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Students in the 2015 Summer Conservatory, which performed "Cinderella." |
An open casting call is set for May 16.
“This really is the most incredible of programs,” said Theatre Arts
Department Chair Beth Duggan. “The Summer Conservatory provides a valuable
opportunity to nurture the artists of tomorrow and enables us to guide those
who want to work both on and off the stage.”
The 3rd Annual Summer Conservatory Program enables student
performers and technicians to learn what it’s like to work in a professional
theater through daytime or evening classes that teach specialized skills. High
school students can earn college credit, and the course culminates with 10
performances before a packed Stagehouse Theatre from July 28 through Aug. 6.
This year’s production, entitled “80
Days! A Musical,” is an adaptation of the Jules Verne classic and melds
music with comedy. The screenplay was written by Theatre Arts instructor
Jeannette Thomas and is being directed by Theatre Arts instructor Brian Rickel.
Auditions for more than 20 roles in the performance will be held from 6
to 10 p.m. on Monday, May 16. Those auditioning are being asked to prepare a
1-minute monologue, preferably from a theatrical script, and a 16-bar segment
of a pop song (students must bring the sheet music with them to the audition).
Auditions can be scheduled by calling the Theatre Arts Department at (619)
644-7234.
Auditions are not required for those who want to build costumes or work
backstage. Those working backstage will spend the summer course building sets,
working on the lighting or crafting props.
Rehearsals start June 13, but high school students who have not wrapped
up the spring semester can begin once their high school classes end, Duggan
said. Rehearsals generally will take place from 9 a.m. to noon, Monday through
Thursday. Those working backstage will be in class from 6 to 9:30 p.m.
Students who have taken part in previous Summer Conservatory productions
praise the program.
“This is giving me an opportunity to learn from college students as
well as professors who work in the industry,” said Aimee-Marie Holland, said
while taking a break from serving as a stage manager for a production of Cinderella – A New Pop Musical last
year. “This is one of the better community college theatre programs I’ve come
across. Everyone here encourages you and supports you, no matter what area you
want to explore. They’re training us to be able to get jobs from set design to
costuming to acting.”
The 2016 Summer Conservatory – which is funded entirely by donations
from the community – is but one of several Grossmont College Theatre Arts
programs aimed at building interest in the arts among youth around the region.
The annual DramaFest, for example, brings together scores of High school
theatre students from across the county for a daylong series of acting
workshops co-sponsored by the San Diego Educational Theatre Association. More
than 1,000 high school students have taken part in DramaFest since it began
more than a decade ago.
The Theatre Arts Department also produces an annual tour of San Diego
County high schools via the highly-touted `Inside the Actor’s Process,’ a
program that aims to expose teens to the finer points of stage performance.
For further information about the 2016 Summer Conservatory, call (619)
644-7234 or visit the Theatre Arts Department page on the Grossmont College
website.