Striking the Set

photo c/o Samatha Sarvas

 Seussical the Musical has closed. The last day of February 2015 marked the last show for MGP's production and the agonizing process of tearing down the set that everyone worked so hard to build. The cast gathered on stage and took down the set, stored the costumes and all began speculating on next year's show.

It's always sad to wrap up a show. You pour your heart and soul into it from November til now, and the 5 shows you perform go so quickly. It always feels like there should be another show, another week, another month. 

But that's the fun of wrapping the show. The board meets soon, the new members of the board are brought up to speed and outgoing board members move onto taking a bit of a break. There they will start the process of closing the books on the show and work begins almost immediately on the next show. 

Stay tuned because we have a lot of ideas for things on the blog. It is going to be exciting. Thanks you for supporting the arts in Avon Lake, and that you for being amazing. 

We Are Family

(click to enlarge)

Mighty Goliath has filled the stage with tons of talented casts since 1959. In recent years MGP has been recognized for its choreography, actors, and actresses. There is an often overlooked dynamic of MGP casts that is uniquely MGP.

Family.

A lot of theater companies often talk about how much their cast feels like a family. You spend a lot of time with a cast every show, and MGP starts rehearsing the show on Fridays nearly 4 months before opening night. It can really start to feel like family, because in MGP's case, we are.

How many 13 year old kids do you know who often want to spend more time then necessary with their family? Not many, yet this year we have whole family units participating. Ian Atwood, who plays Horton the Elephant in Seussical the Musical is surrounded by family. His wife Jessie is the choreographer, his mother-in-law in the chorus and has helped with costumes, his father-in-law plays Dr Dink and is the assistant stage manager, his Cousin and Uncle have helped with sets and backstage as well. That is 6 folks from ONE family.

Family is what makes Mighty Goliath Productions operate. Not only do we put on a show to raise money for the Avon Lake Performing Arts Endowment Fund, but we also bring families together on stage. In a world full of distractions like video games and iPhones, MGP is still that beacon of family fun many families look forward to every single year. For 4 hours every Friday everyone puts away their distractions and focuses on putting on a great show, which is a feat considering how attached we all have become to our cell phones.

What does your family do for fun? Leave your answers in the comments.

Seussical the Musical

Well it's cold. I mean like really cold. Avon Lake Schools have canceled school for February 20, 2015. Well by a happy coincidence that also happens to be opening night for "Seussical the Musical". Now many folks would assume we are canceling the show. You know what happens when you assume don't you?

THE SHOW WILL GO ON!!

We've been working hard during this past tech week, putting the finishing touches on the show. We aren't canceling it. We know it will be cold, but they say the best way to stay warm is to huddle with a bunch of people. In a theater. Watching a show. With dancing. And singing.

Also you have to check out the behind the scenes video of what we have been doing all week. This video was the production of John Burgio, a student at Avon Lake High School. This video is the reason we raise money to keep the arts alive in our schools. The arts are the gateway to better math and science skills, better critical thinking skills, and a more creative atmosphere in general.

Come see us. The school might be closed, but the theater is certainly going to be open!