TYWLSA Presents - High School Musical!
A look into this year's production at TYWLS of Astoria.
Author Audra Hossain December 19, 2019
In the spring of 2020, students in The Young Women’s Leadership School of Astoria will be working together to present their production of High School Musical. The date for production is April 2nd, 3:30 pm, April 3rd, 6:00 pm, and April 4th, 2:00 pm.
For those unfamiliar with this show, it’s about basketball star Troy Bolton who is secretly in love with Gabriella Montez, a shy, nerdy girl. They work up their courage and try out for the school musical together. Along the way, they face obstacles like prejudice and obstacles set by Sharpay Evans, The popular Drama Club President.
Drama teacher Caitlin Stanton is in charge of the performance. Caitlin has produced many musicals, and admits that she is very excited to see this one. She confirms the above dates. Admission is free for TYWLS students and tickets for friends and family are $5 each. Caitlin then explained that the development of her plays are gruelling, hard work, but in the end the play is always successful. “There’s always one rehearsal where we all leave feeling awful. And then the next day, we all come in and we leave feeling great. And you know what? That’s the process,” she says.
For those unfamiliar with this show, it’s about basketball star Troy Bolton who is secretly in love with Gabriella Montez, a shy, nerdy girl. They work up their courage and try out for the school musical together. Along the way, they face obstacles like prejudice and obstacles set by Sharpay Evans, The popular Drama Club President.
Drama teacher Caitlin Stanton is in charge of the performance. Caitlin has produced many musicals, and admits that she is very excited to see this one. She confirms the above dates. Admission is free for TYWLS students and tickets for friends and family are $5 each. Caitlin then explained that the development of her plays are gruelling, hard work, but in the end the play is always successful. “There’s always one rehearsal where we all leave feeling awful. And then the next day, we all come in and we leave feeling great. And you know what? That’s the process,” she says.
Eleventh grade students in the ‘Behind the Scenes' Intensive, Pemma Chuntso and Puja Mondal, said that “lots of people think of actors when they think of plays, the people performing, but the whole foundation of a play relies on the people working backstage. When people think of backstage workers, set design comes to mind. However, there's a 'PR' team that spreads the word, and that's important, too."
Middle school cast member Dorothy Bennett also shared her story. She plays the role of a thespian named Cathy and a cheerleader in the musical. “It’s a great opportunity, you get to show off your talents and have fun doing it,” says Dorothy. She confirms that she “would definitely do it again” and adds that she got to know more people in the school because of this program.
Remember to come see their hard work in April!
Middle school cast member Dorothy Bennett also shared her story. She plays the role of a thespian named Cathy and a cheerleader in the musical. “It’s a great opportunity, you get to show off your talents and have fun doing it,” says Dorothy. She confirms that she “would definitely do it again” and adds that she got to know more people in the school because of this program.
Remember to come see their hard work in April!