Shows

The CAPA Marquee program is part of the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA). Because CAPA is a member of the Broadway League, Columbus is an official Regional Awards Program of The Jimmy Awards®/National High School Musical Theatre Awards®. CAPA sponsors the prestigious national program for high school musical theatre students through its local awards program—the CAPA Marquee Awards.

To be considered for participation in the CAPA Marquee Awards, schools must submit an online application and present a full-length musical from a list of Jimmy® Awards-approved productions between mid October – mid April (exact dates vary each year)..

OK, that’s a lot of information (pulled from the CAPA website), but what does it mean for Troupe 513?

• We pay a $150 entry fee for our Marquee musical to be considered in Marquee competition each year. If we are chosen to be considered, at some point during the run, three Marquee adjudicators will watch the show for consideration for awards. Here’s more specific information about the Marquee Awards process (And peep the pics of Troupe 513 kids!)
• Discounted tickets to CAPA Broadway shows. Because of Troupe 513’s involvement in the CAPA Marquee program, we receive information to buy tickets to Broadway in Columbus shows at a discount.
• Access for the students to participate in Marquee Broadway Master Classes. When many of the touring shows come to town, a company member will teach a master class. Enrollment is at first limited to one student from each Marquee school, but then spots open up and are first come, first served to students from Marquee schools. Here’s more information on the master classes.

Being a part of the CAPA Marquee program has a lot of benefits, as you can see. For the students participating in the Marquee musical, it’s the chance to perform on stage at the Ohio Theatre at the end of the year. Troupe 513 has had two Marquee winners in just the past five years (Caleb Jingo for lead actor in “Catch Me If You Can” in 2019 and Bella Price for lead actress in “Bright Star” in 2022).

Tech week is Seth’s favorite week of the show as a tech director because this is the week where the cast and crew merge and start to slowly piece everything together and work creatively as one to make a show feel like a show.

At South we tend to break down the week into various cue-to-cue days where we go moment by moment (or from cue to cue) through the show and work out every single small moment as a team and a company.

How does the set move with the actors dancing? When does the mic turn on? What lights turn on when? etc.

We’re working through the whole show VERY slowly to allow us to safely account for every aspect of the show before full dress runs start and the pit joins the fun. This is truly where all the strong individual parts of the show start to come together to make something even better than the sum of its parts! Live theatre is MAGICAL like that!

Scho Show is our annual “scholarship show” (see what we did there?). Run by our senior thespians, this show is always a lot of fun! Everyone from the producer, the director, the choreographer, the music director, and the band leaders are seniors. The troupe puts on the show in memory of Erin Mckenzie, a former troupe member. Also, all the funds raised are used for scholarships for seniors in our theatre troupe!

Anyone who wants to give being on stage a try is encouraged to audition – they take all comers! In fact, here’s what the Scho Show 2022 Insta account says about auditions:

“You can audition/sign up for singing, acting, dancing, band or tech. We want everyone to try out even if you don’t do theater, it’s a fun experience and everyone who tries out makes it in!”

What does Scho Show mean for us as parents/families/boosters?

The money raised at Scho Show goes directly to support troupe scholarships, which are presented in the spring at our end-of-year banquet. Our goal is to raise $5,000 from ticket sales, concessions, and the 50/50 raffle held that night.

So please encourage your kid/s to get involved in Scho Show in some way! And please buy tickets for yourself and your friends and family, share ticket information with your social networks, be ready to buy raffle tickets and concessions, and let’s show our seniors how much we love and support them!

At some point during the run of every Main Stage show, we have a company party for everyone involved in the production—performers, technicians, crew members, and student leaders alike.

Who is invited? Everyone involved in the show, so the cast, the run crew, the build crew, the paint crew … anyone! If you filled out a one-stop shop for the show, your kid should feel welcome at and included in the company party. (If your kid hesitates and says, “Oh, well, I didn’t do much,” or “I don’t know many people,” please encourage them to come! These parties are a lot of fun, and it’s really where the kids get to hang out and chill in a way different than during rehearsals.) We do ask that kids don’t bring guests, even if it’s a really fun Troupe 513 member. Company from that show only.

What will they do? Mostly they hang out, play games, eat, laugh, and get VERY loud. It’s so much fun to listen to all the noise these kids make.

Are they supervised? Yes, the parent(s) will be home, and they make the rounds and show their faces.

When does it start? Basically after the show, whenever the kids arrive. It is usually (but not always) after the Friday show. No one should feel rushed; they’ll have plenty of time to hang out and have fun.

What can my thespian bring? Sometimes a suggested list will go out by class. Example: seniors bring soda, juniors chips, etc.

NO NUTS!!

If you or your kid doesn’t have time to go shopping, no worries at all! We will have more than enough food, and no one will go hungry. Don’t let not bringing something be an excuse your kid uses to miss the party.

Who pays for the main food and dessert? You did! When you filled out the one-stop shop and sent in the money, $5 of that fee went into the company party fund. Thank you!

