We have moved!

The JGMS Musical website has moved. Visit us at www.jgmsmusical.wordpress.com for all the information you need about the 2018 show and beyond!

METG Awards Announcement 5/31!

The Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild will be announcing the top MET Musical Awards NOMINATIONS in an online broadcast on Wednesday evening, May 31, at 7:00 PM.

To view the broadcast, visit the METG YouTube page at
https://www.youtube.com/MASSEDTHEATERGUILD

BRAVO! BRAVA!

Congratulations to the cast and crew of THE LION KING, JR. for four marvelous performances last weekend. Each show was better than the one before! We hope everyone has been able to relax and regroup over the past few days.

A couple bits of housekeeping:
- DVD orders should have been submitted (with payment) to Mrs. Budka by now. We will send an email alert once the DVDs are ready for pickup.
- If you discover any non-personal costume pieces at home, please return them to Mrs. Budka's room ASAP.
- Souvenir pens are still in progress; we'll let you know when they're ready for pickup from Mrs. Budka's room.

A million thanks to all the students, parents and other volunteers who worked with us and gave their time backstage, in the makeup room, at home, and in the theatre to help the show come together as wonderfully as it did. The show wouldn't be possible without all your efforts!

We'll see you in December for auditions for the 2018 show!

One down, three to go!

The cast and crew did a great job at our opening performance! The audience was engaged and excited, and the kids did a wonderful job adapting to the slight technical changes needed for this sensory-friendly show.

There's a lot of sickness going around school right now, so please make sure all cast and crew are using common sense about health: no sharing beverages, makeup, or anything that can easily spread germs; get a good night's rest; and stay hydrated!

DVD orders due THURSDAY!

Don't forget! Our friends at Bedford TV will be recording one of the performances and making DVDs of the show available for purchase. DVDs are $12 each, and cash is preferred. 

Download the order form here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B660IsEULU2PckgzenRMcjdUTnc

Forms and payment should be left in the box in Mrs. Budka's room by Thursday, April 6.

Face paint workshops tomorrow and Friday!

The makeup for LION KING is not typical stage makeup: instead, it's face painting! Our makeup coordinator, Nathalie Weicker, will be holding two workshops at JGMS this week, so those of us who will be helping with makeup before the shows can practice. 

The ensemble members will all have similar designs, while the leads will have more complex makeup. For performance week, volunteers will sign up for one lead and a small group of the same animal, so the application process will become routine. 

Workshops are Thursday, March 30, from 6-8pm, and Friday, March 31, from 2:30-5:30pm. For both workshops, volunteers are welcome to drop in when you can, but please try to stay for 30 minutes of practice. Experienced high school students are invited to learn as well. If you can bring someone to practice on, that would be great! 

Please also sign up for makeup spots during performance week using the following link:

www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0B48AAA92DA64-lion2

Choreography videos for home and makeup signup!

More new things on the blog!

• You'll find the signup for makeup (face paint) assistance under the Signup Genius Links page.
• Ms. Beinert has posted a video of the ensemble choreography for "I Just Can't Wait To Be King." It's at the top of the Rehearsal Tracks page. 

New volunteer signups available!

Signups are now posted for backstage help, dress rehearsal photography, and tickets/ushering. Please visit the SignUp Genius Links page and claim a spot!

Set painting party Monday, 3/20, 6:30 to 9:00pm

Please come lend a hand and a paintbrush next Monday night, March 20, starting at 6:30pm, as we paint Pride Rock and other set pieces. All paint and painting supplies will be provided; please wear suitable clothes and shoes, in case of drips and spills.

Many hands make light work!

Pre-order flowers for your favorite cast or crew member!

Want to bring a congratulatory bouquet or single rose to your favorite LION KING performer, and support Bedford's music booster program at the same time? You're in luck!

Bedford POMS (Patrons of Music Students), in partnership with Bedford Florist & Gifts, is holding a floral fundraiser for THE LION KING, JR. You can order presentation bouquets and/or single roses in your choice of three colors, and pick up your flowers in the lobby before the performance of your choice.

Buy flowers for your loved one, support POMS and local business, and save yourself a performance-week errand, all at the same time! It's a win-win-win.

