DIRECTOR'S NOTE
I first applied for the performance rights to Chicago back in the spring of 2008. At that time, it was considered a restricted property, which meant that the licensing company considered each request on a limited case-by-case basis. Typically, we learn within a week whether or not we receive the rights for a production. At that time, however, we were told it could be months before we knew whether or not we would get the right to perform the show. Ultimately, we went in another direction, selecting Once Upon A Mattress as our 2008-09 Winter Musical.
Since then, I've considered Chicago on and off through the years. I've always loved the show, especially after seeing the 2002 Academy-Award-winning film adaptation of the stage musical. When I learned that licensing company Concord Theatricals had developed an abridged "Teen Edition," I started pressuring Laci McDonald to consider doing the show. The full version (that has been running on Broadway since 1996) has more choreography than we could handle, which is why I was excited to learn about the Teen Edition. Yes, some of the content is modified for high school audiences, but the main change is the elimination of two songs and a reduction of the length of dance breaks in the songs that remained. As a result, the show was much more manageable, given the time constraints and the relative dance inexperience of our company.
We hope you enjoy the show as much as we've enjoyed putting it together over the past few months!
Special thanks: Elisabeth Effron for taking headshots of the company, Mehmet Demirci for photographing the dress rehearsal, Jim Meyer for lending us his banjitar, Mike Beard for building the prop camera, Leslie King, Melody Butts, Trevor Hoyt, Forrest Beck, Anne Benson, Davis Stillson & his team, Tyrone Gould, Lindy Frasher and the faculty chaperones, Lanis Wilson, Alexa Ilijic, Michael Ulku-Steiner, Kristen Klein, Michael Smith & the DA Maintenance Department, Jim Cleary & the Security Team, and all of the parents who volunteered to organize meals for the cast, crew and pit band during performance week.
Upcoming Upper School Performing Arts Events
Kenan Auditorium
| WISER A Cappella Jam |
March 25, 2023 |
| In The Pocket Spring Show |
April 15, 2023 |
| Spring Music Concert |
April 20, 2023 |
| Spring Dance Concert |
April 29, 2023 |
Upcoming Middle School Performing Arts Events
Horton Hall
| 5th/6th Grade Band & Chorus Concert |
February 28, 2023 |
| 7th/8th Grade Theatre Performance |
March 6, 2023 |
| Musical Theater Performance |
April 19, 2023 |
| Spring Band Concert |
May 10, 2023 |
| Vocal Performance Concert |
May 18, 2023 |
