They aren’t called intensives for nothing.
A class of Patel Conservatory theater students is currently immersed in rehearsals for a production of Shakespearean spoof Something Rotten! The rehearsals follow a week of master classes and guest artists, theater professionals with real-world experience.
The students are enrolled in Patel’s Broadway Intensive, a four-week program that culminates with performances of Something Rotten! on the Ferguson Hall stage.
“Our guest artists taught skills the students will bring directly to the stage in Something Rotten!,” said Michelle Petrucci, chair of Patel’s theater department and the director of Something Rotten!
Many of the guest artists are based in the Tampa Bay area, including Alexis Carra, Justin Gomlak Greer, Heather Tepe and Scott Difford.
“They are all are all Broadway vets local to the Tampa area which is a huge resource for us,” Michelle said.
Another guest artist, Fran Werner, is a Tampa native as well as a former student at Patel, where she studied dance, theater and voice. She’s also choreographing Something Rotten!
“Fran gave a class on choreography improv which the kids loved,” Michelle said. “She fostered an environment that gave students the freedom to find their own unique styles of movement.”
Michelle gave a master class on tap dancing, “to get everyone up to speed for the tap numbers in the show.”
Heather, Michelle said, “gave an awesome master class on what it means to be a ‘swing’ in a musical theater ensemble, giving tips and tricks to notate tracks and choreography.” One of the most demanding of tasks, a swing is a cast member who must be ready to cover for any member of the ensemble who is unable to perform.
After a week of master classes and demonstrations, the students are now “in the thick of rehearsals,” Michelle said, learning lyrics, choreography and blocking.
It’s a revamped version of Patel’s Broadway Intensive, which in previous years was a two-week program. This new model culminates in a professionally-produced presentation of Something Rotten!, a 2015 musical which takes place in the late 16th Century when Shakespeare was the hottest name in theater.
That being the case, Shakespeare (who’s a character in the musical) is a thorn in the side of Nick and Nigel Bottom, brothers and playwrights, who seem to find themselves always a step or two behind The Bard. When they hear a prediction that the next theatrical trend will be musicals, they think they may finally have a way to escape Shakespeare’s shadow.
Audiences can see the fruits of the students’ (and instructors’) labors when Something Rotten! is presented Friday, June 27 at 7 p.m., and on Saturday, June 28 at 2 and 7 p.m. Performances take place in Ferguson Hall. For tickets or more information, visit our website or call (813) 229-7827.