy
A Cop
Betty Blast – the owner of The Burger Blast
Willard Hewitt – Ren’s friend, a country boy
Principal Harry Clark
Jeter – Ren’s friend
Bickle – Ren’s friend
Garvin – Ren’s friend
Cowboy Bob – the lead vocalist at the Bar-B-Que
Cowboy Bob’s Band
Townspeople and High School Students

FOOTLOOSE takes place in Chicago and the small town of Bomont.

SPECIFIC LOCATIONS
City of Chicago
Town of Bomont, in Church
The Churchyard
Behind a Gas Station
A High School Hallway
The Moore Home
The Burger Blast
The Great Plains of Bomont
The High School Gym
The Bar-B-Que, a Country/Western Dance Hall
The Junk Yard
Under the Train Bridge
The Town Hall

Rogers and Hammerstein’s Footloose

Posted: May 18th, 2013 under General.