We Have a Cast!

   Choosing a cast once the auditions are over is like a magic act; there is a considerable amount of juggling that happens. There are many components and characteristics to look for when putting together the cast for the show: Is the auditioner’s age appropriate for the part; does this person have the correct voice for the part; do they follow direction; will one person blend with the another to create the "magic" needed to make the part believable; and of course, once a part is offered to someone, are they still willing to put the time into the part.

   Such has been the struggle as the cast has been put together for this year’s production of The Sound of Music. Our director, Lisa Dove has made all the calls, and finally, taking a bit longer than anticipated, our cast has been set for this summer’s production!

Maria ............................. Sarah Schultz
Captain .......................... Tom Ellingson
Liesl ............................... Kelsey Adolphson
Friederich ....................... Hawken Paul
Louisa ............................ Faith Kern
Kurt ............................... Charlie Hodge
Brigitta ........................... Victoria Campbell
Marta ............................. Kate Parthun
Gretl ............................... Brielle Krabbenhoff
Max ................................ David Overly
Baroness ......................... April Hodge
Franz .............................. Joe Finn-Bolling
Rolf ................................ Brandon Haller
Mother Abbess ............... Sara Parthun
Sr Margaretta ................. Sandi Kendall
Sr Sophia ....................... Stephany Kern
Sr Bethe ......................... Mary Scully
Herr Zeller ...................... Haaken Vaadeland

Ensemble - nuns, party-goers, Nazi's, chorus:
Theresa Akers, Savanna Day, Taylor Graham, Candi Sanford, Pat Beaumont, Beth Trout, Betty Larson, Marge Nordstrom
Ben Brunsvold, Ronald Hume, Fred Nordstrom, Alan Zemek

Stage Manager: Gail Haller

   Wow! There you have it! Rehearsals start in June - just around the corner. And, before you know it, it’ll be time for our performances!! We want you to be as excited as we are to bring you The Sound of Music!

  Congratulations to all our cast members and best wishes! (I will explain in another blog the reason why I don’t say "break a leg.")

The von Trapp children

I have to start off with a disclaimer - I love Broadway plays, musicals, etc., and I love a good movie!  But for those of us as a viewing audience, the story needs to have appeal!  With that said, Hollywood "trumps" up a story so that we, the audience, will believe in it.  And for the most part the basic story is there.  But sometimes the names are changed "to protect the innocent."

Such is the case with The Sound of Music."  The story is somewhat different from the real life story of Maria and Georg - there would be no possible way you could fit their lives in a 2-hour production!  They were amazing people!

As I have been reading the book "Maria" by Maria von Trapp, I have had to change gears when reading the children's names. My first experience with The Sound of Music was the movie, so I have the children's names as Friderich, Liesl, Louisa, Kurt, Brigitta, Marta, and Gretl - as do most of us.

Those were stage names - "to protect the innocent."  When the play was written, Maria didn't wish for the children's real names in the transcript, so the above names became part of the story. She had wished for a bit of privacy for her children.

I have done a bit of searching and found the real names of the children - Rupert (Friedrich), Agatha (Liesl), Maria (Louisa), Werner (Kurt), Hedwig (Brigitta), Johanna (Marta), and Martina (Gretl).  Those were the children of Goerg and his wife, Agatha. 

After their marriage, Maria and Georg added three more children to the family: Rosemarie, Eleonore and Johannes.  Maria was pregnant with another child, at the time of Georg's death, and miscarried.

As I continue to read about Maria through her story, I will bring tidbits of information to this site.  I know that when NLOC brings The Sound of Music to our audience we will do our best to capture the spirit and fortitude of the von Trapp famliy!

Anticipation

I am usually a patient person, but waiting for the results of the auditions for The Sound of Music has been making me a bit impatient!  There are several details that go into casting a production, getting the right person for the part, their interaction with others being cast, can the sing or not, can they act or not, and can they take direction. Our director, Lisa Dove, has had difficult decisions casting this year's production. And, she wanted to make sure that everyone she contacted was still willing to take the part they wanted or tried our for.  One of the "Maria's" who was offered the part decided it wasn't going to work out - back to the drawing board. So, we have had a bit of a delay in announcing the cast.

I am reminded of the song "Anticipation" by Carly Simon...

"Anticipation, anticipation
Is makin' me late
Is keepin' me waitin'...."

I'm not really late for anything, but this sure is keeping me waiting....as well as it is for the entire cast!

We have a stage manager...Gail Haller.  Gail auditioned, but decided this year to be a part of the stage crew!!  Bless her - this is no easy task! 

Keep spreading the word...this is going to be a fantastic show!!  Stay tuned...

~Jennie