Get ready spellers! The Spring Musical for 2017 will be The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee! Check out our Current Productions for more information.
Prepare ye the way for the spring musical… Godspell!
The 2016 spring musical (performing March 11 & 12) will be Godspell! This is an ensemble show based on a series of parables from the Gospel of Matthew and featuring a fun, m
odern score by Steven Schwartz, the composer of Wicked.
Auditions will be held in Phoenix Hall on January 7th and 8th from 3:30-5, and callbacks will be held January 11th.
Rehearsals will begin after midterms.
Arabian Nights featured in the TIE!
Arabian Nights received a full page article in the October/November 2015 issue of the TIE, Saint Joseph Prep’s student newspaper! Featuring a number of quotes from students and cast members, the article describes the work that went into producing our incredibly successful fall show. You can read article, and the entire issue of the TIE, here. Many thanks to cast member and journalist Anthony Khoory ’19!
Also head over to the new permanent webpage for Arabian Nights to see gorgeous photos from the production, and more
Tickets on sale for Arabian Nights!
Get your tickets now for the Phoenix Players’ fall play, Arabian Nights! Hop on an magic carpet and journey far away to a land of enchanted caves, terrifying ghouls, talking birds, and laughing kings. Featuring such beloved classics as Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and Sindibad the Sailor, the Phoenix Players bring to life the centuries-old story of Shahrazad, and her 1,001 nights of magical tales. Listen…
Buy your tickets online in advance and save!
Tickets purchased online are cheaper than those at the door, so visit phoenixplayers.browpapertickets.com now to secure your seats!
Online tickets are $5 for students and faculty, $10 general admission.
Tickest at the door are $8 for students and faculty, $13 general admission
Performances:
Friday, November 20th at 7pm
Saturday, November 21st at 7pm
Phoenix Hall
Thank you to Mr. Shiner for the beautiful poster!
What’s Behind the Mask…
We are well underway with rehearsals for Arabian Nights, with most of the set blocked, and construction starting on our set this weekend! A different kind of construction has also been taking place…students have been creating masks to use during the performance! Check out these photos from our mask-making workshops, where we used plaster of paris to make moulds of each other’s faces and learned some of the basic principles of performing with masks. Come see the show on November 20th and 21st to see the final product!
In the words of Goofy: “The perfect cast”
We are just two weeks into rehearsals for Arabian Nights and already we have worked on almost every scene in the show at least once! This is easy when you have a cast as dedicated and hard-working as we do!
Shahrazad – Bella Belarmino
Shahrayar – Liam Fitzpatrick
Vizier – Bryan Williams
Dinarzad – Holly Callen
Ali Baba – Philippe Legagneur
Kasim – Yilin Lu
Captain of the 40 Thieves – Shanice St. Fleur
Marjanah – Hermione Zhang
Little Beggar – Michael Chmura
Es-Sindibad the Sailor – McKenzie Jennette
Abu Hassan – Anthony Khoory
Sidi 1 – Kelli Aquino
Sidi 2 – Lyndsey Grier
Amina – Yilin Lu
Eldest Sister – Lyndsey Grier
Second Sister – Kelli Aquino
Bahman – Bryan Williams
Perviz – Arianys Diaz
Parizade – Joseline Pineda Ruiz
Congrats to all the students who were cast! Keep an eye out for rehearsal photos and updates, coming soon!
Long ago, in a faraway land…
Phoenix Players is kicking off the 2015 – 2016 season with one of the world’s oldest tales of action, adventure, romance, courage, comedy, and storytelling – Arabian Nights!
It is wedding night in the palace of King Shahrayar. By morning, the new Queen Shahrazad is to be put to death like all the young brides before her. But she has one gift that could save her – the gift of storytelling.
With her mischievous imagination, the young Queen spins her dazzling array of tales and characters. On her side are Ali Baba, Es-Sindibad the Sailor and Princess Parizade – adventurers in strange and magical worlds populated by giant beasts, talking birds, devilish ghouls and crafty thieves. But will her silver-tongued stories be enough to enchant her husband and save her life?
Characters:
Shahrayar: The King, so disenchanted by love that he orders a new bride every morning to who is to be put to death every night
Shahrazad: A clever young girl who hopes to save the country through the power of story-telling
Dinarzad: Shahrazad’s younger sister who listens, enthralled, to her stories
Vizier: Father to Shahrazad and Dinarzad, chief advisor to the King
Various Storytellers who act out the roles of stories of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, the Little Beggar, Es-Sindibad the Sailor, How Abu Hassan Broke the Wind, the Wife Who Wouldn’t Eat, the Envious Sisters, and more
Auditions
Wednesday, September 9th
Thursday, September 10th
3:15pm
Phoenix Hall
Callbacks
Friday, September 11th
3:15 – 4:30pm
Phoenix Hall
Performances
Friday, November 20th
Saturday, November 21st
How to Audition
- Sign up for an audition day in the cafeteria during lunch or outside Ms. Gipson’s classroom.
- Read about the play, get a list of characters, and look at monologues on the Phoenix Players website.
