Waiheke Island Choral Society

P O Box 333, Oneroa, Waiheke Island 1840, New Zealand

This year is the choir’s 40th anniversary, so we’ve decided to do a big Musical Extravaganza to celebrate. This is the musical to end all musicals:

The Sound of Music

We're starting this Sunday, September 20th, 2015, at Artworks from 10 till 12 with an introduction to the show which has some differences to the film. Please come along and show your interest and find out what it's all about.

We need a good orchestra too to play that wonderful Sound of Music music. Anyone like to do that? We have a piano, violin and clarinet so far. A flute, brass instrument, more strings would be excellent. Please share this request. And don't forget our first session on

So then our first auditions for children will be on Sunday September 27th at 10 – 12 and 1 – 3 at Artworks and then the following Sunday at 1 - 3 for adults and any call back on 11th October. We are hoping for a good turnout of local talent. The shows will be staged in June.

I saw a wonderful staged version of it in Auckland this year and it was amazingly well done. Well now we’re going to do our own Waiheke version. A production to rival our past show stoppers, The King and I, The Mikado, Oklahoma, Pirates of Penzance and Fiddler on the Roof to name but a few.

I remember seeing the film when it came out in 1965! I was 12. The songs are timeless though. Great numbers we all know and love, like, “The Sound of Music” of course, “Do Re Mi”, “These are a Few of My Favourite Things”, “Edelweiss”, and of course the great Abbess’s song “Climb Every Mountain”. I’m sure the audience will be singing along to them all.

There’s obviously a lot of enthusiasm out there to do this one. We already have the rights for the show and we will be holding workshops for anyone interested in being a part of the show and this will start before the end of the year to begin the process of putting the show together.

We need some enthusiastic helpers for props, set design and construction, sound and lighting, costumes, makeup, back stage or of course, Cast and Director. Kristen Sorensen has already volunteered to do our costume design; she is amazing. A small orchestra would be a great addition to the show too.

We’re also looking for some sponsorship for the show which will run for a season to cater for the expected huge audiences. Please let us know what or how you would like to sponsor the show.

We will have a double cast of children so we need at least 13 children for the parts. Liesl, the oldest girl, will be played by one young lady around 16 to 20 years of age. And of course for the main part we will need a Maria to charm the children and sing some of those wonderful Rogers and Hammerstein songs. Maria’s age will be mid 20s to mid 30s. Movement is an important part of the show and those with the best chance of getting a part will be able to demonstrate an ability to sing, move freely on stage and be able to learn some simple dance steps.

And for some History.

The musical is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers. The original Broadway production, starring Mary Martin and Theodore Bikel, opened on November 16, 1959. The original London production opened at The Palace Theatre on May 18, 1961. It was adapted as a 1965 film musical starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, which won five Academy Awards. The Sound of Music was the final musical written by Rodgers and Hammerstein; Oscar Hammerstein died of cancer nine months after the Broadway premiere.

Details of the history of the von Trapp family were altered for the musical. The real Georg Ludwig von Trapp did live with his family in a villa in Aigen, a suburb of Salzburg, and Maria von Trapp (born Maria Augusta Kutschera) had been sent to be a tutor to one of the children. Lindsay and Crouse altered the story so that Maria was governess to all of them. The names and ages of the children were also altered, as was Maria's original surname (the show used "Rainer" instead of "Kutschera"). The von Trapps spent some years in Austria after Maria and the Captain married and was offered a commission to Germany's navy. Since Von Trapp opposed the Nazis by that time, the family left Austria after the Anschluss, going by train to Italy and then traveling on to London and the United States. To make the story more dramatic, Lindsay and Crouse had the family, soon after Maria's and the Captain's wedding, escape over the mountains to Switzerland on foot.

If you’re interested in being part of this please call Andy Spence on 372 9333 or 021 027 11631 or just come along to Artworks.

And, finally, at the end of the year we are intending to stage Carmina Burana with Kathy Ogletree doing the choreography and the choir singing the chorus.

Regards

Andy Spence – Director