Musical Theatre in Wiseburn Welcomes A Year of Firsts!
We are celebrating some amazing theatrical firsts in Wiseburn this month! From our high school’s production of GREASE! receiving a BEST ENSEMBLE nomination from the esteemed Jerry Herman Awards, to our district’s middle school hosting its first musical theatre production after the pandemic. Singing, dancing, storytelling and self-esteem are blossoming and flourishing in Wiseburn!
Jerry Herman Award Nomination & Show
Just two years into our high schools’ musical theatre program, (and our first year participating with The Jerry Herman Awards), we were nominated for a coveted BEST ENSEMBLE nomination for our production of GREASE! More than 57 high schools participated this year, and GREASE! was one of only six schools to earn a nomination.
The Jerry Herman Awards play an important and influential role in the world of high school musical theatre. To be nominated for a Jerry Herman Award is a big deal, and to be nominated for BEST ENSEMBLE is an even bigger deal since that means that the judges were looking at how the entire cast and crew performed together.
“We have an ensemble philosophy,” says DV’s theatrical arts educator and director/musical director, Diane Feldman. “Working together to create impactful storytelling is crucial to the theatrical process. And, what was exciting about our nomination is the fact Lindsey (choreographer) and I emphasized throughout the duration of rehearsals, we wanted audiences to feel like they were watching real teenagers, having real experiences and interactions, in real time. It is lovely for audiences to witness the energy of a group of theatre artists truly enjoying their time together on stage and behind the scenes.”
Two adjudicators from The Jerry Herman Awards came to see the show (one per weekend) and based on feedback emailed to Feldman, one adjudicator shared: "LOVE LOVE LOVE THE ENERGY THIS WHOLE CAST GAVE THE ENTIRE SHOW! Every single person in the show – cast and crew – worked together, and were fully invested into the process and the show. I was smiling the whole time."
Many of the schools participating in The Jerry Herman Awards have long-established musical theatre programs, some dating back more than 30 years. Many of these schools have generous budgets and large, professional theaters to perform in, so being nominated for our production of GREASE! – with a musical theatre program that’s only two years old – is not only an honor, but also a powerful testament to what’s possible for our kids and our program.
Each year, The Jerry Herman Awards celebrates excellence in high school musical theatre with a live awards show. Participating schools each send one leading male and one leading female performer to audition for the prestigious Leading Actor and Actress awards. This year, over 100 nominees auditioned for a panel of professional judges and rehearsed an opening musical medley—mastered in just two days—for the May 4 performance.
Lailah Kelso (DV Design, 11th grade) and Daniel Gutierrez (DV Communications, 11th grade) – both alumni of Wiseburn Middle School – proudly represented our Wiseburn Da Vinci Performing Arts program. It was incredible to witness them singing and dancing on the stage of The Ricardo Montalban Theatre alongside so many talented students from across Southern California. We couldn’t be more proud of their performances.
“It was shocking to see how tightly run everything was,” said Daniel Gutierrez. “Learning was professional, quick, and incredible to watch in action. It made me have a much greater appreciation for everything we’re learning from our musical theatre instructors here at DV. Now I understand why they emphasize the whole process being immensely important,” he continued.
Wiseburn Middle School’s First Musical Theatre Production Post Pandemic
This month, Wiseburn Middle School put on its first post-pandemic musical theatre production of Newsies Jr. and it was a spectacular show.
The show had 26 performers from the middle school, 5 performers from the elementary schools, 6 crew members from Wiseburn Middle School, and one crew member, running sound, from the high schools.
All the performers participated in the process of auditioning, rehearsing, learning lines, embracing the role of their character, learning their support roles as cast, and of course, developing the courage to perform on stage before peers, parents, teachers, educational leaders, and the community. More than 600 people came out to support the show and both shows ended with standing ovations.
“It was so incredible to attend the Newsies Jr. performance on May 9 and watch all those young performing artists step into character and embrace their own authenticity”, said Feldman. “It was also exciting to envision what the future of performing arts is going to look like at the high school level in the next few years. There was a lot of talent up on that stage and behind the scenes! I adore the Wiseburn musical theatre instructors and I really look forward to working together to create a thriving theatrical culture in Wiseburn.”
One of our star high school musical theatre crew members, 10th grader, EJ St. Louis, supported the Wiseburn Middle School production by handling their lighting and sound on performance days, and being there to rehearse with them in the days leading up to their performances.
“Working Newsies Jr. was definitely a new experience for me,” said EJ. “I have never worked with dedicated middle schoolers until now and honestly my short story with them was quite great. All the kids were very welcoming and very professional about this production, and they were hilarious, too. I come from a performing background and stepping into Da Vinci’s new theatre program and doing tech really showed me what high school theatre was all about. I have learned a lot of new skills in our program and I was glad to bring that to Wiseburn Middle School’s inaugural Newsies Jr.! I hope all the current 8th grade theatre kids that are stepping into Da Vinci Schools are excited about having a new journey in high school. Our program here is super welcoming and we are all about hard work and building the best production we can as a team! I want to thank everyone that was a part of Newsies Jr. for allowing me to be a part of the process!”
Ensuring that kids who start in the Performing Arts in the lower grades in Wiseburn can continue through high school has been an important dream for the leaders of our school communities. The collaboration, connections, and community that’s being built around the Performing Arts in Wiseburn is nothing short of amazing. Educators in the lower grades and high schools are meeting and working together to support each other’s programming, students are meeting and working with other students in collaborations, and our school communities are coming together to enjoy the shows and celebrate all our incredible performers and crew.
“We cannot tell you how proud we are of all the performers, crew, teachers, and partners who participated to make musical theatre such a prominent feature for 5th-12th graders in our district this year,” said Blake Silvers, Superintendent of Wiseburn USD. “We are grateful to everyone who came out to celebrate our kids, and we are excited to see how our programs continue to evolve over the next few years. The collaboration and articulation between the lower grades and the high schools has been fantastic.”
Please keep your eyes peeled for next year’s production announcements. You can expect to see even more collaborations between middle school students and high school students next school year and in the years to come.
