To give you a basis for comparison, the cast of 'Mary Poppins' (a professional show with which Joey was also involved, albeit as a musician) began their rehearsals in October 2015, with the show running from February 19th through March 12th. They rehearsed for nearly four and a half months. And, except for the two child actors, they were all adults.
'13' - which was also a full length production but starring kids - rehearsed from January 20th until the first show, April 4th. That was two and a half months.
This latest show, 'Willy Wonka,' took three and a half weeks from start to finish. The only milestones that transpired before the 4th of July were auditions and casting.
The cast first met and received their scripts on July 5th. Two weeks later, they were already operating off script - meaning that they had the entire two hour show memorized. Most of the third week was spent on details and choreography. Dress rehearsals and final tweeking took place on the 25th, 26th and 27th, and the show debuted July 28th. The whole thing wrapped up and the set was torn down on July 30th.
That's remarkable.
Just over 900 people attended, and the show raised about $12,000 to cover expenses and bolster the area's drama program. That might not sound like much, but except for the parents who built the set, there were only four adults involved: The director, the music director, the choral director and the costume designer.
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