Information About Newton North for 8th Graders
General Elective Information:
Though they try to make it sound as complicated as possible, Newton North’s electives work almost EXACTLY like Bigelow’s 4th block electives. You have 6 periods of electives all year, that come in groups of 2x/week for a whole year (just like 7/8 chorus), 4x/week for a whole year (just like chorus + a cappella), 2x/week for a semester (just like Open Art), or 4x/week for a semester (we don’t have an elective like that but… you get the idea.)
Study halls meet 2x/week by the semester. Guidance pushes study halls like they’re mandatory, but they aren’t. Some freshman really need them, and you might well be one of them. But you should remember that at the high school you get study hall any time a teacher is absent (there are no subs at North), so you’ll get a few studies a week no matter what. If you find getting straight A’s at Bigelow to be pretty easy, you probably will do just fine without a study hall.
Singing:
Vocal Ensemble (2x/week all year) is the freshman choir and logical next step after 7/8 chorus. Vocal Ensemble students usually move on to Concert Choir (sophomores, juniors and seniors, non-auditioned, 2x/week all year) before getting into one of the auditioned, honors choirs (Tiger Bebop, the jazz choir of 16-20 singers, Jubilee, the gospel choir of about 50 singers, or Family Singers, the classical choir of about 30 singers.) The honors choirs are mostly made up of juniors and seniors, though tenors and basses sometimes get in as sophomores (because they need those voice parts.)
There’s also 3 student-run a cappella groups, that usually audition towards the end of September/early October. They each tend to take a couple freshmen. Northern Lights and Melocotones are co-ed, but Forte is girls only. Keep an eye on the bulletin board by the choir room and the TheatreInk bulletin board for those auditions.
Freshman Cabaret is a no-cut show (that means everyone gets in) that auditions in September and happens in December. You can audition to sing, act, dance, or any combination of those things. They make the rehearsal schedule pretty flexible and build it around your conflicts, so you can do the show and a sport or other things too. Auditions consist of a monologue of your choosing (if you want to act), a song of your choosing (if you want to sing), and learning a short part of a dance (if you want to dance.)
General Music:
There’s nothing like 8th grade music at North, but there are several cool music electives that aren’t ensembles. Music Technology is a class about making music on computers, via things like loops and Logic (which is like a more advanced version of garageband). Music Theory is about how music works- if you were intrigued by the Roman numerals we used for the Blues unit, or love sight singing in chorus, this could be the class for you. Film scoring is composing music for movies! And there are usually a few music history classes, such as an overview of pop music or the Beatles or musical theatre.
Drama:
Drama at North is very different from drama at Bigelow. The biggest difference is backstage- what we call tech crew is a bunch of different things at North, all very cool and open to freshmen. The second biggest difference is there is only one show that is no-cut (meaning everyone who auditions gets in, like the Bigelow musical)- and that show is called Freshman Cabaret.
Drama Classes:
-Intro to Costume Design (2x/week for a full year): Learn how to design and create costumes!
-Intro to Technical Theater (2x/week for a full year): Learn how to build, design, saw, hammer, and do other really dangerous things to create a set!
-Theatre Arts I (4x/week for one semester): Acting!
Freshman Cabaret, aka Froshcab: An after school show (freshman only) that auditions in September and is performed in December. Everyone who auditions gets in. You can be in it as an actor, a singer, a dancer, or any combination of those things. The schedule is very flexible- they build it around you- and you can do a sport or other things and be in Freshman Cabaret.
A quick overview of tech crew at North:
Costumes- designs all of the costumes for Theatre Ink Shows. This can range from finding costume pieces in the enormous and packed costumes room, modifying and fitting costume pieces, or even making them from scratch! You don’t need any experience or background knowledge to work in costumes- just stop by and ask for a tour- but if you do want to learn more, there is a costumes class. Ruth, the costumes teacher, is one of the nicest people at Newton North.
