By Leah Veldhuisen ’19
Ever wish you could sing along with one of your favorite musicals? A new blockly event on campus provides the opportunity for the campus community to come together in song.
Organized by Alec Sarche ’17, the Musical Sing-through Group is a group of students (faculty and staff can also join if interested) meeting each block to read and sing through popular musical scripts. There is no audition process, and the meetings are open to anyone who can read and wants to sing. The atmosphere of the read-throughs will be casual, and is meant to diversify means of performance on campus. It will provide a place for students of all experience levels to read through a play in front of an informal audience of anyone who wants to listen. The MSTG held its first event, performing “Westside Story” Wednesday, Feb. 8, in Taylor Theatre.
As the artistic director for CC’s Theatre Workshop, Sarche says that the “world of theatre on campus is deep and rich and wide,” but putting on a full-scale musical is exceedingly difficult. The financial, musician, and cast requirements are a lot, and the Musical Sing-through Group will be able to “bring musicals to CC with a speed and breadth that other departments can’t match.” The only resources these performances require are people and scripts, allowing them to proceed regardless of other circumstances.
In addition to speed and ease of performance, the group’s accessibility is something Sarche is proud of. He says that he aims to provide a “completely unintimidating performance environment” for people “who may never have been onstage in their lives get to do a show in front of their friends without having to worry if they are any good.” No one will be turned away from the read-throughs.
Although the performance opportunities at CC are vast, this group is slightly different in its goals. The focus of the group is not to ever have finished, polished productions, but just to have fun “throwing yourself at a show that you either know a little of or have never heard of before,” Sarche says. Stay tuned to the Campus Calendar for MSTG events happening once a block.
Genius idea! I can see how this would be very fun and therapeutic for many people as well as have persons who may never have any sort of exposure to this medium learn something new.