What team? WILDCATS!
Find a seat and get popcorn on hand, because starting Thursday, Sept. 29, the Minnesota State University, Mankato Department of Theatre and Dance will be debuting their rendition of “High School Musical” (HSM.) The show will run from Sept. 29-Oct. 1 & Oct. 6-9.
HSM is a classic Disney movie; many students will remember it from their younger days. The production includes plenty of dancing and singing on stage. And for such a classic, MSU has made a change from past years – students only have to pay $5 to see it.
The show’s director, Matt Caron, is excited for students to see the show. He had a lot of fun working on the musical and is ready for the Mavericks to see their show.
“I hope that students can come and see it for the entertainment and to support their fellow students,” said Caron. “It’s going to be really fun to have the other MSU Mavericks come and support the Wildcats.”
The cast members are not all theatre majors; they have a wide range of majors. From biology to elementary ed, everyone is involved.
“We have biology majors, elementary ed majors, and, you know, theatre majors,” said Caron. “That’s really exciting because typically our shows are usually the theater and dance students. We have five to seven other majors represented on stage, which is great.”
Balancing sports and theatre is challenging for Troy Bolton, a lead in the place, who is torn between the two. Not many students understand what that is like, but Hunter Conrad does. Conrad is a senior at MSU and connects to his character because of how personal it is to him. In high-school he participated in both baseball and theatre.
“Troy Bolton is very similar to my high school self. I was going back and forth between musicals and sports,” said Conrad. “It’s just crazy how similar it is to my high school experiences. This one is definitely personable for me.”
Conrad is also excited for students to see this version of HSM with all of the ensemble numbers and how much of a high-energy show it is.
“I love the ensemble numbers. All the parts click together, you know, the tenor, bass, soprano, and alto,” said Conrad. “It’s just overall very energetic and fun.”
This musical helps break a stereotype often found in schools: students may feel like they can only belong to one specific clique, and cannot be with other cliques. For Maddy Morgan, a senior at MSU, this musical is about breaking stereotypes and finding out who you are.
“It’s all about breaking stereotypes and boundaries. People can relate to that today very easily,” said Morgan. “You’re more than what people label you as. This musical shows you that you can be yourself and not what people want you to be.”
Morgan plays Sharpay in this production of HSM and is excited for students to see the show.
Students can find more information about tickets and other upcoming shows on the MSU website so that they do not miss out on the Wildcats takeover.
Header Photo: Theatre and Dance Department rehearse “High School Musical” turning Mavericks to Wildcats on state starting Sept. 29. (Dylan Engel/The Reporter)
Write to Lauren Viska at Lauren.Viska@mnsu.edu