PERFORMANCE GUIDE TO
Scenic & Props Designer
Natalie Rose Mabry
Choreographer
Vasthy Mompoint
Stage Manager
Dylan Gellett
Director of Education
Steven Calakos
Lighting Designer
Elizabeth Knudson
Sound Designer
Owen True
Assistant Choreographer
Alyson Snyder
Assistant Stage Manager
Meredith Singleton
COO & Managing Director
Joel Markus
Director
Veronica Ostroski
Costume Designer
Helen Dominguez
Music Director
Kennedy McAllister
Director of Production
Ray Inkel
CEO & Producing Artistic Director
Kristen Coury
ThecastofThe25thAnnualPutnamCountySpellingBee,2023,photographbyMatthewSchipper
2024 - 2025 Fall & Winter Conservatory
Anything Goes: Youth Edition (Ages 10 - 18)
Mon/Wed, Sept. 4 - Dec. 11, 2024 | 5PM - 8PM
Performances: Dec. 13 - 15 | 5PM - 8PM
Tuition: $750
Be part of Gulfshore Playhouse history by performing in the first Conservatory production in the Baker Theatre and Education Center!
Private Vocal Lessons
Mondays | 3PM - 6PM 30/45 minute classes
Gulfshore Playhouse is excited to work with Christy TarrMcVey (Broadway’s The Who’s Tommy, Jekyll and Hyde) to provide vocal lessons to our students. Beginner, Intermediate/Advanced Classes and packages available.
Private Acting Lessons
Available as Needed 60 minute classes
Gulfshore Playhouse Education offers private acting lessons for Conservatory students of all ages. 5-lesson and 10-lesson packages available.
2024 - 2025 Fall & Winter Conservatory
BroadwayBootcamp:GoldenAge(Ages8-13)
Weds.Jan.5-Feb.5|5:30PM-7:30PM Tuition:$150
Takeastepintomusicaltheatrehistorywithusinthisbootcampfocusedonthe classics!StudentswilllearnmusicandchoreographytosomeofBroadway’s classicshows,likeByeByeBirdie,Oliver!,andTheSoundofMusic.Theweekwill culminateinashowcaseperformanceforfamilyandfriends.
StoryExplorers:OutofThisWorld(Ages5-7)
Weds.Jan.8-Feb.5|5:30PM-7:30PM Tuition:$150
Ledbyexperiencedinstructors,participantsembarkoncosmicadventures, creatingfantasticalworldsthroughinteractivegames,storytelling,and improvisation culminatinginaspace-themedmusicaltheatrerevueforfamily andfriends.
StoryExplorers:HappilyHaunted(Ages5-7)
Tuesdays,October1-29,2024|5:30PM-7:30PM Tuition:$150
ThisclassputsyourstudentintheHalloweenspiritastheyexploreahappily hauntedhouse.StudentswilllearnallaboutstorytellingandtheActors’Toolbox throughdrama,music,andartactivitiesandtheircollaborativeeffortswillbe showcasedinasharingeventforfriendsandfamilyonthefinaldayofclass.
TheWonderfulWizardofOz(Ages6-9)
Mon-Thurs,Nov.4-21|5:30PM-7:30PM PerformancesNov.21-23Tuition:$300
Youngactorswillcollaborate,learn,andgrowinasupportiveanddynamic environment.Theprogramendswitha30-minuteproductionofTheWonderful WizardofOzthatcelebratestheirdedication,creativity,andgrowthonstage.
To register and for more information contact Director of Education, Steven Calakos at scalakos@gulfshoreplayhouse.org or 239.261.7529 ext. 207
About the Director About the Director
Veronica Ostroski (Director) is a director, actor, and teaching artist who specializes in stylized theatre often incorporating music, movement, and dance. She holds an MFA in Directing from the Actors Studio Drama School in NYC and BFA in Theatre Performance from Belmont University in Nashville, TN. Though based in Naples, FL, her work often takes her to NYC and Nashville. Recent projects include La Musica Deuxieme (A/Park Productions); Neighborhood 3, This is a Play, Fefu and Her Friends (ASDS Rep); IKIGAI (Ren Gyo Soh). A complete resume including university teaching credits can be found at veronicaostroski.com.
Veronica’s favorite book is Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool.
About the Songwriters About the Songwriters
Composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricist Lynn Ahrens have collaborated on several projects for the stage and screen. Since the start of their partnership in 1982, the pair has created roughly a dozen musicals, several of which have won prestigious awards including multiple Tony Awards, two Grammy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards.
Flaherty and Ahren’s first big hit was the one-act Broadway musical Once on This Island, which
premiered in 1991 and was nominated for 8 Tony Awards. In 1998, their next Broadway musical, Ragtime, premiered. The musical received mixed reviews but was nominated for 13 Tony Awards and saw a revival in 2009. It was first time a show from the 1990s had ever been revived on Broadway.
In 2000, Seussical premiered on Broadway. At first, the show received very negative reviews. Ticket sales were low, despite efforts from marketing to bring in audiences. It closed on Broadway after 6 months, at a loss of over $10 million. When the production went on a national tour in the early 2000s, several rewrites occurred, with many songs and scenes being trimmed or cut entirely. This led to the show seeing new success, especially with families and young children. This new version was then available for licensing through Musical Theatre International (MTI) in 2005, meaning schools, community theatres, and other groups could put on their own productions of Seussical. It was a smash hit, with hundreds of organizations immediately purchasing licenses.
