In past years, students have wondered how musicals for the year are determined. As the production of Clue comes to fruition, the Theater Department shares details on the musical selection process.
“We [students] don’t necessarily have a part in it. It all mainly goes up to the staff,” said student Lynx Ceja.
“The committee for musicals is just Mr. Ushino, Mr. McElroy, and myself. So there are no community stakeholders or anything like that. It’s just the teachers. Picking the best content for our students, because it is technically a course. So it’s sort of like me picking what novel I want to teach my English class,” said theater teacher Cambria Graff.
Graff is not the only staff member involved with musicals. Vocal director, Michael Ushino and instrumental music conductor, Dean McElroy are a part of the panel of staff that cast the shows.
“We consider casting a little bit. Another piece is we consider the orchestra, so we’re really lucky that our orchestra students like doing our musicals. We’re basically the only school in the district that has a live orchestra and two shows a year,” said Graff. In the Capistrano Unified School District, San Juan Hills is one of the only high schools to have a live orchestra for musicals. Musicals do not just involve the theater department but include the music department too. Depending on what instruments are lacking, Mr. McElroy chooses what students to be involved in musicals. This creates a more dynamic environment for the audience.
Another factor that comes up when selecting a show is its content. Shows chosen for school should be appropriate for families, students, teachers, and staff.
Another piece is we consider the orchestra, so we’re really lucky that our orchestra students like doing our musicals. We’re basically the only school in the district that has a live orchestra and two shows a year.
— Cambria Graff
“Appropriate levels in content is something to consider. One of my favorite shows in the entire world is Cabaret, which is a pretty adult show. So we know we will probably never produce that in high school because it would be what we consider over PG-13 rating,” said Graff.
The Theatre Department also does not get funding from the district, so it is a non-profit organization that is funded entirely by the ticket sales of the shows.
“We do have to consider that if we’re broke this year, we need to do a show that will sell tickets. Then if we have some money we can do a show that is more arty farty, that many people don’t know,” says Graff.
Overall, the selection process for the productions put on by the theater department is led by the teachers. Casting, music, school appropriateness, and money are all factors that they must evaluate to choose the right shows. To help out the theater department for future shows, buy tickets and merchandise, and show your support. The upcoming production is Clue, which will be performed in the first four days of November.
