CT Theater Presents: Aida
The poster for the upcoming school musical, Aida, hangs in the performing arts hallway on Nov. 8, 2019. The show will be performed on Nov. 14, 15, and 16 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are ten dollars for students.
November 8, 2019
Based on the opera by Giuseppe Verdi, Aida is a musical with a soundtrack provided by Elton John and Tim Rice that presents a love story that transcends time, place, and culture.
The musical primarily takes place in ancient Egypt in the area near the Nile River, the Nile Valley. The plot follows Aida, a courageous Nubian princess that falls in love with Radames, a powerful Egyptian Captain. Aida is captured by Egyptian troops and conflict ensues as the two societies oppose one another and a love triangle forms between Aida, Radames, and his betrothed princess Amneris. The two are faced with the struggle of leading their people while also allowing their hearts to pursue their feelings for one another.
The performance starts and ends in a modern day museum, as the rest of the musical is a retelling of a love story that Amneris introduces at the beginning of the play as, “…love that flourished in a time of hate.”
Aida is a critically-acclaimed Broadway show and has been performed by various other theater companies across the country. Variations of the play have been performed by schools and small theater companies, yet with each cast of the musical the same themes of love, culture, and perseverance appear.
And this year’s performance of Aida will be no exception. As opening night quickly approaches, Mrs. Poinsett, theater teacher and director of the musical, voiced how the performing arts department went about choosing this musical and the casting for it.
Q: How do you go about choosing a musical for the current school year?
A: In May, we review the skills of potential drama/choir students. We discuss who is likely to audition and we come up with a “short” list of several musicals which would fit our talent base. We also have to consider the abilities of the students who will play in the pit orchestra because we never use recorded music.
Q: How do you cast for the plays and musicals?
A: Casting for musicals is, for the most part, determined based on vocal range and most effective interpretation of the role.
Q: What requirements do you have for actors when you are casting them for specific roles?
A: The actors are asked to learn a piece of music which is suited to their vocal range. Call backs are then determined based on whether that actor can sing the role and whether they are able to interpret the role in an engaging and authentic way.
Q: How does this vary according to the role?
A: Some roles are more vocally demanding than others. Some roles require that an actor has an ability to play age.
Q: What do you want students to know about Aida and how the casting of the show went?
A: “This is the story of a love that flourished in a time of hate.”
Aida is the story of two princesses, both in love with the same man. The Egyptian princess, Amneris, is engaged to an Egyptian Captain, Radames. In the course of battle with Nubia, Aida, is captured along with several other Nubian women. She hides her identity because she is afraid that she will be killed if anyone finds out that she is a princess. She becomes a servant of Amneris and the two become friends. Radames’ feeling for Aida leads him to commit treason, and both Aida and Radames are punished by being buried in the same tomb together. However, the death of the two lovers result in peace between the two warring countries. Radames and Aida are devoted to one another despite their cultural differences and pay the ultimate price.
Ultimately, we chose this show because we believed in its message, the quality of music, its diversity and flexibility in casting, as well as our talent base.
Q: What did you consider during casting specifically for this musical?
A: We considered who could interpret the role most effectively, both with their vocal and acting abilities.
Q: What importance does casting hold in the success of a theatrical production?
A: Casting is a very important factor in the success of the production. While this isn’t everything, we usually cast students who we know will be able to effectively portray the role in keeping with the playwright’s intentions. Ultimately, the success of the production relies on a collaborative effort between drama, choir, orchestra, band, and dance.
Cherokee Trail’s unique performance of Aida will be presented on Nov. 14, 15, and 16 at 7 p.m. in the Cherokee Trail Auditorium. More information about prices and purchasing can be found on the Cherokee Trail Homepage.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2019 at 12:30
