playbill vip

The Process

How does a show like this happen?

Arcadia CMAS incorporates real world musicianship with songwriting, live audio production and recording studio skills.  As an aspect of that process, each song you will here tonight was solely written by students, and many were released on the first two CDs available free through the CMAS website, www.ArcadiaCMAS.com.

Part of the curriculum for the Arcadia Theater program involves scriptwriting, and so in early January a group of writers sat down with an outline, access to songwriters, and began to tell a story.  At the core of this musical, beyond the spectacle and larger plot, is a story about very real teenagers.

In the process of creating this show the students used a number of current technologies – a hallmark of CTE - and many of those technologies are present in their application this evening.  From the recording studios in CMAS to the scriptwriting collaborations of the Theater students via online script writing and communication tools, to the set design, and a host of others, this show happened not just because the students wanted to do it, but because they received the training to actually make it happen.   The entire show had to be completely written in under 3 weeks in order to ensure there would be enough time to cast, build the set, execute the technical elements, and rehearse.

Everything in this show came from the students. Everything. The music, the script, the design of the show tonight - costumes, props, even the fliers on the doors – all of it was created by students working together using professional equipment and industry standard practices, built using online technology and modern media, meeting cross curriculum goals and thinking at the creative level. 

 Special Thanks

The cast and crew would like to thank the individuals who have contributed to this evening's show.  In particular we want to thank Mr. Biera, Arcadia's Principal, and the rest of our administration for letting us take this risk and embark on a unique project.

A huge thank you goes out to Michelle Maxwell, our vocal coach and guide.  A special thank you to Dr. Mitch Simmons and the SUSD CTE Department, and to Mr. Hoeprich's MediaCom Program for the videos. 

Finally, thank you to our families for supporting us through this entire process, and the support of the Theater Boosters.  We couldn't have done this without all of you!

A special Thank You to JC Printing for the printing of the program covers.