De Soto High School students will bring the jocks, brainiacs, thespians and skater dudes of East High to life next weekend as they present “Disney’s High School Musical.”
Performances will be held 6 p.m. Thursday, March 5, through Saturday, March 7, in the De Soto High School Auditorium, 815 Amvets Drive, De Soto. Tickets are $6 for students and $8 for adults. De Soto High School theater teacher Samantha Roop is directing the play.
Quinn Williams, a senior who plays drama teacher Ms. Darbus, said the musical follows the 2006 Disney Channel television film, “High School Musical,” with a few new songs and fun characters.
“I grew up watching High School Musical all the time,” she said, adding she was excited when she found out it would be her senior year musical. “I’m excited to be Ms. Darbus. She has such a free spirit. She’s emotional. She’s just a really fun character to play. She will bring a lot of joy to the audiences because she’s so different than everybody else’s character. What’s cool about this show is everybody’s character is so different.”
She said the musical is extremely high energy with inclusivity and school spirit.
Kalli Cooper, a senior, is excited to play Sharpay Evans.
“She’s definitely all about herself,” Cooper said. “She loves to sing and act, and just be the star of the show 24/7. She doesn’t really care if she has to put people down in their place to get what she wants out of the theater department. She’s overly obsessed with the star of the basketball team, Troy, but in the end, she kind of finds herself and what she loves.”
Cooper prefers to play dramatic characters.
“I’m a very dramatic person anyways and very bold, that’s for sure,” Cooper said. “I feel like Sharpay is an amplified version of myself. I feel like I’m acting like myself on stage. She’s super fashionable, and I love dressing up and wearing heels.”
Brynn Hoelzer, a junior in her first lead role, plays transfer student and brainiac Gabriella Montez.
“(Gabriella) wants to audition for the musical because she has a secret talent,” she said.
She said it turns out the boy she met on vacation also auditions because he has a secret talent.
Camden Jahnsen, a sophomore, plays Troy Bolton, the captain of the varsity basketball team.
“Throughout the show, he realizes that he has a love for theater and
auditions for the school musical, but he wants to keep his high social status and stay on the basketball team.”
Jahnsen said he can relate to the character because he used to play basketball, and he enjoys theater.
Jahnsen said Troy’s father doesn’t approve of him being a singer and wants him to pursue basketball.
“He’s an amazing character to play, and he has some great character development throughout the storyline,” Jahnsen said, adding that Troy changes the entire school’s idea of social status.
Other members of the cast are seniors: Cheyenne Crafton, Alex Trimble, Allana Bachmeyer, Melody Pigg, Tiger Germanceri, Hunter Shadow, Ty Mitchell, Kaleena Dann, Alyssa Veath, Natalie Daly, Sydney Ham and Chloe Blickenstaff; juniors Drew House, Liv Walker, Jaelynn Van Meter, Caden Hill, Izzy Wheetley, Marrianna Mooney, Alexis Weaver and Alexis Ruby; sophomores: Kelsey Urich, Austin Jones, Xanthus Watkins; freshmen: Ragan Moore, Lexi King, Audrey Hearst, Emmalynn Zimpfer, Baylie Lucas, Harley Pawlak, Adelaide Deason, Junior Hardesty and Lyla Stephens, and eighth graders: Christopher Crafton and Aleah Jarvis.