 |
Theater takes center stage
at Pius, Dominican
|
|
Elaborate sets, costuming, budgets
set these high school musicals apart
|
|
|
|
|
| Students from Dominican High School, Whitefish Bay, rehearse “High School Musical” Jan. 19. The popular Disney musical will open in March, and boasts a $25,000 budget. (Catholic Herald photos by Juan Carlos Medina) |
For some area Catholic high schools, gone are the days of nervous teens belting out show tunes from “Hello, Dolly” and “South Pacific.” They’ve been replaced by surprisingly professional, entertaining productions of “Cats” and “High School Musical.” However, the cost of these expensively lit and costumed productions can reach up to $50,000. For critics who say that Catholic schools do not put much funding into the arts, these schools are proving them wrong.
Jeff Schaetzke is the theater director at Dominican High School, Whitefish Bay. The school is currently rehearsing one of its two spring musicals, Disney’s wildly popular, “High School Musical.” The original Disney Channel movie won two Emmy awards and the soundtrack has gone triple platinum.
Last year, Dominican performed Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, “Cats.” It is one of the most popular and the longest running musicals on Broadway. With all cast members in elaborate cat costumes, the cost of the production at Dominican reached $30,000.
“‘Cats’ added more cost because it’s a new show and the costumes are so important,” said Schaetzke. “The royalties are a little more for the newer shows. The good news is you do it right and you get the money back. We recouped all costs.
“We do break even, or we make some money for the school or the department,” he said. “We’re not in it to pay for a new wing or anything. We certainly don’t budget $40,000 for a show that will only bring in $2,000.”
He said planners factor in the size of the audience the production will attract, as well as the cost of the production and royalties.
Schaetzke estimated that “High School Musical” will cost about $25,000.
“It’s exciting and it draws attention and draws an audience outside the moms of the kids in the show,” explained Schaetzke. “I want to do new shows, I go to New York, the kids go, they want to do those shows. I love old musicals, but I also encourage the kids to do something new. ‘High School Musical’ is so hot right now, I set a slot aside because I knew it would bring so many people into our school.”
Schaetzke remarked that putting on more popular, well-done theater productions can “ab-solutely” help recruit new students.
“It provides an awareness to the school for people who aren’t necessarily looking at the school,” he explained. “It brings in people who don’t know anything about Dominican. It shows that we do things a different way and we have great kids. It’s something that’s not my main goal, but the school enjoys it because it shows the school so well. I wish the same amount of attention would be paid to our science, English and math departments because they’re all great, too.”
Schaetzke, who teaches acting and music classes at the school, said he feels investing in fine arts programs at Catholic schools is a great way to help kids live out the Scriptures.
“It’s one of the things the Scriptures challenges us to do, to explore and let our light shine,” he said. “We use theater to build community and friendships and show talent. It’s a way to challenge the kids to grow. Growth is spiritual, educational and community, and arts is a great to way to do that.”
Pius XI High School also commits a large budget to its theater department. The 2002 production of “Les Miserables” had a budget of $80,000. Last year, the school performed “Cats” at the Pabst Theater and spent $50,000, including rental of the Pabst Theater stage.
Kevin Schwartz, one of three full-time theater teachers and directors at the school, sees the large productions as a benefit to the students.
“We operate on two levels; first we look at the curricular value to the students about being in a production,” he explained. “I think a lot of things are gained. Also, how it makes the kids increase their focus and discipline. A lot of life skills are taught. Sometimes in big productions, you get the sense that kids get the feeling of being part of something bigger.”
Pius has charged up to $15 for admission to a production. Schwartz said they do not always break even or make a profit, but he said the staff makes sure to stay within the budget.
Since Pius does not have a formal theater on which to perform its larger shows, it has rented the Pabst Theater. Schwartz said it is priceless to see the looks on the kids’ faces when they step onto that historic stage.
“We have a small theater at Pius that seats 100 people, so when we do a show that we think will be popular, that’s when we do it at the Pabst,” explained Schwartz. “We like to do it in a venue where we know the sound will be good and the audience will be in comfortable seats.”
Schwartz said the school’s administration has been supportive of their theater department. He said he knows the school’s well-known fine arts department helps recruit new students. Some of his current students said they still remember seeing Pius theater productions when they were in elementary school.
“If you do a quality show, it’s going to help with recruitment,” he said. “Our administration has been very supportive of both the visual and performing arts program. I think they see the value of arts in academic life and I think there’s that value of getting our name out in the public as a school that does great theater work.
“From a personal level, I think the school feels doing a high quality production in some ways, it’s a showcase of what our school can do in the performing arts. Ultimately, it gives the school a strong presence in performing arts in the area.” |
|
