"Jocks", "Nerds", "Potheads" and more. The Rowan University Department of Theatre & Dance (RUTD) takes on the cult classic Heathers: The Musical by Laurence O'Keefe and Kevin Murphy in a format like you've never seen before: a visual radio play. But what goes into the work behind it?
"It is the late 1980’s and Veronica has just transferred to a new high school. She quickly discovers the pecking order inside the student population and it’s pretty ugly. At the top of this food chain are: “The Heathers”. There is murder, body shaming, homophobia, talk of suicide and the constant need to be popular at all costs. Through dark humor and wit, this play, presented in audio-only format, offers a cautionary tale about the greed and excess of a 1980’s America through the lens of high school students, accompanied by visual collages by Jamie Grace-Duff and four short dance films featuring choreography and performances by Paule Turner and Rowan Theatre & Dance students."
Behind the music direction and piano accompaniment is RUTD faculty member Jess Arnold. Arnold acts as a 3⁄4 Instructor in the Department of Theatre and Dance, as well as on the Faculty of Rowan Community Music School’s Musical Theatre Camp.
To approach music directon for an aural production, Arnold had an email thread with Rowan University Audio Engineer and Educator Barbara Addams. Addams said the most important thing to have was a lead track for all the voice parts to follow
Arnold started learning and recording the whole musical in January 2021. The production team decided to record solely piano accompaniment for time constraints. Arnold went on to record herself singing/playing the bass, tenor, alto and soprano vocal parts for the cast of the show to practice. She admitted the musical took her longer to learn than expected; there are some harder harmonics and rhythms throughout.
Arnold recorded her accompaniment on piano as if she were the pit orchestra playing their different instruments. She doubled certain parts to make them louder, added bass and even trumpet where needed. Some songs have four piano tracks going at once. To take on this work, Arnold bought new recording equipment.
Music rehearsals began with the entire company in the same meetings. (All were on Zoom.) The cast would go through each of their voice parts, singing them individually. There was a lot of listening time to practice singing their parts with other people and listen to what vowel choices to make. About a month and a half in the cast asked if they could separate into soprano/alto and tenor/bass rehearsals. While reflecting on the process and what the the cast and crew had learned, Arnold found out the cast was scared to sing their individual vocal parts in rehearsals. Being alone, and not with your whole section, is an unusual circumstance. By the end the cast was comfortable with each other.
To use time well, separate rehearsals were held for leads. As there is less time for rehearsing in a virtual production, Jess Harzer (She/Her) and Philip Caracciolo (He/Him), playing Veronica and JD respectively, met outside rehearsal hours with Arnold. They finished learning music by the end of March.
Actors recorded their respective parts outside of rehearsals with microphones supplied to them. Audio was originally recorded on GarageBand, then WavePad, and then some changed to Ferrite. It was shocking to realize how drastic audio levels could be from one person to the next. For belters, their voices need platforms that could turn the levels down. Arnold kept a calendar with recording deadlines and a spreadsheet of her vocal notes for each song.
Her biggest challenge was actors absorbing notes over Zoom. She said it is hard to remember everything you learn in a virtual format. "If you're with a group of people you would probably cut off when they cut off because they're right next to you, or you can hear them at least. To get one take was hard," said Arnold. She has never known a show better because she learned, sang and gave notes for every vocal part in this production.
It was also hard to not be in the same space as director Dr. Chris Roche. It was not possible for both of them to commit to being at every single rehearsal together. Not having the support of each other during the rehearsals was hard, especially because RUTD emphasizes a collaborative environment in its productions.
When asked what she hopes audiences take away from Heathers: The Musical, Arnold explained that this show deals with mean people and realizing the impact we have on each other. In the opening number, Beautiful, most of the lyrics are the teens insulting each other; it was hard for the cast to record. "Your words have so much meaning," said Arnold. She hopes there can be growth from listening to this production, and that you can think differently walking away from it.
TRIGGER WARNING:
This production features adult themes and language, including suicide, eating disorders, anddrug use, as well as gun shots, and other startling sound effects, and may not be suitable for all audiences.
This free, virtual production is premiering next Thursday, April 29, 2021 at 8:00 pm EST and will be available to stream on demand access through Monday, May 3, 2021. Advanced registration is required; visit https://ci.ovationtix.com/35360/production/1040087
Directed by Dr. Christopher Roche
Musical Direction and Piano Accompaniment by Prof. Jessica Arnold
Choreography by Paule Turner
Sound Design, Videography, and Editing by David Cimetta
Set Design by Dirk Durossette
Technical Direction by Tom Fusco
Costume Design by Jamie Grace-Duff
Lighting Design by Robert A. Thorpe
Sound Mixing by James Whitescarver (BlixYZ Studios)
Want to read more articles like this? Login to became a member of RUTDInsider for weekly emails letting you know when the next blog post is out!
See you next week!
Erica Gerold
Theatre Arts & Public Relations '23
Σχόλια