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I Can't... I Have Rehearsal

For a select few, the high school musical is sacred. Every year those students come together for the Tonys of New Jersey high school musical theatre: The Rising Star Awards. But first, they have to get their shows off the ground. This is the story of six very different high schools from across New Jersey as they rehearse, perform and compete with the very same supercalifragilistic show.

  • Maddie Orton
    Director
    Journalist: MetroFocus (WNET,) NJTV News (WNET,) WLIW Arts Beat (WNET)
  • Maddie Orton
    Writer
    Journalist: MetroFocus (WNET,) NJTV News (WNET,) WLIW Arts Beat (WNET)
  • Maddie Orton
    Producer
    Journalist: MetroFocus (WNET,) NJTV News (WNET,) WLIW Arts Beat (WNET)
  • Frank Guastella
    Producer
  • Phil Alongi
    Producer
    Executive Producer, NJTV News; Director of Programming, NJTV (WNET)
  • Laura Benanti
    Key Cast
    FILM/TV: Supergirl, Nashville, The Detour, Nurse Jackie, Royal Pains, Late Show with Stephen Colbert (Melania Trump); BROADWAY: Gypsy (Tony winner,) She Loves Me (Tony nominee)
  • Rob McClure
    Key Cast
    BROADWAY: Chaplin (Tony nominee,) Something Rotten!, Noises Off, Honeymoon in Vegas
  • Shanice Williams
    Key Cast
    NBC's The Wiz Live!
  • Melanie Anderson
    Key Cast
  • Alison Dooley
    Key Cast
  • Laura Manziano
    Key Cast
  • James Mosser
    Key Cast
  • Anne Poyner
    Key Cast
  • Timothy Walton
    Key Cast
  • Thomas Burgess
    Key Cast
  • Nick Couzzi
    Key Cast
  • Tori Darr
    Key Cast
  • Jonathan Duvelson
    Key Cast
  • Maura Elwood
    Key Cast
  • Claire Fitzpatrick
    Key Cast
  • Angelina Francese
    Key Cast
  • Najah Hetsberger
    Key Cast
  • Sean McManus
    Key Cast
  • Nastasi Mignott
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Genres:
    Documentary, Comedy, Family
  • Runtime:
    1 hour
  • Completion Date:
    May 11, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    65,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Westfield International Film Festival
    Westfield, NJ
    United States
    September 24, 2017
    Best Local Feature Film - New Jersey
  • Golden Door International Film Festival
    Jersey City, NJ
    United States
    October 8, 2017
  • NJ metro area TV broadcast on NJTV
    New Jersey/Philly market (NJTV)
    United States
    May 17, 2017
    TV broadcast date for NJ metro area
  • Private screening for students/teachers/parents
    Union, NJ
    United States
    May 16, 2017
    Preview screening for participants
  • Private screening for students/teachers/parents
    Vineland, NJ
    United States
    May 13, 2017
    Preview screening for participants
Distribution Information
  • NJTV (New Jersey PBS affiliate)
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Maddie Orton

Maddie Orton is an Emmy-nominated journalist with an eye on the arts. Before working in television, Orton’s focus was arts advocacy—galvanizing grassroots support for arts funding and education. She took that interest to NJTV (the New Jersey PBS station,) and now to WLIW/Channel Thirteen. In her time with PBS, she’s interviewed luminaries in the arts like Stephen Colbert, Robert De Niro, Misty Copeland, and George Takei, and she’s covered everything from ukulele festivals and graffiti jams to exhibition openings and Broadway shows. She believes in the power of the arts to enact change and loves seeing how people use it. "I Can’t… I Have Rehearsal" is Orton’s first documentary.

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Director Statement

“The world of high school musical theatre is an incredible one that I was lucky enough to have inhabited when I was in school, and I want to share that experience with those who love it, those who support it, and those who’ve always wondered what the heck those theatre kids are up to in the in arts wing. Through theater arts education, these students not only hone a craft, but also become better problem solvers, storytellers, and collaborators. There’s more to the high school musical than meets the eye, and this is a love letter to it.”