- Fill out an Audition Form, sign the Audition Policies, and bring a filled out copy of the Conflict Calendar. Make sure your Conflicts Calendar is accurate – this is the most important document. Bring all of these with you to your audition.
- Everyone should arrive at Phoenix Hall promptly at 3:15pm on the day of your audition. Tardiness will reflect poorly upon you. We will begin with a short, 15-minute information session.
- At 3:30pm, students will come in for individual audition slots on a first-come-first-serve basis. Each audition slot will be no more than 5 minutes long. Students are welcome to watch auditions When you are finished with your individual audition, you are free to leave.
- Monologues are available here or at the door on the day of the audition. You do not have to memorize, but you should spend time preparing your monologue.
- The list for callbacks will be posted on the doors of Phoenix Hall and on the Phoenix Players website in the morning on Friday, September 11th. Callbacks will be held after school that day at 3:15pm. All students who audition should plan on being at callbacks until at least 4:30pm.
- The cast list will be posted on the doors of Phoenix Hall and on the Phoenix Players website on Monday, September 14th. Rehearsals will begin that afternoon, and all those who auditioned are expected to be present for the first day of rehearsal. For the remainder of the show, the Rehearsal Calendar will be shared via email and posted on the doors of Phoenix Hall each Friday for the following week.
Links to all documents needed for auditions:
Audition Form
Audition Policies
Conflict Calendar
Audition Monologues
We look forward to seeing you at auditions!
A fond farewell
Dear students, parents, alumni, and all those in the Phoenix family,
It is with a heavy heart that I announce my resignation as a teacher at Saint Joseph Prep. This choice was perhaps the most difficult and heartbreaking choice that I have yet faced, but I know that I am making the best decision in pursuit of my dreams. Leaving the world of teaching will allow me to more actively pursue my goals as a director and theatre maker, to travel, and to engage more fully in the world of performing arts. There is a possibility that, schedule permitting, I may be a guest director for the upcoming fall production at Saint Joseph Prep to assist with the transition before embarking on my new career path, so this is not a true goodbye! Simply, farewell for now.
I write to you today not only to inform you of this change but to thank this entire school community for the past 3 years, which have been among the most life-affirming, inspiring, and transformative I have yet experienced. They say that teachers learn from their students; this could not be more true of my time at Saint Joseph Prep. My students have taught me what it means to be courageous. Most of the students I have taught at SJP had never been on stage before; many of them had never even seen a show. Yet, fearlessly, they blazoned trails across the stage. They shared their stories, their energy, and their brilliance. Though it pains me to leave, I feel fortunate to have had this opportunity to be a witness to the beauty of the work these students have created for the past 3 years. I hope the Phoenix Players continues to thrive and flourish and offer many more such opportunities to SJP’s students, who have already given so much of themselves to this program.
To my students: my wish for you is that you believe in yourselves as strongly and steadfastly as I believe in you. You have renewed my faith in so many ways. My leaving in no way mitigates the love that I have for you, but is, in fact, inspired by you–you have taught me to dream and to dare. Everyday I encouraged you to be seen, be heard, be brave. I hope I can live up to those same words that I gave to you.
I make theatre because I believe in the power of stories to change lives. I believe that putting people in a room together, listening to each others’ stories, learning from one another, makes us alive. It’s how we develop empathy; it’s how we build our humanity. I hope you will all carry on the legacy we have begun as the Phoenix Players, and know that your stories, words, actions, and deeds absolutely have the power to change lives. They have changed mine.
I leave you with the quote that I gave to my first students on their first day:
The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life, and the procedure, the process, is its own reward.
Thank you for everything, SJP.
Best,
Ms. LaFauci
Phoenix Players Alumni Rock the House of Blues
We know he rocked the SJP stage as George Gibbs in Our Town, but more recently, Bryan Williams ’16 got the chance to rock one of Boston’s most famous music venues, the House of Blues.
Bryan was one of six performers selected from a pool of 4,000 applicants to perform in the House of Blues’ “Bringin’ Down the House” concert. The showcase concert gives musicians ages 13 – 19 a chance to connect with music industry professionals, attend interactive seminars, and ultimately perform their original music in one of the legendary House of Blues venues across the country.
Phoenix Players had the chance to sit down with Bryan earlier this month for an interview for the school website. The full article can be found here. Bryan noted in the interview that his experiences on stage with the Phoenix Players prepared him for the event, which was his first concert as a music artist. “I wasn’t nervous in front of the crowd, because I already knew I could do that. Even though it was my first time performing my music, I learned so much from Our Town about being comfortable on stage.” Bryan has been rapping and creating music since he was thirteen, and recently released his first EP. His artist bio can be found on the House of Blues Music Forward Foundation’s website, here.
Bryan (on vocals) was joined on the House of Blues stage by his classmates and Our Town cast mates, Liam Fitzpatrick ’16 (the Stage Manager in Our Town, who here put his knowledge of DJing to use as Bryan’s live music producer), and Joe Aroush ’16 (guitarist for Our Town and for Bryan). Dozens of other SJP students also came out to cheer on the performers.
We can’t wait to see this talented trio continue to grow and develop as musicians and performers–and hopefully bring a bit of the House of Blues back to SJP!
Phoenix Players 