Crew Students designs, builds, and paints the sets. Students design, hang, and program lights. They design the soundscapes and effects for each show and control every speaker and microphone (which is quite a lot) before, during and after every show. You don’t need to come into Crew or Costumes knowing anything about it. It’s more of a learn as you go process. Usually, as a freshman is learning something they are paired with a more experienced upperclassman to show them how things work. As a freshman in stage crew you learn the basics of back stage theatre. You learn how to operate tools and equipment, how to work backstage as for a Theatre Ink show, and so much more! When the year begins, if you are interested in joining stage crew, stop by in the shop for a tour and introduction. If you don’t know where the shop is ask. All upperclassman who have been in a show will know where it is.
Stage Managing Students create schedules, record blocking, call the show, run production meetings, and interface with the other technical staff of the show. Essentially run all logistical aspects of shows.
Student Producing Students run all non-stage aspects of show, such as arranging meals, t-shirts, programs, and ticket sales.
Props Described to Ms A as "Getting to go on a giant treasure hunt."
A quick overview of the shows at North besides Freshman Cabaret:
The plays: there are usually 2 plays directed by high school seniors and (sometimes) a play directed by a staff member. There’s usually one in November, one in May, and sometimes one in February. These plays usually have small casts of 8-12, so they’re pretty competitive, with usually 1-2 freshman getting in. Auditions usually call for a monologue from the show.
Shakespeare: There is a Shakespeare play every year in May in collaboration with Newton South (so the cast is half North, half South.) The cast’s a little larger- usually 16-28 – so usually a few freshmen get in, maybe 3-7. . Auditions usually call for a monologue from a Shakespeare play.
Spontaneous Generation (improv comedy) and Nitrous Oxide (sketch comedy): Directed by high school juniors and seniors, these ensembles usually have small casts of 8-12, so they’re pretty competitive, with usually 1-2 freshman getting in. Auditions for Spontaneous Generation generally consist of playing improv games, and there’s an improv club that meets during x-block where you can practice that. Auditions for Nitrous Oxide usually involve submitting a comedic sketch (script for a short, funny scene.)
The Big Musical: Directed by faculty, the big musical casts between 30-40 students. It’s pretty competitive, but usually 6-10 freshmen get in. Auditions usually involve singing part of a song from the show and dancing part of a dance from the show. There are audition workshops to prepare you for auditions, and you should definitely go to these, especially the dance workshop. We don’t do dance auditions at Bigelow and you’ll really benefit from this workshop.
The Little Musical: There’s usually a smaller musical directed by high school seniors. This show usually casts 15-20 actors, and is very competitive, with 1-2 freshmen getting in. Auditions usually consist of singing and doing a monologue, usually (but not always) from the show.
Playwright’s Festival: 8-10 short plays, all written and directed by high school students! You can submit a play in the fall (most freshmen aren’t together enough to do it but you should!) Auditions are in the spring, and since there’s a bunch of plays, the cast size varies but is generally 30-45 total. Auditions usually consist of two monologues of your choosing. Usually a decent number of freshmen get in, perhaps 6-12.
Cabaret Troupe: Directed by juniors and seniors, this is a show that consists entirely of people singing songs from a bunch of musicals. Auditions usually consist of singing a song from a musical of your choice. Very competitive, usually 1-2 freshmen get in.
A Word About Auditions at North:
Did reading about all those competitive auditions freak you out? That’s normal! Frankly, just writing about them freaked me out! But as most of you know from Bigelow, every audition makes the next one easier. If you auditioned for every single thing in a year at North, you could do more auditions in that year than you did in all three years at Bigelow! Now think about how you were at auditions as a 6th grader vs as an 8th grader. Imagine getting that much better in just one year!
So yes, even though it’s competitive, I 100% recommend auditioning. Put yourself out there. Get feedback afterwards about how you could do better. Then do it again. It may take a while to get into something. You may decide that auditioning isn’t for you, and that’s ok if you decide that. But if you do keep auditioning, I’ve never yet had a student who didn’t eventually get into something. And once you get into that first show, it gets easier to get into other things. If you really want to be on stage, it will happen. But it might take a few tries.
