I’ve got chills and, as I walk through the door to Gozo’s beautiful Astra Theatre and let myself backstage where auditions for Grease – The Musical are taking place, they are multiplying.
Because La Stella Philharmonic Society is attempting bring a bit of a different sound to Gozo by producing an internationally-acclaimed musical – the original Grease, as pinned by the great Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey.
As I walk backstage, I get a glimpse of the audition setup. A long table stands, stage front and centre, looking rather imposing from where I’m standing – together with other theatre hopefuls – are placed under the glare of warm spotlights. Compounding the feeling is the watchful gaze of some top-tier directors, each a respected name in theatre circles, who have turned judges for the day.
Chris GattI’m greeted by Michael Formosa, part of the team of people behind the production of the musical.
“Please, make yourself comfortable, the judges are just tallying up everybody’s score and are assigning roles for the musical. They will be with you shortly,” he instructs me and the other hopefuls.
It is immediately obvious that this is a highly-professional setup. One needs only look at the directors’ line-up to see that the show’s producers are aiming very high. Live music will be directed by Sigmund Mifsud, one of the island’s best-known orchestral conductors and a key player behind Rockestra. Singer Julie Zahra will step in as vocal coach, bringing years of both local and international vocal experience to the table and making sure all the artists’ voices are well polished for the production. Choreography is being coordinated by Natalie Scortino of Centre Stage dance academy fame. And, the cherry on the cake, Chris Gatt has taken over artistic direction and his opening words send a pretty clear message.
“This isn’t a secondary school production,” Chris says. “It’s a fully-blown, live musical. And we are setting the bar very high. After all, this is Grease we are talking about, it’s a legend.”
I believe that a bit of pressure – such as short rehearsal time – helps everybody focus on getting the job done
The enthusiasm in his voice gets me excited. “This theatre is so beautiful. On the sister island, production houses would kill to have the facilities you have here,” he says.
What I’m attending is a very heavily-promoted open audition in order to establish the show’s cast. Why did they choose this route?
“We could have just cast the whole show from people that we know can really deliver a fantastic performance,” says Sigmund. Antonella Zammit, stage manager, chips in: “But we wanted to open up the audition to everyone. There is a lot of undiscovered talent. People have this fantastic opportunity to work with some very talented directors – which is rare, especially for Gozo. We are servicing the limited local arts sector because we believe in it!”
The final cast and crew are expected to be announced shortly. But, are the directors happy with the level that these auditions have revealed?
“Auditions are painful and not just for the applicants. I have directed more musicals than I care to remember and, yet, I was so apprehensive that I didn’t sleep last night. The talent at your disposal is what makes or breaks the level of your show. We were satisfied with the level of talent we saw today – however, less so with the number of applicants. I still think that some people get nervous and end up not applying because of the whole audition process,” says Chris.
“What can I say? Everybody forming part of the cast is in for an exciting time – but they will need to work hard and we will make sure they do. A musical is a whole different beast from your usual theatre or dance production. It involves acting, singing, dancing and such a massive organisation both on and offstage. It is our job to make all of this look easy and effortless – but trust me – it isn’t.”
Which somewhat begs the question. How does Chris and his team expect to pull off a full-blown, large-scale musical with less than two months of rehearsal time?
“You never have enough time,” Chris says. “And, although this is a first for Gozo, we do have a top notch team that I know can pull it off.”
Sigmund continues: “In today’s world, where everybody is so busy with their own commitments, I believe that a bit of pressure – such as short rehearsal time – helps everybody focus on getting the job done.”
At this point, Chris highlights the fact that the production team does not have the big budget, reputations or audiences one would have for a similar production abroad.
“Still, this is something that can really take off. It can only grow from here – that’s why the pressure is on us to pull off a great first show. We need to really work hard, but the end result will be worth it,” Chris says. “All we need to do now is get the word out – grease being the word, of course.”
Grease – The Musical takes place on April 16 at 8pm at the Astra Theatre, Victoria. Tickets are available by calling 9902 1591 or sending an e-mail to info@lastella.com.mt.