By Greg Nikkel
Hours of hard work learning lines and songs, getting costumes ready and preparing the sets are about to pay off for a large cast and crew at the Weyburn Comprehensive School, preparing to stage “High School Musical” for four performances at the Cugnet Centre under the direction of Colleen Weimer.
The performances will run from Thursday, May 25 to Saturday, May 27 at 7 p.m. each evening, with a matinee on Sunday, May 28, at 2 p.m. Tickets for the shows are available at the Comp School office for $15 each for adults, or $8 for students.
The story follows the unlikely relationship between a basketball star, Troy Bolten, played by Levi Woodard, and a shy newcomer to the school, Gabriella Montez, played by Ensley Akins, who end up trying out for roles in the school’s musical production, and how she helps to bring out the athlete’s singing abilities.
There are conflicts as the school’s drama diva, Sharpay Evans, played by Tyra Sandiford, and her brother Ryan, played by Cam MacMurchy, don’t want the status quo of how the school’s cliques are established to be disrupted.
There is also a conflict for Troy when the call-backs for the musical come up on the same day as the championship basketball game for the high school.
Woodard described his character as a basketball star whose world is shook up when he meets Gabriella at a New Year’s Eve karaoke party, and later discovers she’s a new student at his school.
Asked how he’s found being the lead of a big production, Woodard said, “It’s not hard, but it’s a lot of lines and a lot of hard work, and it takes a lot of dedication to be at all the practices and learn the songs. It already looks great, and it’ll look even better when we’re through all the dress rehearsals and get to perform it on stage.”
For anyone who hasn’t seen any of the “High School Musical” movies, Woodard describes it as similar story-wise to “Grease”, with how his character meets a girl he really likes and later finds out she’s going to his high school.
Akins described her character of Gabriella as somewhat shy as the new girl at East High School. “She doesn’t really want anyone to know all about her, because she’s shy,” she said.
Akins said her character has a lot of lines, and there are lots of good songs throughout the play. “I hope people will enjoy all of the hard work we put into this play. It mixes all styles of music, so people who come will hear lots of different songs. It’s very entertaining,” she said.
Asked about working with her many cast-mates, “Everyone’s really good and really accepting of what talents you have on stage. They just want to work with you and all of the people are willing to hear what you have to bring to the production.”
Akins said she’s greatly enjoyed working with Colleen Weimer as the director, who works very hard to make sure everyone is comfortable with what they’re doing, and has whatever they need for their role.
One of the more flamboyant supporting characters is Ryan Evans, played by Cam MacMurchy and Josh Zackrisson. Ryan is the brother to the drama club president, Sharpay, played by Tyra Sandiford, who is the queen bee of the drama club and resents new talents like Gabriella and Troy, who she has a crush on.
MacMurchy said it’s a challenge for him splitting the role with another actor, as he gets less rehearsal time for his character, but finds he has to work hard at it to get the part right.
His character is under the tight control of his sister, but MacMurchy said it’s been a lot of fun to portray him, and enjoys having a role like this in a big production, giving him a good experience in being part of a musical.
MacMurchy said this will provide people with a great theatre experience when they come and see the play, “especially for the parents in the community. They get to see their kids’ talent, and it’ll be good for anybody who likes to see live productions and see the talents of the young students of the community. I hope everyone comes to see the show. They’re going to have a good time.”
