Middle School Performers Ace “High School Musical Jr.”
Seventh and eighth grade students showed we’re all in this together with their outstanding production of “High School Musical Jr.”
Celebrating friendship, teamwork and the courage to be yourself, the 30 talented cast and crew members brought those themes to life with energy and enthusiasm. Jason Reiff, director and choreographer, and Katie Meadows, musical director, led the group. To view the program, click here.
“It was a particularly big group this year with a wide range of experience, and it was such a pleasure to watch them,” Reiff said. “Students have been asking me to do it for years — ‘High School Musical’ has an intergenerational cult following.”
After weeks of rehearsals, students delivered lively musical numbers and impressive choreography during performances on March 5 and 6 in Strayer Theater.
Eighth grader Cleo Kassell-Yung added comic relief as Ms. Darbus, the drama teacher at the fictional East High. She described her character as “an eccentric, whimsical person. She is very much a theater teacher, and she loves her work.”
“What I enjoyed most about this role was how different the character was from who I am,” Kassell-Yung explained. “She is very ‘over the top’ and ‘extra’ in the best ways, and it took time for me to really click into that.”
Reiff's favorite piece was “Breaking Free” because of its message. “I find that number particularly powerful as the students of East High all align in their desire to live beyond the status quo, outside the definitions mandated by their cliques,” he said.
Kassell-Yung reflected on her final middle school musical by highlighting the camaraderie behind the scenes: “My favorite part of this production was how connected everyone felt. There were so many moments where we all really supported each other. When someone was nervous backstage, there was always someone else there to help them.”
That same sense of connection and accomplishment was just as meaningful for Reiff, who said, “I found myself very moved during the finale of the last performance. Everyone up on stage and backstage was full of joy and confidence at having succeeded brilliantly at what they all set out to do. I was very proud.”
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