Theater Trivia #3

Hey everyone! It's time for Theater Trivia #3, so make sure to comment answers and see how much you really know about theater!

1) In the musical "Honk!", who is the swan Ugly falls in love with?
a) Ida
b) Penny
c) Queenie
d) Audrey
e) Swanette

2) "So when it's your wedding day, and my music starts to play, I can guarantee that "___" will find you!"
a) Cake
b) Joy
c) Happiness
d) Love
e) Tears

3) What was the show "Working" originally based off of?
a) A movie
b) A T.V. show
c) A book
d) A straight play
e) Nothing, it was always a musical


Enjoy! Make sure to comment, even if you don't know any of the answers!

Another Art

Since I was very young I liked to write. When I was about four I made a hand-written picture book about the Teletubbies, and later wrote a long hand-written book called "Henry the Worm".

As I got older, I would still write (or at least try to), but a lot of the time I would get stuck, or just not have the time to write an entire book.

And of course then I started doing theater, and that's when my writing "career" completely turned itself around. I've written a few shows of my own over the past few years, some of which are musicals and others are straight shows. Many shows I've never actually finished, but I've started a numerous amount.

Many times I perform shows I write with my cousins and siblings. Shows we've performed in the past include: "A Christmas Carol", "Peter Pan", "Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe", and a collection of short shows involving a cast of fictional, interesting, and bizarre characters called "Snelvin".  Other shows I've written but were never finished or performed are "Spongebob: The Musical", "Temple Run: The Musical", and "The Day the Rain Fell", which is an original show I wrote about a girl named Tallara who escapes an invasion of her town on a small fishing boat, and when she returns five years later her village has been turned into a large city and the members of the village who survived have been imprisoned, and so she joins a group of boys determined to rescue their people and defeat the takers of their home.

However, even though I have written some shows, I want to work on a larger project so I have a show I really love and want to share with others.

Of course, in order to do that I have to find a storyline or characters that I feel passionate about so I don't get stuck and the story flows. The reason I am telling you this is because I would love to get suggestions from you!

So please, if you have a cool idea for a plot or type of characters, comment below and give your ideas!

Thanks!

More on Honk!

Hey everyone,

Back during Thanksgiving, I talked a little about Honk! the Musical and why I think it had to do with Thanksgiving and why it's an important show in my opinion. Well, now I'm going to be in that show!

I've talked a little about the organization "Concord Youth Theater" in Concord MA, a place where I perform in many shows year-round. This winter they are putting on a production of Honk!, and I am going to be in the show.

I was looking up the show and the soundtrack, and it seems like a very well-written, creative, and well-done musical. I can't wait to be a part of the show.

In case you don't know...

Honk! is the story of the ugly duckling. Ida and Drake (the ugly duckling's mother and father), are waiting for their eggs to hatch, and are confused about the one big egg in their nest. When they all do finally hatch, Drake takes them down to go swimming, and Ida waits by the nest for the big egg to open. When it does, Ugly emerges, and his mother is shocked at his appearance, but loves him nonetheless.

Everyone else on the farm is not nearly as kind to him, and after he has had enough of the teasing, he runs away and is thrown into a crazy adventure on his way back to his mother.

I will post something in the future as well once I am cast and the show is under-way, but for now I highly
recommend you look up this show, because from what I've seen of it so far, it is going to be awesome!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is coming up soon, and I figured I should post something about it; and keeping in the theme of theater and musicals, I tried to think of a show that is entertaining, but also relates to Thanksgiving in some way.

So I thought for a while and then a show hit me. Now honestly you may think "This has absolutely nothing to do with Thanksgiving." But I think it does.

The show "Honk!" is about birds. Ducks, swans, and all other kinds of birds, which is proven considering the first song is titled "Poultry Tale".

One of the major symbols of Thanksgiving is the turkey, and so I figured a show centering around birds and "poultry" would do nicely.

But there is another reason I decided this musical connected well with Thanksgiving.

Just like most well written musicals, Honk! has a strong theme that runs through it and the plot and story revolves around it. In Honk! the theme is being different and respecting people who are different or "unlike" you.

Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks, and so I believe it is necessary for us to think deeply about everything we have in our lives, and be thankful for some of our differences.

Most people may think being different is bad, but I think it can be a good thing. If you can embrace the prominent feature that makes you slightly different from the majority of the people around you, you will finally understand who you really are and the effects you can have on the world.

