The BBTEP (Bradley-Bourbonnais Theatre Education Project), is doing a fall production of Seussical this year. Seussical is a family friendly musical about some of the works of Dr. Seuss. The plot of the musical is around the Dr. Seuss stories, “Horton Hears A Who!,” “Gertrude McFuzz,” and “Horton Hatches the Egg.” The theatre department will be having their performances November 20-23. The 20-22 performances are at 7 p.m. in the BBCHS Auditorium and the 23 performance is at 2 p.m.
The production of Seussical is directed by David Morgan. The vocal directors are Darnell Crater and Dylan Harris, and the choreography is done by Case Koerner.
One thing about the fall musical that many people don’t talk about is the pit. The pit is a group of players from band and orchestra that play the music for the show. Pit is made up mainly of juniors and seniors, but BBCHS sophomore Kayla Kijewski is playing in it for the first time this year as a flute player.
Some people might wonder what the difference between playing in a pit and a regular band is. In a band, the ensemble is so much larger that if you make a mistake it won’t always be noticed. In a pit, there is only one or two of the same instrument playing, so you are so much more exposed and have to be more self-reliant.
Kijewski said that playing in a pit is a lot of pressure because you’re dependent upon the cast members for when to play, and you have to stay vigilant so you don’t cause the cast members to make any mistakes, which leads to it being an unpredictable experience.
The more visible part of the production happens on stage, or the theatre side of it. BBCHS Sophomore Cailtyn Whalen has been doing BBTEP shows since she was 7 when she did the production of You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown. This fall she is playing the character Sour Kangaroo.
BBTEP has always been known for being a family-friendly theater company, and his fall they are featuring kids from local elementary schools in the production. Whalen’s character has a daughter in the musical, and her daughter is being played by a girl from the elementary school. Whalen described rehearsal with the younger kids as fun and chaotic. “She [the girl playing her daughter] is such a fun little girl and I love her, so I think it’s so fun to get to have little kids be able to be a part of these productions!”
The production of Seussical sounds like it’s a blast for the cast and hopefully for the people going to watch it. Don’t miss out on the fun, and remember the shows are November 20-22 at 7 p.m. and November 23 at 2 p.m.!