It's been quite a learning curve for Katie Everson, these past five months.
Not only is it her first year teaching, it's also her first time directing a school play.
Her treadmill started last September when she called for auditions for Seussical The Musical, a whacky cartoon production that runs until Feb. 12 at Centennial secondary in Coquitlam.
And it cranked up a week later with rehearsals starting in October "and we've been going ever since," she said. "We are totally exhausted."
The cast of 40 from her musical theatre class - plus musicians from Carole Baker's band and crew members - have practised every weekday, memorizing the lines, mastering the songs, perfecting the dance steps and figuring out where best to perform on the stage for their numbers.
In the meantime, Everson and choreographer Nicole Stevens have helped to create the animated, candy-coloured sets and sewn about 80 costumes - not to mention read a lot of Dr. Seuss books and watched his shows to find inspiration.
Everson also attended Carousel Theatre's recent Seussical the Musical in Vancouver, which director Carole Higgins stripped down to the basics.
"They did it completely differently," Everson said, adding she picked up ideas "like tightening up our story line. I felt that we were maybe having a bit too much fun."
Taking the lead of the Cat in the Hat is Aliya Boulanger, 17, a Grade 11 student who is no stranger to musical theatre at Centennial (last year, she portrayed loud-mouthed Mae in The Pajama Game, a show based on the novel 7 Cents by Richard Bissell).
Boulanger is "amazing. She has a lot of physical presence and is a natural. She has an excellent voice for speaking and for singing," Everson said.
It's a role Boulanger relishes. "It's really awesome because I get to be really creative," she said. "I play four sub-characters, too, so it's a lot of work."
Balancing her school studies and her theatrical load can be a challenge, she admits.
"My social life comes to a stop. I have to do my homework in between my breaks and late at night. It's totally exhausting but it's satisfying. When it's done, you think, 'What am I going to do with all this time?'"
To prepare for the part, Boulanger took tips from her parents, who are musically inclined, as well as her uncles: a musician and an acrobat, who taught her how to be more flexible with her body, she said, as the Cat in the Hat often leaps into action.
Told over 100 minutes and in two acts, Seussical matches the narrative of Horton Hears a Who!, focusing on the elephant's efforts to help the citizens of Who-ville.
The musical, which debuted on Broadway 11 years ago and iswritten by Stephen Flaherty, also features popular Seuss characters like Gertrude McFuzz (Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories); The Grinch (How the Grinch Stole Christmas); and Thing One and Thing Two (The Cat in the Hat).
Roan Wallace, 14, is the counterpoint to Boulanger's Cat, playing the character of Jojo, who is meant to represent childhood.
Taking on the pivotal role "is stressful because I'm one of the youngest in the cast," said the Grade 9 student, who studied at Coquitlam's Lindbjerg Academy of the Performing Arts for a year.
Still, "I like Jojo because she's kind of like who I am anyway: childlike and bubbly."
Before the show opened yesterday (Feb. 1), Everson said the production was already well-received, with tickets for the matinee performances for schools selling out in 12 minutes.
But that's the far-reaching appeal of Dr. Seuss' literature, she said.
"It's fun and we haven't done anything like this before at Centennial. We wanted to do something for the community and I hope they come out to see it."
Tickets for Centennial musical theatre class' Seussical the Musical are $13 in advance and $15 at the door for adults, and $10 in advance and $15 at the door for students. Call Centennial secondary school (570 Poirier St., Coquitlam) at 604-936-7205 for more information.
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