In some cases it might happen sooner rather than later. In general, being a boy is definitely an advantage, because there are fewer boys auditioning. Having an older sibling who did theater is an advantage, because you might know the people in the room running the audition and be less nervous. Doing work backstage is an advantage because you’ll get to know the people who’ll be in the room and be less nervous. Doing lots of auditions is an advantage, because you’ll get to know the people who’ll be in the room and be less nervous. Being in Vocal Ensemble is an advantage for the auditioned honor choirs, because you’ll get to know the people who’ll be in the room and be less nervous. (Are you seeing a pattern yet?)
Getting a callback, even if you don’t get into the show is a big deal. Especially as a freshman, you should consider it very nearly as good as getting in! It means the directors saw something at your audition that made them want to see more of you. Since they don’t know you at all yet, that means your audition was great! It’s a lot easier to get a callback as a senior who starred in the last three shows and everyone knows is good. As a freshman, it means you really showed them something good in your audition.
Preparing for Your Audition:
Just like at Bigelow, any show you audition for will have an audition packet to fill out. Actually, fun fact: our audition packets are based on the Newton North audition packets! The North packets are longer and have some questions that we don’t, often including a fun one like “What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?” Don’t overthink this. You will definitely not get into the play based on your favorite flavor of ice cream, or any answer to any question in this packet.
All of the things we taught you about auditions: STILL TRUE. Practice your monologue/song in advance. Do it for other people. Think hard about the character/lyrics/moments/physical choices.
If you can choose a song or monologue, it’s totally fine to do one from a show you were in last year. You know it well, you’re comfortable with it, and nobody will think you’re being lazy because- nobody auditioning you saw that show. Doing a monologue in the packet (if they include one) is also totally fine, but 65 other people will be doing that exact same monologue so make BIG choices! If you are required to do a song or monologue from the show, again, 65 other people will be doing that exact same monologue so make BIG choices!
Choose a monologue or song that shows off your strengths. If you have sweet high notes, or can act amazingly intimidating, or have great physical acting- show them that! These people don’t know you the way we do, so this is your chance to show them what you are capable of! Show off a little. It’s a smart strategy.
Finally- go get feedback. After every audition. What did they like? What could you work on? Sometimes the feedback might be “You were amazing, but not right for any part in this show.” That’s good to know, too!
General Elective Information:
Though they try to make it sound as complicated as possible, Newton North’s electives work almost EXACTLY like Bigelow’s 4th block electives. You have 6 periods of electives all year, that come in groups of 2x/week for a whole year (just like 7/8 chorus), 4x/week for a whole year (just like chorus + a cappella), 2x/week for a semester (just like Open Art), or 4x/week for a semester (we don’t have an elective like that but… you get the idea.)
Study halls meet 2x/week by the semester. Guidance pushes study halls like they’re mandatory, but they aren’t. Some freshman really need them, and you might well be one of them. But you should remember that at the high school you get study hall any time a teacher is absent (there are no subs at North), so you’ll get a few studies a week no matter what. If you find getting straight A’s at Bigelow to be pretty easy, you probably will do just fine without a study hall.
Singing:
Vocal Ensemble (2x/week all year) is the freshman choir and logical next step after 7/8 chorus. Vocal Ensemble students usually move on to Concert Choir (sophomores, juniors and seniors, non-auditioned, 2x/week all year) before getting into one of the auditioned, honors choirs (Tiger Bebop, the jazz choir of 16-20 singers, Jubilee, the gospel choir of about 50 singers, or Family Singers, the classical choir of about 30 singers.) The honors choirs are mostly made up of juniors and seniors, though tenors and basses sometimes get in as sophomores (because they need those voice parts.)
There’s also 3 student-run a cappella groups, that usually audition towards the end of September/early October. They each tend to take a couple freshmen. Northern Lights and Melocotones are co-ed, but Forte is girls only. Keep an eye on the bulletin board by the choir room and the TheatreInk bulletin board for those auditions.
Freshman Cabaret is a no-cut show (that means everyone gets in) that auditions in September and happens in December. You can audition to sing, act, dance, or any combination of those things. They make the rehearsal schedule pretty flexible and build it around your conflicts, so you can do the show and a sport or other things too. Auditions consist of a monologue of your choosing (if you want to act), a song of your choosing (if you want to sing), and learning a short part of a dance (if you want to dance.)
