Hale Center Theatre Performing Arts Students Visit BYU

A Wildcat Welcome to Students Meeting the High School Musical Cast

BYU Theatre's High School Musical team and director Geoff Reynolds welcomed middle and high school students from Hale Center Theatre’s education programs to a special behind-the-scenes experience.

Accompanied by the Stars’ choral director, Tanner DeHaan, and Education Administrative Assistant, Tianna Maxwell, students from the singing group and dance company were able to observe part of the rehearsal and connect with the cast of High School Musical.

The visit began with the students getting a sneak peak of the cast performing “Stick to the Status Quo” and “We’re All in This Together.” Afterwards, the students shared feedback with the cast on their performance, noting how impressed they were with the cast’s ability to maintain strong vocals as they were executing such complex choreography. They also appreciated how unified and engaged the ensemble was onstage.

Hale Center Theatre student performers learn from High School Musical choreographer Thomas Jenson

Following this performance, choreographers Thomas Jenson and Bryndal Braithwaite led the students in a dance workshop, where students learned the choreography for “Stick to the Status Quo.” It was a fun and collaborative experience for everyone involved, as the HCT students got a chance to learn from the choreographers, and the choreographers were able to share their expertise while guiding the students through the choreography.

HCT Students learn from makeup designer Aaron Rodriguez

After the dance workshop, HCT students participated in a Q&A session with members of the High School Musical cast and production team. The BYU students were able to discuss what it is like to study theatre at the university level, covering everything from the application process to the different classes offered and the benefits of pursuing theatre in college. The panel featured students from a variety of majors, including Theatre Arts Studies, Acting, Music Dance Theatre (MDT), and Theatre Education, offering the students a broad perspective on how they can study theatre in college and the areas in which they can specialize. Additionally, cast members who are studying fields outside the theatre department shared how they have maintained their love for performance while pursuing other degrees, highlighting how theatre can be a fulfilling lifelong hobby no matter what you decide to study in college.

Director Geoff Reynolds takes the students on a tour of the main stage, where High School Musical will be performed.

The students then toured the Mainstage theatre and backstage facilities, including the costume shop, prop shop, and makeup room, gaining a deeper appreciation for the many creative roles that bring a production to life. The visit wrapped up with the HCT students performing for Korianne Johnson, a BYU voice professor, who offered them valuable feedback and encouragement.

HCT students meet the full cast of BYU's production of High School Musical

Throughout the day, Hale Center Theatre students and BYU’s High School Musical cast were able to enjoy the chance to learn from each other and share their love of theatre. The cast was excited to encourage these young performers and hope they keep pursuing theatre in some form in the future, wherever life takes them next!

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Last week, A Midsummer Night’s Dream opened in the Nelke Theatre and it was a great success! Eric and I were pleased to be a part of the opening night and celebrate not only the opening night of the production, but also the 40th anniversary of the Brigham Young University Young Company. In order to set the tone of the evening, patrons were encouraged to check out the lobby display that Eric and I had created for the show. We chose to do a puppet making station, aptly named “The Mechanicals Puppet Making Station” where guests and participants could make their own puppet out of a sock or paper bag. Other craft supplies were provided for the participants—allowing them to use their imagination and create a unique puppet that they could take home. Creating such a lobby display, we hoped to provide patrons, and especially children, with an opportunity to use their imagination and create something special, as well as connect with the style of the production before seeing the show. The role of puppetry is crucial to this adaptation of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream—and we wanted to capture this and incorporate it whatever lobby display we chose. The actor’s hard work and rehearsal, as well as that of the production team, paid off—they did a marvelous job in telling the story of these loopy lovers and the adventures that take place in the magical forest. The puppetry skills and acting chops of the actors, the enchanting costumes, simple set design, and energy from the whole cast was thoroughly enjoyed by the very diverse and supportive audience. It was a packed house: if not sold out, very close. And this definitely contributed to the energetic feeling that pervaded the evening. Perhaps it was the presence of so many alumni from the Young Company that had come to support the production and celebrate the 40th anniversary of the formation of Young Company. Among the guests at the premier were Harold Oaks, founder of the BYU Young Company. Following the play, a presentation was made outlining and honoring the history and legacy of Young Company. Young Company has done an outstanding job for the last 40 years in providing quality theatre (adaptations and original works alike) for children that may not be exposed to the performing arts. A wonderful reception followed the presentation and was well enjoyed by cast and crew alike. A Midsummer Night’s Dream closes at BYU this Saturday, the 14th. Make sure to get your tickets soon and catch this unique production while you can! It will then go on tour throughout Northern Utah, presenting its whimsical and humorous message to elementary school children. Following are some images from the Opening Night Gala!

