Auditions for Schoolhouse Rock

Mt. Vernon-Lisbon Community Theatre announces AUDITIONS for Schoolhouse Rock Live!

Sunday, September 7 and Monday, September 8 at 7 PM in the Uptown Theatre in the First Street Community Center, 221 East First St., Mt. Vernon.

Parts for adults and high school students. No need to prepare anything for auditions--just come willing to read, sing, move and have fun!

Production dates are October 17, 18 and 19. Call Braden Rood at 319-654-1016 with questions or email mvlcommunitytheatre@gmail.com.

Source: MVLCT

Schoolhouse Rock Review

City Circle - Despite being an overall extremely uneven evening of theatre, there are enough good moments in City Circle's production of Schoolhouse Rock Live! to make it well worth seeing.

Let's talk the difficulties first. Part of the problem is the show itself. By randomly putting a series of songs together with only the barest conceit of a story line, the script creates the possibility of a strong segment being immediately undercut by a weaker segment.

You can divide the show into the Grammar Rock songs, the Multiplication Rock songs, the Science Rock songs, and the America Rock songs. That's not just me coming up with a classification system - that's how they were originally broadcast and how they're packaged on the DVD set.

Of these, the Grammar Rock and Multiplication Rock songs are the best, in large part because events of the past 35 years haven't changed the fundamental meaning of the songs. On the other hand, the America Rock songs are dated, quaint, and more than a little earnest. The Science Rock songs were never that good to begin with.

Let's take some specific examples. "Three Is A Magic Number" is one of the best songs in the production, and City Circle's staging of the song does justice to the song. Michael Stokes has a strong lead vocal. The stark lighting, using a dark orange filter, sets the scene perfectly. (Indeed, Will Brown's simple but effective lighting design is first-rate all throughout the show, a study in how to use a minimalist lighting approach for maximum effect.) Finally, the choreography doesn't overwhelm the ensemble, something that can't be said about many of the segments.

Unfortunately, this is immediately followed by "Mother Necessity." The main problem here is a song that talks about the importance of inventions such as the cotton gin and the sewing machine at a time when a personal computer is almost a required household appliance. The song was written in 1976 - the advancements in science and technology since that time are enormous. The production doesn't help things, though - the blocking and choreography are frenetic and out of control, and the vocals get lost.

The other main problem with the show comes from the decision to expand the cast from a handful of performers to over thirty people. While this works to ensure a larger, friendlier audience, and this production is no exception, it also works to ensure a poorer production. There are more than a few weak voices in the cast, and we hear too much of them.

But there are also some very strong voices in the cast, but we don't get to hear enough of them. Kehry Lane was great, with a beautiful voice that was easily heard. Sami Wendell, easily the second best performer onstage after Lane, was woefully underused. Jeremy Ping, Chris Carpenter, and the aforementioned Michael Stokes all turned in the same fine work they're known for in the local theatre community.

Then there's the strong songs. I'm still singing the strong songs: "Lolly, Lolly, Lolly", "Just A Bill," "Ready or Not," the under appreciated "Tale of Mr. Morton," and perhaps the best segment of the evening, "Unpack Your Adjectives." All of these brought me into the production, humming and singing along. These segments are what I think of most as I look back on the production, and they are the reason the show's worth seeing.

--David Pierce

David Pierce is a four-time past president of the Iowa City Community Theatre. He has acted, sung, directed, and worked backstage for far too many local productions to mention. He is a writer both by trade and inclination, with law and journalism as an educational background.

Backstage with Schoolhouse Rock

City Circle - We recently had a chance to talk to Chris Okiishi, the director of City Circle's next show, Schoolhouse Rock - Live! (Yes, the exclamation point is part of the title.) I am sure many of us remember those funny (and informative) cartoons playing on Saturday mornings. My favorite was "The Bill." After reading our interview with Chris, feel free to share your memories of Schoolhouse Rock in the comments.

Talk to me a little bit about the collaboration with Englert and the Iowa Children's Museum. Do you meet with those groups and come up with a show together? Or do you bring ideas to them?

Chris Okiishi: In the case of both Seussical and School House Rock - Live!, the idea to work together came first, then we sifted through some ideas of what might make a good collaboration. Seussical came simultaneously to the museum and to me, and Schoolhouse Rock was the brainchild of Beth Bewley-Randall of the Englert. She had worked on the original Chicago production and hoped for years to bring it to the stage here.

Who is in the cast? Can you tell give me the inside scoop on any stand out performances we'll all be talking about the next day?

