For the first time in over a decade, adults and children alike gather in the same performing room at Sun City to practice blocking, sing songs, and come together as a community for the upcoming fall musical The Sound of Music.
For one cast member, Jocelyn Doden, The Sound of Music is extra special.
When Doden was 5 years old, her father, Robert W. Morse, who was getting his PhD in music composition, took her family to visit the von Trapps in Stow, Vermont. When she was 10, her father began Madrigal Rehearsals with her mother and sisters, similarly to the Trapp Family.
“We even sang a song written for Johann von Trapp’s baptism by Father Wassiner. Later, when dad was head of the music department at Ripon College, he booked the Trapp Family for a concert and we were thrilled to meet them! This was way before the ‘Sound of Music’ was written and before the general public knew anything about them,” Doden said.
The Sound of Music is based on the true story of the von Trapp family and their escape from Austria. It is based on a woman named Maria von Trapp, whose ambition to become a nun gets derailed when she becomes a governess to the von Trapp children. Both the musical and the movie were based on the book published by Maria von Trapp in 1949 titled, “The Story of the Trapp Family Singers.”
Cynthia Church is seen here rehearsing with the child cast members. It’s been over a decade since the Theatre Company put on a show with a lot of child cast members.
Performances for The Sound of Music will be November 16 to 19 in the Drendel Ballroom located at 12880 Del Webb Blvd., Huntley, IL.
For additional ticket information, call 847-575-1583 or 847-818-8545.
Rob Kaye, artistic director and technical director for the show says that the musical is different from the movie, so expect more songs and different scenes then what is shown in the movie.
A big decision for putting on The Sound of Music is having children participate too. “They (the board) wanted to do a show with kids again. We haven’t done a show with a lot of kids in over a decade,” Kaye says.
The Theatre Company of Sun City puts on a musical every spring and fall, and a play in the summer.
Madge Motyka does publicity for the theatre company and has been in their shows in the past, including being a munchkin for The Wizard of Oz.
“Mostly everyone is older than 65, and you really do forget how old you are when you’re up there. It’s like being a kid again.” Motyka says.
