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Issue Date: October 5, 2008
USA WEEKEND shines a spotlight on extraordinary high school productions across the country!
Showstopper! 2008 Winner and slideshow
Showstopper! Special award for Disney's High School Musical with performance clips
Showstopper!
2008 Runners-up with slideshows
State-by-state 2008 Honorable Mentions state-by-state listing with photos
And our Showstopper 2008 winner is ...
Arrowhead Union High School for Cats!
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They knew Cats was the best choice, given the many talented dancers they had at the school.
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By Brian Truitt
When presented with "Cats" as their 2007 fall musical, the kids of Arrowhead Union High School in Merton, Wis., protested -- loudly. No way were the boys going to wear unitards and sing about a "Jellicle Ball." Wasn't there a better Andrew Lloyd Webber musical? What was a "Jellicle Ball" anyway?
"When the dance director told us all the guys had to wear dance belts, that's when we wondered if it was even worth it," Erikray Minturn, 17, says, recalling the uneasiness about having to don the special undergarments. "And when you have to play a cat, what are people going to think about that?"
Nevertheless, cooler heads -- namely, the show's musical directors -- prevailed, and now the production that initially met with resistance has been named the USA WEEKEND Showstopper of 2008.
The creative makeup, student-designed costumes, dazzling multilevel set pieces made from junkyard scrap metal and talented slew of singers and dancers bested hundreds of great entries from all over the country to become our second annual Showstopper, the only such national recognition of the estimated 25,000-plus musicals produced each year by America's high schools.
At Arrowhead, the award is especially sweet because athletics tend to rule in this small town 30 minutes from Milwaukee. (Arrowhead won the state football championship last year.) "I thought that submitting and winning, or even being mentioned, would raise the level of awareness that this theater program isn't just a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants production," says parent Lisa Conley, whose son, R.J., was in the show, and who entered it after reading about the contest in the "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel." Indeed, the 2,300-student, two-campus school is a hotbed for big-time musicals. It has attracted transfer students specifically for its music theater program.
Senior Katie Behrend was one of those, arriving as a sophomore the year the school did "Guys and Dolls." But even she balked at doing "Cats" -- as did more than half of the school's troupe, the Broadway Company. She didn't like the music or the plotless story line, while many of the boys refused to wear furry cat costumes and act like felines for two hours.
But the powers that be, musical directors Cathy Pfeiler and Nancy Jorgensen and the choreographer/director, Scott Michaels, would not be swayed by the near-mutiny. They knew "Cats" was the best choice, given the many talented dancers they had at the school. "A few kids said they just hated 'Cats,' even though they really didn't know it, and they wouldn't do it. Well, nobody quit, not a single one," Pfeiler recalls.
They ultimately won students over during their special weeklong summer theater program, when students were able to design their own makeup and costumes, and study YouTube clips of cats being, well, cats, and even analyze how the show's cast of cats interacted. "You could really see people transforming into their characters," says Behrend, 17.
Arrowhead will receive an engraved Tiffany trophy and a $1,000 donation to its theater department.
For director Pfeiler, it's the recognition that means the most. "This is a big deal," she says. "It's an affirmation that our work is noticed by someone!" And, she adds, "It's not really work -- it's a labor of love because we just love musical theater."
For more on the Arrowhead musical theater program, visit broadwaycocats.org.
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Congratulations to our 2008 Showstopper Runners-up!
Four great productions are our finalists
Miss Saigon
J.J. Pearce High School
Richardson, Texas
Submitted by: Chandler Reeves
Before being named Showstopper runner-up, J.J. Pearce's ambitious production of Miss Saigon won a heap of recognition on the local level, reaping eight Dallas-Fort Worth-area theater awards. The set design of a Saigon city in turmoil, impressive props and extraordinarily talented singers all contributed to make the production a stand-out. In addition, the school paid tribute to the men and women of the armed forces, giving complimentary tickets for one performance to veterans and active-duty military personnel.
For more on the J.J. Pearce theater program, visit pearcetheater.com.
Anything Goes
Penn-Trafford High School
Harrison City, Penn.
Submitted by: Renee D'Alesio
All aboard! Penn-Trafford's fine interpretation of the Cole Porter classic Anything Goes had everything you'd want: period costumes, big production numbers and a lot of fancy footwork. But the stars weren't just on stage -- there were quite a few backstage as well. The crew who created the large ship set and other stage pieces won a third-place prize in the annual ScenoGraphics Set Design and Building competition.
For more on the Penn-Trafford theater program, visit penntrafforddramaguild.org.
West Side Story
St. Joseph Regional High School
Montvale, NJ
Submitted by: John T. Asselta
The students of St. Joseph Regional High School wanted to do more than tell the tale of the Jets and the Sharks, and the love story of Tony and Maria, through song. They also wanted to give back to the community. The school gave educational performances of West Side Story for more than 800 grammar school and high school students, and started Project H.E.A.R.T. (Harmony, Empathy, Awareness, Respect, Tolerance), a program of events and activities to discuss the social themes and issues within West Side Story run by students, teachers and parents.
For more on St. Joseph's theater program, visit sjrtheater.com.
Jekyll & Hyde
Upper Arlington High School
Upper Arlington, Ohio
Submitted by: Donna Gallucci
Doing the epic Jekyll & Hyde musical, based on the work of Robert Louis Stevenson, would be a massive undertaking for even a Broadway cast much less a high school one. Which makes Upper Arlington High's successful production all that much more impressive. The superb sets and moody, gothic lighting set the atmosphere well for this tale of inner good vs. evil, with Harry Sanderson wonderfully playing both the innocent Dr. Henry Jekyll and the sinister Edward Hyde.
For more on Upper Arlington's musical theater program, visit uavocalmusic.org.
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