The Music Man Begins Rehearsals

The cast of Overlake’s All-School Musical The Music Man is in its second week of rehearsals, and there are no worries about the set or costumes. Now is the time for learning songs, lines, and choreography.

With rehearsals split between the choir room and the Fulton stage, Director Beth Highland takes the opportunity to work one-on-one with actors while Music Director Erin Gabriel works with the group on show tunes. “It takes a lot of patience and preplanning,” laughs Highland who has a cast of 58-actors made up of middle and upper school students. “We’re finding our rhythm with it and it’s a challenge but part of the fun.

She adds that the cast will even grow larger as members of our community join the production as featured performers. In all, up to 70-actors may share the stage, but it’s meant to be true to playwright Meredith Willson’s vision of the townspeople of River City, Iowa.

For Overlake actors, the challenge of putting on a huge musical with only seven weeks preparation is grueling work. Students race from their last class to take in every minute of rehearsal. “Everybody is super excited, and any of that nervousness or that sense of imminent danger from the upcoming deadline is lost in the fact that we’re all having a great time,” says Ben K. (’19).

In the coming weeks, we’ll take you behind the scenes for a look at The Music Man, and it’s not too soon to mark your calendars now to catch this special performance of an Overlake theater favorite. Show dates are March 2nd and 3rd, and we’ll have ticket information in the next few weeks.