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Friday, February 10, 2012 By Ani A. and Sara G.
 Abby (Cordell) Casey and Brian Donato at the Watertown Middle School student-faculty basketball game Feb. 3, 2012. Before she went on maternity leave, Ms. Casey, the chorus and theater teacher, helped WMS win a grant from NBC's "Smash" and iTheatrics to stage a spring musical. -
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NBC's "Smash"
to fund new
WMS musical
School one of 20 nationwide
to receive grant to stage show
By ANI A. and SARA G.
Watertown Splash staff reporters
Have you ever heard of the new NBC hit show, “Smash”? Well, Watertown Middle School has!
Abby (Cordell) Casey, the chorus/theater teacher at WMS, entered an online contest for an opportunity to work with “Smash” and iTheatrics of New York City.
“Smash” and iTheatrics -- whose mission is to ensure every kid experiences the power of musical theater -- want to support schools which don't have budgets or opportunities for year-round musical theater education.
Little did Ms. Casey know that they would choose WMS to be one of the 20 lucky schools to get a grant to fund music and drama workshops and a spring play!
Ms. Casey (who was interviewed Friday, Feb. 3, her last day before she went on maternity leave) and her replacement as drama teacher, Victoria Portsmore, don’t know exactly when everything will start this spring, but they do know what is going to happen.
The new play will be a musical. “Into The Woods” will be a series of fairy tales, like Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, and Red Riding Hood.
There will be open auditions and workshops at WMS, followed by rehearsals, and iTheatrics will help run and support the entire production.
Ms. Portsmore will be directing the play with Mrs. Casey. Ms. Portsmore saids she will take care of most of the drama, and Mrs. Casey will take care of the music.
In the end, “Into The Woods” will be performed live in Watertown, and maybe even some fans of “Smash’’ will get to see some of it, too!
(“Smash” is on NBC, Mondays at 10 p.m. For more on iTheatrics, go to the homepage: http://www.itheatrics.com/)
--Feb. 10, 2012--
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