Your student will bring home an order form. You can also download the form here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B660IsEULU2PZXFvb1M1cHRNMU0

All orders and payments are due MARCH 28. 

Tickets are available for pre-sale now!

Tickets are on sale NOW for cast and crew! Check your email for details, or click the "Tickets" link above for instructions.

The cast-and-crew presale runs through March 19. Tickets for the general public go on sale March 20.

Updated rehearsal schedule!

Mrs, Budka has revised the rehearsal schedule from now until performance week. Please note the later end time (5:00pm) for many dates, plus additional rehearsals for leads, dancers, and crew.

A hard copy of the schedule will come home with your student on Thursday, 3/9. You can find the file here or on the right-hand sidebar.

Sets this week and CHILDREN OF EDEN at BHS

• The sets meeting for the student crew this Wednesday, 3/8, has been postponed; new date TBD. 
• Parents are still invited to help finalize Pride Rock this Friday, 3/10, but at a later start time: 2:30pm. 
• The BHS musical, CHILDREN OF EDEN by Stephen Schwartz, runs next Wednesday through Saturday, March 15-18. It's a thought-provoking story about parents and children, seen through the lens of two Biblical stories: Adam and Eve, and Noah and the flood. The show is recommended for adults and students grade 5 and up. 
• Tickets are available here: http://bhschorusandtheater.weebly.com/tickets.html
• Bedford POMS (Patrons of Music Students) sells concessions and well-wishes before each show and at intermission. JGMS parents are especially invited to help with concessions during the BHS show, and the BHS parents will return the favor during LION KING. Sign up for a shift here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0a45a9aa29a13-bhsmusical

Set construction news

Thanks to all parents and students who came to the scenery moving party and sets meeting last Friday! We brought up tons of useful pieces from the basement and talked through the plans for making Pride Rock and other scenery.

Construction of Pride Rock will begin the week of March 6. Stage crew is invited to stay after school on Wednesday, March 8, to organize the far-upstage area where Pride Rock will live. Set-construction parents will meet Friday, March 10, starting at 2:00pm to begin construction itself. Peter Ricci is heading up the sets crew. (Note: If you arrive before school dismisses, you'll need to be buzzed in by the main office at the front door.)

Painting of the sets is slated for the week of March 13, with an expected completion date of March 20.

Updates before vacation week

The students have been working hard this week, and things are starting to come together! Here are a few reminders before February vacation.

• TOMORROW NIGHT, 2/17 at 6:00pm, we'll (finally!) have our scenery work party and sets meeting. If you can spare an hour, please come by and help us move things down to the basement and bring needed set pieces up to the stage. The sets volunteers will meet afterward (starting around 7:00) to identify what needs to be constructed and to assign jobs. 
• After February break, all rehearsals will run till 4:30pm. Students will not be able to take the late bus home, and must arrange for alternative transportation.
• Crew will start coming to rehearsals regularly starting Thursday, March 2. 
• All leads and other cast members with lines should be OFF BOOK (i.e., have everything memorized) when they return from vacation week. 
• Many thanks to all the volunteers who have provided snacks before rehearsal. Please remember that starting March 2, we'll have more students at rehearsal, so more food and drinks will be needed. Please contact Gretchen Kind if you notice supplies are running low. 
• Practice, practice, practice! Vocal and instrumental tracks are available on the "rehearsal tracks" tab on this website. Please take the opportunity during vacation week to rehearse on your own!

Have a wonderful vacation week!

Scenery moving and sets meeting RESCHEDULED for Monday, 2/13, 6:00pm/7:30pm

The scenery-moving work party previously scheduled for 2/7 has been rescheduled for Monday, February 13, starting at 6:00pm. We need a big crew of strong people who can take orders and lift and haul things. We'll be transporting large pieces up from the basement, constructing scaffolding that will become Pride Rock, and organizing the stage and music areas. 

At 7:30pm that night (or slightly earlier, if the work crew is efficient), Mrs. Budka will meet with the parent volunteers for sets. This is only for sets people -- props are more closely aligned with costumes for this show, and the costume and props people will meet together at a later date. 

Thanks for your flexibility. We'll see you Monday!

Rehearsal and work party CANCELLED 2-7-17

As you may have already seen, today's LION KING rehearsal and the work party/sets meeting this evening have both been cancelled due to weather and road conditions. 

