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As the dress rehearsal for The King's Academy's production of Hello, Dolly! waned into the late afternoon hours, moods brightened a bit when senior Esther Friske departed the stage--and her backstage giggles continued to filter over the sound system. Esther, who plays Dolly, forgot to turn her mike off.
Despite the microphone slip, this production of the Broadway favorite is one of the largest undertakings the Sunnyvale private school has attempted. Not only is this musical going to play on campus instead of elsewhere in the Bay Area, but three separate casts have created the need for more than 1,000 Victorian-era costumes that parents are busy sewing and renting.
"Some professional theater companies in the area said that they wouldn't try doing Hello, Dolly! because of the costumes," says Becky Threewitt, a college and career advisor at The King's Academy. Threewitt's daughter is performing in the show, which will be staged nine times instead of the regular six. "Even when we were performing up at the College of San Mateo, we sold out every show. This time, we hope to draw from the local community," Threewitt says.
The King's Academy, which is located at the former site of Sunnyvale High School, didn't have access to the theater on its property for several years because a church held the lease. This year, the school finally got the lease, and now gets to set up the show nearby instead of scrambling to transport set pieces elsewhere.
"This is our debut in every respect," Threewitt says.
Another landmark of this show is that it will be the last for school drama director Chris Cabot, who will retire after serving at The King's Academy for 13 years. Her daughter, Katie, an alumna of The King's Academy and its drama program, will take over. "The Cabot tradition continues!" Threewitt says.
Katie will take over a program that prides itself on including all students who try out. When casting began last fall, about 60 students in grades six through 12 tried out for the show. All are featured in the production--many are part of the ensemble, which is the same for all nine shows, and three sets of principal actors and major dancers will rotate through.
The cast members may also find themselves a popular download on the Internet--the parents on the publicity committee are putting together a video to send to friends and family via email as an advertisement for the show. "We wanted to do something a little more professional," Threewitt says. "It's new technology that one of our dads is behind."
The cutting-edge technology provides a bit of a contrast to the subject matter of the show itself--Hello, Dolly! is based on Thornton Wilder's play The Matchmaker and is set in the 1800s.
Tickets are also available in a newfangled manner--on the Internet at www.tka.org. Performances will take place April 1416 and 2123, with matinees on April 15, 16 and 23.
Tickets are $8 for children and $10 for adults. In addition to Internet sales, tickets will also be available in the student activities office on The King's Academy campus located at 562 Britton Ave. in Sunnyvale.
For more information, call 408.481.9900.
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Photograph courtesy of Philip Bernosky