This weekend, take a trip to Manhattan in the late 1950s. No, a time machine won’t be necessary, only a car to drive to the Walter Reade, Jr. Theatre at Storm King School. On Friday and Saturday, at 7 p.m., and 3 p.m. on Sunday, students and faculty will be performing “West Side Story.”
“It’s such a great show for teens because they’re playing people their own age,” said director Anne Fulton. “There are still a lot of issues going on today that the show is about.”
The school last performed “West Side Story” 10 years ago, but little has changed in the last decade. There will be a bigger chorus and orchestra, as well as more dance numbers.
Casting for the show was held in December, but rehearsals didn’t begin until January, after students returned from the holiday break. Since then, three days a week have been dedicated to rehearsing the choreography and singing. The other two days are spent rehearsing lines.
One of the biggest challenges for choreographer Jeanette Perk Jacobson is working on the combat scenes without the students getting hurt. The prologue starts with the Jets and Sharks fighting, then there’s the big rumble scene toward the end.
Audience members will be made to feel like they’re involved in the action as one of the gangs enters the scene from the rear of the theater.
For co-directors Karen Eremin and Fulton, their challenge was filling the 35 student roles. Eremin brought in four Cornwall High School students with whom she’s worked during her summer theater program.
Fulton said she had more girls than boys try out and attributed it to the amount of singing and dancing in the show. Since the school considers the activity a sport, Fulton said some guys were unable to participate because they play basketball in the winter.
Unlike other productions, adults in the show will be played by the school’s faculty and staff. However, only Ray Hecht, the school’s CFO, has had previous acting experience doing community theater with his wife.
Memorizing lines has been a challenge for the adults, Fulton said, because they’re already doing a ton of work in their professional capacity. Each has taken their roles seriously, added Fulton.
To accommodate a larger cast, a minimal set will be used, comprised of a backdrop and a balcony.
To purchase tickets in advance, call 845-458-7521 or e-mail Anne Fulton at afulton@sks.org.
Cast members in alphabetical order
Brendan Ahmed, Stephanie Appiah, James Bailey, James Bennett, Jack Besterman, Savannah Buon, Jianing Flora Cai, Tanestran Chandran, Thanyakumari Chandran, Dennis Costello, Joseph Dawson, Emily Doles, Cameron Franke, Tamar Haham, Caroline Hecht, Ray Hecht, Robbie Hess, Stuart Hutzler, Kevin Jacobson, Caitlin Jones, David Lu, David Ma, Giselle Morales, Olivia O’Blaney, Morgan Papera, Justice Pessoa, Elizabeth Pomeroy, Sophia Pretto, Asia Raacke, Scott Rolon, Victoria Smart, Cern Taviloglu, Rory Tobin, Tiana Vasquez, Allegra Walker, Jessica Zheng.
