Director : Jovita Yenata
Producer / Music & Co-Director: Brandon Di Tieri
Choreographer : Anqi Yang
Head of Costumes: Kathryn Viljoen
Heads of Stagecraft: Juanita McGarrigle & Anna Tian
Technical Assistance: Kai Zhang, Lei Yuan & Lutz Papenfuß
Musical Team’s Notes
Musical Team’s Notes
Brandon DiTieri
"It's Showtime"!! As producer/music director of WAB's ES Musical, I am so excited for the students to share their stories/learning/performances with you. After restarting the ES musical - post covid, our goal has been, "How can the students engage in a world-class theatre experience practicing performance / artistic skills at the highest level AND co-create a story that draws on the innovative tradition of WAB being a place that students truly lead learning / share their goals / express themselves artistically. This is unique to WAB's ES musical program - Stage Craft and Performance. We are so proud of all Lemurs, Foosa, Reporters, Singers, Dancers and actors that "Like to Move It!!! " Heartfelt thanks to parents and staff for their dedication and support.
Directors Note
Jovita Yenata
As Director of the upcoming production of Madagascar Jr., I am thrilled to be a part of bringing this beloved story to life on stage. With my background in acting, I am excited to collaborate with the cast and crew to create a memorable show. I can't wait for the audience to experience the magic of live theater and witness the hard work and dedication that the children have put into the show. It's going to be an unforgettable journey for all involved!
Anqi Yang
As a Visual Arts teacher at WAB, I've been deeply engaged in this enriching experience. Beyond my role in education, dance has been a significant part of my life, with a repertoire spanning ballet, Chinese ethnic and folk dance, and Jazz. During my university years, I had the honor of serving as the dance captain, leading my team to victory as hip-hop dance champions. Witnessing students immerse themselves in the music and express their emotions through movement has always been a source of immense joy for me. Heartfelt gratitude to all the student performers whose passion and talent are the heartbeat of this show! Without them, this experience would not be possible.
Anna Tian
As a Visual Arts teacher at WAB, I’m excited to be part of the prop-making and set construction, assisting students in bringing their creative visions to life. It's incredibly gratifying to see them immerse themselves in the creative process, collaborating and applying their skills in a team environment. I cannot wait to see the culmination of our efforts on stage and witness the incredible show that the students have worked tirelessly to bring to life.
Kathryn Viljoen
As the costume design teacher for Madagascar Junior, The Musical, I am passionate about being creative with textiles. It has been a joy to help students use the skills they have, and learn new skills to create fun costumes that will transform the cast into characters. In a short amount of time the students have created costumes for different characters. They have been risk takers and had to persevere with repetitive work to complete the many skirts, bibs and ears. I am proud of the costume crew!
Juanita McGarrigle
As a veteran teacher in Stagecraft and theatre work, I enjoyed sharing my knowledge in the stagecraft process - painting and prop fabrication techniques. It is always an exciting process to see students attempt techniques and then create the visual effect of the show. Once the students have completed their props and set creation - they then work on the lighting, sound, projections and movement of props on stage. Students also learned how to use their scripts in a technical way to help the show. Overall, I am extremely proud of what the students were able to accomplish in the short time frame we had and happy that the students took on the responsibility of running the tech for the show!
THANK YOU!
Western Academy of Beijing School Leadership
A huge heartfelt thank you for the encouragement, confidence and unyielding support provided. Thank you for spending the time and energy to create a space for our students to have the opportunity to perform. The flexibility and moving of mountains with the logistics of the Founders, your help to get this show presented has been so well received and must be acknowledged - without your patience, creative thinking and ability to set things aside have made all of the difference. The musical Madagascar Jr. is a memory worth making.
Western Academy of Beijing Office Staff, Facilities Crew & Custodial
Thank you for helping with the many requests and providing the answers required to the plentiful questions asked. Your guidance, help and assistance is greatly appreciated. The help provided by Daniel and his very capable team to help move supplies and scenery was immeasurable. Thank you to the facilities team for the help in setting stages. To the custodian team that had to handle the cleanup after many rehearsal sessions - we appreciate your help in getting the space clean again!
Western Academy of Beijing Teachers and Staff
Thank you for your patience and understanding around the heavy rehearsal schedule prior to our show, and the needs of our students. We appreciate your ability to help us improve our skills on stage by supporting our students in both their academic responsibilities and their dedication to the show. Thank you for giving students the time and mental space to focus on the work for the show.
The ES Musical is a part of WAB’s ES Performing Arts Extra-Curricular program and is made possible through support and collaboration with the ES Visual Art Department.
Many Thanks!
Karen Watson-Brown - ASA Coordinator
Leona Liu - Purchasing Specialist
He Xuefeng - Purchasing Specialist
Daniel Li - Building Operations
Zeina Jalilian
Christina Jing - ES Performing Arts Teaching Assistant
Kai Zhang, Lei Yuan & Lutz Papenfuß - Founder’s Theatre Technicians & support
Todd Hutchinson & Joe Ge - WAB Security
Julia Jalo - WAB Transportation
Mary Wu
ES Learning Leaders
Yvonne Featherer & Jenny Jin
Catherine Pierre-Louis & Marta Medved Krajnovic
Irina Mach, Dreu Pardales, Mako Borres, Larry Foz, Kylin Cao and the entire communications team
Songs
It’s Showtime
Wild and Free
Best Friends
Relax, Be cool, Chill out
Grand Central
Penguin’s Sea Shanty
Welcome to Me
I like to Move it
Steak
Penguin’s Sea Shanty - reprise
Living in Paradise
Foosa Hungry
Best Friends - reprise
The King of Madagascar
Together Forever
I like to Move it - reprise
Lets make the performance memorable for both the performers and the audience... So....