Where is it? Wolfe will send out the name of the hosting family and address prior to the show. If your thespian drives, please encourage them to offer a ride to a non-driver, if that’s something you’re comfortable with and is allowed.

When does it end? Usually the party ends around midnight, but kids leave these parties whenever their grownup tells them to, so please do what is best for you and your thespian if they need to leave earlier.

Things you can do to get ready for show week:

• Top of the need-to-know list is information around how to enter the school for all performances! Please enter through the “Home of the Wildcats” door that faces the parking lot off Illinois Avenue. Please tell your friends and family who are coming to the show, especially those who might be used to entering off Otterbein. The nice part about entering through the new main entrance (again, that’s the one off Illinois Avenue) is that you will come into the commons, which is where we’ll be taking and selling tickets, where we’ll be selling candy, snacks, shoutouts before the show and during intermission, and where the company will greet fans, friends, and family after the show.
• Buy your tickets! You can go to the link OR you can check out the Hometown Ticketing app! bit.ly/WSHStix
• Share about the show! Please post about the show on your various social media accounts, in any groups you’re a part of, with friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers! And when you see another person post about the show, please like and comment! Feel free to use any of the images we have shared on the facebook page.
• Sign up to help during show week
• Encourage your kiddo to hydrate and get sleep. Speaking of hydrate there is usually a big water jug available on show days backstage so encourage them to bring a reusable water bottle.
• There will be a company party (usually, but not always, Friday night)
• To buy tickets at the door, we accept cash or you can use your credit card to buy online. But to avoid those pesky fees, bring cash.
• For concessions, we accept cash or a contactless credit card. Theatre candy is $3; regular-size candy and water is $2; chips are $1.
• We’ll also be selling “split the pot” or 50/50 raffle tickets, so bring some cash to support Troupe 513 boosters. The winner splits the pot with the boosters.
• We’ll be selling candy grams for company members too. A candy gram can be purchased for $1, or you can add a shoutout to any purchased candy at the above price (no added cost).
• Show week is such an exciting time! The kids (and adults) have worked so hard, and now all that hard work pays off with terrific shows! Keep sharing the tickets and show information so we can pack the house! See you there!

Proscenium stage vs. Black Box

A proscenium stage is a traditional theater design that uses an architectural frame, called a proscenium arch, to separate the audience from the performers and frame the view of the stage. Our main auditorium seats 700+, but often seats are removed for the pit and in the case of Mamma Mia, an extended stage.

A black box theatre is a simple performance space, typically a square room with black walls and a flat floor.

Most of South’s shows have been on the traditional stage (Charlie Brown, Peter and the Starcatcher, Mamma Mia, etc). But we often use the black box format to achieve a more intimate space. Our black box is on the stage and uses risers to have seats set up on three sides of the performance space. The black box was used for Blood at the Root and Peerless, and is often used for student directed full length shows. The black box set up seats about 80.

Winter Cabaret is South Troupe 513’s annual variety show put on by the students. Any student can sign up for any kind of performance they want to give – some do short skits, some sing, some dance, some play instruments, some do it all! It’s a really fun evening, and you’ll see kids push themselves in doing things they don’t usually do. As Wolfe tells us, “It’s a chance for students to perform on stage, gain confidence and perform for one another.”

As you might know, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving has become Giving Tuesday, where various nonprofit groups ask for donations. You might have already received some emails or letters from groups you support preparing you for Giving Tuesday.

In the past few years, Troupe 513 Theatre Boosters has asked our supporters to participate in Giving Tuesday, with great results!

How you can help: Please, before Giving Tuesday (like, today would be great ) invite friends, family, and neighbors to join our public Facebook page. This public page makes creating events and sharing posts about Giving Tuesday very easy, as all those posts can be shared much more easily than they can be from our private booster group. You can explain that the public page gives your friends, family, and neighbors an easy way to stay updated on Troupe 513 events and links to buy tickets to our wonderful shows, etc.

Here’s the public Facebook page

Share the Giving Tuesday posts: Please share at least one (but more/all would be even better) post on your personal page on Giving Tuesday. The earlier in the day, the better. And when you share, you could include what Troupe 513 means to yourself and your kid/s. As we get closer to Giving Tuesday, please keep an eye on out for further instructions. And if you have any ideas of how to promote Giving Tuesday in support of Troupe 513, please share them.

The BHM show is written, choreographed, directed, and performed by students. The BHM show is put on each year by a club, and that club is separate from Troupe 513 and from our boosters. It’s a fantastic show, and we are so glad to support the BHM company!

Theatremas is a fun way for our troupe members to spend time together outside a show. It brings together ALL the troupe kids, so please encourage your thespian to join the fun!

The kids gather in the auditorium. There will be some kind of treat and a white elephant gift exchange.

To be part of the gift exchange where kids can “steal” presents from each other, students just need to bring in a gift that costs $10 max! If a student needs help getting a gift, they should please talk to Wolfe. He always has extras, but he’ll want to make sure everyone is covered.

And tell your thespian to wear their best “ugly holiday” sweater/shirt/sweatshirt/outfit!