Burlington's 50 Years of Musicals!
(article written by Vanessa Ovian, Publicity Coordinator for "Hairspray")
Burlington High School is proud to announce that it is
celebrating 50 years of musicals with the performance of the Tony Award-winning
musical “Hairspray,” which will take place March 15, 16, 22, 23 and 24 in the
Fogelberg Performing Arts Center.
The story of an effervescent plump teen who takes on
social issues in early 1960’s-era Baltimore, “Hairspray” moves to the beat of a
score filled with be-bopping songs by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. It’s
oddly coincidental that this musical was chosen for this year’s production--imagine
a musical that takes place in the very same era as the students who participated
in Burlington’s very first musical!
And who would have guessed back in 1963 with the
performance of Rogers and Hammerstein’s classic, “Oklahoma,” that it was the
beginning of a half-century love affair between the town and its talented high
school students.
When the curtains rose on the opening night of “Oklahoma,”
Burlington High School was located in what now houses the Marshall Simonds
Middle School. The school auditorium was considerably smaller than the current
performance space in the 800-seat Fogelberg Performing Arts Center.
Ten years later in the spring of 1973, the high school
moved to a new facility on Cambridge Street where it remains to this day. Fogelberg
Auditorium (recently renamed Fogelberg Performing Arts Center) became home to
the next forty years of pure enjoyment for not only cast and crew members but tens
of thousands of family and friends.
The first years in the new theatre were challenging
compared to today’s standards. There was almost no stage lighting, no carpeting
for acoustical purposes and no sound amplification. The space, however, was a director’s
dream as it was equipped with deep wings, a green room, fly space, and enough
seats for the entire student body.
As time and musicals marched on so, too, did technology.
Today’s performances are enhanced by wireless microphones, two-way radios for
stage management, multi-dimensional lighting and special effects projections. What
was once publicized by hand-drawn posters and photos in the local papers, is now
also handled by a Burlington Theatre website, social media, local cable
television, electronic news delivery and bulletin boards, and broadcast emails.
Burlington casts now hover in the 90-100 student range and with the creation of
the high school Stage Crew, over 25 students man lights, sound, props and sets,
and professionals design and construct everything from sets to costumes to
lighting.
Through
the magic of theatre Burlington audiences have been transported to locales far
and near. They have travelled to a rival ballpark in New York where they’ve
chanted about those “Damn Yankees,” to Austria where they heard that the hills
were alive with “The Sound of Music,” and to Rome where they found out that “A
Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum!” They have delightfully been seated atop a mattress, skipped along
a yellow brick road and witnessed tragedy and redemption during a student
uprising in 19th century Paris.
In celebration of the
golden anniversary of BHS musicals, a Facebook group for its alumni was
created. The group took off like wildfire. Now nearing the 300 member mark, former
students post memories, photos, programs and pictures. The enthusiasm is
contagious as former cast and crew members reminisce about their days on stage.
As a result of this outpouring of memories, “Hairspray’s”
producing-director John Middleton-Cox realized that a very special reunion
would honor the occasion and the “50 Years of BHS Musicals Reunion and
Reception” was conceived. Following
the Friday, March 22 performance of “Hairspray,” former cast and crew members
will gather with a number of their directors at the high school to reminisce
and celebrate the influence that fifty years of Burlington High School musicals
have had on their lives. Among those in attendance will be former directors Bob
Tyler, Mike Barczak, Nancy Ferretti and Sue LaVoie.
The success of the past fifty years has also recently piqued
the interest of a new, younger generation of musical theatre actors. To fill a
void where no program existed, Middleton-Cox and the Burlington Public Schools
developed the Burlington Educational Summer Theatre (BEST). A thriving summer
musical theatre program entering its fourth year, BEST operates on two levels, offering
younger students a chance to explore the performing arts and older students the
opportunity to participate in a complete musical production culminating in
performances in the Fogelberg Performing Arts Center.
These 50 years of musicals at Burlington High School have
been a testament to the dedication and passion that have been shared by
generations of all who have stepped onto the BHS stage. The greatest validation
of the program is that the alumni truly cherish the life-long and sometimes
life-changing memories of their years at Burlington High School.
“Hairspray,” a family-friendly production, will be
performed on March 15, 16, 22 and 23 at 7:30 pm and March 24 at 2:00 pm.
Tickets are $10 for students/senior citizens and $15 for adults and can be
purchased online at www.BurlingtonTheatre.com
or by phone at 781-A-FUN-TIC. The Fogelberg Performing Arts Center is a
handicapped accessible venue.
The Burlington Educational Summer Theatre (BEST) proudly
announces that it will celebrate five years of summer youth theater when it
presents Disney’s “The Little Mermaid, Jr,” on July 27 at 2:00 and 7:30 pm in
the Fogelberg Performing Arts Center of Burlington High School. Buy Tickets ... 
Leading the cast of
66 students as the lovely young mermaid
Ariel is Mia Campbell. She is joined by Patrick Creedon as Prince Eric, Jade
Gordon as Ursula, Crystal Curran as King Triton, Julie Surabian as Flounder and
Clara Hevia as Scuttle.
The BEST performances of Disney’s The
Little Mermaid, Jr. will take place in the Fogelberg Performing Arts
Center, 123 Cambridge Street, Burlington. Reserved tickets are $10 for students
and senior citizens, $15 for adults. Tickets can be purchased at www.BurlingtonTheatre.com or by phone at 781-A-FUN-TIC. Fogelberg
Performing Arts Center is air-conditioned and handicapped accessible
