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High SchoolYTßOTl
The play's the thing
lust ask Thomas Schumacher^ y-., fi
admit one
BY BRIAN TRUITT
M M ■ F YOU TAKE all of the major spoils teams
H in New York and put them together, Broad-
I way sells more tickets. But more than that,
■ theater is our shared language.”
So claims Thomas Schumacher. And he should know
He’s the producer behind the biggest Broadway beast
ever, the blockbuster Disney show The Lion King, which
has grossed an estimated $3 billion worldwide. As one
of the country’s leading Broadway boosters and now
president of Disney Theatrical Productions, Schumacher
wants to spread the gospel all the way into America’s
school auditoriums.
His new book, Hoi v Does the Show Go On ?, is a. primer
on everything you always wanted to know about the
theater but never asked, written with children in mind.
It opens like a stage curtain from the middle and
introduces young readers to the range of crafts behind
all that Broadway dazzle, from the lobby to the back
stage marvels of makeup and costumes. Plus, what’s a
theater book without some theater lore, such as the ori
gins of the word “box office,” the definition of a “swing”
actor and why people never utter the word “Macbeth”
inside a theater? (Shhh! It’s cursed!)
Inherent in Schumacher’s message is that theater
isn’t just for actors or, for that matter, adults. In
stead, it’s a colorful and fantastic part of the American
HSM
26
USA WEEKEND • Nov. 30-Dec. 2,2007
Is your show our next winner? Enter the USA WEEKEND Showstopper contest!
Is your high school's musical
a winner? Tell us.
High school students, parents
and schools are invited to strut
their stuff by entering our second
annual HSM Showstopper event,
the only national recognition of
I Jj
rI
From stage to book: The producer
of Broadway's The Lion King has
written a theater how-to book for kids, out now.
outstanding high school musicals.
Any high school musical mounted
during the 2007-08 school year
is eligible. The winning show
will be announced and featured
in a late spring issue of
USA WEEKEND Magazine!
aNOiiwav
landscape for all ages and a catalyst that brings
communities together, with professionals, amateurs and
audiences. In other words, theater is a lot bigger than
most might think, he says. And young people can be
the beneficiaries.
“If you’re a kid and you get a chance to be a part of
a play, whether you’re on stage or offstage, whether
you build scenery or help with costume changes or do
makeup or work with the lighting crew, you’re part of
a team that is working together,” Schumacher says.
Unfortunately, he laments, all is not well in today’s
magical world of school theater: “Today, there are high
school musicals being done at a level far superior than
anything in my generation. That said, there is much
less being done today than back then.”
Schumacher’s own theater experience began in grade
school. By the time he w r as in high school, he was
acting in such classics as The Music Man and even
directing community productions. “Literally, at the same
time one set of kids were outside playing Pop Warner
football,” Schumacher, 49, recalls, “I was in the theater
learning how to tap dance.”
Now, he’s doing what he loves. “I really believe in
these school programs,” Schumacher says. And he is
steadfast in the belief that arts curricula are critical to
nu
more about it and go be in a play in your community.
It’s not about becoming an actor it’s becoming part
of the theater.”
PLUS: Is your school performing
the smash Disney hit High School
Musical ? USA WEEKEND Magazine is
partnering with Disney Theatrical
Productions (DTP) to award a
special HSM winner. DTP produces
or licenses live entertainment
a child’s development. Kids learn about
what they can do in a theatrical setting
and see it as a career, a hobby and a fam
ily. Not to mention that among a certain
school-age set, Disney’s hit High School
Musical movies have again made it cool to
be involved in musical theater “for pretty
much everybody,” he says.
“You don’t have to be the tallest, you
don’t have to be the prettiest, and you
don’t have to be the best dancer,” Schu-
macher says. “But I always tell kids to learn
events, including the new touring
stage production of High School
Musical, that reach an annual global
audience of more than 20 million
people in more than 40 countries.
For details and entry forms, go to
usaweekend.com. ca
I HI LION KINO: PER BHtlt HAGEN