Since Seussical, Flaherty and Ahrens have continued to work together. Most recently, they were the team behind the Broadway musical Antastasia, which has also become popular as a performance piece for students.
About Dr. Seuss About Dr. Seuss
Theodore Seuss Giesel, better known by his pen name Dr. Seuss, was born on March 2nd, 1904. He started his career as a cartoonist and writer for humor magazines. In 1937, he wrote his first children’s book: And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street. When Seuss was first trying to publish his works, his book was rejected by over 20 publishers before finally being accepted.
During World War 2, Seuss took a break from children’s books and instead created political cartoons for the United States war effort. He
joined the Army as a captain and was commander of the Animation Department of the First Motion Picture Unit of the United States Air Force, where he continued to create posters, ads, and films in support of the Army. This was the first branch of the military to be made up entirely of film industry professionals.
After the war, Seuss went back to writings children’s books. This was when many of his classic books were first published, including The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, and Horton Hears a Who. In his lifetime, he published over 60 books, which collectively have sold more than 600 million copies world-wide and have been published in over 20 languages. In Publisher Weekly’s compilation of the 100 best-selling children’s books of all time, 16 of them were by Dr. Seuss. He passed away on September 24, 1991. In 1998, the National Education Association designated March 2nd, Dr. Seuss’s birthday, as National Read Across America Day.
Themes in Suessical Themes in Suessical
Taking Care of Others
Many of Dr. Seuss’s protagonists go out of their way to help those around them. In Seussical, Horton the Elephant and Gertrude McFuzz each help the people around them, giving them a hand when they need it and standing up for them when no one else does. Horton believes whole-heartedly in helping those in need, and that a person is a person, no matter how small.
Taking Care of the Earth
Many of Dr. Seuss’s works carry messages about protecting the environment, most notably his book The Lorax. This message is also present in Seussical. The musical takes places across several fantastical and wonderful locations, including jungles, oceans, and mountaintops. At all times, it celebrates the wonders and the magic of the natural world.
Taking Care of Yourself
At times, characters in Seussical get so caught up in trying to help others that they neglect their own needs. Because of this, some characters get sick and others put their own wants and plans to the side. While helping others is important, it is also important to make sure that we are taking care of our bodies and our needs.
Adaptations Adaptations
Over the years, Dr. Seuss’s works have been adapted for the stage and the screen countless times. Below are some of the more famous adaptations. Some stories have been adapted more than once. How the Grinch Stole Christmas has been adapted into six separate films, several audiobooks, and two major musicals. How many have you seen?
Further Reading Further Reading
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by
Louis Sachar
This peculiar set of short stories is set in a school that was accidentally built on its side. Instead of having 30 classrooms all in a row, the school is 30 stories tall, with a different classroom on each floor. Each chapter of this book focuses on a different student or teacher. This is the first book in the Wayside School series.
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Shel Silverstein wrote and illustrated this collection of poems. Though he wrote it for children, Where the Sidewalk Ends is beloved by readers of all ages for Silverstein’s unique voice, humor, and imagination Some of the poems address more serious topics like death, authority, and religion, which has led it to be banned in some schools and libraries.
A Wrinkle in Time by
Madeleine L’Engle
When her father goes missing, Meg Murry, her younger brother Charles Wallace Murry, and their friend Calvin O’Keefe must travel through time and space to bring him back safely Along the way, they meet a host of supernatural beings, including a trio of powerful immortals who help them on their journey. This award-winning novel is widely beloved for its themes of feminism, spirituality, and individuality.
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
Unhappy with her life in Connecticut, Claudia Kincaid decides to run away from home. After saving up her money (and bringing along her penny-pinching brother Jamie), Claudia embarks on a journey to her new home: the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. After settling in to her life at the museum, she realizes that maybe living on her own isn’t everything she wanted it to be.
Further Viewing Further Viewing
IF (2024)
This film follows a young girl named Bea who can see other people’s imaginary friends. She embarks on a journey to reunite adults with the imaginary friends they have forgotten. This film stars Ryan Reynolds, Steve Carrel, and John Krasinski, who also wrote and directed the film.
This film is rated PG.
E.T. (1982)
In this 80s classic directed by Steven Spielberg, a young boy named Elliot befriends a gentle alien who is stranded on Earth. Elliot invites the the extra-terrestrial back to his house where he introduces him to his siblings. But when E.T. falls ill, the kids need to get him back to his own planet, and fast
This film is rated PG.
Strange World (2022)
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Dennis Quade, this action packed animated adventure features the Clades, a legendary family of explorers whose differences threaten to topple their latest and most crucial mission. This film was written by the award-winning playwright Qui Nguyen, who wrote the play She Kills Monsters. This film is rated PG.
Hook (1991)
In this Peter Pan sequel, Robin Williams stars as Peter Banning, a San Francisco lawyer whose children are kidnapped by the nefarious Captain Hook, played by Dustin Hoffman. After following Hook to Neverland, Peter begins to remember who he actually is As a child, he was Peter Pan, leader of the Lost Boys, who vowed that he would never grow up. This film is rated PG.