Guys and Dolls

Article from McDuffie Mirror: Thomson High troupe tackles story of Guys and Dolls When Janet Bailey, choral director at Thomson High School, was looking for a musical her students could perform this year, she was looking for a script that would encompass her large class. Ms. Bailey said she found that, and a whole lot more. The production of Guys and Dolls will be in the school's theater at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9, Friday, Feb. 10, and Saturday, Feb. 11.

"I read through at least 10 or 15 musicals this summer looking for one that would use a large cast. ... I love the script, it made me laugh and it made me cry, but mostly it made me laugh," Ms. Bailey said. According to a theater history website, the popular musical opened on Broadway in 1950 and ran for 1,200 performances before being made into a movie starring Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra and Jean Simmons.

Ms. Bailey said the setting of the musical, written by Frank Loesser, is in the 1940's "when marriage was a big thing." The story revolves around a New York City gambler, Nathan Detroit, who bets fellow gambler Sky Masterson that Masterson can't make the next girl he sees fall in love with him. The next girl he sees happens to be Miss Sarah Brown, a Salvation-Army missionary, and the stage is set for a hilarious evening of complications. Jazz numbers and show dances add to the romance and comedy for a complete evening of entertainment.

"I think the dancing is some of the best parts about the whole musical. We've got some guys who are phenomenal dancers; we even have one who does a backward flip in one of the dances. It's a lot of fun," Ms. Bailey said. The dance scenes were choreographed and are directed by Becky Moreland, who is the choreographer for the THS band and dancers. The THS Jazz Band, conducted by Jesse Moreland, will perform the musical accompaniment, along with two professional violinists - Robert Browning, head of the strings in the Richmond County School system, and Barry McDaniel, a musician and pastor at Abilene Baptist Church.

Sophomore Jordan Lewis, who plays Sky Masterson, said he has been in many plays, but this is his first musical. Jordan said he didn't expect to get a leading part, but he likes his character because "he's a cool guy, everybody wants to be with him." "I like the musical much better than acting, because I can really throw myself into it. I like dressing up like this, I can get into the character and feel the part," Jordan said. The characters Nathan Detroit and his night-club chorus girlfriend, Adelaide, are played by juniors Cain Bruce and Kimberly Adkins. Cain and Kimberly said they "play off each other very well," and their favorite part of the musical is performing the song "Sue Me."

"I guess of all the characters, I love Adelaide. ... Everybody just needs to see Adelaide, she's a character of all characters. She's just fun, a lot of fun," Ms. Bailey said. Ms. Bailey said the play is helping students learn about true love and marriage, which she feels is down-played in today's society. Her students agree. "It teaches that you can't change a person until you've loved them," said Carol Poss, a freshman who plays the part of Sarah Brown. Due to royalties, advertising rights, costumes, set materials, props and musicians, Ms. Bailey said the performance is costing around $6,000. Click here to return to story: http://mirror.augusta.com/stories/012606/com_guysdolls.shtml

The Music Man
	The 2005 THS Musical

CATS
	CATS

Dogs as CATS: Thomson High sets stage for furry musical By Lynn Davidson Staff Writer It's a bulldog's worst nightmare - cats... lots of cats. Actually, it's more like a dream come true for the Thomson Bulldog Players, who will be performing CATS in the Thomson High auditorium.

Chorus teacher Janet Bailey said CATS is a "really different musical" that has brought a new level of learning to the students. It differs from previous musicals performed by the students in that it involves combining choreographed dance moves with non-stop singing, the high school orchestra and professional costumes. "It's a new venture for us," Ms. Bailey said. "It's a challenge for the students, having to sing and dance at the same time. They're having to multi-task."

Mrs. Bailey is director of the production, Becky Morlan is choreographer, Jessie Morlan is conductor, Kelly Flanders is set coordinator and parent volunteer Tammy Sutton is make-up artist. Ms. Bailey said she was looking for an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "because he's a fabulous composer," and CATS fit the bill because it uses a large number of students with no specific lead character or gender preferences. "It gives so many students the opportunity to show their talents," she said. "Even the smallest part has to work hard. I didn't realize how difficult the music was, but they're going to pull it off. I can tell you that."

According to his website, Mr. Webber first began setting T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats to music in 1977. Since its first performance in 1981, the musical has won numerous prestigious awards. The story, which contains no spoken lines, is the story of a group of cats who unite in a junk yard on a special night to celebrate who they are. The story involves sirens, barking dogs, a "Jellicle Ball," an electrical explosion and magic tricks. "The story is complex," said Sophomore Blake Hyatt, who plays the part of Munkustrap. "It goes from a somber mood to somebody just bursting right after that."

