Thank You from the cast and crew of Anything Goes!!

A huge thank you to everyone who came out to see our production of Anything Goes! Here are a few quick thank you's from cast members as they leave the theater after striking the set.

Closing Night: An interview with Thomas Benfield

Thomas Benfield takes a moment to talk with Max Miller 

before the final performance of Anything Goes

Anything Goes: Friday Night!

The Friday night crowd packed the theatre. It was the fullest Allen Theatre has ever been for a show! The back of the theatre where all the freshmen sit during meeting had to be open for the first time ever. With the theatre packed to the gills, laughter bounced off every wall. The final performance of Anything Goes is coming tonight at 7:30, so if you want to see an energetic, happy, spiritual (at some points) and racy play, you should come out to closing night of Anything Goes at Berkshire School. You don’t want to miss this fantastic production!

by Max Miller, '14

photos by Anne Day

Anything Goes: Opening Night!

Peter Dunn, Pratima Singh, Max Miller and Liz Butler
in 'Anything Goes'

It's officially official: the show is underway! Last night we opened the winter musical, Anything Goes. The theatre was roaring with laughter throughout the night and was constantly filled with wonderful songs. The play starts promptly at 7:30, so be there or be square! The costumes, set, lights, and everything else are finally coming together and we are making very good head way towards the second night. It is a $2 suggested donation at the door... and bring extra money for homemade goodies at intermission! Thanks to everyone for their tremendous support thought this process and we hope to see you all tonight or tomorrow night!

by Max Miller

photo by Anne Day

Anything Goes: Dress Rehearsal!

Thomas Benfield and Kennedy Alvarez

Cielo Magana and
Savanna Fortgang

The lights are up and the set is painted. Tonight the cast of Anything Goes had their dress rehearsal. With five people in the audience, the cast got a feel for what it will be like performing the show for an audience. A dress rehearsal is when you run the entire show without stopping. It is like a warm up performance. With that under our belt, we look forward to Thursday night when there will be more of a crowd. The cast has put in countless hours of work this past week preparing to give this performance to the Berkshire community. We didn’t get back to the dorms until 11 p.m. and we got here at 3 p.m. We look forward to seeing you here one night... or all of three of them!

by Max Miller

photos by Anne Day

Anything Goes: Load-In

Christiena Auguste takes us on a behind-the-scenes look

 at the 'Anything Goes' load-in.

Read what other cast and crew members have to share about their experience at today's load-in!

Today at load-in, I had fun making the bed for the cabin requiring many feet of tape. I also organized and cleaned the green room to make the space a better place. Load in got me really excited for costumes and I can't wait to try them on!

- Alyssa Cass

Today was a big step for the theater department's performance of Anything Goes. There comes a time in the making of a show that makes it feel real; today was that day for me. Seeing the costumes and putting everything in its place made it so powerful. It's thrilling to know that in less than a week you will be putting your heart and soul out to the public, while becoming vulnerable and hoping that people will embrace it as much as you did.

- Cielo Magana-Bustamante

Today was the load in, which I found to be a refreshing change of pace from the tiresome rigor of rehearsal lately. I am on the props crew, so my job today was to paper the tables and figure out a preliminary plan as to what side of the stage props need to be on. I love props crew because of the endless meticulous work involved, such as assigning our many beautiful period luggage pieces to their best-fitting character. Seeing all of our incredible props and costumes gets me so pumped and ready for the following challenging days of tech. I cannot wait to share this stunning show with the community.

- Pratima Singh

Interview with Christiena Auguste

Max Miller interviews fellow blog crew member Christiena Auguste, 

who plays Mrs. Harcourt in 'Anything Goes.'

Liz Butler on Warm-Ups

Liz Butler, who plays Bonnie in Anything Goes, sits down with 

Max Miller, who plays Whitney, to talk a little about warm-ups.

The light hang, according to Peter Dunn

Peter Dunn shares what he learned at yesterday's light hang for Anything Goes.

interview and video by Max Miller

More Cast Interviews!

Actors Craig Alizadeh, Katie Moffett and Noah Faison take a short break from rehearsal 

for a brief interview with fellow actor and blog crew head Max Miller.

Cast Interviews: "First timers"

Savanna Fortgang, '16, interviews some of the newest
members of the theater program at Berkshire.

Set Build #2

This past Saturday, the cast of Anything Goes had their second set build.
Much of the day was spent constructing and sanding the three staircases used in the show.

Christiena Auguste, '14, shares a short video from the build.

Line Run: The Art of Memorization

Even though the cast of Anything Goes has only been rehearsing for 3 weeks, the cast had all their lines and songs memorized for the two line runs we had January 3rd and 4th. This was in the best interest for us because this way we can learn our blocking and dances to the best of our abilities. Our line runs consisted of us sitting in a circle and saying our lines one after the other to show that we have our lines (and cues!) completely memorized. The cast took time out of their winter break to practice their lines, but don’t worry - it wasn’t a burden to us because we have the determination to succeed and to make this musical the best it can be (the only people it really was a burden to was the people having to hear one of us reciting our lines over and over again or when we forced them to play one of the other characters so we could practice).

by Cielo Magana

Break is almost over...

