I find this Times story on New Jersey's statewide high school theater awards, sponsored by Paper Mill Playhouse, both hilarious and terrifying.
Being among the winners of the Rising Star Awards may seem inconsequential to those who don’t spend much time in high school theater departments, Ms. Stepanov said. But to those who do, the awards inspire genuine awe. “It’s like winning a Tony while you’re still in high school,” she said recently from the Fair Lawn High School auditorium, where a cluster of teenagers practiced the opening number of “Millie” during what would stretch to a six-hour rehearsal.
There was not this much pressure in my high school theater experience. There were also no professional orchestras.
The reasons a school repeatedly captures the admiration of Rising Star judges are as varied as the shows they produce. According to Ms. Cooney, Gil St. Bernard’s has a theater-in-the-round performance space, which is unusual for a high school. Summit has a “huge support team,” she said — more than 100 students, parents and teachers working to build costumes and sets from scratch, while most schools rent. “They also have a huge and impressive student orchestra,” Ms. Cooney said, while most schools in the competition hire professional musicians.
Related:
Yeah, that's what I needed - - MORE pressure in high school. Sweet Jesus...
As for GLEE, you just hooked me.
Posted by: Stephen | March 15, 2009 at 09:04 PM
Kris, if you never saw this razor-sharp Onion News Network report before, you're in for a treat now.
Posted by: Bilal | March 15, 2009 at 10:46 PM
There's no substantial extraneous pressure on the students who are involved in these award-winning high school shows. In the video the director says that the students who participate know what they're getting into and that they enjoy it.
I think the recent increase of professionalism in high school theatre programs teaches the students involved to have a higher level of dedication to their craft and the Rising Star Awards introduce the students to a little healthy competition.
Posted by: Rofro | April 22, 2009 at 08:14 PM