Grizzell Students Hit the Stage!
On April 12-14 Grizzel Middle School theater put on another great show at the Abbey Theater, High School Musical Junior! I was able to ask multiple brilliant members of the cast some questions. Gus Huckaby(Ryan Evans), Rohan Bachman(Chad Danforth), Lena Desiato(Cheerleader), Maddie Hutchins(Ms. Darbus), and Charlotte McDaniel(Brainiac).
What was your favorite part about being in the musical?
Charlotte: My favorite part of being a cast member for High School Musical Jr., was most likely our last performance day. On our last day we had two shows and only an hour in between both. During this time the majority of the cast stayed around and we all just hung out together sharing our favorite moments from the play. Once the last show was over we all had a cast party where we watched our last performance.
Maddie: My favorite part of being in High School Musical Junior is getting to work backstage during tech week. After so many rehearsals in the school, it felt so rewarding to experience performing on the stage.
What was the most challenging part?
Lena: The hardest part for me was maintaining a high energy level the whole time, singing, dancing, and emoting can be very tiring. It was worth it though!
Rohan: The hardest part for me was probably memorizing all of my lines
Charlotte: I think the hardest part of the play was most likely finding the time for rehearsals and practicing at home. Being a student athlete and doing drama at the same time as well as spring break, tests, and projects was A LOT. I can still remember my routine during tech week; wake up, go to school, go to track, go to drama (which was 2 HOURS!!), get back home, do homework, get things packed for tomorrow, and finally go to bed around 10:00. It was busy to say the least.
Would you do the play again?
Gus: I WOULD LOVE TO DO IT AGAIN! It would be great to have some fun with the same people.
Maddie: I would 100% do the musical again, and I really miss being a part of the whole production.
Did you have prior experience?
Lena: I did Mary Poppins JR in sixth grade and had a lot of fun, so I knew I definitely wanted to come back.
Gus: I had absolutely no experience. All I knew was the singing, and the dancing. Nothing else. I mean, I knew the movie, but I never knew the Junior version was so hard.
What would you tell someone if they were hesitant to try out?
Maddie: My advice for those hesitant to audition would be to go for it. When I was in the 6th grade musical, Mary Poppins Jr, I was cast as an ensemble. I almost did not audition again, but my heart told me to, and I was cast as Ms. Darbus, a mic'd up character with many lines. So please, try again! We need every person we can to make the show even better than the year before!
Gus: I would tell them that all you need to do is be brave. It might seem scary at first, and you might not get anything you want! All you need to do is do YOUR best. Don't think about anyone else's performance!
Rohan: It's very fun and you won't regret it!
Lena: I would say: Go for it! No one expects perfection; they just want to see you. Just go in and have fun—you got this!
Charlotte: If someone I knew was hesitant to try out I would definitely support them because you really never know whether or not it might be your thing.
I can't wait to see what's on the schedule for 2027 and if you weren’t able to watch this year's musical, you can always catch next year's!