With the line run coming up, all of the actors are putting time into memorizing lines. When we come back to school, we will have a line run. A line run is when everyone sits in a circle without their scrips and reads the entire play. It is very challenging because you have to remember when to come in and what lines to say. So while everyone is enjoying their break, they are also putting in a lot of effort on memorizing their lines. May we all be blessed with a good memory in the new year.

by Max Miller

Winter Break: Week 2

It’s the 2nd week into break and the whole cast is getting prepared for Anything Goes! Some of us, including myself, are new to this experience. But this cast and crew has been extremely supportive and welcoming to each of us and we are all excited to be apart of this years musical. So far, everything is going great! Although the cast is all over, all of us have been keeping in contact and Skyping and calling each other to go over scenes and songs. I am in Spain right now visiting my brother and every night before bed he helps me go through my lines.I am about to take it to the next step and practice in a distracting setting. (One of the tips we got from our meeting before we left). We all are working really hard because like Mr. Howard reminds us, this show will be at its best if we work hard as a group not just as individuals.

by Savanna Fortgang

Winter Break begins...

by Christiena Auguste, '14

On Break; Off Book

As the cast heads off to a three week break from school, and they get to spend some time with family, they are also tasked with the responsibility of coming back from break having memorized all their lines and lyrics. Although they get a break from schoolwork the cast is going to have to work hard throughout their break on memorizing their lines. Last Friday Mr. Howard gathered the cast and crew together, so they could offer up some helpful hints and tips on how to make sure the actors know their lines extremely well when they come back, so they can work on developing their character after break.

Memorizing lines as an actor to the point where you can recite them in your sleep (not literally) is crucial. This allows the actor to portray the character with emotion, and give the audience the illusion of reality. One big tip for making sure the actors come back from the break knowing their lines is to not wait until the last week to try and memorize all your lines because it takes longer than they think. Another helpful suggestion was for the actors to make records of themselves saying the lines (including their cues), and then listen to that recording so they get the timing of the scene. Then they would make a recording of just their cues, and other dialogue in the scene, with space in between them where their lines are so that they get to practice reciting with the recording. Technology is the friend of the cast when they are trying to accomplish this demanding task.

Over the break it would be easy to say "I'll get to it later," but they have to push themselves to get it done. It is a good feeling as an actor to be able to come back, and say that you know all your lines. The line run when we come back to school is the make or break moment of the play, and I have confidence that this cast will make it, and go beyond expectations.

by Conor Ryan, '15

First Set Build

Yesterday, the stage was full of drilling sounds. Max, Jordan, Katie, Thomas, the stage managers, Brandon and Grant started building some cool structures on the stage. Before we started building, the stage was empty and looked boring. However, everyone who was there spent their precious time on the stage working, and with their efforts and the empty stage started looking fabulous and exciting.


First, under Grant’s direction, we put three walls together and one on the top and drilled them to build a cabin. Then, we added three more to build a double cabin. The double cabin was cozy and comfortable. After building the double cabin, we added one staircase to each side so people can go top of the cabin. The cabin and staircases look incredible and enormous.


Everyone helped each other with building and cleaning up. We could not build the enormous constructions quickly without working together as a group. And, we were so proud of ourselves and excited to act on the stage with the great structures. Our first set build was a great and fun time for everyone.

by Michelle Chang, '15

Dancing the Day Away

The cast of "Anything Goes" has been hard at work during rehearsals for the past week and a half. So far the cast has only had music rehearsals where they work specifically on singing songs, and blocking rehearsals where they focus on their motions on stage. If you want to make a musical have a lasting impression though, you can't just talk the talk; you have to dance the dance. So today was the first of many dance rehearsals, where the cast focuses specifically on their dancing in the musical. 

At this first dance rehearsal, the cast worked on the song "Heaven Hop." Mrs. Schleunes, the dance instructor at Berkshire, creates and teaches the choreography for the musical each winter, working with Mr. Howard's vision. Learning dance moves and executing them properly is a hard thing to do, especially if the only experience you have had with dancing of any kind is flailing around at dances. The cast is amazing at it, and it is easy to see they are willing to work hard to get these moves done right. 

Musicals are challenging beasts. You have to act, sing, and dance; often you have to combine all three of those. It is one thing to perform these hard dance moves, but it is another to be singing while you are doing them, and while being in character the whole time. The cast offers a lot of promise to achieve these tasks, and if they keep working hard, I think the audience will be in for a real treat come opening night.      

by Conor Ryan, '15
 

First Music Rehearsal at Music Center

Last Thursday, the music center was crowded with laughter and chat. For the first music rehearsal, the cast was gathered in the music center instead of the stage. Everyone seemed not only excited but also little nervous for the first time singing together as a chorus.

With Dr. Davis and Dr. Wu at the piano, the cast sat down as four voice parts: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. Before singing, everyone in the room warmed up to relieve their stress or anxiety and be ready to sing. Also, surprisingly, the stage managers joined the music rehearsal as members of the chorus for the song “Bon Voyage.” We, the stage managers, worried about the first time singing with the chorus. However, under Dr. Davis and Dr. Wu’s directions, the chorus made a wonderful harmony. Even though it was not easy to learn a new song and it took a while to finish learning it, we had so much fun learning great music, singing it, and having the first music rehearsal with the chorus at the music center.

by Michelle Chang, '15