Vicksburg Theatre Guild set to return with ‘The Sound of Music’

Published 1:41 pm Friday, May 22, 2020

As sheltering in place restrictions are lifted and businesses begin to open back up, the Vicksburg Theatre Guild is also ready to get the show on the road. “We are crawling back from under a rock,” VTG secretary Mike Calnan said.

The group’s first main stage production following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic will be “The Sound of Music.”

Auditions for the musical will be held Wednesday and Thursday from 6-to-8 p.m. and again Friday from 10 a.m. to noon. Auditions will be held at the Parkside Playhouse Theatre, 101 Iowa Ave.

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Casting will include parts for males ages eight to 80, females ages four to 70, and a chorus of nuns ages 16 and older.

Those auditioning, Calnan said, will need to be prepared to perform a song from “The Sound of Music.”

“There will also be a small number of non-singing parts,” he said.

In compliance with the social distancing guidlines Calnan said a maximum of 10 auditioning actors will be allowed in the lobby at one time. Social distancing will also be requested while in the auditorium and auditioning actors will exit through the auditorium doors.

“We will make modifications in accordance with additional municipal guidance,” he said.

The musical will be directed by Dr. Paul Ballard and rehearsals will be held Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

In addition to Ballard, Dorothy Brasfield, who is the organist at the Church of the Holy Trinity, Episcopal, a board member of the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra and director of the Conservatory of Fine Arts in Vicksburg will be in charge of the live orchestra for the musical. Sharon Penley, director for the First Presbyterian Church in Vicksburg and the Vicksburg Chamber choir, will be lending her expertise with the nun chorus.

Chesley Lambiotte, the performing arts teacher at the Vicksburg Catholic School, will help with choreography and Katie Hoitt, the choir director at the Academy of Innovation and the Mississippi Boychoir, will assist with the children in the production.

Ballard said he is excited to have these professionals assisting with the production.

VTG performances of “The Sound of Music will be held Aug. 21-23 and 27-30.

“The Sound of Music” was written by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein ll and is based on the real-life story of the Von Trapp family singers.

The original Broadway production opened in 1959 and won five Tony Awards including Best Musical. In 1965, it was adapted into a film musical starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer and won five Academy Awards.

Some of the most beloved and iconic songs from the musical include “Edelweiss, “My Favorite Things,” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “Do-Re-Mi” and the title song “The Sound of Music.”

For more information about auditions, email vicksburg.theatre@gmail.com.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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