Woodside High performing arts center rocks Woodside High performing arts center rocks (June 01, 2005)

** After spirited musical revue, principal hopes to expand drama program in new performing arts center.

By Rebecca Wallace

Almanac Staff Writer

Tap-dancing feet tore up the stage, singing voices belted out "I'm A Woman," and all the theater seats had numbers.

So Woodside High School principal Linda Common is pretty darn satisfied with the 50-student musical revue that launched the career of the school's new Performing Arts Center. "Celebration of the Theater" ran from May 19 to May 22, attracting enthusiastic crowds to the $15 million, 500-seat theater.

The show drew several standing ovations, as well as cheers for the 12 school staff members -- including Ms. Common -- who gamely donned sparkly hats and high-kicked their way through "One" from "A Chorus Line."

Besides dealing with the rush of rehearsals, the performers and production staff had to get used to a new space. The theater just opened for use in February.

"The seat numbers just went on a week before the show," Ms. Common said with a chuckle.

The numbers are symbolic of the center's importance to the arts at Woodside, she said. Rather than performing on the school's old stage in the cafeteria, the students got to show off their stuff in a space that felt like the big time, she said.

"It's very important to have reserved seats," she said. "You want to create a whole theater atmosphere. And there's the importance of an orchestra pit ... you want to make sure that you have a pit to attract professionals."

Professional musicians were indeed on hand for the shows, filling the center with a polished sound. The theater also boasts such features as a hydraulic lift in the orchestra pit, dressing rooms with television monitors so the actors can see the action on stage, a scene shop and ample storage space for costumes and musical instruments.

At one of the revue performances, people in the ticket line also murmured appreciatively about the television monitors in the lobby, which made it easier for latecomers to enter the theater at an appropriate moment.

Inside, everything smelled new, and pale curved panels swooped overhead to create a modern touch. There were amply padded seats with lots of leg room between the rows, and several students were enjoying bouncing up and down to make the cushions expel air with loud pssht sounds.

On stage, the performers swarmed all over the brick-painted set, bounding up and down the steps and sliding down a metal pole. The musical numbers included a flamboyant "Willkommen" from "Cabaret," a vigorous "Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk" tap dance and a powerhouse rendition of "Don't Rain on My Parade" from "Funny Girl."

Dramatic monologues were interspersed among the musical numbers, from plays such as "The Diary of Anne Frank" and "Brighton Beach Memoirs."

Drama teacher Barry Woodruff said the selections were from shows he hopes Woodside will do in the future.

Ms. Common also has her eye on the future of the performing arts center, saying she hopes it will allow Woodside to expand from offering only one drama class to having courses in advanced drama, musical theater and scene design.

"Theater has always been my love," said Ms. Common, who was a fine arts major in college. "It is such an excellent way of training kids to be future speakers and kids who put themselves out there in any job where they can perform."

She added, "(Standardized) testing is something we have to do, but we cannot lose sight of the arts and how important they are in kids' lives."
PERFORMANCE

Dancers will again hit the stage in Woodside High School's new Performing Arts Center on Saturday, June 4, with a production called "Let's Get It Started." Show time is 7 p.m.; the cost is $10 for general admission and $5 for students. The school is at 199 Churchill Ave. in Woodside.

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