Pizza Party following Saturday's performance

Dear Parents,

We will be having a pizza party for the cast after the 2 o'clock Saturday performance on April 30th.  The play will end at 3:45 and the kids will need to change out of their costumes and assist with clean up and then the Party will take place from 5pm to 7pm in the Cafeteria.


We will provide the pizza and paper goods!

If you would like to donate something for the party, the items on the following list of packaged items are allergen safe for our students, thanks so much!  There are approximately 55 students involved in the production.


Smartfood Popcorn
Lays Potato Chips
Utz Cheese Balls
Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers
Nabisco Oreo Cookies

Soda (bottled) any variety

Thanks so much!

Final Week of Play Season!!

After lots of hard work and many hours of rehearsal, it is finally here - the final week of play season!  There is lots to do this week in preparation for Thursday but we are in the final stretch.

ALL REHEARSALS THIS WEEK ARE MANDATORY PER THE AUDITION CONTRACT THAT EVERYONE SIGNED.  NO EXCEPTIONS UNLESS IT WAS SOMETHING YOU PREVIOUSLY CLEARED WITH THE DIRECTORS IN ADVANCE (This applies to 3 students who cleared an event in advance.  All other cast and crew are expected to attend every rehearsal and performance this week).

A few quick notes:  

1. We are no longer accepting ads, boosters or bios.  A big thank you to everyone who submitted ads and boosters - we appreciate your support!

2.  All students will wear stage make-up for this show. All students, male and female are asked to purchase and bring mascara that will labeled and stored for their own personal use for the show. See chart below for hair and makeup schedule.

3.  Some students STILL owe costume pieces or need to bring in shoes for their character.  They were told to have their items with them on Monday. Please ask your child if they owe items or not.  Thank you.  

4.  For dress rehearsal and show nights, the cast has been reminded that they need to use the time directly after school to work on homework and to make sure that they have a SUBSTANTIAL meal before arriving for hair and makeup.  There will be healthy (allergen free) snacks available to the kids in the dressing/makeup area until they go on stage but they cannot have outside food in the dressing or makeup areas so they need to make sure to eat before they come as they won't be leaving the school until late in the evening.

5.  We are still looking for volunteers to help with hair and make up.  If you are available, we would love to have your help - not RSVP required, you can just show up -- Hair and makeup begins Tuesday, Thursday & Friday at 4 pm and Saturday at 11am.  If you are volunteering you can bring your student with you regardless of their assigned call time (see below).

6.  Advanced ticket sales will take place again this week on Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday from 2:35 to 3:15 in the lobby.

7.  Snacks and water bottles are needed for dress rehearsal and each night of the show as well as the cast party (tentatively scheduled for Saturday after the matinee).  If you are able to donate something, please contact Mrs. Keppler at jkeppler@newtonnj,org so that she can provide you with a list of items that are allergen free.  Items can be brought to the main office at any time this week. (Please note that specific brands that are needed as they are certified to be allergen free.  Thank you so much in advance!)

Rehearsal Schedule for the Week of April 24th:

Monday, April 25th

6:45 - 9:00    Full Cast and Crew - Tech Rehearsal

Tuesday, April 26th

Dress Rehearsal until 9:15 - see chart below for start time

Full Cast and Crew - please come at your scheduled time and report directly to hair and makeup in the upstairs 8th grade hallway.

4:00 - Gemma, Jess, Miranda, Naya, Tamara, Keira

4:15 - Alli, Ivy, Eva, Madison, Gabby, Ella

4:30 - Rebecca, Kelly E, Kelly P, Kira and Katrina, 

4:45 - Cecelia, Katelyn, Jenna,  Izzy, Ilira, Christina

5:00 - Ryan, Kieran, Kyler, Natalie, Samantha A, Taya, Aisling, Melanie, Krystina

5:15 - Brett, Josh, Chris, Patrick, Anthony and Andrew, Samantha W., Paige, Matthew

Thursday, April 28th

Performance until 9:15 - see chart below for start time

Full Cast and Crew - please come at your scheduled time and report directly to hair and makeup in the upstairs 8th grade hallway.

