CALIFORNIA, HERE THEY COME LARGE CAST OF YOUNG PERFORMERS TO PRESENT MUSICAL ABOUT GOLDEN STATE`S HISTORY.Byline: MARK KELLAM Valley News Writer More than 100 young performers have been taking a musical tour through California history the past six weeks, and they're about to reach their final destination -- a full-stage production -- this weekend. Showcamp, a Burbank-based nonprofit arts organization, has been offering musical theater camps for children and teens for seven years. This year's summer production, titled ``California, the Musical,'' is an original show written by Darrell Bishop, who is also the production's director. It will be presented this weekend at Burbank High School Burbank High School may refer to:
The musical features a variety of songs, including many that have the Golden State in their titles, such as ``California, Here I Come'' and ``California Dreamin'.'' Bishop and his wife, Jenny, are Showcamp's founders. Darrell handles the musical side of the camps, and Jenny teaches the dance classes. Jenny is the choreographer cho·re·o·graph v. cho·re·o·graphed, cho·re·o·graph·ing, cho·re·o·graphs v.tr. 1. To create the choreography of: choreograph a ballet. 2. for ``California, the Musical.'' The Bishops' oldest daughter, Gina, is also a choreographer for the show. Bishop said he likes creating an original production because more performers can be featured, which, with a cast of 110, is important. ``A book musical features only a certain number of performers,'' he said. ``A customized show is more flexible.'' The performers in ``California, the Musical'' range from second-graders to recent high school graduates. ``California, the Musical'' begins with the Chumash Indians who, centuries ago inhabited the area that would one day become Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . The musical then shifts to the Gold Rush. There's also a section on the Golden Age of Hollywood. Bishop said the central theme of the musical is that California attracts people wanting to make dreams come true. He asked all the performers to trace how their families came to the state, and he was surprised at the variety of the stories. ``California is a dream-catcher state,'' he said. The Bishops have extensive musical theater backgrounds. Jenny went to the Boston Conservatory History The Boston Conservatory was founded in 1867 by Julius Eichberg, a popular violinist and composer. From its inception, the Conservatory welcomed women and African Americans, which was unusual for the time. , studying dance. Darrell went to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy The American Musical and Dramatic Academy, or AMDA, is a school for the performing arts located New York City, New York, with a satellite campus in Los Angeles, California. in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. , where Jenny was a teacher. They met and performed in shows together. They also toured for a while in a production of ``Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is the second musical theatre show written by the team of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, and their first performed. The Likes of Us, written in 1965, was not performed until 2005. .'' When they moved to California, they were surprised at how little musical theater training was available to kids, compared with what's available for young performers on the East Coast and even in the Midwest. So they started Showcamp, which does three productions a year. Besides the summer show, there are productions in the winter around the holidays and in the spring, usually in late May or early June. Cast members of ``California, the Musical'' are: Ethan Applegate, Mera Applegate, Jason Adams, Mona Akiary, Shannon Ary, Madison Alfonso, Alex Arechiga, Thalia Alvarez, Jasiri Booker, Dino Battaglia, Kelly Broderick, Kelly Bagger, Gina Bishop, Michael Bishop Michael Bishop may refer to:
Brandon Wilson (born October 2, 1953) is known as an author of non-fiction travel narratives and explorer. , Mohamed Yahoum, Ona McDonald, Nicolette Moreno, Jaspar Morhar, Stevie Mullenix, Crystal Navarette, Roman Navarro, Jackie Reyes, Katy Rosen, Arianna Sawinski, Anna Shamarian, Kristy Sherin, Julia Slater, Hayley Taylor, Marla Viesca, Robert Wells Robert Wells refers to:
Showtimes for ``California, the Musical'' will be at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $15 for adults, and $12 for seniors and children. For more information and to reserve tickets, visit www.showcamp.com. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Young performers in ``California, the Musical'' rehearse a number as members of the Chumash Indian tribe INDIAN TRIBE. A separate and distinct community or body of the aboriginal Indian race of men found in the United States. 2. Such a tribe, situated within the boundaries of a state, and exercising the powers of government and, sovereignty, under the national . Mark Kellam/Valley News |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion