The Showcase

As the night progresses, each level of each discipline will perform two numbers, choreographed by their teachers, which accentuate the strengths of their growing skill.

Act One

Wade Robinson's Hip Hop Classes will perform first, opening the show with a medley effect - all three levels will dance in sequence without breaks or pauses, as the tunes they have chosen smooth easily into one another (Pon De Replay/Hey Ya/Summertime - Beginners/Advanced/Intermediate).

After this will come the demonstration by the advanced hip-hop students of the higher level of performance they have attained, (My Philosophy), followed by the mostly teenaged intermediate hip-hop dancers (Fighter). To finish the hip-hop section of the showcase, Wade's beginners - not one of whom is above ten years old - will show off their burgeoning skills with a number of their own ((You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)).

Next, Mataya De Luca's jazz dance students will perform their separate levels of performance to individual numbers, chosen by themselves and their teacher together. Because jazz is the discipline most commonly utilised in musicals, these pieces will give a nod toward the greats of Broadway, Hollywood, and the West End on Earth. Mataya's beginners will kick us off with The Frug from the musical, Sweet Charity; her advanced group will show us their stuff with the Overture from Berstein's West Side Story; and the intermediates will entertain us with the Theme from The Pink Panther.

The jazz students have one more performance in store for us to round off the first act. They will perform their own medley, with the beginners leading the way (C'mon, Ev'rybody), followed by intermediate (I've Had The Time Of My Life), and the advanced students sending us off to the bar for a thirty minute interval with a highly energetic performance to Shout.

Act Two

As the curtain rises on the second act, Riley O'Rourke's ballet students will wend their way onto the stage to delight us with their own performances. The beginners will bring us into the wonderful world of ballet with two danes choreographed by their Madame Riley (Schubert's Ave Maria, and Tchaikovsky's Aurora Variation from Sleeping Beauty).

The intermediate ballerinas and ballerinos will follow swiftly on the toes of their younger counterparts with beautiful renditions of Chopin's Nocturne Op Posthum, and Bizet's Farandole. And by this time, we will be ready for the highest level of student in Madame Riley's ballet classes, who will dazzle us with their own unique style, both classic and contemporary ballet, to two disparate pieces of music (Verdi's La Traviata, and the contemporary piece by Enigma, Silence).

One last treat is in store for you who come to this showcase. In an unique performance, Madame Riley O'Rourke, Mr Wade Robinson, and Ms Mataya De Luca will take to the stage to perform for you all a Dueling Dancers piece, rescored and arranged by the director of music, Gabriel Tollen. Walk This Way will feature the not inconsiderable talents of Riley, Wade, and Mataya, as well as bringing on each of the students who has performed during the evening to deliver a rousing finale to the evening.

All are welcome to the After Show/Launch Party, which is to be held at the Shanachie Theatre, immediately after the showcase closes.

Fame - The Musical cont.

Synopsis

Act I A group of vibrant, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, energetic young people gather to audition to study at New York City's High School of Performing Arts. Miss Sherman the homeroom teacher, warns the freshman class that it takes a lot more than dreams to succeed at "P.A." The students acknowledge that it takes ("Hard Work"). In drama class, Nick and Serena rehearse a scene and discuss their life experiences. Nick, an ex-child actor with serious ambition, wants to move people emotionally ("I Want to Make Magic"). Mr. Myers, the drama teacher asks them to think about how a physical sensation can trigger an emotional response. Joe discusses the physical reactions that happen whenever he thinks of a beautiful girl (Carmen) in dance class ("Can't Keep it Down"). Meanwhile, in dance class, Tyrone, is partnered with Iris, a ballerina. Iris mocks Tyrone's lack of classical dance experience. Tyrone, enraged at her comments, begins a rap expressing his anger ("Tyrone's Rap"). Iris apologizes and kisses him.

Nick and Serena are rehearsing another scene and Serena confesses that she wants to try something romantic and passionate. Serena is in love with Nick. Nick is mainly focused on acting. Trying to work out why he isn't interested in her, Serena blunderingly assumes that he is gay, says so and he becomes upset and leaves. Serena laments her unrequited love ("Let's Play a Love Scene"). Afterwards, Carmen interrupts Schlomo while he practices his violin, giving him lyrics that she wrote for the melody he always plays. Schlomo tries them out, and changes some of the lyrics with Carmen, which results in Carmen joining the band. Carmen kisses Schlomo and leaves. Goody (also in the band, along with Lambchops) makes fun of Schlomo afterwards. At lunch, Carmen and the other students daydream of seeing their names in lights ("There She Goes/Fame"). In the hallway, Miss Sherman talks to Tyrone about his care-free attitude towards education. She threatens to keep him out of the Fall Festival if his grades don't improve. Miss Bell overhears and argues that Tyrone's artistic endeavors are more important than his academic performance ("The Teachers' Argument"). Tyrone threatens to drop out of school. The act ends with the students working harder than ever ("Hard Work(Reprise)").