4:00 - Gemma, Jess, Miranda, Naya, Tamara, Keira

4:15 - Alli, Ivy, Eva, Madison, Gabby, Ella

4:30 - Rebecca, Kelly E, Kelly P, Kira and Katrina, 

4:45 - Cecelia, Katelyn, Jenna,  Izzy, Ilira, Christina

5:00 - Ryan, Kieran, Kyler, Natalie, Samantha A, Taya, Aisling, Melanie, Krystina

5:15 - Brett, Josh, Chris, Patrick, Anthony and Andrew, Samantha W., Paige, Matthew

Friday, April 29th

Performance until 9:15 - see chart below for start time

Full Cast and Crew - please come at your scheduled time and report directly to hair and makeup in the upstairs 8th grade hallway.

4:00 - Gemma, Jess, Miranda, Naya, Tamara, Keira

4:15 - Alli, Ivy, Eva, Madison, Gabby, Ella

4:30 - Rebecca, Kelly E, Kelly P, Kira and Katrina, 

4:45 - Cecelia, Katelyn, Jenna,  Izzy, Ilira, Christina

5:00 - Ryan, Kieran, Kyler, Natalie, Samantha A, Taya, Aisling, Melanie, Krystina

5:15 - Brett, Josh, Chris, Patrick, Anthony and Andrew, Samantha W., Paige, Matthew

Saturday, April 30th

Performance until 4:15 - see chart below for start time

Cast Party Tentatively Scheduled from 5-7pm in the Cafeteria

Full Cast and Crew - please come at your scheduled time and report directly to hair and makeup in the upstairs 8th grade hallway.

11:00 - Gemma, Jess, Miranda, Naya, Tamara, Keira

11:15 - Alli, Ivy, Eva, Madison, Gabby, Ella

11:30 - Rebecca, Kelly E, Kelly P, Kira and Katrina, 

11:45 - Cecelia, Katelyn, Jenna,  Izzy, Ilira, Christina

12:00 - Ryan, Kieran, Kyler, Natalie, Samantha A, Taya, Aisling, Melanie, Krystina

12:15 - Brett, Josh, Chris, Patrick, Anthony and Andrew, Samantha W., Paige, Matthew

Advanced Tickets Sales and Items Needed

Advanced ticket sales
Advanced ticket sales will take place this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, April 20, 21 & 22 from 2:30 - 3:15 in the Halsted Lobby. 

Tickets are $5 each and you can choose where you want your seats to be.  You may want to ask your child where he or she sits so that you can try to get seats where you will be able to see them best. 

Don't forget that if you sell ads for the program you are eligible to get free tickets to the show.  1/4 page ad = 1 free ticket, 1/2 page ad = 2 free tickets, Full page ad - 4 free tickets.


We are in need of the following item for the show:  
 1) A briefcase of any type.  The character is female so something feminine would work but really any briefcase will do and will be much appreciated!
2) Several cases of mini water bottles for the kids to drink during intermission each night.  The stage gets very hot and stuffy under the bright lights and the nice warm weather we are having will make it even hotter.  We like to make sure that the kids stay hydrated!  If you are able to donate a case of water you can send it in with your child to any rehearsal and we will store it for the show. Thank you!


Cast Pizza Party:
We are getting details together for our cast pizza party.  A list of allergen free food items we will need will be posted soon and, again, if you are able to donate something, it would be so appreciated!

Rehearsal Schedule for the Week of 4/17

We are just 10 days away from our opening night!  Last Saturday's practice went very well, we made a lot of progress and will continue to polish the show for next week.


PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN DAYS FOR OUR FULL CAST REHEARSALS:

Rehearsals for the Week of 4/17:

Monday, April 18th
3:00 - 5:00    FULL CAST AND CREW- COSTUMES DUE!!!

Tuesday, April 19th  ----  Small groups only as follows:
2:30 - 3:20   Christina S., Naya, Katelyn, Katrina, Andrew and Anthony Carlson, Sam W.
2:30 - 3:20   Wolfettes - Dance Captain leads practice for the group
2:30 - 3:00   Costume fitting for Shepherd, Grandmother Hood, Prince Charming

Friday, April 22nd
3:00 - 5:00   FULL CAST AND CREW

Saturday, April 23rd
9:00 - 1:00   FULL CAST AND CREW
Bring a peanut free snack to have during break
8th Graders will complete a biographical paragraph that will be included in the program.  It must be completed and submitted before you leave at 1pm.