Chris: This is a fantastically diverse cast--many new to our group and some new to the area. They are all so talented, it's hard to pick a favorite, but watch the chorus folks as they find ways of stealing scenes--my favorite acting jobs were always in shows like this where the chorus could gobble up four or five little "bits" and walk away with the show!

This show was originally supposed to be done with just a few actors, but my understanding is you're doing it with many, many more actors than that. Can you tell why you've gone that route and what challenges or advantages that has brought to your production?

Chris: The show was designed to be performed by a group of six friends in a small bar in Chicago. It was developed as a response to the talents available and in particular to the space they had. In moving into a much larger venue such as the Englert, some re-imagining was necessary and I seized the opportunity to expand the cast to its current 32. In some cases, this has resulted in a greater match to the original source material (Elbow Room, Great American Melting Pot) and in other cases, we still only feature a few actors at a time (Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Ready or Not Here I Come). But we are doing our best to fill the theater with life and energy while still keeping the educational message intact.

Who is doing the choreography? What can you tell me about that aspect of the production?

Chris: There are four choreographers. Leslie Nolte is working on Ready or Not Here I Come which will also feature her troup of dancers. Jessica Netolicky provided the infecteous Interplanet Janet dance, which we will actually teach to the audience at one point. And Michelle Altmaier and Lily Huber produced a roller skate dance to Figure 8. The rest of the choreography was developed in conjunction with the ensemble. We are really proud of how we manage to keep telling the story while still reflecting the style and movement of the music.

Were you a big fan of the Saturday morning cartoons that are the basis of this show?

Chris: Oh, you becha! My brothers and I knew many of these by heart--and I still could sing "The Preamble" on cue at any moment before working on the show. That said, there are many lesser-known gems ("Victim of Gravity", for example) which have become new favorites.

I admit I have never heard of "Victim of Gravity". Just to follow up with that... during rehearsals were there lots of talk about everyone's memories? How did that help the production?

Chris: Oh yes. Ellen Stevenson, who is in our show, was also in the ICCT production that went up one week after 9/11. She has some amazing stories to tell of that production and the memories our production trigger for her.

Also, several cast members in addition to me are being regularly transported back in time to our childhoods and in particular to how we used the information in the songs to learn more efficiently. And now at least two of the younger cast members proudly report improved science grades as a result of the Circulation song!

That's what we want to hear! So what else do we need to know about this show?

Chris: This kind of a show is tricky--it seems like it's all about the kids, but really, there is almost more for adults here. For me, the most fascinating aspect of the show is to see how songs like "Sufferin' for Suffrage", "Elbow Room" and "Great American Melting Pot" say as much about the time they were written as the historical lessons they teach. Imagine, for example, an unapologetic pro-immigration song playing on Saturday Morning today! So in a way, it's a history lesson about mid-70s politics and values as well--and a chance to revisit how we thought about history then and compare it to our views today.

Thank you, Chris, for taking the time to give us a glimpse backstage.

Check out Schoolhouse Rock Live! this weekend at the Englert. For more info, go here.

(Above photo supplied by City Circle features Christopher Carpenter as The Bill.)

Schoolhouse Rock - Live! opens this weekend

City Circle - Three local institutions have come together to produce a show that will be familiar to anyone growing up in the 70s or 80s. Schoolhouse Rock – Live!, produced by City Circle Acting Company, The Iowa Children's Museum and The Englert Theatre, opens this Friday at the Englert. The producers call this show "a real treat for 'Generation X-rs' seeking a taste of nostalgia" and say it "will also entertain children just discovering the TV series."

"I have dreamed of producing Schoolhouse Rock – Live! at the Englert for years," says Englert Executive Director Beth Bewley-Randall, who was the stage manager for the show's school tour in Chicago. "This show isn't just for kids – it's for everyone who ever saw the cartoon series, or who enjoys learning through music. I expect to see people dancing in the aisles."

Tickets are on sale now through the Englert Box Office by calling 319-688-2653 or visiting 221 E Washington Street Mon-Fri 1:00-6:00 PM. Tickets and more information are also available online here.

Families are also invited to explore the Schoolhouse Rock – Live! exhibit at the Iowa Children's Museum with their favorite Schoolhouse Rock characters, including Zero is My Hero, Interplanetary Janet, and The Bill. Activities include the Gravity Drop, the Conjunction Junction word mural, and a mini-planetarium. For more information about the exhibit, call 319-625-6255.