Friday, May 09, 2008

Good Kids Doing Good Things

There is such a lack of good news about good kids doing good things, like setting a goal and working together with families and community to achieve it, I thought you’d be interested to hear about this:

MOORHEAD HIGH THEATRE FAMILIES OVERCOME OBSTACLES AND ARE POISED TO REACH HUGE YEAR LONG GOAL

Popular Teen Stage Play Set To Travel to International Theatre Festival in Scotland

Moorhead, MN -- Friday, May 9, 2008 -- Sixty families in Moorhead have been working, sometimes against odds, since August to raise the more than $300,000 it will take to send the cast and crew of their local production of Disney’s High School Musical On Stage to the acclaimed Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.

When 200 Moorhead High students auditioned to be one of the 60 cast and crew of the high school’s fall musical, they knew the stakes were high. Not only because the energetic score required intense stamina, but if selected, they would be taking this production to the Fringe Festival in Scotland. This meant that instead of the usual 12-week rehearsal and production time line - cast, crew, and their families, would be taking on a year’s involvement.

Although Moorhead High was invited to the festival, chosen from over 1,200 high school programs nominated, taking High School Musical to Scotland was not an automatic given. Permission was difficult to acquire from Disney, and at first denied. However, when Disney officials heard the story, exclusive international amateur rights were granted. An unprecedented achievement. Parents, teachers, cast and crew have worked together since September not only on their performances, but on a whirlwind of fundraisers.

“Working together has been a terrific experience,” said Dave Anderson, a parent of one of the actors. “With set building (and rebuilding) the kids’ rehearsal schedules, fundraisers and just coordinating all of this, we’ve become more like one big family rather than 60 separate ones.”

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is so awesome. Congrats to everyone involved! I can't imagine being a high school kid given the opportunity to travel to Scotland to perform my school play. Wow! Those will some amazing memories.

Joy T. said...

I love reading stories like this. Thanks so much for sharing. I think I'm going to end my night on a good note and just hit the hay now after reading this :o)

Cazzie!!! said...

What we need is to see good news that is for sure..sadly, it is the minority or bad ass kids that make the news...like the ones who stole my sons bike recently, that upsets me and him.