“You’re the playmaker… not a singer… right?”
“Did you ever think that maybe I could be both?“ (High School Musical).
The answer to Troy’s question is yes, absolutely yes! In case somehow you haven’t heard yet, Heritage’s spring musical this year is High School Musical and there’s much to discuss. The theater now has a new director, new crew heads, and new talent, so here’s an early look.
Firstly, many students are climbing the walls to learn about the new theater director, Ms. Gena Palmer, and this hopefully provides all the answers. When asked about how Palmer plans to work with returning theater students, she answered, “I am really hoping that, especially thinking about upper classmen, that their experience in theater is not drastically different this year because they have a new theater teacher. I want to help them feel supported and that somebody still cares about them just as much as Mr. Kelley did before me, even though I haven’t had as much time to get to know them all.” Mystery solved, Ms. Palmer is here to add to the foundation of Heritage’s theater right alongside the officers and crew heads.
What about the show itself though? Why choose High School Musical as her first musical here at Heritage? Well, the short answer is Mr. Kelley. When asked about what she’s excited about for the musical, Ms. Palmer happened to point out this detail, “It’s really interesting actually, so Mr. Kelley before me was already thinking about doing High School Musical…” There you have it, this year’s show is a blend of Mr. Kelley’s parting guidance to the theater and Ms. Palmer’s new ideas.
All right, enough with the teacher talk! What about the kids who are actually working every day to craft the musicals at Heritage? Since the musical is so far off, it’s important to ask the kids who’ve already locked into the full theater season, Heritage theater’s 26- 27 officers! Jarek Talbert, a senior actor and theater secretary, is your go-to for advice and support for auditions. Especially to the freshmen, if you like to sing, dance, or just make new friends but couldn’t participate in the fall play, try the musical! In Jerek’s own words, “As a freshman, I always looked up to the seniors. A lot of them helped me grow in terms of like, they taught me ways in which I grow in acting. They taught me to audition for anything even though you might not get the role.”
And what’s that behind the curtains? From sets to lights, to posters and hair, everything in and about Heritage’s musicals is run by your dedicated peers. At Heritage, there are eight crews dedicated to putting together each aspect of the show, meaning there’s always a place for anyone. Heritage’s performing arts are a community that takes pride in making a home for every student. “I’ve never felt such a warm community before and it’s so interesting how like, there’s so many forms of communication and like, layers to it. It’s just really cool,” says Jojo Fitzgerald ‘27. The theater officers also understand that high school is pretty busy as it is, but don’t worry, theater isn’t supposed to be stressful. Most crews only meet 2-3 times a week and, with proper communication, won’t penalize you for missing a few meetings. Take it straight from vice president of Heritage’s theater and co-head of paint, Kai LaSeure ‘28, “As vice president, I’ve been trying to, you know, just like talk to everybody, make sure everybody’s heard and just try to like work with the other officers to just make it a good experience and make it done really well so that it’s not stressful for anyone.”
Curious about how you can be a part of “High School Musical”? Auditions are set to run from November 8-13 and the tech roundup is set for January 6. If you’d like to support the theater with your viewership, shows run March 11, 12, and 13.
In the meantime, make sure to see the fall play, “Little Women,” on October 8, 9, and 10!