North Hills Middle School Drama Club presents the 2025 winter musical production of Seussical Jr. on Thursday-Saturday, January 30-February 1 at 7pm in the middle school auditorium. Nearly 100 students in grades 6-8 come together to for the annual show as cast, running/set crew, hair/make-up crew, and light/sound crew members, ushers, as well as several high school student directors.
All seats are reserved and can be purchased beginning January 18 by clicking the links below through HomeTown Ticketing (the same ticketing platform used for athletic events). Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens (65+). All audience members are asked to enter the building using the library entrance. Doors open at 6:30pm on the night of each performance, and parents will have congratulatory gifts for sale in the lobby upon arrival. Horton the Elephant, the Cat in the Hat and all of your favorite Dr. Seuss characters spring to life onstage in Seussical Jr., a fantastical musical extravaganza from Tony-winners, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. Transporting audiences from the Jungle of Nool to the Circus McGurkus, the Cat in the Hat narrates the story of Horton the Elephant, who discovers a speck of dust containing tiny people called the Whos. Horton must protect the Whos from a world of naysayers and dangers, and he must also guard an abandoned egg that's been left in his care by the irresponsible Mayzie La Bird. Although Horton faces ridicule, danger and a trial, the intrepid Gertrude McFuzz never loses faith in him. Ultimately, the powers of friendship, loyalty, family and community are challenged and emerge triumphant! Note that the crew meeting is scheduled for THURSDAY, December 19, and not Friday as listed incorrectly. Sorry for any confusion. Your browser does not support viewing this document. Click here to download the document.
The North Hills Middle School Drama Club invites friends, family, and community businesses to support the 2025 winter musical, SEUSSICAL JR, through advertising space in the program booklet. PLEASE SEND AD ARTWORK IN THE APPROPRIATE DIMENSIONS LISTED OR THEY MAY BE REFORMATTED TO FIT THE REQUESTED SIZE AND MAY NOT LOOK THE WAY YOU EXPECTED. We are asking that each cast & crew member sell ONE ad (of any size) to help fill the program and raise money for the drama club! Thank you for your support of the North Hills Middle School Drama Club! Your support through a program advertisement helps to enhance all parts of the production and to create a keepsake booklet for the cast and crew. Please complete the form below and mail it with payment to North Hills Middle School Drama Club, c/o Shaun Cloonan 55 Rochester Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15229 or scan and e-mail it to [email protected] Checks can be made payable to “NHSD” ALL ADS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY NO LATER THAN JANUARY 3, 2025 to assure enough time for layout, proofing, commercial printing, and delivery. Anything received after that date is not guaranteed to be included.
CREWS: Running/Set, Light/Sound, Hair/Make-up, Ushers
What is the crew? Crew members are the behind-the-scenes members of a show that make the cast members come to life - building and moving set pieces, running the lights and sound, organizing costumes and make-up, and helping the audience to find their seats and get their programs. What is expected of crew members? Crew meets separately from the cast at the beginning, since they have specific things they need to do. Because of the concerts that take place in December, we aren’t able to be on the stage to do work until January, so crews won’t begin meeting (except for one day to get contracts and calendars) until after winter break. What types of crews are there?
When do I need to attend? The calendar that the cast was given for January is on the other side of this page, but each group reports as follows: Running/Set Crew: All January Rehearsals (including Saturdays), Preview Day, Performances Light/Sound Crew: 2 Saturday Rehearsals, Tech Week, Show Week, Preview Day, Performances Hair/Make-Up Crew: One Saturday Rehearsal, Tech Week, Show Week, Preview Day, Performances Ushers: Photo Night, Preview Day, Performances (January 30, 31, & February 1) How can I join? By Friday, November 22, 2024, complete the Crew Application Google Form WITH YOUR PARENT/GUARDIAN. There is a portion that parents need to complete so please make sure you discuss and fill it out together. You must use your student email address to complete the form linked below. Questions? Contact Mr. Cloonan ([email protected]). He can be found at the middle school during periods 1-3 in Room A011 or after school most days in either the auditorium or A011 working with the cast. The rest of the day he is at the high school, so if you don’t find him, send an email! Congratulations to the following students, who are a part of this year’s middle school drama club production of Seussical, Jr. We were very impressed with the amount of talent in this year’s group who auditioned, and we’re happy to include 64 students in the cast! If your name is not on this list, we encourage you to attend our Crew meeting on Friday, November 15, 2024 during Homeroom. The following students should report to the Auditorium for the first rehearsal Wednesday, October 30, 2024 from 3:00-5:00PM. * 12:00PM 10/26/24 Note * In our copying and pasting to move names around to put in alphabetical order, 2 names accidentally were omitted from the first list posted. The CORRECTED list is now posted.
