TADW 2015 Week 1 Recap

It's 5:00 p.m. on Friday of the first week of the 58th Teenage Drama Workshop. The students have left, the hallways are quiet, and I'm sitting here in my office reflecting on the past few days. We've had a really great first week. It can take a while to adjust to the program, especially for those who are in their first year here. There's the rigorous schedule to adjust to, everyone is still in the process of making new friends, roles in both shows were still being cast. But through it all, I have seen so much positivity, creativity, and energy from our students. What a stellar group of young people we get to work with at TADW!

Below are some snapshots from various parts of TADW during Week 1:

Costumes

Christiana told me what she was making here, but I have since forgotten.

Fabric for one of Ariel's costumes

Wonka's jacket

A seagull in progress

Fitting Sebastian

ML and Gail working on costumes for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Tech/Design

Slicing metal pipes

Yay for girls using power tools!

Nicolaus grinding metal pipes. I am a sucker for photos with sparks in them.

Taking a break in the coral reef

Discussing design projects

Garrett, Ben, and Ducky working on the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory sets

Classes

Chris imparting wisdom in acting class

Some physical conditioning in dance class

Students sing in front of one another in voice class. Diane asked them to provide feedback for each other on what were the strongest parts of their performance in terms of voice and acting.

Rehearsals

Rehearsals for The Little Mermaid started out with the whole cast learning some of the big group numbers, like "Under the Sea."

Similarly, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory spent some time this week going over group numbers with the whole cast.

Ronnie directing cast members of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Fun and Shenanigans!

Ok, not really "shenanigans," but hopefully fun: parent volunteer (and TADW alum) Mike helps build a calliope!

Hala's sweet 'stache.

Friday dress-up day #1: TV/movie characters!

Introducing the casts of TADW 58!

On Saturday, June 6th and Sunday, June 7th, the halls of TADW filled once more with the bustle of students and staff as we held auditions for the 2015 Teenage Drama Workshop.

Doug Kaback addresses the future TADW students

An absolutely stellar group of young people showed off their singing, dancing, and acting talents.

Chris Halsted gives students direction during acting auditions

Running choreography during dance auditions

Auditioning for The Little Mermaid

Auditions for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Some of our fabulous students in the Tech/Design option came by, as well!

Tech/design students and staff keeping it real at TADW auditions

After two days of auditions and some very tough decisions, the casts for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Little Mermaid were determined:

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Candyman - Danny Halsted
Charlie - Henry Parker-Elder
Grandpa Joe - James Johnston
Willy Wonka - Will Riddle
Augustus Gloop - Dylan Halsted
Violet Beuregarde - Rosey Murrah
Verruca Salt - Marisela Venolia
Mike Teavee - Mikey Fabisch
Mr. Bucket - Haller Rice
Mrs. Bucket - Olivia Riddle
Grandma Josephine - JoyAnne Tracy
Grandpa George - Patrick Fitzsimmons
Grandma Georgina - Liliana Magnanimo
Mrs. Gloop - Maya Wimberger
Mrs. Beauregarde - Jenny McNabb
Mr. Salt - Michael Smith
Mrs. Teavee - Sarah Sperling
Cornelia Printzmetel - Megan Ehrenberg
Oompa-Loompas - Sammy Raskin, Spencer Ehrenberg, Zanna Hocker, Mackenzie Rickaby, Charlotte Barnett
Narrators - Sammy Raskin, Danielle Efrat, Rachel Saporito, Nathan Anderson, Mackenzie Rickaby, Charlotte Barnett, Adam Jacobson, Megan Ehrenberg, Joey Nadler, Zanna Hocker, Spencer Ehrenberg
Candy Peddler - Jeremy Bernstein
Slugworth, Fickelgruber, Prodnose, Prince Pondicherry, Oompa-Loompa Chief, and Others!! - TBD

 

 The Little Mermaid

Ariel - Ariana George
Eric - Canaan Smith
Ursula - Lyrissa Leininger
Sebastian - Griffen Hamilton
King Triton - Noah Gephart-Canada
Scuttle - Colin Mika
Flounder - Daisy Billington
Flotsam and Jetsam - Melanie Besnilian and Liana Leininger
Chef Louis - Mateo Gonzales
Grimsby - William Diament
Pilot - Tom Johnston

MerSisters, Princesses, Maids,  Gulls, and Dancers  - TBA:

Janelle Avila

Emily Besnilian

Taylor Carlson

Ana Chapiro-Luboff

Atticus Cougar

Brittany Dakoske

Madison Esmailbeigi

Natalie Friedman

Elizabeth Grossman

Samantha Harnick

Sierra Heimlich

Amanda Ju

S. Myles Keys

Ella Kriegel
Cameron Maitre

Monica Montoya
Paulina Padilla

Haley Perkins
Megan Phung
Clementine Rice

Chelsea Rifkin

Aria Sie

Rachel Siegel

Jessica Vad

We can't wait to get started on the 58th Teenage Drama Workshop this coming Monday, June 15th!