Locust Valley High School’s drama club, the Locust Valley Jesters, welcomed Broadway stars of ‘Chicago’ Jeff Gorti and Angel Reda for a workshop on March 13 ahead of their own teen version of the show from March 22 to 24. Gorti currently plays the roles of the doctor and judge, while Reda performs as Annie.
Earlier in the month, the cast took a trip to Broadway to see Gorti and Reda in action and took part in a talkback after the performance. This time, Gorti and Reda led the cast through vocal and physical warm ups and a number of scenes and songs from the show, as well as a question and answer session at the end of the workshop.
During the question and answer portion, Reda advised one cast member who is new to acting to “immerse yourself in anything you find that is theater related,” such as books, films and shows based on the show, past performances of the show and more.
“Every moment you are on stage needs to be important,” Gorti told students during the question and answer. “Whether you are the judge or one of the cell block girls, you are so pivotal to this piece so make sure that each moment you step on the stage you know exactly who you are, where you are and why you are there.”
Students were ecstatic to work with the talented performers and the visit helped some connect better with their characters, though all got a huge boost in confidence before they enter the final week of rehearsals.
The cast and crew are excited to present ‘Chicago: Teen Edition’ on March 22 and 23 at 7 p.m. and March 24 at 2 p.m.