A poster just inside the chorus room door instructs students to "remember that you are not a person anymore. As soon as you enter this room, you are a cat." This is what makes the drama a challenge for the students, most of whom have been in musicals before. "Getting into the mindset of the character is way different. Especially if you don't even have a cat at home," said Senior Kimberly Adkins, who plays the part of Bombalurina.

This is the first musical for which the school has rented costumes, Mrs. Bailey said. The costumes came from The Costumer in Albany, N.Y. After a few practices, Mrs. Sutton estimates it will take a team of seven volunteers approximately three to four hours to apply the make-up for the performances. "I love them to death, I feel like they're my own kids, now," Mrs. Sutton said. "I'm sad it's almost over. They are a good group of kids, talented and dedicated."

The performance will be at 7 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 1-3 in the Thomson High School Auditorium. General admission is $7 and reserved seating is $10. Call the high school office at 706-986-4200.

Five months and nine lives: CATS performance for Thomson High players is combination of long hours, heavy make-up, intricate costumes By Lynn Davidson Staff Writer

Five months of preparation equals three nights of a triumphant production. Janet Bailey, chorus teacher at Thomson High said students began in October working on the musical CATS, which will be performed in the school's auditorium tonight, Friday and Saturday. Before auditions could begin, Ms. Bailey and a panel of three teachers watched movies of the musical and studied the characters. Ms. Bailey said during audition, they chose students who had similar physical attributes to their movie character, a decent singing voice and the ability to dance.

"When we first picked, it took us several days to decide, and then we were worried that maybe we didn't pick the right people," Ms. Bailey said. "But I can honestly say now that we picked the right person for every part." There are 26 cast members in the musical, and each one plays a cat. Several of the students said this was their first time to play a part that wasn't human. "Putting emotion into my solo is difficult," said Meghan Sutton, a sophomore who plays Grizabella. "I've definitely never been an animal, and I've never been old before."

"Putting emotion into my solo is difficult," said Meghan Sutton, a sophomore who plays Grizabella. "I've definitely never been an animal, and I've never been old before." The students had to study their character in a video and learn dance steps in addition to lyrics, which Ms. Bailey described as a "tremendously large amount of music." "It's a lot more time consuming than I thought it would be," said Leah Powers, a freshman who plays Demeter. "The story was hard to understand. I had to watch the video three times to figure out what was going on."

The musical was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, who Ms. Bailey said "is a fabulous composer." According to the CATS website, since it's opening in London in 1981, the musical has been presented professionally in more than 20 countries and has won 23 awards. The Sunday Times raved it as "among the most exhilarating and innovative musicals ever staged." For the THS production, Becky Morlan choreographed the dances. "Mrs. Morlan has been wonderful," said Tammy Sutton, the make-up artist for the THS production. "Before, (the students) were great singers, and now they're singers and dancers."

The orchestra of THS students and music faculty members of the high school and middle school will perform under the direction of Jessie Morlan. Mr. Morlan, the school band director, said CATS is different than previous musicals they've done because the lack of dialogue means the musicians are playing 50 to 60 percent more music than they are accustomed to, plus the level of music is more difficult. He said the musicians also have put in a lot of time, staying after school daily until 9 p.m. to practice. "CATS is a favorite musical of mine. I've got many copies and CD's of it," Mr. Morlan said. Ms. Bailey began teaching and practicing lyrics and music with the students, while Mrs. Morlan worked with them on dance moves. Ms. Bailey said when they all got together to practice with the orchestra, "some of them had to revamp their tempos."

To enhance the drama, THS teacher Kelly Flanders designed the set. Mrs. Flanders has been working with professionals from Augusta State University to help teach the THS students to program the lighting for the performance. There's perfect casting, tremendous music, an intricate story line and a professional set, but the cat's meow will be the costumes and make-up. This is the first musical for which Thomson High has rented professional costumes from New York. The costumes include tights with stripes, fur, tails, ears, wigs, collars and lots of paint. Mrs. Sutton and six other parent volunteers have been working every day to transform the students into feline creatures. "It's a lot of work, I'm here every night," Mrs. Sutton said.

Mrs. Sutton found the patterns for the face paint online, and then "customized it a little bit." The faces feature paint in colors that coordinate with the character's fur, complete with whiskers. The painted striping blends so well that it is almost impossible to see where the face ends and the wig begins. Mrs. Sutton said it will take them at least four hours before each show to apply the make up to every character. The performance will be at 7 p.m., tonight through Saturday, Feb. 1-3 in the high school auditorium. General admission is $7 and reserved seating is $10. Call the high school office at 706-986-4200.