General Music:
There’s nothing like 8th grade music at North, but there are several cool music electives that aren’t ensembles. Music Technology is a class about making music on computers, via things like loops and Logic (which is like a more advanced version of garageband). Music Theory is about how music works- if you were intrigued by the Roman numerals we used for the Blues unit, or love sight singing in chorus, this could be the class for you. Film scoring is composing music for movies! And there are usually a few music history classes, such as an overview of pop music or the Beatles or musical theatre.
Drama:
Drama at North is very different from drama at Bigelow. The biggest difference is backstage- what we call tech crew is a bunch of different things at North, all very cool and open to freshmen. The second biggest difference is there is only one show that is no-cut (meaning everyone who auditions gets in, like the Bigelow musical)- and that show is called Freshman Cabaret.
Drama Classes:
-Intro to Costume Design (2x/week for a full year): Learn how to design and create costumes!
-Intro to Technical Theater (2x/week for a full year): Learn how to build, design, saw, hammer, and do other really dangerous things to create a set!
-Theatre Arts I (4x/week for one semester): Acting!
Freshman Cabaret, aka Froshcab: An after school show (freshman only) that auditions in September and is performed in December. Everyone who auditions gets in. You can be in it as an actor, a singer, a dancer, or any combination of those things. The schedule is very flexible- they build it around you- and you can do a sport or other things and be in Freshman Cabaret.
A quick overview of tech crew at North:
Costumes- designs all of the costumes for Theatre Ink Shows. This can range from finding costume pieces in the enormous and packed costumes room, modifying and fitting costume pieces, or even making them from scratch! You don’t need any experience or background knowledge to work in costumes- just stop by and ask for a tour- but if you do want to learn more, there is a costumes class. Ruth, the costumes teacher, is one of the nicest people at Newton North.
Crew Students designs, builds, and paints the sets. Students design, hang, and program lights. They design the soundscapes and effects for each show and control every speaker and microphone (which is quite a lot) before, during and after every show. You don’t need to come into Crew or Costumes knowing anything about it. It’s more of a learn as you go process. Usually, as a freshman is learning something they are paired with a more experienced upperclassman to show them how things work. As a freshman in stage crew you learn the basics of back stage theatre. You learn how to operate tools and equipment, how to work backstage as for a Theatre Ink show, and so much more! When the year begins, if you are interested in joining stage crew, stop by in the shop for a tour and introduction. If you don’t know where the shop is ask. All upperclassman who have been in a show will know where it is.
Stage Managing Students create schedules, record blocking, call the show, run production meetings, and interface with the other technical staff of the show. Essentially run all logistical aspects of shows.
Student Producing Students run all non-stage aspects of show, such as arranging meals, t-shirts, programs, and ticket sales.
Props Described to Ms A as "Getting to go on a giant treasure hunt."
A quick overview of the shows at North besides Freshman Cabaret:
The plays: there are usually 2 plays directed by high school seniors and (sometimes) a play directed by a staff member. There’s usually one in November, one in May, and sometimes one in February. These plays usually have small casts of 8-12, so they’re pretty competitive, with usually 1-2 freshman getting in. Auditions usually call for a monologue from the show.
Shakespeare: There is a Shakespeare play every year in May in collaboration with Newton South (so the cast is half North, half South.) The cast’s a little larger- usually 16-28 – so usually a few freshmen get in, maybe 3-7. . Auditions usually call for a monologue from a Shakespeare play.
Spontaneous Generation (improv comedy) and Nitrous Oxide (sketch comedy): Directed by high school juniors and seniors, these ensembles usually have small casts of 8-12, so they’re pretty competitive, with usually 1-2 freshman getting in. Auditions for Spontaneous Generation generally consist of playing improv games, and there’s an improv club that meets during x-block where you can practice that. Auditions for Nitrous Oxide usually involve submitting a comedic sketch (script for a short, funny scene.)
The Big Musical: Directed by faculty, the big musical casts between 30-40 students. It’s pretty competitive, but usually 6-10 freshmen get in. Auditions usually involve singing part of a song from the show and dancing part of a dance from the show. There are audition workshops to prepare you for auditions, and you should definitely go to these, especially the dance workshop. We don’t do dance auditions at Bigelow and you’ll really benefit from this workshop.
