CMU School of Drama


Thursday, April 23, 2009

In terms of fun, One Act Theatre's 'Wonka' is like kids in candy factory

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Over the next two weekends, nearly 300 kids will perform in Act One Theatre School's production of the musical 'Willy Wonka.'
Not all at once, of course.
'We have six different casts of 50 each,' explains Karen Cordaro, the owner and artistic director of Act One Theatre School as well as the stage director for 'Willy Wonka.'"

2 comments:

arosenbu said...

I think that Karen Cordaro must be an amazing woman. I can't imagine triple casting a kids show, let alone having 6 casts of 50! That is really intense. The show seems like its fairly well put together, but I wonder how the kids feel about it, or if they have rehearsals together ever. It seems like a lot of effort to make 6 different shows at one time. It makes me wonder why she is doing one show x6. Also, the article talked about how the kids really liked playing all the parts. Are the principles the same but shuffled through the cast?

The article leaves some questions, but I still really want to meet the woman who can pull off such a feat of 6 50 kid casts at once. She must be remarkable.

Mary-Margaret Kunze said...

I hate children's theatre. Karen Cordaro must be a saint. The idea of that volume of kids, running around a theatrical space is a monolithic task which few are up to. However, reading about the reception of the kids to the experience, I am sure Cardaro must feel rewarded and vindicated. I hope she didn't suffer too much in the process!