Act II The students begin their junior year with the P.A. Fall Festival ("I Want to Make Magic(Reprise)").

At a dance rehearsal, Mabel, an overweight dancer, complains about retaining water, and other problems she faces with the size of her body. She confesses that, although she tries many weight-loss schemes and diets, she always goes back to the "Seafood Diet: I see food, and then I eat it!" She prays aloud for God's help in keeping her from becoming "the world's fattest dancer" ("Mabel's Prayer"), eventually having an epiphany and deciding to switch her major to acting. Later, Nick congratulates Serena for getting the lead female role of Juliet in their junior show, Romeo and Juliet. Serena gets excited and assumes that Nick got the role of Romeo. However, she is surprised to learn that Joe Vegas has the role of Romeo and Nick got the part of Mercutio. Later, Nick is winding down with some Tai Chi with a fellow student when Carmen, enraged that Mr. Myers has yet again thwarted her plans to audition outside of school, kisses him passionately as an example of what she does to calm down. At that moment, Serena walks in on them, and refuses to hear Nick's protests that she didn't just see what she thinks she saw. Now believing that he is, indeed, straight but still unattainable, Serena tries to channel her emotions into her acting ("Think of Meryl Streep"). Carmen tells Schlomo of her plan to leave school and go to Los Angeles. She has met a Hollywood agent named Elliot Greene, who is sending her a plane ticket. Schlomo begs her not to go. He had seen her getting into Elliot's limousine and accuses her of using cocaine with him. Schlomo tells Carmen he loves her, but is left alone with his keyboard.

In English class, Tyrone is reading a Superman comic book. Miss Sherman catches him, and forces him to stand up in front of the class and read from the comic book. He accuses her of trying to make him look stupid. He then accuses her of racism, Miss Sherman slaps him in the face and walks off. Tyrone says to his classmates he doesn't need her help, or the ability to read or write - he is a dancer, and that's all he needs ("Dancin" on the Sidewalk"). Confronting his pain and frustration, Tyrone goes to the blackboard, writes "I WILL READ," and runs off. Miss Sherman enters, sees what he has written, and is deeply touched ("These Are My Children").

The students rehearse Romeo and Juliet. Joe, insecure playing Romeo, has been ad-libbing. Serena pleads with him to be serious in the part. Nick, while trying to explain to Joe how to play the part, hints that he and Serena are like Romeo and Juliet. They stage kiss and Serena is no longer mad at Nick - if now a bit confused. Tyrone asks Iris why she has been avoiding him all year. She says she doesn't want to be tied to a loser. To show her that he is serious, he begins reading Leaves of Grass to her.

A few of the teachers confront Miss Bell about influencing a summer school teacher to pass Tyrone. They insist he must repeat the year. The "Dance Theater of Harlem" is ready to take him, but he must repeat the year. Miss Bell finally admits she may be losing her perspective and decides to take a break. Carmen is standing in front of the school looking physically wasted and disoriented. She spots Schlomo and tells him the truth about her experiences in Hollywood ("In L.A."). Carmen promises him that she will quit the drugs and get her GED. He gives her a couple of dollars and sadly departs.

At the farewell party, everyone is dressed up and the celebration is loud and festive. Nick finally confesses his feelings to Serena and they decided to try to date although they are heading to different colleges ("Let's Play a Love Scene (Reprise)"). On the day of the graduation ceremony, Schlomo tells everyone that Carmen has died a short while ago from a drug overdose, and they sing "Bring On Tomorrow", the song she wrote with Schlomo, in her memory.

Encore - Fame/Finale. After the bows, Carmen comes back dancing on the roof of a taxi cab and sings "Fame" for the Finale. The students are all heading off in their respective directions excited about the future.

http://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy107/ShannaraRhyDin/PrincipleCast.jpg

((This musical was uploaded onto Youtube by an amateur group who performed it in 2006, here. It's in 12 parts, and the quality isn't great, but it's the most complete upload of the show I could find.))