Jungle creatures dance and sing their way onto the stage
The jungle is coming to town in
”
Soul Terrain,
”
the latest musical extravaganza from John Bisceglie, a play
director who has been working with San Benito and South Valley
actors for more than 15 years.
The latest stage incarnation in Gilroy combines the soulful
sounds of songs such as
”
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
”
with meticulously designed animal costumes. The young actors,
ages 5 to 18, nearly become the animals they play with the 3D
costumers designed by Bisceglie and Kathleen Filice. To create the
larger than life costumes, foam and fabric were combined to add
dimension to the suits.
Jungle creatures dance and sing their way onto the stage
The jungle is coming to town in “Soul Terrain,” the latest musical extravaganza from John Bisceglie, a play director who has been working with San Benito and South Valley actors for more than 15 years.
The latest stage incarnation in Gilroy combines the soulful sounds of songs such as “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” with meticulously designed animal costumes. The young actors, ages 5 to 18, nearly become the animals they play with the 3D costumers designed by Bisceglie and Kathleen Filice. To create the larger than life costumes, foam and fabric were combined to add dimension to the suits.
Shannon McBane, for instance, a 13-year-old Hollister girl, dons a big bird head with long, long lashes and a five-foot long feather boa embellished with glittery glass beads. “She just feels pretty” when she puts the costume on her mother Patti McBane said.
“The costumes are much more extravagant than any of the other shows just because [Shannon’s] a bird,” Patti said. “Before she was just a person.”
McBane has been in five Bisceglie shows, as well as stage productions in Hollister and San Jose.
McBane and her 70-plus costars in the musical revue were finishing up their last few practices before Friday’s opening night this week.
“We didn’t get home until 10:30 p.m. [Monday] night and then she had to get up early because she goes to Monte Vista,” Patti said. “Last night we did a run through and had the kids in their costumers and we had the music.”
Another young San Benito actress, Taylor Bennett, 11, of Aromas, was also excited as opening night drew nearer. She auditioned for the Gilroy show almost on a whim, when a friend at Gavilan’s Summer Theater Arts Repertory mentioned the tryouts.
No stranger to the stage, Bennett said “Soul Terrain” is different than most other shows she’s been in.
“I’d say there is a lot more singing and a lot more dancing,” she said. “Other shows only have a couple songs and numbers, but I really like this.”
Bennett plays a leopard in the show and is the only girl feline who wears a dress. Her friends play an armadillo and a chameleon.
“I haven’t walked around in [the costume] a lot, but it’s really comfortable,” Bennett said. “It’s going to be great and I am pretty sure when everyone has all the costumes its going to be amazing.”
Both families admit participating in the show, which is co-sponsored by the City of Gilroy Community Development Department and John Bisceglie Presents, is a lot of work for parents and kids alike.
Bennett’s mother, Lori Bennett, worked as a chairperson through the evolution of the jungle-themed production. She and other parents worked on putting together costumes, decorating the set and sending out postcards about the show. Still, she gave much of the credit to Bisceglie, and co-producers Judy McBrearty and Holly Fargher.
“A lot of behind-the-scenes people such as Judy and Holly worked endlessly,” she said.
As the days to opening night got closer, parents were still putting last minute touches on the costumes. Tuesday morning, Patti McBane still had glue on her fingers from adding sparkles to her daughter’s costume.
“It’s hard work, but its worth it to see the kids on stage,” she said. “These are very close to professional productions.”
One thing she especially likes about the shows is that they are accessible to all ages.
“You could really take a 5-year-old or a 6-year-old and you might not be able to do that at the California Theater or other places,” she said. “We live in a really small town and it’s hard to get the theater experience.”
