In deference to Santa Clara County’s “shelter in place” order, Children’s Musical Theater San Jose postponed its Marquee production of “Kinky Boots,” slated for April 17-26, until next season in the same April time slot. But staff quickly figured out how to teach the casts of two other shows planned for spring the dance moves and songs they need to know.
The young performers in “In the Heights” and “Godspell” are rehearsing virtually via Zoom, with the goal of having the show ready to go by their scheduled opening dates of May 8 and April 30, respectively.
CMT Managing Director Dana Zeller acknowledges that Santa Clara County residents may still be sheltering in place at that time, but says, “We’re hoping we can present the shows in some format.”
“We’d be happy to have concert versions of each show outdoors in our parking lot,” Zeller adds.
To keep the 200-plus performers on track for their opening nights, CMT Artistic Director Kevin Hauge and his staff are posting rehearsal schedules online, along with video recordings of the songs and choreography they need to learn for their next Zoom rehearsal.
Zeller says these rehearsals are good both for the performers, who are out of school until at least May 1, and CMT staff, who get to watch the shows come together one young person at a time.
“We knew that in isolation, the kids would need to come together to stay connected to their craft and their peers,” she adds. “It’s pretty exciting because you get to see boxes (on the Zoom grid) of kids doing the same choreography in their own space.”
While CMT won’t know until the end of the eight-week rehearsal period whether the shows will go on, Zeller says the company’s staff is already working on summer programs in anticipation of the coronavirus being contained.
“We’re doing our best to keep everyone employed,” she adds. “CMT intends to make it through this crisis.”
