The Villages - September 2017 - 25

The Villages
Musical TheaTer
If musical theater sparks your interest, The Villages
Musical Theater might be a perfect fit.
When Bill Davis moved to the Village of St. Charles
five years ago after a career in business, he was ecstatic
to get involved again with musical theater, which had
been a love of his since the 1970s.
Since joining the group in 2013, Davis has directed
three shows, has been a cast member in two and is the
current chairman of the group.
"It's always been a hobby and now I get to do it as
much as I want to," he said. "I think the part I have
always liked the most was the creative aspect - putting
it all together, rehearsing, figuring out how to do things,
watching it come together and then performing."
The 160-member group usually puts on a production
in the spring and the fall, and holds auditions well in
advance for each.
Although auditions are run differently by each
director, Davis explained that he usually will get those
who are interested to sing 16 bars of a song, both
together and individually, to get an idea of their vocal
abilities.

He will then hold a dance rehearsal for the parts that
require dancing.
From there, he will determine who is called back to
read lines for particular roles.
"We try to keep it as simple and fun and
nonthreatening as possible," Davis said. "None of us are
going to Broadway, so let's put on a good show and have
a lot of fun doing it."
Mary Lou Merkner, of the Village of Mallory
Square, first got involved with the group
four years ago as an assistant
to the director and is now the
group's director.
A former music teacher, Merkner
knew she wanted to get involved in
musical theater in The Villages.
"I love the excitement, emotion and
imagination and musical theater is all of
that love and emotion," she said. "It's what
music is all about - everything in music
has meaning."
The group has many opportunities for
people with various interests in musical theater,
including props, backstage work, acting, singing
and directing.
MAGAZINE

25



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Villages - September 2017

Contents
The Villages - September 2017 - Cover1
The Villages - September 2017 - Contents
The Villages - September 2017 - 1
The Villages - September 2017 - 2
The Villages - September 2017 - 3
The Villages - September 2017 - 4
The Villages - September 2017 - 5
The Villages - September 2017 - 6
The Villages - September 2017 - 7
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