Just a few months ago, many cast members of the drama club’s presentation of “Disney’s High School Musical On-Stage” never dreamed of auditioning for a show, nevermind being cast. Neither did Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez, the protagonists of Disney’s iconic musical. From auditions to these final days of rehearsals, my fellow cast members and I have been stepping out of our comfort zones and stepping up to the challenge.

The journey began back in December with the audition, which, simply put, was awkward. I will not pretend that auditioning for and performing in a show is easier than imagined; standing alone in front of a table of four people whose job it is to judge my talent was as vulnerable as it sounds. Auditioning for my teachers only heightened my nerves. They knew who I was as a student and even as a flute player, but singing in front of them revealed a different side of me, a facet of myself that, despite my love of performing, is scary to share because it is such an integral piece of my personality. So how did it go? There were mistakes, far more memorable than the successful parts of the audition, but that is simply part of the theater process.

The next step of this process is putting oneself out there in front of approximately 50 people. With such a large and new cast this year, everyone was pushed to try something new. I’m used to performing, but other students were pulled off the basketball court, thrown onto the stage, and asked to sing, dance, and act in front of their peers. My biggest personal challenge is learning the dances, but what I lack in technique I make up for in effort. This is the epitome of musical theater: becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable.

As we enter the final days of rehearsals and prepare to present this to audiences of hundreds, the last few scenes feel all too familiar; high school students, representing each clique, unite to celebrate their success in rebelling against the status quo. All of us, the jocks and brainiacs and thespians of Abington High School, dared to audition for this show and have been rewarded with new experiences, friendships, and memories. This is what “High School Musical” is all about, and this is what we need to remember in the stressful whirlwind of full run-throughs and tech rehearsals leading up to opening night. After cast members admitted that auditioning for a musical was once a foreign concept, Drama club veteran Leah Alessi ’17 asked an important question:

“Are you happy you did?”

“Yes,” they all said with complete certainty.

The Cast of “Disney’s High School Musical-On Stage”

Gabriella Montez………………………………………Caroline Valle

Troy Bolton……………………………….………….Dylan Magararu

Sharpay Evans…………………………………….Laurel Blanchard

Ryan Evans……………………………………..….Jason Kinniburgh

Chad Danforth…………………………………………..Dylan Gately

Taylor McKessie…………………………………..……..Leah Alessi

Zeke Baylor……………………………………….……Xavier Curney

Martha Cox…………………………………………….Alana Burgess

Jack Scott……………………………………….Andrew Kulikowski

Kelsi Neilsen……………..………………………..Allison MacLeod

Ms. Darbus………………………………..………….Lindsey Collins

Coach Jack Bolton………………………………Michael Bergeron

Jason………………………………..………………….Ryan Whidden

James…………………………………..……………..Fraser Toomey

Susan………………………………………………Livie Litzenberger

Cathy…………………………………………….……….Shayla Young

Alan……………………………………………….….Bubba Gendreau

Cyndra……………………………………………….………..Lisa Pinto

Kratnoff……………………………………………………….Nick Pinto

Wildcat Cheerleaders – Eileen Feeney (Dance Captain), Madisen Caferro, Katherine Desmond, Tabitha DiMascio, Chloe McAuliffe, Brianna Medeiros, Carynne Valle

Jocks – Mike Lyons, Josiah Rosa

Thespians – Lorhena Antonio, Juviana DosSantos, Justin Maskell, Abby Maynard, Corinne Easton

Brainiacs – Julia Do, Morgan MacNeil-Berry, Talia McAuliffe, Grace O’Donnell, Kaitlyn Rust, Sophia Villano

Wildcat Pep Squad – Kirstyn Deschamps, Daisy DosSantos-Ribeiro, Sophie Gendreau, Diana Hall, Hannah Kearney, Alexis McColgan, Kathryn Sage, Bethany Salah, Gretchen Wronski