The Cast of Shout! and their choreographer. From left to right: Heather Tatro, Annie Annie Kohlerschmidt, Shannon Kelly, Erica Harris, Nicole Bauso, Shannon Gaffney, Julia Furlipa, Kristina Horan.
Seven mics are lined up on the stage of Manhattanville’s Little Theatre. Behind them, a rock band, complete with guitar, drums, piano and synth, warms up for the night. As the clock inches closer to 8pm, seven girls are applying eyeshadow, doing lip trills and tongue twisters, and using more hairspray than thought humanly possible. Of course, they are preparing for none other than this year’s fall revue– Shout! The Mod Musical.
This show travels through time from 1960-1970, portraying the journey of seven young women. It chronicles their friendship, as they attempt to muddle through a world of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll. The girls each represent a trend of life embraced in the mod 1960’s, from the nuclear family, to Beatlemania.
The show is led by stellar direction and a great production team. Co-Director, Mark Cherry, has a rich and extremely impressive history in theatre, with professional credits ranging from the Off-Broadway musical Nunsense, to co-writing and musically directing An Evening with Brett Somers. In addition, he has taught workshops at Yale University and CAP21 Conservatory in New York. “The students are learning music that was from my generation and I love passing that on,” says Cherry. “Although most of the songs are happy and fun, the students learned about the Vietnam war, the civil rights movement, the gay liberation movement, and women’s liberation movement that happened in the sixties. I always want to do shows where the students have to relate what they are doing to society and history and not just get on stage and look pretty. I feel like that is part of what we do at Manhattanville.”
Beverly Meyer, co-director, is also highly accomplished in the theatre realm. As an NYU theatre grad, she performed many prestigious roles in regional and stock theatre, including Fanny in Funny Girl and Eliza in My Fair Lady. In addition, she has worked on Broadway, the New York City Ballet, and the New York City Opera, as a Wardrobe Supervisor.
In addition to this, the cast had an amazing surprise of working with Nicole Bauso, a member of Manhattanville’s Class of 2012. She shared her experiences working in the arts, and offered great choreography and advice.
Julia Furlipa, a junior English Literature/Education major and Theatre minor, portrays the ominous Voice of Shout, who guides the girls to the latest 60’s trends. “Ever since I was three, I have been onstage performing,” she says. “Coming to a college where I get to continue my passion is exhilarating!” Although Julia has been seen before on the Manhattanville stage in Tartuffe and Our Town, this is her first musical production at the college. “It has been such a fun experience!” she says. “I enjoy working with people who are dedicated to performing, as well as willing to have fun.”
Shannon Kelly, Kristina Horan, Erica Harris, Annie Kohlerschmitt, and Heather Tatro, all musical theatre majors, take the Manhattanville stage after their highly praised performances in The Roar of the Greasepaint, the Smell of the Crowd last spring, while Shannon Gaffney is excited to make her Manahttanville stage debut. In addition to their busy rehearsal schedules for the musical, they take part in many other activities on campus. After tech rehearsals, one might have seen Kristina going straight to Dance Troupe, Manhattanville’s auditioned dance team, or Erica going straight to MIMO, the auditioned hip hop dance team. Perhaps you may have seen Annie up in the light booth for The Diary of Anne Frank, or Shannon Kelly performing with the Manhattanville College Women’s Chamber Ensemble. Maybe you recognize Heather from her remarkable performance in Our Town last year. Shannon Gaffney performs with Manhattanville Sound, the all-girls pop a Capella group on campus, in addition to many of the classical vocal groups. It is clear that the Music, Dance, and Theatre departments at Manhattanville are buzzing with variety. Everyone is encouraged to work outside of their comfort zone, and get to know every aspect of the art and the industry.
You have one more chance to see this great show– this Saturday, October 24th at 8pm! Call (914) 323-5109 to reserve your seat today. General Admission is $10, and Student/Senior Tickets are $5.