Your browser does not support viewing this document. Click here to download the document. The following students should report to the downstairs Chorus Room A011 on Wednesday, October 23, 2024 from 3:00-4:30 pm for a rehearsal, and plan to stay for both Thursday and Friday, October 24 & 25 from 3:00-5:00 pm for the Callback Auditions. You may not need to come to both days: we will let you know on Wednesday. DO NOT PANIC if your name is not on the list. These are only the people that we want to see something more from before creating the final cast list. Just because your name is not listed below DOES NOT mean you are excluded from the show. We may already have a place for you and don’t need to see anything more! There are at least 25 more spaces in the cast in addition to the 32 listed below.
Acting
SINGING
DANCING
Here is the information discussed at today's Homeroom meeting:
Who is Eligible to Participate? The Winter Musical is open to all students in grades 6-8. Positions are available in both the Cast and on the Tech Crew. More information about Tech Crew will be shared in November at a separate meeting. Audition Information: Audition Practice Session: (not required, but HIGHLY recommended!) THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2024 from 3:00-4:30PM in the Middle School Auditorium. We will teach the audition song and dance that will be required during auditions, as well as give time for students to practice the acting portion. Sign-up sheets for audition days will be available at the end of the practice. First Round: You may sign up to audition in groups of two (but a “partner” is not required). When you are called into the audition room, each person will sing INDIVIDUALLY, then read the scene with a partner or director. Please bring your completed Audition Information Form to give to the judges. At the end of every 8 auditions, we will call everyone who has auditioned in that group back into the audition room and you will perform the dance audition in a group. Once your group has done all 3 parts, you may leave. Sign-up sheets will be posted outside of Room A011 after the practice on October 10. Plan to arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled audition if you go home and come back. You are only required to stay for the hour that you sign up, and may leave after you have completed all three parts: singing, reading, and dancing.
Callback Auditions: a list will be posted online at nhchoiranddrama.net (under the drama menu, then middle school) after school on Monday, October 21 indicating who is to come to callbacks. These are times for the directors to hear and see people a second or third time so that we pick the best cast we can. If you are not on the callback list, it DOES NOT mean you should panic. You may already have a spot in the cast and we don’t need to hear or see anything else from you. If you are on the callback list, you must attend all of the following:
Final Cast List Posted ONLINE Once callback auditions are completed, the directors will determine the cast list. We will be taking about 65 students this year. Unfortunately, NOT ALL STUDENTS THAT AUDITION WILL BE ACCEPTED INTO THE SHOW. Once the list has been finalized, we will post it on the choir/drama website at (http://www.nhchoiranddrama.net > Drama > Middle School Drama Club). This will likely happen Saturday morning, October 26 (it usually takes a very long time to decide on the cast list and we’d rather not post it late Friday evening!). First Full Cast Rehearsal: If your name is on the list, you are expected to be at the first rehearsal on Wednesday, October 30, 2024 from 3:00-5:00PM in the Middle School Auditorium. At this rehearsal, you’ll receive a complete schedule, script, and cast contract which must be signed and returned in order to be in the show. There are student Drama Club dues of $50 required for each cast member. This pays for your hoodie, food, and other costs throughout rehearsals and performances. Any questions or concerns, email Mr. Cloonan ([email protected]) All cast members are permitted to miss 5 rehearsals and be late to/leave early from 5 rehearsals. Many athletes balance their time within these guidelines so that they can participate in both musical and other activities. You must notify Mr. Cloonan ahead of time and you must learn any new material that you miss when not at rehearsal. The only exception to this policy is during the last TWO WEEKS of the show (January 21-February 1). Those practices/run-throughs are mandatory for ALL cast & crew members, NO EXCEPTIONS (except excused illnesses from school)! This is especially important during the listed Dress Rehearsals, where we use microphones, lights, & costumes for the first time. All information for the auditions, including dance videos, acting and music materials, and vocal practice tracks, will be posted after the October 10 rehearsal at nhchoiranddrama.net > DRAMA > Middle School Drama Club > 2025: Seussical Jr |