Just as a sports team at Chamblee would have games, the thespian troupe displays their talents in the spring musical year after year. This spring, Chamblee OnStage will be performing Mean Girls. Based on the movie starring Lindsay Lohan, Mean Girls The Musical involves a similar storyline about high school girls with the addition of musical numbers. Many of the actors are also fans of this musical, making this year particularly exciting for the cast and crew.
“I really liked [Mean Girls]. I think it’s so diva, and unfortunately, a pretty accurate representation of girlhood with a lot of drama,” said Kei Henderson (‘26), B-Cast Regina George. “It just makes everything in life feel a little bit more relatable.”
In January of 2024, a movie adaptation of the Broadway musical was released. Some cast members found the movie to be underwhelming.
“I think that [the new movie] was trying to hide the fact that it was supposed to be a musical movie,” said Max Goldberg (‘28). “I think they could have done better if they were trying to cater to the people who like musicals. They tried to do both, and it didn’t work out.”
As expected, stage crew and cast members were chosen through auditions. During the first round, auditions were open to everyone. If the audition panel particularly liked a performance, they put them on the callback list for the second round of auditions. After this second round, the final cast list was decided, and anyone not chosen for the cast list joined the ensemble.
“The first stage in the auditioning process was the normal auditions,” said Mysha Singapuri (‘28), actress playing Principal Duvall, “which consisted of singing and dancing. If you got a callback, you’d act [out scenes] then.”
Mr. Timothy Simmons, the chorus and musical theater teacher at Chamblee, and Ms. Dorothy Bell, the hired director, are working together to make the musical come to life.
“I am currently in two different high schools doing a residency for the musical that I’m writing; it’s called Incarceration Plantation: the Musical,” said Ms. Bell. “I go into different schools and do artist responses with different drama, literature, and dance classes. I am also directing Charlie in the Chocolate Factory at Howard Middle School right now. ”
Ms. Bell really loves what she does, especially because of the company she’s surrounded by.
“[The best part] is the passionate students and being with all of my theater nerds, geeks, and fiercely weird people,” said Ms. Bell. “I love being in my community.”
A common denominator between the cast, crew, and directors is their passion for the show and for displaying their progress and skills.
“I’m most excited about performing the show because everything just leads up to that moment, and I love watching everything come together at the last minute,” said Henderson. “It’s so chaotic and really stressful, but when you see all these moving parts of the crew, pit, and cast come together, it just clicks. It’s really satisfying to see all your progress of three months just fall into place right before the show.”
Despite the chaos that comes with performing, the cast and crew have built a sense of community for the collective love of their craft.
“[The best part is] definitely Tech week. I know it’s crazy because it’s the most hectic part,” said Addison Byrd (‘27), stage manager. “You’re all in it together, and you’re sharing intermission bread on the floor in between each show. It’s just such a great sense of community.”
Although many cast members are excited for the Chamblee production of this musical, some are concerned about upcoming events, seeing that tech week may look different this year.
“I think [the Chamblee production] is going to go great,” said Mary Lynne Traynelis (‘26), actress for Coach Carr. “However, I’m a little worried about the fact that ThesCon, a convention many people in cast and crew go to, happens during Tech Week. This means that during tech week, there will be a lot of people not there.”
Regardless of some minor concerns, many of the cast and crew are hopeful and have plenty of faith in their production of Mean Girls: the Musical.
“I think it’s going to be great,” said Caitlin Byrd (‘29), a member of the ensemble. “We have such a good cast this year. Everyone is so amazing. I think regardless of how it goes, it’s going to be fun.”
