Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Spring musicals return to area
Students can again perform in musicals
WEST CHESTER >> High school students can once again deliver musical performances.
This weekend, the West Chester East High School is performing “The Wedding Singer” — before live audiences — and Henderson High School is releasing filmed productions of “The Little Shop of Horrors,” featuring two casts.
The West Chester Area School District’s third high school, Bayard Rustin, performed its spring musical last weekend.
“Each of the three high schools in West Chester are doing something a little differently,” said Kendra Werner, choral director and Broadway musical director at West Chester East High School.
Students at East high held opening night of “The Wedding Singer” on April 29 and followed by a Friday evening performance.
On Saturday, May 1, the show will open at 7 p.m. followed by a final showing on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.
This is Werner’s 29th Broadway musical that she’s directed at East.
“The students are completely masked,” she said of the student performers. “We graciously had a few parents that donated masks for the kids in the cast.”
The black cloth face masks all feature matching designs. She added, “They became part of the costumes, in this instance.”
Werner said the original hope was to hold the musicals outside. In the end, the school’s performing arts center, with the capacity to hold a thousand people, was
selected as the best venue.
Good thing too, Werner said, as it ended up raining on Thursday night, coupled with warnings of record high-winds up to 60 milesan-hour across the Greater Philadelphia Region on Friday evening.
The audience is limited to 150 people per show, Werner said.
“The cast has been amazing. They’ve risen above countless challenges.”
She added, “Their dance routines are incredible.”
Furthermore, “they’ve had grit and determination to make this happen.”
Werner shared notes of thanks to the school administration. It’s great for this to come to fruition.
“The future of music is a big question mark right now,” she said, regarding challenges presented by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“There are so many unknowns right now,” Werner said.
“It is so important to engage the students, give them an emotional outlet – it’s a healing art,” Werner said, who is a vocalist who also plays the piano and organ.
State Sen. Carolyn Comitta, D-19th, of West Chester said that music and arts education programs play an important and invaluable role in the growth, development, and education of children and teens.
Comitta serves on the Senate Education Committee and on Friday commended the schools, teachers, and students for producing the shows with a focus on health and safety.
“The pandemic has presented unique challenges to music, theatre, dance and arts education. During a time of anxiety and uncertainty, these programs continue to offer a healthy and productive outlet for our young people,” Comitta said. “As they say, ‘the show must go on.’”
She continued, “While the students are the stars, I want to thank the teachers, parents, volunteers, and school staff in the West Chester Area School District and schools across Chester County, the Commonwealth, and our nation for their innovation and ingenuity in working to safely bring these opportunities to our community.”
On the virtual note of things, digital communication is speeding through the 21st Century and when people find ways to be innovative, cool results ensue.
For instance, at B. Reed Henderson High School, under the leadership of Jonathan Kreamer, this weekend is showcasing the 2021 spring musical, “The Little Shop of Horrors,” 100 percent off stage.
Then again, Shakespeare wrote, in the play “As You Like It”: ‘All the world’s a stage.’
“Henderson is all virtual,” said Kreamer, who is the producer of the musical. “They were completely socially distanced,” he said of the cast.
It was so important for the kids to still have the opportunity to pursue their passion, he added.
Kreamer said one critical part of the pandemic has been the lack of the arts.
“We have been so art depraved during this time pandemic that anything we can do as educators in the arts to promote the arts at this time is critically important,” Kreamer said.
“We staged then filmed the musical last weekend,” Kreamer said, adding audio and sound crews were in attendance.
The show airs live to folks who’ve purchased tickets for online viewing.
“When you click on the link to their ticket, you get to see their final product,” he said.
Kreamer created two casts for this season. The Downtown cast plays on Saturday, May 1, and Sunday, May 2. The Skid Row cast performed the previous two days.
Kreamer is the music department chair and director of choirs and musicals at Henderson High.
“Being an educator, the kids inspire me,” said Kreamer. “Watching them form the bonds that they make is really awesome.”
Kreamer joined Henderson four years ago and the decade prior to that he taught at E.N. Peirce Middle School.
Henderson has followed three different educational models this year, with virtual, hybrid and in-person instruction, he said.
He said in 2020, Henderson held the school’s spring musical, “Forty-Second Street,” the weekend before the government shut down all schools in the state.
In the fall, he said, no one knew what the spring would look like in terms of restrictions.
For tickets to watch Henderson’s spring musician this weekend, visit: www.showtix4u.com.