Members of the Monarch High School Theatre Department. {David Volz}
Matteo Galindo was excited to be cast as the lead in Disney’s High School Musical JR., to be performed by the Monarch High School Theatre Department on December 4-6.
The musical is about students at the fictional East High School who are facing the traditional challenges of friends, academics, and activities.
The focus is on an athletic boy, Troy Bolton, who is on a high school basketball team and dates Gabriella Montez, a science lover. For fun, they audition for their high school’s musical and are selected for important roles. This upsets some of the traditional social cliques at East High.
“This is a really big role, and I have had to learn to play an athletic character. I have never really been competitive about sports,” said Galindo, a junior, who is playing Troy. “I love being a part of this play.”
Moriah Wilkes, who plays Gabriella, is excited about her first significant role. “I love acting and performing, and I am working to learn this role,” she said.
Theatre Director Tatiana Ahlbum is excited about the upcoming play. “We have about 40 cast members, and the play is coming together well. We are all looking forward to the performance.
High School Musical JR will be performed in the Monarch High School Theatre December 4-6 at 6:30 p.m., and on December 6 at 1:00 p.m. Tickets are $10 and available at Monarchtheatredept.ludus.com.
The Monarch theatre program has earned recognition. They competed in the District 7 Thespian Festival on November 15 at J.P. Taravella High School. They brought home five perfect scores, six highest scores in the room, two Critics’ Choices, and two Honorable Mentions.
Brooke Miller earned a perfect score and Critics’ Choice award for her scene design. Kaitlyn Wain earned an ideal score and Critics’ Choice award for her custom design. In acting, Juliana Zamarno earned top honors for a solo she sang in the musical The Anxiety Project.
The cast of The Anxiety Project received an excellent rating for performance and a superior rating for tech. Ahlbum was proud of the performance, but it did not qualify for the state Thespian Festival.
The theatre department competed in 35 events and received 17 superior ratings and 16 excellent ratings. “I think this is really wonderful and it shows the students’ hard work and desire to learn,” said Alhbum.
Each school can participate in up to six Thespies or categories at the Florida State Thespian Festival in Tampa on March 18-22. Monarch will bring seven students who will compete in scenic design, costume design, solo musical, monologue, dual musical, and group musical.
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