The Habersham Central High School Spring Musical, Little Shop of Horrors, ends its four-day run Sunday, May 5 at 2 p.m. Now Habersham caught up with choreographer and 2006 HCHS alum Amber Watson Miller for her take on the show and what it’s like to be back working in the theater at her alma mater.
Including Little Shop of Horrors, how many shows have you choreographed at HCHS?
This is the fourth show I’ve choreographed at HCHS!
How does Little Shop stack up against the others in terms of the complexity of its dance routines?
Little Shop is a different animal than most musicals. It doesn’t necessarily involve huge sweeping dance numbers like Seven Brides or Anything Goes but the dancing is used to accentuate the comedy of this show. Certain numbers in Little Shop are show stoppers because the movement is so funny and that’s something I love about this show!
How many dancers are in this musical? Were they trained dancers coming into the show?
Everyone in the show had to do some dancing but the three that have to dance the most are the urchins. They are the storytellers and they guide the audience through the plot.
How long have you been rehearsing?
We started rehearsing in April which gave us enough of time to get the show up.
How do you train performers with no prior dance experience for a show like this in such a relatively short period of time?
Dance is movement and everyone can relate to movement on some level. We use our bodies to tell stories every day so, I encourage non-dancers to tap into their characters to motivate their movement on stage. It doesn’t have to be pretty! It just has to be convincing.
What’s the most challenging aspect of this show?
The comedy. It’s a dark comedy so, you have to hit the jokes just right so that the audience is able to laugh through uncomfortable topics. To me it’s part of the magic of this show.. but also what makes it difficult.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of this show?
The laughs! This is the third time I’ve worked on a production of Little Shop. So I know the show really well. There are so many opportunities to surprise the audience with a good laugh and when they get tickled it makes all the hard work worth it.
What’s it like for you as an alum to be back in your old high school teaching students to dance and sharing with them your love of theater?
It’s everything! Especially since I did Little Shop when I was a student at Central. It feels full circle and I feel so proud of our school and our community for supporting this fantastic program! I’ve loved being able to watch it grow.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Come see the show! The students are so talented and I promise you’ll have a fun! P.S. Don’t feed the plants.