A few reminders:

All ads and boosters should be handed in by Friday 4/22.

Pre-sale of Tickets will either take place at the end of this week or the beginning of next week.  Check the blog later this week and listen to the morning annoucements for more information!  Tickets will be $5 each and all seats are reserved.

T-shirts are expected next week.  There is a very limited quantity of extra ones available in case you forgot to order one before.

You should purchase mascara to be used for the show.  Your mascara will be stored in the makeup room in a bag with your name on it so that it is reserved for your use only.  It will be given back to you after the show.

Rehearsals for the Week of 4/10

We are so pleased with the hard work everyone put into rehearsal this past Saturday! This week we will continue to polish the show and work to memorize those last few challenging lines!

Costume Pieces:  Please bring in costume pieces if you have not done so already.  If you are having trouble locating a specific item let us know by Thursday so that we can help you acquire it.

**Please note that the Full Cast rehearsals are Monday and Thursday.

Rehearsals for the Week of 4/10

Monday, April 10th

3:00 - 5:00  Full Cast Rehearsal 

Tuesday, April 12th

7:00 - 8:00  Wolf and Wolfettes, ES, Rapunzel, Grimm

Thursday, April 14th

3:00 - 5:00   Full Cast Rehearsal

Saturday, April 16th

9:00 - 1:00   MANDATORY Full Cast Rehearsal

Remember to bring a peanut free snack to have during our break

Rehearsal is on for Saturday 4/9

It looks like Mother Nature was kind to us today.  Mostly rain in the forecast so rehearsal is ON for today, Saturday, April 9th.  See you there!

Rehearsal Schedule for the Week of April 3rd

We hope all cast and crew members had a restful and fun Spring Break!  We are in the homestretch of our play season.  With just a few weeks left we need to work hard to get our show "audience-ready"!


One important change from the rehearsal dates you were given at audition time.  The dress rehearsal originally scheduled for Wednesday, April 27 has been moved to Tuesday, April 26th due to a scheduling conflict with the 4th grade play at Merriam Ave.  We may still have rehearsal on Wednesday the 27th but it would be after school and not in the evening.  We will keep you posted on this.

As we have mentioned to the cast before, Monday and Wednesday of each week are generally the 2 days each week that you can count on having rehearsal.  There will additional rehearsals scheduled each week, but those two days are a sure thing since they are the two days we can work on music with Mrs. Hartzell. Those of you that have joined additional after school activities in the months since you committed to the play and are now trying to balance multiple practices, etc - please honor your commitment to our show by attending rehearsals on those days.  We know that emergencies crop up, but if you are going to miss a rehearsal for any reason, you must contact one of the directors to let us know.  Failure to show up without prior notice will result in an unexcused absence.  After 3 unexcused absences your part will be given to another student.  Everyone needs to work together to make the show a success and we need everyone present in order to get the most out of our rehearsals!  Thank you!

Thank you so much to all the parents who have contacted us about volunteering in one capacity or another!  We appreciate your help so much and will post details as they become available.

A few reminders:

Please remember that costumes should be brought to rehearsal to be labeled and stored by our costume group.

Orders for T-shirts are due this week.  T-shirts are $15 and orders can be turned in to any one of the directors at rehearsal on Monday or Tuesday.  Checks should be made payable to Halsted Middle School.

Forms for Ads and Boosters can begin to be turned in as they are sold.  Remember that all ads sold generate free tickets to our performances.

Don't forget that our first of 3 MANDATORY Saturday Rehearsals for all Cast and Crew is this Saturday the 9th, from 9am to 1pm.  Remember to bring a peanut-free snack to enjoy in the cafeteria when we take our break.

Rehearsal Schedule for the week of April 3rd:

Monday, April 4th
3:00 - 5:00   Full Cast

Tuesday, April 5th
7:15 - 8:30    Leads with speaking parts (no wolfettes this time - see you on Thursday instead)

Wednesday, April 6th
3:00 - 5:00    Full Cast

Thursday, April 7th
7:15 - 8:15   Wolf and Wolfettes

Saturday, April 9th
9:00 - 1:00   Mandatory Full Cast and Crew  (bring a non-peanut snack to have at break time)