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Arts & Entertainment

Lynbrook High School Presents Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Opens Friday; new production team excited about first show together.

Lynbrook High School's production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is the result of a "good collaborative effort" among the new production team, according to Tom Santacapita, assistant director of the show and veteran English teacher at Lynbrook High School.

"It certainly was a collaborative effort, and it turned out really well," he said. "The production staff now is all teachers from the school, whereas before we had some outsiders."

The sense of collaboration among the new production crew was echoed by Joseph Pallotta, director of Fine and Performing Arts for the district and the orchestra director for the musical.

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"It's been a nice experience," he said.

At the helm of the production is director Jill Speiser, Lynbrook High School alumnus and current English teacher. Speiser's love of theater had its inception on the LHS stage, having participated in the plays while a student. She went on to major in theater at Syracuse University, but then decided to teach, and went back to school to receive her master's degree from NYU. This is her first production as director at the high school, but has been teaching English there for 10 years, and she is excited to once again be a part of the creative process.

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"This opportunity came up, and I thought it would be great to have [theater] back in my life again and be involved instead of just being an observer," she said.

Choosing Joseph as her first production started with a personal familiarity and enjoyment of the show and music.

"It started with what would be enjoyable for me to work with," she said, "and then we had to think about how many boys would try out because it's a male-heavy show, and once we found out we had a lot of boys interested, we thought we could try it, and then Sue [Sussman], the musical director, was excited about it so it felt like a good fit."

The lack of drama classes in the high school presents a unique challenge for Speiser and the production staff, since the rehearsals have to double as acting classes. The theater program is limited to the Drama Club, she said, and the theater education is limited to what can occur at rehearsals. Speiser said that she tries to include some exercises, such as improvisations, but time restraints prevent a full drama education from taking place.

"In the future, if we had more time, I would like to do more of a learning process rather than focusing on getting the product done, and making it more of a workshop atmosphere," she said. "This is my first year, so I'm just trying to get through the play."

The production team is only one part of the complex machine that makes a show come alive. The cast consists of students who have dedicated their evenings to theater since the start of the school year. Damaris Arroyave, a 10th grader at Lynbrook High School, is a member of the ensemble, and has been in productions at St. Raymond's and .

"It takes a lot of work and effort and everyone in the cast is excellent," she said. "I have high hopes. I'm excited."

Twelfth-grader Mike Fernez plays the title role of Joseph and has been participating in the productions at the high school since he was in 10th grade. His other shows include The Sound of Music, Arsenic and Old Lace, and Pippin. He said that Joseph is his first lead role, and he enjoys being able to combine acting, singing, and dancing.

"The hardest thing is putting it all together," he said. "We learn all the songs and then the choreography, and then we have to make it all into one show. That's really tough. You have to know exactly where you're going and where you're not going."

Fernez is still undecided as to which college he will be attending, but he is certain that a drama club will be part of his college plans. As far as after college is concerned, "I don't really see myself as being an actor," he said. "But hey, that'd be nice."

As the production crew, orchestra, and technical crew prepare for Wednesday night's dress rehearsal, Speiser speaks to her cast and reminds them to stay in character, be full of energy, and above all, "Have fun with it. This isn't Hamlet."

Though the dress rehearsals will keep her, the production staff, the cast and the crew in the high school auditorium until at least 10:30pm every night this week, she still maintains that "It will all be worth it in the end."

Performances of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat will take place at the Lynbrook High School Branciforte Auditorium on Nov. 19 at 12 p.m., Nov. 20 at 8 p.m., with a matinee performance on Nov. 21 at 3 p.m. (please note that the time for the Nov. 19 show was changed from 8 p.m. and will only be for North and South Middle 6th graders and Lynbrook senior citizens). Tickets are $10. For reservations call (516) 887-0223.

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