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Conjunction Junction …What’s Your Function’?
PRMS Drama Club to Address These Grammatical Questions & More In Production of ‘Schoolhouse Rock Live! Jr.’
GIBSONIA, Pine-Richland School District will hit the books when students from the PRMS Drama Club teach history, grammar, and math through clever and tuneful songs in their production of Schoolhouse Rock Live! JR.,that will be aired via video through an on-demand stream via a device of your choice on May 21 through June 9, 2021. Details on how to stream will be shared on May 17, 2021, via https://www.showtix4u.com/
events/PRMSMusical ($3 fee to stream). On May 24, 2021, PRMS faculty and staff may take advantage of an exclusive theatrical screening. Pine-Richland Middle School followed COVID-19 safety protocols and is able to transition an entire musical from the stage to a streaming video production.
The production staff decided early on that it wanted to create something for their students which resembled a show performed during any other year.
“Basically, they wanted/needed to put safety first and still make it appear the film was made pre, or post-pandemic,” said Mr. Bill Clack, musical director. “That meant devising a multi (multi) step shooting schedule and transforming the high school stage into one of the Pittsburgh region’s largest chroma-key studios.”
Each in-person cast member was able to perform his/her part solo on stage without a mask. When needed, cast members maintained a 6-8 foot distance from others, while wearing masks. Virtual cast members, including two leads, performed on green screens at home. This workflow was utilized for all 12 songs in the show. Often this spawned three dozen separately recorded video clips for a single scene. All those layers are being edited together to make one “seamless” piece. PRMS and PRHS art students drew and/or painted the background images and some props that were later digitally added behind the actors.
“Many of us remember Schoolhouse Rock as the Emmy Award-winning Saturday morning cartoon series that taught children how to unpack their adjectives, memorize the Preamble to the Constitution, and discover that ‘Three is a Magic Number,’” said Chief Executive Officer & President Drew Cohen, from Music Theatre International. “These episodes covered grammar, history, science, social studies, and math in such a fun manner that the series became a pop culture phenomenon. Pine-Richland Middle School students are bringing that same spirit of fellowship, excitement and curiosity to their stage production and are exploring school subjects in a whole new way while doing so. We think they deserve a standing ovation from the community for all their work.”
Based on the popular television show, Schoolhouse Rock Live! is a fun and educational show that teaches students and audiences of all ages that learning is fun. The show features music and lyrics by Bob Dorough, Dave Frishberg, George Newall, Kathy Mandry, Lynn Ahrens, and Tom Yohe; and a book by George Keating, Kyle Hall, and Scott Ferguson.
Tom, a school teacher nervous about his first day of teaching, tries to relax by watching TV. Suddenly, the Schoolhouse Rock kids appear on his computer monitor and proceed to show him how to win his students over with imagination and music. The beloved Schoolhouse Rock songs include "A Noun Is a Person, Place, or Thing," "Three Is a Magic Number," and "Unpack Your Adjectives."
