EAST SYRACUSE-MINOA SCHOOL DISTRICT – Spartan Stage performed Disney’s “High School Musical” as its spring production at East Syracuse Minoa Central High School late this past week. The show was put on inside the high school’s auditorium for two evening shows and one matinee from March 9 through 11.
Going back to the time of flip phones, the district’s edition of the hit Disney Channel Original Movie finds the students of East High navigating first love and friend circles while balancing their work in the classroom and their extracurricular activities after coming back from winter break. Along the way, basketball captain and son of the team’s coach Troy Bolton tries out with transfer student Gabriella Montez for the lead spots in their school’s musical.
The spring production is the second of two musicals performed by the ESM Spartan Stage this school year, the first being “The Addams Family.”
Sophomore Ryan Sullivan, who played Uncle Fester in the fall show, said his line deliveries as Troy in “High School Musical” were more serious than those of his previous role. He said the two shows are “definitely different” but that they share a romantic thread and in part the element of humor, the latter coming through during the plot with the brother-sister duo of Sharpay and Ryan Evans.
“They’re really funny, because they think they’re all that and that they’re the center of attention in every moment of their lives,” Sullivan said.
Sophomore Emma deBerjeois, who portrayed Gabriella, said the more recent production was peppier, more brightly colored and more dependent on choreography than “The Addams Family,” which she said was “very dark and gloomy but comedic.”
Senior Emily Murnane, who was responsible for props and costumes, said “High School Musical” was more fast-paced than “The Addams Family” because it takes place over five days as opposed to one or two, therefore requiring more costume changes for the cast.
Teirrah Bauer, a fellow senior and crew member, said there was more work to be done on the costume end because the clothes weren’t rented from another school or a costume designer.
“We had to actually meet with each individual cast member and decide exactly what they were going to wear and yea or nay what they brought in,” Bauer said. She added that the job of finding suitable clothing was made easier because the cast members could relate to the characters as high schoolers themselves.
Senior Rhiannon Axtmann, the show’s stage manager, said more props and sets were used this time around too.
“It’s really amazing how fast we were able to kind of perfect everything with the little time that we had,” she said.
Axtmann said she grew up with the “High School Musical” movies when they were shown on the Disney Channel.
“As a kid, I was obsessed with them, so I think it’s really cool to see people I know bring it all to life,” she said.
Senior Madison Mosher, who handled sound, said she was able to enjoy the musical’s “catchy and upbeat” songs through each rehearsal, mostly whenever she had less to concentrate on with the soundboard.
“There was also a lot of room for sound effects and different noises that the actors normally wouldn’t make, like there’s a whistle and a phone ringing, and in “Get’cha Head in the Game” when they’re bouncing the basketballs, we had to work with that a lot to make sure that they weren’t picking up feedback,” Mosher said.
Aimee deBerjeois, the director and producer for ESM’s fall and spring musicals, said doing two shows has been tiring but worthwhile because of the hard work of everyone involved and the students’ increasing independence.
“It’s a lot to be thinking about at once—the needs of the actors, the needs of the crew, making sure the production from set to costumes to lighting is covered, even down to ticket sales and the concession stand,” she said. “I do feel pulled in a lot of directions often, but it’s fun and I’ve been blessed with students who take leadership roles to help out and run with things and make it all happen.”
She also said that the basketball aspect of the musical intrigued students who might not have participated in school theater otherwise.
“Once they got here, then they learned a couple more dances and they ended up being in some more numbers,” said the drama club adviser.
On Tuesday, March 7, Spartan Stage performed a segment of the show during an assembly period for fourth and fifth graders from Minoa Elementary, Fremont Elementary, Woodland Elementary and East Syracuse Elementary.
All week long, Central High School’s hallways were decorated by Darlene Baker’s marketing class with East High’s red and white colors in anticipation of the run of performances.