BRIARCLIFF MANOR, N.Y. -- Local theater and music students recently got an earful on the ins and outs of life on the stage from the real deal – the cast of “Something Rotten!,” an outrageous and wildly successful take on Shakepeare, said Briarcliff educators.
More than 60 teens from Briarcliff High School’s performing arts classes traveled to the Broadway show in late January, said teacher Jamie Mandel.
She and John Banks, the head of the school’s Performing Arts Department, shepherded the kids to the St. James Theater where they took in the rollicking musical comedy and later met the actors.
The students, who included members of the technical crews who help make the magic happen, asked the actors, who have to sing, dance and emote while clad in heavy Elizabethan garb, about the demands of rehearsals (rigorous) and staging (400 some odd cues) and for advice on staying healthy (ie. not losing your voice) during lengthy runs.
For as much as they got from their experience, the students also gave, said Mandel.
They donated $150 to Broadway Care/Equity Fights AIDS, an nonprofit organization that raises funds for AIDS/HIV-related causes across the United States, she said.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Briarcliff and receive free news updates.
