In just two weeks time, the GHS Theater Program brings their production of the popular movie-turned-musical Mean Girls. The cast and crew, made of students from all grade levels, have been working tirelessly since December to build the set, block the scenes, choreograph dances, and sing through the tunes of this year’s spring musical.
The play brings audiences to a fictional (but highly accurate!) American high school, and follows Cady (Malia Andrews), a new student who just arrived in the states from a life of homeschooling in Kenya. At school, she befriends social misfits Janis Sarkisian (Jessica Cote) and Damian Hubbard (Willow Barry) who persuade her to infiltrate the “Plastics”, a clique of the most popular girls in school: insecure but loyal Gretchen Wieners (Lia Numerosi), sweet but dimwitted Karen Smith (Ashlee Scola), and “queen bee” Regina George (Lexi Thomas).
The cast features an all-star set of actors, most of whom have been acting for most of their lives. For the seniors, this show is the culmination of years of work, and they are very excited to show their talent on stage, with many taking on multiple roles (Barry as Damian and Hair Design, and Thomas as Regina and Stage Manager, for example).
“With the cast taking on multiple roles, you really get to see little pieces of the whole cast throughout the musical,” said Andrews, who in addition to playing Cady also assisted in choreographing the dance numbers with junior Beatrix Brosnihan. “Cady doesn’t dance much, so getting to help choreograph has been so fun and seeing the cast grow and improve makes me so proud!”
The dance numbers themselves feature a wide variety of styles, from tap, to hip-hop, to jazz. With almost a dozen full-cast dance numbers, the entire team of the show has worked at maximum capacity to ensure this charming show is brought to fruition.
The set designers and crew have taken on one of the most expansive sets the program has ever had, featuring a dozen desks, multiple bedrooms, and many rolling things: couches, walls, tables and more, built by a talented crew.
“There are a lot of moving parts to this set, but I think we successfully managed all the pieces in a space-efficient way,” said Numerosi, who is assistant set designer, alongside playing Gretchen. “I’m really proud of what we have put together.”
Alongside this, the main cast and ensemble have a wide variety of costumes designed by sophomore Niava Friday and assistants Emma Alves and Andrews. For this team, the task was one of the most difficult, as the more ‘controversial’ aspects of the show needed to have costumes that were appropriate for high schoolers.
The entire cast and crew is exceptionally proud of what has been put together. For many, this was the show they campaigned hard to do for years before it was finally decided, so bringing this hilarious and relevant story to life was a labor of love.
Alongside the show, the production team has put together a kindness campaign to show their support for ending bullying in our community. Working with the Youth Advisory Council, the team has made a PSA video, as well as a series of social media posts to make sure the community knows the beliefs of certain characters in the show do not align with the view of the school or the drama program.
“This show has been such a rewarding experience as we bring awareness about bullying to the community,” said theater program director Jessica Ruggles. “I’m really proud of how much the cast and crew have stepped up to live the moral of kindness and compassion from the show.”
“Mean Girls” will be showing at GHS Thursday the 4th at 7pm, Friday the 5th at 7pm, and Saturday the 6th at 1pm and 7pm. At the door, the price will be $10 for students and senior citizens and $15 for general admission.
Thank you to 1623 Studios for the promotional video covering our show, which you can watch here: http://YouTube Link
IF YOU GO:
What: “Mean Girls”
When: Thursday the 4th and Friday the 5th, at 7:00 pm.
Saturday April 8th at 1pm and 7pm
Where: Gloucester High School Auditorium
How much: $15 general admission / $10 for students, staff, and senior citizens
Tickets are also sold on the Drama Club website for 20% off: gloucesterhighdrama.blogspot.com
