My Musical Experience as a Johnny
By Adam
This year, I participated in PCH’s production of Calamity Jane. In my opinion, it was a great experience that helped me develop important skills.
When we returned to school in September, we told that this year’s musical would be Calamity Jane; a musical set in the Wild West about a woman of the same name. This musical was a perfect fit for our school, as the large cast and unique setting let us show off all of the musical and artistic talent within the school.
Preparation began on the 3rd of September. We spent our first double Music learning the lyrics to the first sections of Windy City and Black Hills of Dakota - as well as creating an advertisement for the musical.
The next few weeks, we spent Theatre & Stage and Music classes learning the choreography to Deadwood Stage, Windy City, and Keep it Under your Hat. We also acted out various scenes from the musical.
Near the end of September, auditions were held to determine the main cast. Boys were asked to sing either Hive Full of Honey, or Higher than a Hawk. The girls were asked to sing either Secret Love, or It’s Harry I’m Planning to Marry. The main cast were chosen by the next week.
After the cast had been decided, we started spending less time on acting and more time on choreography. We also started attending biweekly lunchtime rehearsals, where we learned how to sing correctly. We also learned the lyrics to Windy City, Deadwood Stage, Keep it Under your Hat, Black Hills of Dakota and Careless with the Truth.
During one of these rehearsal, me and 4 other boys were asked to play the roles of Adelaide’s Admirer’s and we all selected. We met up later to practise the scenes before and after It’s Harry I’m Planning to Marry. We decided on how to deliver these lines, and learned off our lines. During the midterm break, all participating students were told to come in for a rehearsal. This was our first time acting out the scene, so we made a lot of mistakes and weren’t very expressive. We were invited to attend evening rehearsals at the directors studios. At these rehearsals we made a massive improvement. We got to choreograph a large amount of It’s Harry I’m Planning to Marry, as well as the scenes before and after it. This was a great opportunity to learn about acting and improvising. In the end, we even received a Highlight of the Week award.
After we returned from midterm break, we could all feel the pressure. There were only 3 weeks left, and we still needed to fix some flaws in our performance. Luckily, the last week and a half before the performances were dedicated solely to rehearsals, which let us improve massively in the short time we had. By the time we held our first matinee, we had solved the problems, and our performance was received tremendously well.
During the Friday evening performance, me and Adelaide’s Admirer #4 made a last second change to the ball scene. In the short interval in between acts, we decided that it would be much funnier if instead of asking for a dance, Adelaide’s Admirer #4 asked for Calamity’s hand in marriage. We practised delivery for a bit, but then Act 2 began. When we implemented the change, we got a huge amount of laughs from both the audience and the cast.
All in all, I think this musical has definitely been one of the highlights of the term, as it was amazing to see all of our hard work and effort pay off.
When we returned to school in September, we told that this year’s musical would be Calamity Jane; a musical set in the Wild West about a woman of the same name. This musical was a perfect fit for our school, as the large cast and unique setting let us show off all of the musical and artistic talent within the school.
Preparation began on the 3rd of September. We spent our first double Music learning the lyrics to the first sections of Windy City and Black Hills of Dakota - as well as creating an advertisement for the musical.
The next few weeks, we spent Theatre & Stage and Music classes learning the choreography to Deadwood Stage, Windy City, and Keep it Under your Hat. We also acted out various scenes from the musical.
Near the end of September, auditions were held to determine the main cast. Boys were asked to sing either Hive Full of Honey, or Higher than a Hawk. The girls were asked to sing either Secret Love, or It’s Harry I’m Planning to Marry. The main cast were chosen by the next week.
After the cast had been decided, we started spending less time on acting and more time on choreography. We also started attending biweekly lunchtime rehearsals, where we learned how to sing correctly. We also learned the lyrics to Windy City, Deadwood Stage, Keep it Under your Hat, Black Hills of Dakota and Careless with the Truth.
During one of these rehearsal, me and 4 other boys were asked to play the roles of Adelaide’s Admirer’s and we all selected. We met up later to practise the scenes before and after It’s Harry I’m Planning to Marry. We decided on how to deliver these lines, and learned off our lines. During the midterm break, all participating students were told to come in for a rehearsal. This was our first time acting out the scene, so we made a lot of mistakes and weren’t very expressive. We were invited to attend evening rehearsals at the directors studios. At these rehearsals we made a massive improvement. We got to choreograph a large amount of It’s Harry I’m Planning to Marry, as well as the scenes before and after it. This was a great opportunity to learn about acting and improvising. In the end, we even received a Highlight of the Week award.
After we returned from midterm break, we could all feel the pressure. There were only 3 weeks left, and we still needed to fix some flaws in our performance. Luckily, the last week and a half before the performances were dedicated solely to rehearsals, which let us improve massively in the short time we had. By the time we held our first matinee, we had solved the problems, and our performance was received tremendously well.
During the Friday evening performance, me and Adelaide’s Admirer #4 made a last second change to the ball scene. In the short interval in between acts, we decided that it would be much funnier if instead of asking for a dance, Adelaide’s Admirer #4 asked for Calamity’s hand in marriage. We practised delivery for a bit, but then Act 2 began. When we implemented the change, we got a huge amount of laughs from both the audience and the cast.
All in all, I think this musical has definitely been one of the highlights of the term, as it was amazing to see all of our hard work and effort pay off.