IIt has been five years since the last time a musical hit the stage at NWOSU. Putting on a musical takes a combined effort from the music and theater departments. The musical also takes a lot of coordination and communication to make it happen because everyone has to agree on the set, music, choreography and acting.
This year’s show is called “Nunsense: The Mega Musical” and is about a convent of nuns who got themselves into a situation where they need to earn some money fast to pay for some of their fellow nun’s funerals. So they decide to put on a showcase. It is a hilarious tale of how they lost a lot of their convent because of some poisoned soup and how they bought a plasma TV before paying for all of the funerals. Now the rest of the nun’s bodies are in the freezer and their inspection is coming up soon.
It takes several people to help with the musical. Professor of Theatre Arts Kimberly Weast is director. director of choral studies Karsten Longhurst is the music director. the accompanist is Suzan Duell. The Choreographer is Connie Bryant. The stage designer is graduate student Mickey Jordan. It takes a lot of time to sort through everyone’s schedules to make time for meetings and to make sure that the ideas are going to flow between the groups.
For “Nunsense” in particular, auditions were held on Dec. 4 and the actors were given scripts to look over during Christmas break. They rehearse every day in the Fine Arts Building. Rehearsals for the musical consist of acting, choreography and singing.
Understudies and swingers are a big part of the production as well. They go to every practice and learn, not just theirs, but other’s lines and choreography just incase others are sick. Understudies are given a specific role to learn where swingers learn every part, which is a big roll to take on.
The set for the musical took the theater productions class an average of 35 hours a piece in a total of three weeks. The theater productions students are instructed by Weast and shop foroman Mickey Jordan and Tori Hurley.They have to piece together the set and make sure it is stable, painted and decorated to make sure the set is ready for the production. The theatre production students not acting in the production, help as stage hands and by doing the light and sound during the showcases.
