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

Page 23 text:

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

Page 22 text:

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.

Page 24 text:

Shgwtinl-2 After a month of practice, rehearsal, and dress re- hearsal, it was time for the premier performance of 1986 Pop's Pourri. If you wanted to see the future stars of the entertainment industry Pop's Pourri was the show to watch. Pop's Pourri presented nine singing acts and two bands, along with various other performances which included lip sync, clogging, rapping, and jazz rou- tines. The show began with Catch 22, an all girl band that rocked the audito- rium with Pat Benatar's Hit Me With Your Best Shot. Bringing her gentle voice and love songs from Denmark, Kristina Lange sang The Heron Song and a beautiful ballad in her na- tive tongue. Greg Nivens gave a memorable performance with a song he wrote himself, You're the One . Greg also harmonized with eight other members of the men's choir, a cappella. Reminiscent of the old barbershop quartet, Michelle Berrong, Ioy Noe, Donna Mooshie, and Missy Mee- chum delighted the audience with Around the Corner. Displaying ver- satility Donna Mooshie sang with the quartet in one act and danced with Ka- ren Fowler in another. Adding variety to the show Missy Privette tapped her way across the stage in a high step- ping clogging routine. After her solo, Finding Out the Hard Way , Caryn Kaplan joined Dreamweaver with Heartbreaker . These were only a few of the special acts in the show 5 each act was as exciting as the one before. Since Pop's Pourri was an event to showcase students' talents, students were important components behind the scenes. It's a show for the students by the students, explained Mr. Thomas Elmore. Along with Mrs. Ioyce Helms, Mr. Elmore held audi- tions in mid-january We look for tal- ent and confidence, Mr. Elmore stat- ed. By the time they audition, the stu- dents have already polished their acts. Twenty-one acts comprised Pop's Pourri, giving the performers a chance to display their talent in their own spe- cial way 'k s F . '. Q Q' M' 'MA' I I f rn., il 'Y' ' l ,, ' N A 1 . e 5-A My P' .. A HK Dreamweavers: Caryn Kaplan joined Gus Garces, Rod Moore, and Micheal Greenspon to sing Heartbreaker , giving the final rocking performance at POP'S POURRI. 20 Pop's Pourri MmM' Eamw ww if