Stumbling Along: A Musical Theatre Concert

THE ARTS

“Necessity is the mother of invention.” This quote is attributed to ancient Greek philosopher Plato and was never a more true sentiment than in 2020 and 2021. Travis Guba, Upper School Theatre Director, cited it in his note in the Stumbling Along: A Musical Theatre Concert program. The pandemic posed a problem that required creative and courageous efforts to solve.

As a result, the spring Upper School musical was an evolving student-led initiative that required creativity right up to and through the three performances (February 22-24).

“There is an undeniable joy in generating new ideas and figuring out how things will work with the many unknowns we have encountered along the way,” Guba noted. “These young artists have been engaged in a collaborative effort to create their own show and rose to the challenge given to them. How wonderful it has been to see them working together and figuring it out.”

A cast and crew of nearly 35 took on this endeavor, starting with Student Director Janie Bradford ’21 weaving together a story that included songs from such musicals as A Chorus Line, The Last Five Years, Catch Me If You Can, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Songs for a New World, Hairspray, A Little Night Music, Little Shop of Horrors, Kiss Me, Kate, Fiddler on the Roof, Guys and Dolls, Anything Goes, Cinderella, Into the Woods, The Sound of Music, Baby, and Singin’ in the Rain. Mary McGann ’22 then set out to design a poster and program cover to accurately reflect how the individual performances came together. Under the direction of Ballet and Theatre Teacher Natalie Bracken ’05, student choreographers Bradford, Sydney Cyprian ’22 and Grace Sapienza ’22 worked hard with the performers to perfect their dance moves.

It was Student Technical Directors Aidan Karsten ’21 and Josh Guhl ’21, Head of Audio and Audio Engineer Walker Smith ’21, Head of Lighting Mark Wong ’22, the Technical Crew of Jack Bradford ’24 and Mitchell Crawford ’22, and Stage Manager Emma Hargrove ’23 that had their work cut out for them as the performances had a limited live audience in the Sid W. Richardson Round Gym and were livestreamed on FWCD’s YouTube channel.

Right before the first show, Eric Tysinger, Scott Theater Director and Tech Theatre Teacher, noticed an electrical arcing noise from one of the lighting cables. It was necessary to replace the cable quickly, and, just minutes before the curtain went up, all was ready. Each performance was tweaked from behind the scenes to enhance the livestream experience. All who attended in person were supportive and happy to see FWCD performing arts in action.

The student cast and crew approached the rehearsals and performances with positivity and support of one another. Their spirit was infectious and brought the audiences, in-person and online, a spectacular revue of classic and contemporary songs from the canon of musical theatre — there was something for everyone. The students demonstrated a clear passion for the arts, engaged the audience in their joyful creativity, and celebrated one another and their gifts.

Stumbling Along Cast List

Janie Bradford ’21

Allie Cross ’24

Gracie Cross ’22

Sydney Cyprian ’22

Baylee East ’21

Eliana Garcia ’23

Jazmine Gomez ’22

Kale Graves ’21

Izzy Gutierrez ’22

Reagan Hall ’24

Emma Hargrove ’23

Christopher Hoppe ’21

Olivia Kersh ’24

Rocco Leoni ’23

Ella Li ’21

Kate Malonis ’23

Nicolas Medaris ’23

Aramis Moreno ’22

Malinda Murphey ’22

Nick Pakis ’22

Lilly Peacock ’23

Gabby Pettit ’21

Banner Robinson ’22

Grace Sapienza ’22

Ava Scott ’23

Sadie Schuster ’22

Sadie Thompson ’24

Landen Walker ’22