Caryn Ott-Hillman, Teen Director, COT for Teens
This is the first song of the show LEGALLY BLONDE and I think it
sums up this semester for Chicago Opera Theater @ Senn. There were so
many great things that occurred that helped this program continue to grow since
starting this past summer.
First off, I have never had so many students audition for this ASM's Chicago Opera Theater for Teens before. Being that Senn is a Performing Arts School without a Musical Theater program, there are a plethora of students just chumping at the bit to get a chance to do musical. With that, Dan Riley and I gathered the cream of the crop of students to put together the show LEGALLY BLONDE. This show is a surprise favorite among young people now a days. It is an empowering, self-discovery story decorated with a lot of pink fluff and sparkles.
The music is surprisingly challenging because of
its contemporary sound and rhythm...but that did not stop Mr. Riley from
pushing these teens. Our cast totally stepped up to the plate and
buckled down - I was so proud of them.
For the dancing, I had
a blast choreographing some hip hop moves to live up to all the high-energy
music of the show. The teens loved it
the most when I asked them to slide on the floor in the song “So Much
Better.”
This semester, we also collaborated with 2
other ASM programs. The Sceneographers
helped create our set back drops and Sullivan’s Improv performed with us when
we went to their school to put on our show.
It is really a big eye-opening for our teens to see how other ASM
classes function. Plus, they can all
appreciate other teens’ efforts in other areas.
I was so thankful to have our ASM program specialist – Sterling Goodrich
– connect us with these other programs!
It was such a fun show and the best, as
always, is how they all come together in the last week or so because their
focus is real. They bond over the scary
excitement of performing! We are so
lucky that we end each semester with the teens coming together as a unit -
being proud of all their hard work!
