Chapman Student Org. Productions unite performing artists of all majors for 'It Shoulda Been You'

After two months of rehearsals, members of Chapman Student Org. Productions (CSOP) will perform the Broadway musical “It Shoulda Been You” across three nights on May 5, 6 and 7. Photos courtesy of Lily Hodges

With their remaining rehearsal days dwindling down until curtains are drawn, members of Chapman Student Org. Productions (CSOP) gathered in room 119 of Argyros Forum, laced up their shoes and embarked on an Italian Run — an hour-long endurance challenge for sharp-minded thespians resulting in sweat and chaos. 

Though not without its fair share of jogging, an Italian Run is not a race. The challenge occurs when the cast of a play speeds through the entire production at twice the speed with twice the energy. Actors sprint to their positions. Lines are shouted. Harmonies are only half-sung. While the scenes hilariously play out like someone hit the fast-forward button on a TV remote, actor Emma Stanton told The Panther, the purpose of an Italian Run is to test a performer’s memorization skills, assist in timing and just let loose.   

“You’re just going as fast as you possibly can, and I think there wasn’t a period of time where anyone stopped laughing because it was just so chaotic,” said Stanton, a junior business administration major. “Everyone was sprinting around and (our director) was just yelling, ‘Faster!’ We got to do the show, which is normally two hours, in under an hour. If you messed up, you messed up. You had to keep moving.”

Performances of “It Shoulda Been You” will take place in Memorial Hall at Chapman Auditorium on May 5 at 7:30 p.m., May 6 at 7:30 p.m. and May 8 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 with a Chapman ID, $15 without and are available for purchase at Chapman Ticketing. Graphic by Ivanna Tjitra

For the past two months, members of CSOP have rehearsed line readings, choreography, cue-to-cues and technical runs for their upcoming performance of the Broadway musical “It Shoulda Been You.” Their efforts will culminate into three performances over May 5, 6 and 7. 

“It Shoulda Been You” premiered in New Jersey in 2011 and briefly ran on Broadway in 2015. The story — whose book and lyrics were written by Brian Hargrove and music by Barbara Anselmi — is centered around the wedding of Rebecca Steinberg and Brian Howard. The amalgamation of their Jewish and Catholic families leads to revealed secrets and tested relationships — with a dash of an intruding ex-boyfriend. 

Although sophomore theater major and director Jane Broderson had never heard of “It Shoulda Been You” prior to joining CSOP, she recalled clicking with the material at their first table read back in March where she was truly able to digest what the show was all about.

“I think the show is really unique in that it’s about so many things at once — a wedding, the Jewish community, familial dynamics, the queer community, friendship and romance,” Broderson said. “It’s a really fun show because it’s very approachable in its humor, but there’s also some pretty great messages in there. I love the soundtrack too.”

After becoming obsessed with “Annie” at the age of five and growing up doing musical theater, Broderson began directing in high school. As director of “It Shoulda Been You,” her role entails running the rehearsal room, extending her creative vision to fellow CSOP members and assembling a cast. 

Broderson told The Panther she sought to put together a team of enthusiastic theater-lovers who showed initiative. 

Since CSOP is open to students of all majors, Broderson picked from a pool of theater and non-theater majors alike. Sophomore creative writing major and choreographer Bella Brancato expressed her gratitude towards performing with CSOP despite not being in a major under Chapman’s College of Performing Arts (COPA). 

“Because I'm not a theater major or a dance major, I don't have as many performance opportunities as people in COPA, and so when I found out that this club was entirely student run… I absolutely loved that and I was drawn to it instantly,” Brancato said. “Last year, I went to CSOP’s production of (“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”) and it was such a great show. I was absolutely in awe that it was a college production by college kids, and I thought that was absolutely incredible.”

Brancato first taught the choreography of “We’re All in This Together” during a seventh grade production of “High School Musical.” The next year, she created original choreography for “Pom Pom Zombies” and will have choreographed for 11 different productions after “It Shoulda Been You.” 

Brancato was drawn to the production because of a tap number which she noted as her favorite style of dance. Because there are limited clips of the production scattered across YouTube, Brancato has worked to instill her own choreography, which includes original dance motifs for each character and traditional culture elements associated with the play such as The Hora. 

“Coming up with choreography was challenging because it isn’t a big spectacle show,” Brancato said. “I had to pay more attention to the music and familiarize myself with it more so that it wasn't over the top, and it's true to the tone of the show. (My goal was to) make sure it's adding to the spectacle of dance without taking away from what the show is supposed to be.”

With little dance background, Stanton applauded Brancato’s ability to work with actors of varying levels of dance experience. Stanton acted in several high school productions including “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Pippin” and found out about CSOP through an involvement fair. 

After call-backs, Broderson chose Stanton to play the bride’s sister, Jenny, a headstrong maid of honor who coordinates the wedding despite there already being a wedding planner. Although Stanton’s demeanor in real life may not be as scattered, controlling and stressed as Jenny, she was able to find common ground that allowed her to enmesh with the character. 

“I think something that Jenny and I have in common is we're both not afraid to use humor to deflect things," Stanton said. "Both of us have a sense of humor to just get through stuff and that's kind of how we cope. We just laugh because it makes it a little easier.”

With rehearsal hours increasing from 15 a week to however many it takes to get things right and a mountain of menial hurdles like frozen credit cards, Broderson is learning to roll with the punches and become a more adaptable director. 

“I learned a lot about patience and flexibility through this experience,” Broderson said. “This is a chaotic process, and there’s so much out of my control as a director. I’ve learned to put my faith in the universe and trust that things will work out in the end. I can tend to be very panicked or stressed about some things, but working on this show with a bunch of students (from different performing backgrounds) is a learning process. I’ve learned a lot of not just theatrical but life insight about patience and collaboration.”

Brancato said she hopes the audience resonates with the show's message of accepting yourself and walks away with an appreciation for all of the performing arts talent spread across all majors at Chapman.

“There's so many people who aren't in an arts major, such as music, dance or theater, and they still audition for CSOP shows and they have so much to bring to the table,” Brancato said. “They're so talented as well as being super smart STEM majors. By day they're doing math equations and by night they're getting on stage and belting these fantastic songs. I want people to realize that when they come see 'It Shoulda Been You.'”

Performances of “It Shoulda Been You” will take place in Memorial Hall at Chapman Auditorium on May 5 at 7:30 p.m., May 6 at 7:30 p.m. and May 8 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 with a Chapman ID, $15 without and are available for purchase at Chapman Ticketing.