Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Urinetown rehearsals are well underway! During the rehearsal process, the Artistic Team, made up of the Director, Assistant Director, Stage Manager, Choreographer, and Music Director, work alongside actors to bring the words and music on the page to life. Rehearsals consist of three different types of learning: blocking, music, and choreography.
Read more below to learn more about each of these types of rehearsal.
Musical Theater consists of scenes and songs, and all require different instruction to bring to life. For scenes, students learn their blocking. Given by the Director, blocking is instruction for the actors on how they are to move around the stage. Blocking is motivated by the emotions in the scene and the characters in the show! Once students get “off-book”, aka memorized, the blocking becomes more fluid and tied into those emotions. Alongside character development, blocking brings stories like Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Urinetown to life!
When actors learn the songs in a musical, they start in music rehearsal. In Diary of a Wimpy Kid, they are singing about being “Stuck in the Middle,” while over at Urinetown, they are learning that it is indeed a “Privilege to Pee.” In music rehearsals, students are divided into their assigned vocal sections, soprano, alto, tenor, bass, etc. Then, they learn all of their assigned melodies and harmonies, working to sing accurately and emphatically. Music rehearsals set the foundation for actors to learn the choreography accompanying each song!
After students learn the notes, rhythms, and lyrics to their songs, it’s time to learn the choreography! Choreography is movement to music, also known as dance. The choreographer for each production creates unique combinations of dance moves that fit the style of the show and song, and teaches it to the students slowly but surely. It might take a few rehearsals to get the moves down perfectly, but after some review, these moves will be ready to go!
Over the next two months, the casts of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Urinetown will continue to rehearse and clean their songs and scenes. Want to see it all come together? Join us at MNU’s Bell Center, and experience the magic in person.
