WCSPA: The Pod

Mr. Hart explains what the Thespys are.  He first speaks about what the competition entails, where and when they are done, and the more importantly, the reason they are an important part of WCSPA.  Last, he touches on the opening of our new Jon Gillespie Studio Theatre and how it ties into the Thespy Gala.

We start of this year's season with an interview with Dr. Sloane Artis, the newest member of the WCSPA staff.  Dr. Artis is teaching music as well as serving as the Musical Director on upcoming musical this season.  She has an extensive background in Opera as well as Musical Theatre.  Tune in to learn more about her.

For anyone that does theatre, there is always a show that they either see, hear or take part in that changed their course in life forever.  On this episode each of the WCSPA staff describe that special show or shows that changed them once and for all and led them on the path to where they are today.Contributors: Jonathan Gillespie, Erik Hart, Cori Callahan, Mark Sharrow and Nick Osenberg

The history and development of the Warren Consolidated School of Performing Arts (WCSPA) from its humble beginnings as the Theatre Arts Performance Project (TAPP) back in 1990 is chronicled and detailed from the perspective of Jonathan Gillespie.  His interview with current teacher Erik Hart focuses on the programs growth and changes as well as the individual contribution of Jonathan Gillespie, the program's longest tenured staff member. 

In the classic style of old time radio,  this is a radio performance of Charles Dicken's  "A Christmas Carol".  This piece was performed by Level 2, 3 and 4 WCSPA students.  It originally aired in 2020.  In addition to the story, there is an original opening created from a mix of other radio shows along with an original script based on actual events that took place in the 1940s.  The show closes with a sampling of period music as well.

This episode features the teachers of WCSPA.  Over coffee, they casually discuss their favorite theatre superstitions and traditions.

Our first podcast kicks off with Old Time Radio reproductions.  Using the actual scripted material from Radio Shows and commercials from the 1930-1950's, some students from Levels 2, 3, & 4 experiment with Voiceover work and sound effects.   Two episodes of "5-Minute Mysteries" and one episode of "Flash Gordan" are included along with a couple very dated commercials.  Work on this came out of a class project we did while working remotely during the Covid pandemic.