In case you haven’t yet seen one of the many emails sent out by various members of the Stern College Dramatics Society (SCDS), the fall musical is almost here. SCDS is going to be performing The Great All American Disaster Musical, a hilarious, fast-paced comedy, written by playwright Tim Kelly.
Jordyn Kaufman, the director of the musical, said the choice was a joint effort by some members of the Dramatics Society. “We thought it would be interesting to do this musical because it is so unheard of. Instead of doing a classic that everyone knows and loves, we wanted to introduce the Stern community to something new,” Kaufman said.
There are several people who have been tirelessly involved in making sure this production would happen. Kaufman, the director, is in charge of the creative vision, and also delegates to actors, crew heads and the producer. Rachel Gottlieb, the president of SCDS, has been working hard to help logistically pull this production together. Ayden Palmer is the producer of the production, and Avital Shulman is helping teach the music. The Dramatics Society also works very closely with Tami Adelson, the director of student life. “She is amazing,” said Gottlieb. “So many things wouldn’t happen without her.”
The show has a lot of big roles being performed by upperclassmen and first-semester students alike. “I got involved in SCDS because I actually want to be a playwright and a director as my career,” Kaufman said. “When I first got here, I was reluctant to get involved in SCDS because I thought it was just going to be a little extracurricular. I couldn’t have been more wrong.”
“SCDS has been my primary extracurricular throughout college, so it’s been really central to my college experience,” agreed Gottlieb.
Not only does everyone in SCDS contribute vast amounts toward professional aspects of putting on a musical, but Kaufman described the group as “a family. We make sure that everyone feels like they are getting a theatre experience and learning a lot while also having fun.”
In most theatre conservatories, said Kaufman, “It is nearly impossible” to be religious. “Coming to Stern was a hard decision for me, because originally, I was planning on going to a theatre conservatory.” Kaufman continued, “Stern lets students be where they are in Judaism and do theatre. SCDS is so accessible to both students who could one day be on Broadway, and for students who are beginners and want to strut their stuff on stage,” she said.
The musical will be in Koch Auditorium on Monday, December 14th at 8:00 PM as well as on Tuesday, December 15th, at 8:00 PM.
“This show just supplies laughs for days,” Kaufman said. “The actors are doing an amazing job of making the characters and their jokes come to life, so it is definitely wise to come prepared to leave with hurting abs,” she jokingly warned.
Tickets can be purchased here.