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[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="376"] Margaret Roper[/caption] Margaret More Roper: Scholar and Daughter by Adam White, dramaturg Thomas More was a family man; he was married twice and had four children with his first wife, Jane Colt. After being married for six years, Jane Colt More died, leaving More with four children: Margaret, Elizabeth, Cecily and John. However, More quickly remarried to the widow Dame Alice Middleton, marrying her within a month of his wife’s death. While many of his friends resisted the rapid nature of the arrangement, More went through with it. Thomas and Alice More would raise the four children Thomas More had with Jane, as well as Alice’s daughter from her previous marriage and a foster daughter. Certainly, More valued his family and the welfare of his children. More also valued the power of education. He insisted that his daughters be educated through rigorous schooling, and this was unusual in 16th-century England, as society at large believed women unfit for scholarly pursuits. Despite cultural and institutional norms, Margaret More, the eldest of the More children (and More’s favorite, some would argue), would grow to become one of the most educated people in all of England, a woman of great scholarly knowledge. Margaret More Roper was tutored at home and became well-known for her studies, particularly for her adeptness in Greek and Latin. Her skill in writing and speaking Latin would impress the clergy of England. This specialty is reflected in a scene in Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons where Margaret and King Henry VIII engage in a bit of Latin language sparring. She would also become the first woman who was not of royal birth to publish a translated book. In October 1524, Roper published an English translation of a book called ‘Precatio dominica’ written by Thomas More’s good friend Erasmus. This book was based on the Lord’s Prayer. Instead of translating the book directly from Latin to English, Roper would use her extensive knowledge of both languages to construct the themes and the meanings Erasmus had written in to the treatise with her own words. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="291"] Erasmus, Dutch humanist and good friend to Thomas More[/caption] It was Margaret who would visit the imprisoned Thomas More the most often. They were very close, writing letters to one another regularly the duration of their relationship. It was in a letter to Margaret that Thomas More confided, “I do nobody harm, I say none harm, I thinke none harm, but wish everybody good. And if this be not enough to keep a man alive, in good faith I long not to live.” We have good reason to believe that Margaret More Roper very well understood what would be her father’s fate. After Thomas More’s execution, Margaret More Roper and her husband William Roper would continue to carry on his legacy in their own ways. William Roper would write the first biography of Thomas More, a glowing and gracious document that would influence our understanding of More’s personality for hundreds of years to come. Margaret More Roper actually kept her father’s head after his beheading, pickling it to preserve it from decay. While many of us may find that historical tidbit a tad macabre, I would like to believe that Margaret More Roper had deep admiration for her father; perhaps it was out of this feeling she kept his head. Please stay tuned to the 4th Wall Dramaturgy Blog to catch clips of my interview with Mallory Gee, the actress who will portray Margaret More Roper in BYU’s A Man for All Seasons. Bibliography: Abernathy, Susan. "Margaret Roper, Daughter of Sir Thomas More." Early Modern England. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Feb. 2014. Duerden, Richard. "A Man for All Seasons." Telephone interview. 31 Jan. 2014. "Margaret Roper." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Sept. 2013. Web. 02 Oct. 2013. "Sir Thomas More Quotes and Quotations." Sir Thomas More Quotes and Quotations. Luminarium. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.

Hale Center Theatre Performing Arts Students Visit BYU

A Wildcat Welcome to Students Meeting the High School Musical Cast

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