This is all that Honk! is about, and so this Thanksgiving let's be thankful for our differences and similarities and how we all are able to live together in a community...and let's be thankful for theater!

Hairspray

The other day I saw a production of "Hairspray" at Concord Academy. I knew a few people in the show, as well as the trumpet player in the band, and it was great to finally see this show.

I have heard all about this show before, as well as heard some of the songs, but I never knew what the show was actually about and what to expect from it.

After seeing the show and thinking about it afterwards, I have to say it wasn't my favorite show. Now, that doesn't mean at all that I didn't like the show, because I actually really enjoyed this show. However, it wasn't the greatest show I've ever seen.

Obviously, the main idea of this show is segregation, which I think is a great topic to write a show about and therefore I thought the theme of the show was a good one.

At first I was upset with the show because I didn't feel it covered the idea of segregation against black people enough, but then I started thinking deeper about this show, and I realized that wasn't the only segregation it was talking about.

The main character in the show is named Tracy, and Tracy is a perfect example of the girl who isn't as popular, not the most attractive, and comes from a strange family. When she goes to audition for her favorite T.V. show, the producer of the show tells her she can't audition as soon as she sees her, and this made me realize that the show isn't just concerned with segregation between blacks and whites but also with all kinds of segregation.

The music of this show is also great, I usually am happy with the music in popular musical theater shows, and this one met the standard for sure.

So overall, I found this show to be an interesting, well done show. It isn't the most powerful, remarkable musical I've ever seen, but of course not, most musicals aren't. So for what it was I thought it was a good show, and Concord Academy did a great job of putting it up on the stage!

Into the Woods

"Into the woods you go again, you have to every now and then. Into the woods, no telling when, be ready for the journey."

For those of you who know this show, its obvious that its about fairy tale characters that each go "into the woods" to get their wish, to solve their problem, or to complete a task.

However, if you're someone who really knows this show, its more obvious that there is a deeper message written into this show.

This can be interpreted many different ways, for people always have their own views and opinions on works of literature, or plays or movies. And some of you may believe there is no deeper meaning! You may think that the show is just about the Baker, Jack, Little Red and Cinderella all heading off into the woods to get a child, sell a cow, go to their grandmother's and go to the king's festival.

I disagree strongly.

Into the Woods has an incredibly deeper meaning, and once you read between the lines of the show and the different characters it may be easier to decode the message.

The woods represents life. Now, that may sound broad and ridiculous, but its true.

The characters are all living their cozy lives at home, but when they have to go into the woods, or into their own lives, that's when they must face all of their challenges and fears.

Everyone has to go into the woods at some point in their lives. Whether you're a child leaving home and going out into the world to live your life for the first time, or a man who moves to a new location or gets a new job and must go there and face the challenges it offers, you are entering the woods.

In the show, the Baker must go into the woods to find the ingredients to a potion that will release a curse, allowing his wife and him to have a child. He doesn't know what to expect in the woods, but he goes in anyway to complete his task and faces the challenges and dangers in the woods.

Jack goes into the woods to sell his cow, and through a series of events wounds up at the top of a bean-stalk, where he meets the giants. The encounter with the giants represents the coming of age for Jack, and the giants themselves represent the obstacles in life. Jack has gone off into the woods and met these giants, and its up to him to deal with them now.

Almost all of theater has a deeper message written into it, and its very interesting to dig deeper within the script and see what you can find. This show has a much more important message than just going "into the woods", and its an important one to learn, for we will all go into the woods at some point whether we want to or not.

Theater Trivia #2

I'm a little disappointed in all of you viewers out there, because none of you attempted the first theater trivia challenge!

Now if you really don't know any of the answers and/or you really don't care, then fine.

Otherwise, the post is still up, so comment and see how many you can get right!

In the meantime, here's Theater Trivia #2!


1. Which one of these shows is currently on Broadway right now?
a) Little Shop of Horrors
b) Newsies
c) Clue the Musical
d) Seussical the Musical

2. Which of these musicals was made into a movie last year?
a) Mamma Mia!
b) Little Shop of Horrors
c) Les Miserables
d) High School Musical

3. In the upcoming movie version of the musical "Into the Woods", who will Anna Kendrick be playing?
a) Little Red Ridinghood
b) Cinderella
c) Baker's Wife
d) She isn't in the movie

Make sure to comment, and see how many you can answer correctly!