Corrections Appended
If you ask any Stuyvesant student what the most exciting time of the year is, you will get overwhelmingly get only one answer: SING!.
A yearly tradition that is battled out takes hold of the school every March, SING! is an inter-grade competition that time for encourages grade bonding and inter-grade competition. It involves all aspects of theater, and even those who do not sing or act get the chance to participate by joining behind crews that work behind- the- scenes. With its extravagant sets and elaborate dance numbers, it is easy to see the amount of work each student puts into the show is evident. What’s not always obvious however, are the bloopers that accompany each performance. Whether it’s a costume mishap or the collapse of a set, each show has its problems. Here are some memorable moments (we’re pretty sure) you didn’t catch.
Bloopers
Junior SING! 2007
- During the opening number on Saturday, the batteries in one of the microphones died. The producers were not happy, to say the least, and the mic was replaced by the next scene.
- Members of the cast repeatedly tripped on the wires connecting their headsets.
- Before the Wednesday performance, Nicki Fleischner, one of the lead actors, got sick and had to be replaced by director Chloe Goodwin. The next night, Filipp Kotsishevsky, another lead actor, got sick and producer Paul Silverman had to learn all his lines, blocking, and part of a song by that night.
Soph-Frosh SING! 2007
- During Soph-Frosh SING! 2007, current junior and director Taylor Shung was caught on stage during a set change. After she came from back stage to help a cast member turn a part of the set around, she could not get off stage without being seen by the audience. As a result, she was stuck hiding behind a part of the set for the remainder of the act.
- During the song “Scooby Doo,” two members of boys’ hip-hop ran across the stage unexpectedly. They were then followed by the entire hip-hop crew. This was unscripted and spontaneous.! The directors, producers and band were unaware and completely surprised.
-During Soph-Frosh SING! 2007 , a portion of the set fell over as the step crew exited the stage. Members of the stage crew and the stage managers had to run on stage to fix it.
Did you know?
- Bad sound isn’t necessarily the sound crew’s fault. A number of factors contribute to it, such as the band, and the actors forgetting to turn microphones on or off.
-After misuse and abuse of the catwalks, strict regulations were put in place. Only a few specified students now have access to the catwalks and the sound booth.
Inside Scoop
-The SING! process starts as early as late December when coordinators are chosen, one for soph-frosh, one for the juniors and one for the seniors. The coordinators then choose producers for their respective grades. One executive producer is named along with two or three co-producers. The process continues, with the producers making decisions regarding the directors of the various crews. The cast, stage, lighting, sound, costume, art and tech directors are chosen through individual interviews. When the cast directors have been chosen, they work together with the producers to select a script. By late January the script has been chosen, all the directors have been selected and crew sign ups begin. The long process culminates in the middle of March for the three performances, the first on Wednesday, the second on Friday and the last and most important, on Saturday. Judges score each performance and pick winners for each night. The scores are then totaled and whichever grade has the largest amount of points wins SING!.
-Each SING! is allotted between $2,000-3,000 by the student union. Each grade is also allowed $500 for fundraising.
-Each crew member is required to pay dues of twelve dollars.
Corrections:
There was no byline for “SING! Facts/Bloopers”; the article was written by Gemma Breit and Allegra Flamm.
In the article “SING! Bloopers/Facts,” the process for selecting producers and coordinators was misreported; the producers are chosen by the grade caucus and the coordinators are chosen by the Student Union President and Vice-President. The judging process and SING! budget were also misreported; judges do not score Wednesday night and the budget is between 1000 to 2000 dollars.