Switch off mobile phones
Try to avoid entering and exiting the auditorium during the performance, please close doors gently to avoid loud distracting noises
Keep aisles clear of personal items in case of emergency evacuation
No food, drinks or gum
No talking during the performance - this way everyone can hear the dialogue
Do not go on the stage at any time.
Cast in Rehearsal
Behind the Scenes
Props & Set Making
Students in Stagecraft learned several new skills and techniques in the preparation of the set pieces for the show. They learned to paint different textures, take on responsibility for their prop/set piece and worked collaboratively on getting work done. Once the set and props were completed, they then learned to use their script as a technical source for running the show.
Tech roles include running the lights, projections, follow spot and sound files. While stage roles include being prop and stage handlers helping to move items on and off stage. Students learned how to mark their scripts to identify when and where items needed to be included. This show has as many students involved in running each aspect of the show as possible! Great work Stagecraft kids!
Some interesting tidbits of information
Total ASA time to work on sets/props: hours
full day Saturday rehearsals as a whole group
end of day tech rehearsals
Costumes
It has been exciting to work with my costume design crew and watch them develop sewing, knotting, gluing, cutting and tearing skills to create the beautiful costumes. The costume crew have also organized the costumes backstage and support the cast with their costume pieces and preparing for the show. In a short amount of time the students have created costumes for all the characters and I am proud of them!
Theatre Trivia
BREAK A LEG
Ever wonder where this phrase came from? Ever struggle to say this to an actor wondering if you are wishing them bodily harm and injury? Not to fear - the answer is far more simple and more well intentioned than you might think and is steeped in theatre history and terminology.
“Break a leg” is a phrase that means “good luck.” It’s typically said to actors before they go on stage for a performance, particularly on opening night. The expression probably reflects a superstition (perhaps a theatrical superstition) in which directly wishing a person "good luck" would be considered bad luck, therefore an alternative way of wishing luck was developed.
The phrase likely comes from the process of the performer breaking the leg line on the side of the stage. The edge of a stage just beyond the vantage point of the audience forms a line, imaginary or actually marked, that can be referred to as the "leg line," which is named after a type of concealing stage curtain: a leg. For an unpaid stand-by performer to cross or "break" this line would mean that the performer was getting an opportunity to go onstage and be paid; therefore, "break a leg" might have shifted from a specific hope for this outcome to a general hope for any performer's good fortune.
There are a couple of credible theories on the origin of this superstition. The first comes from Elizabethan England when actors were sometimes thrown money after a good performance. They would kneel down to pick up the coins, “breaking” the straight line of their legs. Another theory comes from vaudeville performance when there were multiple acts scheduled. Masking curtains on the sides of the stage are called legs. If a vaudeville actor were to “break a leg,” they would cross in front of the legs onto stage to perform that evening and get paid for their work. Even less plausible, the saying could originally express the hope that an enthusiastic audience repeatedly calls for further bows or encores or that they bang their chair so strongly that it might "Break a (chair) leg".
THEATRE OR THEATER?
Which one is it?
The general consensus is that Theatre (with the RE ending) is traditionally from the French/English side of the world, and that the Theater (with the ER ending) is the American spelling. There is no real difference in how it is used - but it will inform the reader of where you studied, or are culturally connected to.
Some take the argument a step further, making the spelling a condition of the definition. A theatER is a venue you visit to enjoy entertainment. The theatRE is a performance-driven art form. Generally, the words theatre and theater can be used interchangeably, so pick whichever one feels right to you and on with the show!
WHISTLING IS BAD LUCK...
Whistling in a theatre is considered to bring bad luck to a performance. This superstition started in the middle of the 1600s when theatrical scenery began to fly up into the towers, or be brought in to the stage from above.
Sailors had extensive knowledge of ropes, rigging and knots and were hired backstage as run crew as they had that experience working on the tallships. They were keenly aware of how to tie knots securely, work together in unison to handle heavy scenery, and would work in theatre during when they were not working on a sailing ship.
Like on a ship, the sailors would communicate with each other through whistles to bring a backdrop in or out. Consequently, if an actor were to whistle onstage it could signal the start of a scene change early or they could get knocked out from incoming scenery. Luckily, today we communicate through headsets and que (cue) lights in modern theatre, but the tradition of no whistling still remains.
THE GHOST LIGHT
At the end of the evening, the last person in the theatre must leave a light bulb on a post lit in the middle of the stage which is called a ghost light. This light appeases the ghosts living in the theatre and gives them light to perform during the evening.
It also serves a practical purpose. The backstage of a theatre can be dangerously cluttered with scenery, props and costumes and cause some significant injury to the unwary. In many professional theatres, the actors unions require that there be some light onstage at all times.
We can get away with this as the Exit signs are really bright in our Auditorium
