Pit Orchestra & Stage Crew Ready for Titanic the Ensemble Version

The musical “Titanic the Ensemble Version” will set sail on the Huntington High School auditorium stage this Friday and Saturday and the pit orchestra and stage crew will join several dozen actors and be well-prepared for the performances of their lives.

Friday night’s show is set for 7 p.m. with Saturday’s performances at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Michael Schwendemann is the director and also will handle musical staging. Hosun Moon is the vocal director with Arielle Harvey serving as musical director. Mike Zigon is technical director and Jamie Chandler Torns and Cassidy Torns handling choreography and musical staying. Alexandra Boeckmann and Imogen Thaler are the dance captains. The Costumer is handling cast costumes.

The pit orchestra consists of Allison Huth, Matthew Jimenez, Olivia Lee and Eva Richter on violin; Kevin Dominguez, Zach Helgeson and Rachel Huth on viola; Gabriel Salinas on cello; Manpreet Kaur on bass; and Alexis Haas and Daniel Simon on percussion.

The stage crew features Ethan Ambrosio, Jordana Boxer, Gianna Brady, Lily Buscemi, Charles Desrochers, Carter Dondero, Mia Einemann, Olivia Guerrero, Greyson Henderson, Heather Herman, Fintan Hackett-Johnson, Beatrix Hopkins, Alexa Mazure, Emma Mortensen, Franklin Mulvaney, Casey Myers, Mary Padovani, Christina Ray, Vader Renkewitz, Audrey Sherwood, Charlie Stanforth, Rebecca Stone, Logan Tine and Vivian Wallace.

Here’s Director Mike Schwendemann’s thoughts on the production:

“Titanic – an obsession – an historical relic trapped in time at the bottom of the ocean – a symbol of love and what might have been ...There have been documentaries, movies, and musicals made to honor it, explain it, and romanticize it. In its day, the largest moving object in the world, hailed as unsinkable, giving man dominion over the sea, housing on its maiden voyage three different classes – the ultra-rich, the admired, respected, and revered of the day, the middle class, longing for a taste of the high life, and the poor, searching for a fresh start in a new land – America. The ocean did not care about social classes, it became the great equalizer, unforgiving and deadly – rich and poor succumbing to the sea. As the ship began its descent, there were stories of courage and cowardice as some watched the women and children, their wives, sons and daughters lowered in the lifeboats knowing they would never see them again. The couples clinging to each other as the water rose around them, refusing to be parted by death. The crew, the lucky that manned the lifeboats, the others left nobly behind to go down with the ship. The band that played on... Titanic and its victims now in their watery grave leaving us with relics of a time gone by, wondering why...”