Ladies and gentlemen, this is a story about the students in Newton High School going on the big stage and experiencing hope, excitement, hard work and grit.
NHS holds auditions for students to try out and attempt to get a role in the musical Chicago; held in the auditorium on Sept. 6-7 2023 with the musical performed on March 1-3 2024.
“It’s about two girls murdering their husbands and a bunch of murders on death row. I would want to play one of the cell block tango girls. They are honestly really easy to play and there’s a bunch of them so that’s the best chance I have,” junior Gray Thaw said.
In acting, it’s not always easy to perform, sing, and dance – and in Chicago, it takes some guts to go on the big stage in front of a crowd and perform. To a newer person taking on the challenge of acting, it can be quite scary, as Junior Mara Oswald explains.
“I wanted to audition and step out of my comfort zone and work on my singing in public, which I have not done in a long time and I do not have a specific part but I have seen clips from the musical and thought it was really influential number and it peaked in interest in my mind. When I first got up to sing, I was really nervous and it did not come out as smooth as I liked, but I thought it still went well overall. I sang ‘How About a Dance’ from the Bonnie and Clyde Musical,” Oswald said.
Even for experienced performers, some challenges appear on the big stage with other great performers. Embracing the spotlight on the big stage, sophomore Charli Weber explains her love for performing.
“I am auditioning [for] Roxy and Velma because I like the spotlight of the chorus. But the three things I love most in life are dancing, singing and acting, so I like to perform all around and those characters are the ones that allow me to do that the most. I have had a fairly easy time with auditions last year as a freshman. I was cast in a play, but there was some tough competition. I have been performing since I was little so I have always loved performing,” Weber said.
Auditioning for a musical is stressful, but that is just half the stress with tons of preparation needed to execute the musical. Junior Jacob Arias said that rehearsals and Tech Week can be stressful for some.
“Rehearsals aren’t that bad until Tech Week, but last year there were some changes to Tech Week with schedules so I haven’t experienced those. But if you have lots of stuff to do outside of school that are not a part of the musical it is harder than you would expect,” Arias said.
The curtain closes as the final words echo throughout.
“I would just go for it, it is a fun space and everyone is supportive, just try something new and everyone will accept you,” Oswald said.
