Welcome to Venturing Theatricals'
third Summer Intensive production:
Anything Goes!
In just two weeks of rehearsals at our studio and one week of technical rehearsals in this theatre, we have come together as one company to tell the story of the SS American and its passengers.
Before the lights dim and you take in this time-honored Cole Porter musical, we would like to take a moment to acknowledge the presence of some material in this classic script that would never make it to the stage if written today.
Anything Goes is one of the most popular musical comedies from the 1930s. Mounted originally in 1934, the script has been revised several times since its original production, slowly but surely modifying the text. However, the piece remains to include some topical attempts at humor in means of furthering the plot, especially in the character of the Chinese convert John-Luke. Venturing Theatricals has approached Anything Goes through the lens of a historical artifact, respecting it as a period piece and keeping the original plot intact.
Throughout the process, the production team fostered conversations to address the appropriation or superficial use of marginalized cultures relayed in the script and have educated our cast and crew of the history surrounding these sensitive themes and motifs. As a pre-professional program, we chose this show to provide our full ensemble the unique challenge to tackle large-scale dance numbers, an iconic score, and provide the opportunity to perform one of the most well-known classic American musicals. We believe this experience instilled awareness and provided a lesson for our students about approaching period pieces in a more mature and conscious manner.
We hope that you will enjoy your journey onboard the SS American.
Bon Voyage!
-The Direction Team at Venturing Theatricals
