EVENTS

Casting the kids for 'School of Rock'

Susan McDonald Special to The Journal
Finding young musicians to perform in the stage version of "School of Rock" has been a challenge says casting director Merri Sugarman.

In her years as a Broadway casting director and acting coach, Merri Sugarman has dealt with her fair share of theater kids — the pint-size performers groomed for the spotlight, erupting in song and dance or preening for the camera.

But she was indeed challenged when asked to cast kids for the stage version of "School of Rock," which begins performances Tuesday at the Providence Performing Arts Center.

Based on the hit 2003 movie featuring Jack Black, the story centers on Dewey Finn, a substitute teacher who turns preppy classical musicians into rockers and enters them into a battle of the bands, without the knowledge of their parents or school administrators.

" 'School of Rock' is a different animal," Sugarman said in a phone call from her New York City office at Tara Rubin Casting. "These kids are all instrumentalists first, not show-biz kids."

There was a lot of thinking outside of the box to cast this type of performer. Sugarman and her team took a traditional approach with "huge casting calls" across the country, but then solicited performance videos through the show's website, placed ads in parenting magazines, investigated tips involving church choirs and trolled gospel summer camps.

"School of Rock" opened on Broadway in December 2015 and closed in January. It has music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Glen Slater and was adapted by Julian Fellowes, creator of "Downton Abbey."

The touring production has 16 performers, all around the age of 11. Some she found were naturals; others required coaxing and still others were downright reticent about such large performance halls.

"There are those savant instrumentalists who can't look you in the eye," said Sugarman, whose father grew up on the East Side of Providence. "Then, you have to find out if that's a chronic thing or they're just nervous.

"I've spent a lot of time with these kids, but that's what makes the show such a labor of love." Unlike theater kids, many of the musicians and singers she and her team uncovered are school misfits, who are united with other misfits in the show's cast.

"These kids are not always finding their people in the fourth grade, but they join the cast and we find out they're playing music together on the breaks. They've found their people!" Sugarman said happily.

"School of Rock" has a variety of personalities in its cast. There's Billy, who doesn't need to play an instrument but plays a key role as the flamboyant stylist, and Tomika, who is shy but has a powerful vocal range. There's also a need for a strong rocker as the teacher, played in the film by Black. In the stage production, Dewey has many belty songs throughout the night.

Sugarman said she needed to find musically talented, mature kids who could juggle the shows with their homework on tour.

"They need the right temperament to tour. They have to be able to do their homework, rehearse and rest enough," she said, adding that the tour employs "child wranglers" to keep the kids organized backstage, and each has a guardian who travels with them.

"There are some complicated traffic patterns backstage where the kids have to move things around in the dark without falling into the hole where the drum kit comes up!"

— Susan McDonald is a regular contributor to The Providence Journal. She can be reached at Sewsoo1@verizon.net.

If you go ...

What: "School of Rock"

When: Feb. 26 to March 3

Where: Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset St., Providence

Tickets: $51-$114

Information: (401) 421-2787, ppacri.org