Tonight's meeting will be rescheduled; watch your email and the blog for details. 

Stay safe and stay warm this evening!

Scenery-moving party and sets meeting, Tuesday 2/7 at 6:30pm

All volunteer hands on deck needed for a LION KING scenery-moving party on Tuesday, February 7, at 6:30pm in the JGMS auditorium. 

Strong people are needed to bring up the scenery pieces from the basement storage area, and organize the stage. No talent or experience necessary. Helpful 8th graders and high schoolers are welcome. If you can push a cart, we can use you!

After we are done with the heavy lifting and organization, those interested in helping with the scenery construction are invited to stay for a planning meeting with Amy Budka. Adults who signed up to help with sets should have received a separate email; if not, please contact Emily & Lariza at jgmsmusical@gmail.com to make sure we've got you on the right list. 

New rehearsal tracks available

Your students can practice their music and choreography at home using this collection of tracks available on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fKtm7_tHAE&list=PLLb1A1sS2On9zLgW9Drfbo4s6jMSHQqiY

The tracks are also available under the Rehearsal Tracks menu above. Happy practicing!

Parent meeting updates

Thanks to all who were able to join us for the parent meeting this evening! If you weren't able to come, you can check out the agenda here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QFnad0AvhYZ6eoG904HEyktwLdh1nQvdA0EQ6hXGwTo/edit?usp=sharing

• If you are volunteering to work with kids directly (snacks, makeup, backstage, etc.), you must have a CORI on file. If you already filled one out for JGMS at the beginning of the school year, you're all set; if not, please contact us to obtain a form. You must fill it out and return it to Mrs, Budka along with a copy of your driver's license or government-issued ID. (Note: we are working to confirm whether a CORI filed with another school in the district is applicable to JGMS; stay tuned.)
• Crew parents, many of you had asked about your student's assignment (backstage, props, etc.). That information was posted outside Mrs. Budka's door and is also listed here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10LkAWROHC7tLOPktXRsMD_oZAjLdXXqP7cBdt9bxZXE/edit?usp=sharing
• If you don't see your student's name, please let us know at jgmsmusical@gmail.com, and we'll coordinate with Mrs. Budka to figure it out. This link is also posted on the Parent Central page on this website.
• As we noted this evening, the directors may not need to see everyone at every rehearsal, depending on which scenes and songs they're working on. Mrs. Budka will let the students know at least one rehearsal in advance whether they're needed for the next one (verbally and over the JGMS morning announcements). We'll include this information on the blog as we receive it as well.
• As a reminder, if you offered to help with rehearsal snacks, that signup is here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0949a9ae23a3f58-lion
• Sets, props, and costume teams will start working in the next couple weeks. Watch your email for details.

Thanks again for your support of THE LION KING!

Parent Meeting Tuesday, January 17 at 6:30pm

Please join us for an all-parent meeting next Tuesday evening, January 17, at 6:30pm in the JGMS Auditorium. 

This is the only parent meeting we'll have for the musical. It's your chance to learn more about what's expected of your student during rehearsals and performances, whether on or off stage, and to ask questions of Mrs. Budka and the parent coordinators. Whether this is your student's first show or forty-first, it's a great opportunity to get a handle on what the show is about and how you can be involved (as much or as little as your schedule and student allow).

Those of us working on sets and props are especially encouraged to attend, as we'll go over the needs and plans for scenery and other large or intricate items.

The meeting will last about an hour. We hope to see you there!

Sign up to help with rehearsal snacks!

Our first volunteer signup is now posted!

Click here to help serve snacks to the cast and crew before rehearsals: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0949a9ae23a3f58-lion

(If you indicated on your parent volunteer form that you'd like to help with snacks, you should have received an email from SignUp Genius with this link.)

A permanent link to this signup, as well as the other signups we'll set up as rehearsals progress, can be found on the "SignUp Genius Links" page in the top navigation bar.

Many thanks!

First rehearsal tracks are up!

Rehearsals begin this Thursday! To help students practice at home, we'll be uploading rehearsal tracks to this site. You can find them on the Rehearsal Tracks page here: http://jgmsmusical.blogspot.com/p/rehearsal-tracks.html

More tracks will be added as rehearsals continue, so check back often!