The Little Musical: There’s usually a smaller musical directed by high school seniors. This show usually casts 15-20 actors, and is very competitive, with 1-2 freshmen getting in. Auditions usually consist of singing and doing a monologue, usually (but not always) from the show.
Playwright’s Festival: 8-10 short plays, all written and directed by high school students! You can submit a play in the fall (most freshmen aren’t together enough to do it but you should!) Auditions are in the spring, and since there’s a bunch of plays, the cast size varies but is generally 30-45 total. Auditions usually consist of two monologues of your choosing. Usually a decent number of freshmen get in, perhaps 6-12.
Cabaret Troupe: Directed by juniors and seniors, this is a show that consists entirely of people singing songs from a bunch of musicals. Auditions usually consist of singing a song from a musical of your choice. Very competitive, usually 1-2 freshmen get in.
A Word About Auditions at North:
Did reading about all those competitive auditions freak you out? That’s normal! Frankly, just writing about them freaked me out! But as most of you know from Bigelow, every audition makes the next one easier. If you auditioned for every single thing in a year at North, you could do more auditions in that year than you did in all three years at Bigelow! Now think about how you were at auditions as a 6th grader vs as an 8th grader. Imagine getting that much better in just one year!
So yes, even though it’s competitive, I 100% recommend auditioning. Put yourself out there. Get feedback afterwards about how you could do better. Then do it again. It may take a while to get into something. You may decide that auditioning isn’t for you, and that’s ok if you decide that. But if you do keep auditioning, I’ve never yet had a student who didn’t eventually get into something. And once you get into that first show, it gets easier to get into other things. If you really want to be on stage, it will happen. But it might take a few tries.
In some cases it might happen sooner rather than later. In general, being a boy is definitely an advantage, because there are fewer boys auditioning. Having an older sibling who did theater is an advantage, because you might know the people in the room running the audition and be less nervous. Doing work backstage is an advantage because you’ll get to know the people who’ll be in the room and be less nervous. Doing lots of auditions is an advantage, because you’ll get to know the people who’ll be in the room and be less nervous. Being in Vocal Ensemble is an advantage for the auditioned honor choirs, because you’ll get to know the people who’ll be in the room and be less nervous. (Are you seeing a pattern yet?)
Getting a callback, even if you don’t get into the show is a big deal. Especially as a freshman, you should consider it very nearly as good as getting in! It means the directors saw something at your audition that made them want to see more of you. Since they don’t know you at all yet, that means your audition was great! It’s a lot easier to get a callback as a senior who starred in the last three shows and everyone knows is good. As a freshman, it means you really showed them something good in your audition.
Preparing for Your Audition:
Just like at Bigelow, any show you audition for will have an audition packet to fill out. Actually, fun fact: our audition packets are based on the Newton North audition packets! The North packets are longer and have some questions that we don’t, often including a fun one like “What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?” Don’t overthink this. You will definitely not get into the play based on your favorite flavor of ice cream, or any answer to any question in this packet.
All of the things we taught you about auditions: STILL TRUE. Practice your monologue/song in advance. Do it for other people. Think hard about the character/lyrics/moments/physical choices.
If you can choose a song or monologue, it’s totally fine to do one from a show you were in last year. You know it well, you’re comfortable with it, and nobody will think you’re being lazy because- nobody auditioning you saw that show. Doing a monologue in the packet (if they include one) is also totally fine, but 65 other people will be doing that exact same monologue so make BIG choices! If you are required to do a song or monologue from the show, again, 65 other people will be doing that exact same monologue so make BIG choices!
Choose a monologue or song that shows off your strengths. If you have sweet high notes, or can act amazingly intimidating, or have great physical acting- show them that! These people don’t know you the way we do, so this is your chance to show them what you are capable of! Show off a little. It’s a smart strategy.
Finally- go get feedback. After every audition. What did they like? What could you work on? Sometimes the feedback might be “You were amazing, but not right for any part in this show.” That’s good to know, too!
