As the school year continues, many activities and events are in the words. But one event that the high school can’t wait for this year is our school musical.

Pat-Med musicals never fail to disappoint their audience. This year’s production The Prom! is surrounded by the theme of inclusivity, which is so important to us. I had the honor of interviewing this year’s cast and directors.

Cadence Sullivan is a freshman from Saxton, who has participated in past productions in middle school. She’s a part of the ensemble which she described as an awesome part.

“We get to sing and dance a lot in The Prom and every person in the show plays a major role in making the show come to life. We can’t wait for our hard work to finally be shown to everyone in February and overall, this is a fun experience.”

Cadence also explains how she’s excited to be doing this for the next four years and how she gets to learn so much from the upperclassmen.

Aidan Moran is a freshman from Oregon Middle School who is excited to be a part of this year’s ensemble.

“This musical this year is about love and acceptance. It’s about overcoming an obstacle and learning to accept what’s at the end.”

Joeseph LaMartina is a sophomore who plays Kevin in this year’s musical. Joeseph has been in countless musicals, including last year’s Spamalot.

“I’m so excited for this year’s musical. This message is great for people around the world, and especially for the school to hear, that you are loved no matter what.”

Abigail Werner is a senior who plays Alyssa Greene in this year’s musical. Abigail has been a member of school musicals since fourth grade and has been in every high school show these past four years. She is also a student at The Gateway Playhouse and has done two regional productions there.

“The musical strives to relay the positive message of acceptance and kindness to all people; despite the difference’s we possess. It encourages people to stay true to themselves and proud of who they are while also respecting the similarities and differences of others.”

Abigail plays a vital role in The Prom as she is one of the main characters facing this difficulty of acceptance.

“My character, Alyssa, has many personal struggles of her own as she works to find her own identity, which she realizes over time has been taken over by those around her, specifically those closest to her. She doesn’t know how to be herself, or even who that person would be. Throughout the show, she struggles with the strength to speak up, but she grows as she realizes that she can be herself in full and to be herself is a beautiful thing.”

One of the things I asked Abigail to write for this article was to give me some type of quote/advice for the underclassmen and a goodbye message to the directors she has been working with all these years.

“To my teachers- thank you does not even begin to cover how grateful I am for all the help and guidance you have given me throughout these past years. I appreciate you and the way you inspire to help students to reach their fullest potential, and I will always remain thankful for all that you have taught me.”

“To underclassmen- as you go through high school, know that it will not come without challenge but that will only make you stronger. Remind yourself to breathe, be kind to yourself and others, work hard, and don’t forget to have fun! Enjoy all the moments and take part in everything you can.”

Mr. Reich oversees all the singing that the ensemble and cast do. He has been doing the musical for twenty-four years, making The Prom his twenty-fourth one.

The process that Mr. Reich and the other directors go through to evaluate the musical choices is figuring out the number of students involved from each class, and the boy to girl ratio in the musical. They also must consider instrumentation and what pit members it involves.

Mr. Reich also mentioned that they must take into consideration of the stage crew and trying to figure out what set do they need to pull off an amazing production.

“This year’s musical The Prom is about a whole bunch of messages. It’s about Broadway actors who are helping a girl who would like to go to the prom and be able to take her girlfriend to the prom. There’s a lot of messages within that of acceptance. They come to form working with each other and coming to an understanding.”

At the end of Mr. Reich’s interview, I asked him if he had anything to say to the graduating seniors who have been a part of this beautiful process.

“I want to say that I’m really proud of them and that obviously we’ve made a lot of memories together in the musical, in chorus and in music land, and that I’m really beyond proud of them and excited to be able to share this with them this year.

Come see The Prom on February 8th, 9th, and 10th of 2024!