Bowsher High School to perform ‘Singin’ in the Rain’
Written by Matt Liasse | | mliasse@toledofreepress.comThe Bowsher High School theater department is on a slippery slope – they are performing “Singin’ in the Rain” this month.
Producer Scott McGorty said the play is huge for a high school. McGorty is the Toledo Associate for Toledo’s Theater League and volunteers his time to “Singin’ in the Rain.”
“As a producer, you always have doubts in your mind and I’m always sitting up at night,” McGorty said. “It really is amazing that we can put together a huge show like this in just three months.”
Because of how big the show is, auditions were held before students went on Christmas break, weeks sooner than they usually are.
“We needed an extra couple of weeks because the show is dance-heavy,” McGorty said.
The cast of 30 people have been working since January. McGorty oversees administrative duties for the show, making sure everything is on budget and ready for showtime. He said the budget for this production is over $15,000, which includes royalties, rehearsal material, the set, costumes and more. The budget is supported through fundraising.
“[It’s because of] the Bowsher community that have supported us for all those years that we’re able to do productions like this,” McGorty said.
Students filming one of the three movie sequences used in the show.
The choosing of the production was a group effort, McGorty said, which took until last November. He said they wanted to pick the show that fit the students’ talents.
“We just don’t want to choose blindly,” McGorty said.
It was brought up by the play’s choreographer and they fell in love with it.
“We could tell that we had the kids to fit the cast of characters,” McGorty said.
McGorty said he knew they picked the right show during auditions.
“[When] you’re sitting in auditions and you hear someone sing the song and read the lines the way they are supposed to be delivered or sung, you know that you’ve picked the right show,” McGorty said. “It’s even more so now … During rehearsal, sitting there watching the different characters … all the kids that we cast are now bringing it forward, they’re bringing their game, they’re bringing it to the stage.”
Technical Director Jason Jones said the production’s rain scene is the biggest challenge. The stage will be lined with tarp which will collect the rain. That way, the wooden stage will not get wet. The electrical pockets on stage will be covered with tarp or vinyl as well.
But in terms of the time the production demands of him, Jones said it’s no different from any other show.
McGorty said he wasn’t too aware of the play’s difficulty before reading the script.
“Once I read [the script], I’m like ‘wow, this is a big show,” McGorty said. “We had done ‘Disney’s Beauty and the Beast’ a few years ago, but this is probably, technically more difficult.”
The play includes filmed portions, which the cast filmed at the start of the auditions.
“We got to bring in a professional video company to actually film and work with our students to film these scenes,” McGorty said. “We storyboarded every single scene that we needed … we worked with the kids, teaching them about different angles for the camera.”
McGorty said the process was great for the students.
“Our kids actually got to experience what it’s like to film a movie,” McGorty said. “They have a much bigger appreciation for the making of film and television now.”
McGorty said the segments in the play, totaling eight minutes, took four hours to film.
The show will have three performances: Friday, March 22 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, March 23 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 24 at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at store.bowsherrebels.org or at the door. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students and seniors.
Tags: Bowsher High School, Scott McGorty
