THE PAJAMA GAME, HSPVA's Fall 2012 All School Musical
By: David Clarke Oct. 07, 2012
Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) rigorously trains their theatre students in a way that prepares them to work in the professional theatrical world. It nurtures both individual and ensemble creativity and exploration, while allowing the students to dedicate themselves to the mastery of their craft. With that philosophy in mind, the school is programming Richard Adler, Jerry Ross, George Abbot, and Richard Bissell's 1954 hit musical THE PAJAMA GAME for their 2012 All School Musical. Maintaining the integrity of the original work, HSPVA is producing the full two-act show, including the Act II ballet, with minimal minor cuts.
Being the All School musical, the school is completely student lead. The show is also utilizing the talents of roughly 30 students on stage, 60 students in the orchestra pit, and 18 students on the crew team. Then other various students have provided their services on costumes, props, and other elements during school hours, ensuring all the finishing touches are properly placed on the show. With all this hard work and young talent proudly being placed on display in this production, it is no surprise that it will also be HSPVA's entry for this season's Tommy Tune Awards.
Students at HSPVA work just as hard on their academics as they create at a professional level. The students are on a block schedule that allows for their classes to meet every other day and for the students to meet in their art areas for 3 hours a day. So instead of having 7 periods a day every day, the HSPVA students go to half of their classes each day and then spend the second portion of their day in one of 5 art areas-creative writing, vocal, instrumental, dance or theatre. In that 3 hour block the Theatre Department students can sometimes rehearse, but most of THE PAJAMA GAME has been put together outside of school hours. This has allowed the students to reserve the daily 3 hour period to cover most of the technical aspects, such as costuming, lighting, sound, props, and earning the crew hours that the students are required to have to advance through the levels at HSPVA. More or less, the program is designed like any respected and thorough college program.
THE PAJAMA GAME is based on Richard Bissell's novel 7½ Cents. It tells the story of labor troubles in a pajama factory. The workers have demanded a seven-and-a-half cent raise, but they're being wholly ignored. All of this is complicated when Babe, the grievance committee head, falls in love with Sid, the factory's new superintendent.
THE PAJAMA GAME runs at HSPVA's Denney Theatre from October 10to October 14, 2012. The production is open to the public and patrons are welcome to buy their tickets at the door or to pick their own seats online at http://www.seatyourself.biz/hspva. For more information about the production or HSPVA's Theatre Department please call (713) 942 – 1966 and visit http://www.hspva.org/ or http://www.onstagehspva.org/.
Photos courtesy of Charles Swan.
Cast of HSPVA's THE PAJAMA GAME.
Cast of HSPVA's THE PAJAMA GAME.
Cast of HSPVA's THE PAJAMA GAME.
Cast of HSPVA's THE PAJAMA GAME.
Cast of HSPVA's THE PAJAMA GAME.
Cast of HSPVA's THE PAJAMA GAME.
Cast of HSPVA's THE PAJAMA GAME.
Cast of HSPVA's THE PAJAMA GAME.
Cast of HSPVA's THE PAJAMA GAME.
Cast of HSPVA's THE PAJAMA GAME.
Cast of HSPVA's THE PAJAMA GAME.
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