Back and pinker than ever, Encina’s Drama department presents a musical rendition of the classic 2000s film, “Mean Girls.” Directed by drama advisors and on-campus teachers, Megan Taylor and Lachelle Morris, the cast has worked hard outside of school to prepare for opening night on March 22nd.
The hilarious teen angst and award-winning Broadway musical follows the life of a naive high school exchange student, Cady Heron, and her acceptance into the popular girl group, ‘The Plastics’, run by Regina George, and the ‘Art Freaks’ clique with Janis Sarkisian and Damian Hubbard. Caught in the crossfire of Janis trying to enact revenge on Regina, Cady learns how shallow high school students can be and even starts to see herself in the people she resents.
With a larger cast compared to the fall play, “Clue”, the musical showcases both experienced and first-time actors. Featuring Scarlette James (11) as Cady Heron, Samantha Cleminshaw (11) as Regina George, Ava Diener (11) as Janis Sarkisian, Portia Cooper (12) as Gretchen Weiners, Kira Hannigan (10) as Karen Smith, Colby Tong (10) as Damian Hubbard, and various others star in the musical.
“I’m excited for the audience to be pumped and to see everything we’ve been working on,” said Diener. “I hope [the audience] cheers loudly and has a lot of energy because we’ve been putting in a lot of work and energy.”
Coming down to the wire, both the cast and stage tech have worked long hours to perfect their performance during their last rehearsal week, Tech Week.
“We rehearse four days a week. Most of them from the ensemble numbers are there almost every single day. We work hard with vocals dancing and practice some acting along with feedback,” said Ms. Taylor. “With opening night coming up, we have tech week. They work super hard and stay up late. They’re excited.”
With a variety of different experienced actors, the cast has created a supporting community and family.
“What’s really cool about the musical, unlike the play, is we get a lot of people interested in it and not just the ‘drama kids,'” added Ms. Taylor. “We play games and do bonding things so that no one feels like an outsider.” In agreement, first-time actress Portia Cooper felt extremely welcomed as a newcomer. “I have a lovely cast; I think a lot of people already know them from the last play as well,” said Cooper. “I hope when people come in with their expectations, they leave with higher expectations.”
Following the recent cinema released Mean Girls Musical, the cast hopes to similarly put their twist on the plot and leave the audience with a ‘fetch’ and experience-filled night.
“People coming to open night, keep an open mind. I know Mean Girls is so iconic, and the most recent new Mean Girls musical, I felt, didn’t do it justice,” said Cleminshaw. “So come in with an open mind and see how we do the movie justice.”
Showings will be hosted in Encinal High School’s gymnasium, 210 Central Avenue, on March 22, 28, 29, and 30 at 7 p.m. and March 23 at 5 p.m. Entry for students and seniors costs $10 and $15 for adults; tickets can be purchased at GoFan.CO or at the door with cash only. If bringing younger children, beware of the musical’s PG-13 rating with some strong language and adult references.
