A Musical in 7 Days

Rotation 1 opened for me with the Kidstuff show titled "Really Rosie." This was my first time directing theatre for a young audience. It was a wonderful experience. I had 7 days plus tech to direct the entire piece, work with the Musical Director in order to teach Carol King's sophisticated melodies to the actors, and help choreograph the dances with one of the actors that doubled as a choreographer. Needless to say time management steered this ship. The cast was absolutely committed and accepted the challenge head on. I treated the process of directing "Really Rosie" as I would direct any other production. When not working with the music we spent a lot of time on text work and developing character and story so the actors always felt that the need to sing came from a justified place in the storytelling. Directing theatre for a young audience really makes one think about whom their audience is in terms of structuring focus on stage and the ability to keep the children's attention. Although, the success of the production was evident in the rehearsal process and show itself, witnessing the positive and sparkling reactions of the kids during and after the performance was just as rewarding.