The TJ Theater Arts (TJTA) program completed auditions for the musical on Feb. 14. These auditions were held in the black box theater and coordinated by TJTA director Ms. Ohanian Myers and student leadership. Students selected in the audition process will participate in Jefferson’s Spring Musical, “Big Fish,” in April.
The “Big Fish” Musical is based on a novel by author Daniel Wallace and a film directed by Tim Burton. “Big Fish” tells the story of Will Bloom, a soon-to-be father, who wants to learn more about his own aging father, Edward Bloom. Audition workshops for “Big Fish” took place on January 27, while open auditions, callbacks, and pit orchestra auditions took place from February 6 to 14 in the black box theater.
There are many fascinating characters in the story. Sophomore Sara Fong was cast as an understudy for the character Josephine, Will’s wife, and also plays another role. An understudy prepares to play the character’s role if the original actor is unable to do so.
“I decided to audition as an actor because I love singing and dancing on stage,” Fong said.
Sophomore Ami Le will play the role of an Alabama Lamb, who will take part in the circus scene and be a featured dancer. In this role, Le will participate in different music numbers as a featured character and dancer.
“I love how there are so many emotions we can convey,” Le said.
Not all students will be characters though. Being part of TJTA student leadership, senior Asha Das will be serving as head choreographer. In this role, Das is responsible for creating and teaching dances in the show.
“I love to dance,” Das said. “I’m really looking forward to seeing some of the dance numbers come together, especially “Little Lamb from Alabama,” “Time Stops” and the circus scenes.”
Now that the audition process is complete, the TJTA students and Ohanian-Myers will work on rehearsing the show and building the stage setup. “Big Fish” will premiere at Jefferson from Apr 25 to 26 and May 2 to 3.
“It will be so cool to see the show come together, from dance numbers to songs and all the sets and props,” Le said.