East Mecklenberg High School - East Wind Yearbook (Charlotte, NC)

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Candi Jalenf After six weeks of tough rehearsals, the cast of The Sound of Music pulled together to put on an inspir- ing and talent filled show Sounds of true talent and ability rang through our auditorium this year as East Mecklenburg High School pre- sented its fall musical, The Sound of Music. The production was shown on November 20, 21, and 22 at 8:00 pm for 53.00 a seat. This year's musical was chosen, as in past years, by drama teacher, Mr. Thomas Elmore, and by chorus teach- er, Mrs. Ioyce Helms. The two met and discussed such determining fac- tors as: East's present singing ability budget limitations, and the opportuni- ty for a learning experience for all. The musical is a teaching vehicle and we want the students to be able to learn something. stated Mr. Elmore. Since the entire production was run by students fmake-up, costumes, scenery lighting, and actingj, fifty kids got to be chosen to be a part of The Sound of Music. Four adults, Mr. Elmore, Mrs. Helms, Ms. Beverly Elwell, and Mrs. Donna McAfee were also on stage to assist. This year, a handful of children had to be found to play the younger Von Trapp family members. Since the directors wanted to keep the cast with- in theEast family the faculty brought in their children for auditions. After two days of casting in late Sep- tember, the official group began their rehearsals. For six weeks, the cast re- hearsed up to two and one-half hours per day four days a weekp but the dedi- cation payed off as actor jimmy Schaffer explained, The musical meant a great deal to all of us because of all the close friendships formed. Other students with leading roles were: Michelle Iames as Maria Rainer, Caryn Kaplan as The Mother Abbess, 18 Musical Ion Williams as Captain Von Trapp, Katie McGuire as Leisl Von Trapp, and Matt Kodsi as Max Detweiller. We had a lot of talented people try out commented Mr. Elmore, and with two award winning singers in the cast, the musical was made even more pro- fessional. Caryn Kaplan, a senior at East, was one of the extremely talented singers on stage this year. Some of Caryn's most recent honors included first place in the 1985 State MTNA competition, an honorable mention at the Regionals competitions, and an honorable men- tion at the Young Artists competition. She was also the recipient of the Char- lotte Music Club scholarship, a mem- ber of the East Choir, and belonged to the International Thespian Society Michelle Iames was the other famous choirester from East and a few of her more recent accomplishments includ- ed: first place in the Young Artists competition, 51,500 for college at the Arts National Recognition and Talent Search, first place in The Federation competition, winner of the 1986 State MTNA contest and runner-up at Re- gionals. She was also a member of the East Choir and the Thespian Society When asked what made this years production special, Mr. Elmore em- phatically said, twenty-five nuns! On receiving their black and white habbits, these scandelous nuns quick- ly tried them on and ran out the back door to Monroe Rd., where they all waved and hollered at the passing mo- torists. To say the least, these drivers were quite shocked to see twenty-five nuns jumping around in front of a public high school. Young Love: jimmy Schaffer and Katie McGuire play two teenagers in love in The Sound of Music . A serious moment: The leading characters, Ion Williams and Michelle James, sing a song about An Ordinary Couple , which is far from what they were.

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Vogue: Auri Lyman struts her stuff in the hottest fashions of the year. ! V: n....-,,, I , ' . nn, ,i v in A look of relief: Carrousel Princess Ginger Harwell remained in a state of shock as she received congrats fI'OIIl VaI'iOLlS CO1'1tESf3I'1tS. Carrousel 17

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Sisters of the Abbey: Christie Lyke, Auri Lyman, Caryn Ka- plan, and Angie Carl lift their hands in grace as they dramati- cally act out their characters. Do-Re-Mi : Maria Rainer's first challenge as Nanny was to teach the Von Trap children how to sing. ---..,, Musical 19