The Hamburg Area High School performs a school musical every year near fall. The productions are always performed in the HAHS auditorium. Getting involved is a great opportunity for many students to try something new and to build confidence on stage. Even middle school students are invited to participate and many have joined. This year the show is Bye Bye Birdie, a musical written in 1960 by Michael Stewart. Many students are excited to participate in this year’s production as they have in the past. There are other students who have never been one and are preparing for their first. Practice for this year’s show started September 5 and lasts varying days until the day of the first performance. Students join the musicals for various reasons and love to be involved.
A junior, Skylynn Binder, said she joined the musical because singing and music is her main passion. She is a cast member playing the role of Kim MacAfee. She expresses she likes dressing up as someone else and acting. Skylynn enjoys doing dance so the musical is a good fit for her interests. This is her second year in a school production.
A sophomore, Maisie Weeks, said she decided to be involved in the production because she has always liked and had a passion for singing and acting. She is a cast member playing the role of Margie and the understudy of Ursula. Maisie says when she came to the high school, she was inspired by the cast and others involved and thought they were very interesting. She decided to join this group because it had many people similar to her that liked the same things as her. This is her third year involved in the school musicals.
Overall, many students join school musicals because they are interested in music, singing, and/or dance. Being a part of the shows is a great way to get involved at school and participate in something you might find enjoyable.