Harrison L.
Thirteen Co-Producer
Thirteen! Evan Goldman (Josiah Corbus), the thirteen-year old with big plans for his Bar Mitzvah, finds his life in ruins after he hears about his parents’ divorce. Now he’s living in Appleton, Indiana, where excitement and adventure comes to die. Worse, his first friend is possibly the most unpopular girl in town, Patrice (Caroline Boyll). His second is a terminally ill cripple, Archie, who guilt trips him into a crazy gambit for a date. Evan struggles to overcome the drama of numerous cliques, ranging from Goths to geeks, skaters to hippies. There are even a group of glorified farmers, the Future Farmers of America. Evan has to find the courage to stand up to all of these groups, and more. Thirteen: the Musical shows you what one kid from NYC can do to an entire town. Get ready for a hilarious musical extravaganza, presented by the awesome class of 2010.
Thirteen The Musical lives off the stereotypes of middle school life, exactly the opposite of SFDS attitude. Trying to get into character is tough when you have spent your whole life learning how to be a good person, just to learn that you need to become a bully. Whether it’s a naturally bubbly girl trying to act as depressed as a Goth, or the guy without a clue on how to skate, but is forced to, the class of ’10 has already seen its fair share of struggles in this play. 13 days of rehearsal, 6 hours a day, and all of it filled with running, dancing, singing, and acting. We have a great director, Nick Olivero, Artistic Director of Boxcar Theatre, who has been in several productions and is a professional when it comes to directing a musical. He is aided by Jenn and Shaye (choreographers), Fontana, Mr. Herrick, Ms. Busby, and Nick the Pianist.
Each day has a similar schedule: begin at about 8:10, run through our opening and finale numbers, then break up into groups. “A-roles” usually stay onstage and run through their songs, everyone else files into the Upper School Music Room, where we get right to work making signs, backdrops, set pieces, and programs. There’s a lot of free time, which gives us time to practice those tricky dance routines we forget so often.
There are a few people who have really made this play come together. Stage manager Zach H. worked hard to set up the backstage and props table. Mitra S. made almost half the props and set pieces in the whole show, Franky and James have painted and perfected several signs, and the Quayle High banner looks fantastic. Everyone has pitched in to make this the best musical ever performed.
There are ups and downs, and a great bonding experience that occurs from 8 to 3 pm. Our class trusts each other inside and out, and manages to have a great time no matter what. But it’s not just what goes on backstage. There are also the great onstage: the touching solo by Caroline, an unbelievable dance routine by the cheerleaders, and the laughter that each actor or actress brings to the stage. It’s now a week from the musical debut, and I have to say, we look awesome.
