As eighth grade student Ave Chama, who played the lead role of Gabriella, finished singing “We’re All in This Together” on March 23, she felt a rush of emotion as she knew this would be the last time she would be performing with this cast. While Chama enjoyed the memories she made during the musical, she felt sad that it had to end.
After three months of rehearsal, the middle school production of “High School Musical Jr.” opened on March 19. They performed to the middle school on March 19 and then to shows which were also open to friends and family on March 20 and March 23, all to sold-out crowds.
“I thought it was really a really good show this year,” Chama said. “I think the casting was really on point and it was just a good show to put on, especially for the middle school. I thought it was a really interesting show to put on.”
About 60 middle schoolers were involved in the show this year. 50 of them were in acting roles and the other 10 in stage crew, either as main parts or part of the ensemble for many of the younger members. Alongside Chama, eighth grade student Jake Forseter played the other lead role, Troy Bolton, someone who is conflicted between wanting to play basketball and singing. This drives much of the plot of the show.
“It was a little bit ironic, because I actually do play basketball, and I do sing and they conflict,” Forseter said. “So that was very funny, but thankfully I had the support of everyone. And I figured it out and we had a great show.”
Deborah Herman Berger Director of Arts Education Dr. David Solomon, alongside the art department, chose to produce “High School Musical” this year because they wanted a fun show with an upbeat soundtrack and fun choreography. They wanted a show that could make everyone feel happy, during what they felt was a sad time.
“There’s something about this storyline that just caters to joy and happiness. It’s a very simple story,” Solomon said. “The music is catchy and fun and uplifting, and I’ve loved seeing the students learning the choreography and the music, not only at rehearsals, but seeing them sing it in the hallways. It really is a happy show.”
Since “High School Musical” is based on a movie, there are a lot of moving pieces and sets that had to move around, making it especially difficult to rehearse, according to Solomon. Additionally there was a lot of complex choreography that the cast had to learn and stay focused on, Solomon said.
The art department also made the conscious choice to forgo the traditional red and white colors that “High School Musical” is known for. Instead they used the CESJDS logo and blue and gold, JDS’ colors.
“We use the school basketball uniforms, and the school branding is all over the set,” Solomon said. “And in fact, the paint colors that are used are the paint colors that we use in our school designs. So I kind of think that adds more to the fun of the show.”
The show finishes with the song “We’re All in This Together.” This song sums up the ideas of the show and leads to a happy ending, but it also was significant to the actors because they really were “in it together.”
“I feel like it’s a really big number for us because it’s the last song of the show like actually in character and it just means a lot to the cast,” Chama said. “… I think that you know from watching it you can’t really see that like if you’re in the cast, you know that it’s really amazing.”
