CHS High School Musical just a month away
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Chester High School will present the Disney production, "High School Musical" in just a little more than three weeks. Brenda Coop, CHS Drama Director and Steve Colonel, CHS Music Director, are currently in the midst of very busy times as the company prepares for the upcoming production.
Auditions were conducted months ago and students have been separately learning their music, dance steps and lines, but the past few weeks the pace has picked up significantly and full rehearsals have begun in earnest.
The curtain will open for the CHS production of "High School Musical" Thursday March 12 at 7:30 p.m. The show will be performed nightly through Saturday March 14 at the same time and the closing show will be presented Sunday March 15 during a matinee beginning at 2:00 p.m.
Mrs. Coop has announced that the start of ticket sales for the general public was this Tuesday February 17. Both reserved and general admission tickets are available at the Chester High School office (826-2302). That is the only location where tickets will be offered this year since reserved tickets are involved. Ticket prices are $7.00 for adults and $4.00 for students high school age and under.
This year's production features a company of 55 members including 14 key roles and an additional 41 members of the chorus. Add to that a crew of approximately 30 and another 20 adult Managers and Directors from the community and "High School Musical" involves approximately 105 people.
Disney's High School Musical is a nation-wide hit with teens and tweens and adults can also appreciate the excellent music, dancing and story line. The hit is so big that since the opening of the show on the Disney Channel several years ago, High School Musical II and High School Musical III have opened nation-wide to sellout crowds.
Visitors to this year's musical at CHS will be pleasantly surprised to see a freshly painted stage, new stage curtains and a variety of other improvements to the area in Juergen's Gym. "I wanted to make the set as professional as possible," said Coop. "It had been many years since the curtains had been replaced and the new paint gives the entire stage a new, professional look."
The main stage curtain can also now be electronically controlled so there will be a smooth transition once it is time for the curtain to close. The curtain can be operated from back stage or remotely controlled by Coop or the directors from the control board.
New lights and sound equipment added last year will also be supplemented this year to add to the professional look and sound of the production. Coop has purchased official High School Musical T-Shirts which can be purchased either at the show or in advance to help the audience get into the spirit of things.
Rehearsals are going well so far and the cast is extremely excited about the upcoming musical. One change this year compared to musicals presented in the past at CHS is that the will not be "live" orchestra to accompany the singers and dancers.
"There is a lot of music in this show and the music is extremely difficult. Mr. Colonel is in the process of preparing the CHS Band and Swing Choir for their trip to Florida to perform at Disney World in June, so time and energy is limited. We therefore decided to use the official Disney Sound Track accompaniment for this year's show," noted Coop.
The curtain opens on "High School Musical" at Chester High School in just 21 days. Coop recommends, "Don't miss this opportunity to see one of the biggest and best musicals of the past decade presented by the students at CHS."
The cast and crew are going to do all in their power to make this production one of the most exciting I recent years so make it a point to come to CHS Juergen's Gym Thursday through Sunday, March 12-15 for the Disney production of "High School Musical".