The Lake Nona High School Thespians will perform Hairspray! The Musical beginning Thursday, April 21, through Sunday, April 24, at the Lake Nona High School (LNHS) auditorium. Hairspray! The Musical is set in 1962 Baltimore, Md., where a young and fun-loving girl, Tracy Turnblad, played by Cassandra Mendez on Thursday and Saturday and by Mia Lisboa on Friday and Sunday, has the dream of dancing on the “Corny Collins Show.” After attending detention with African-American students, Tracy learns new moves that get her on the show. Through song and dance, Tracy makes racial integration on the “Corny Collins Show” her mission. The fun and lively musical has humor, energetic dancing, and well-known music, but it is the message of acceptance that brings true depth in each song.
Speaking with the students and drama teacher Gail Chase, I learned that the same message of acceptance is encouraged within the theatre department. I was lucky to speak to senior Ariana Arzon, who student directs, performs in the musical, and is the Thespian President. While chatting, she was handed a stack of index cards full of notes written by students. Ariana said, “These are for our Positivi-Tree. It’s where we write positive affirmations and reminders for each other.” The Positivi-Tree was a student idea a few years ago and the tradition stayed. Ariana said, “We become so focused during rehearsal, it is great to receive a positive note that you aren’t expecting.”
Ariana has been able to see the theatre department grow and change with the constant being drama teacher Gail Chase. Both Ms. Chase and Ariana opened the LNHS seven years ago. (Ariana was in sixth grade when it opened as a middle school and high school.) I asked Ms. Chase how the theatre program has changed in the last seven years. She said, “When we opened, I had two high school classes of theatre 1, and 14 kids in my thespian troupe. Now we have two theatre teachers, over 300 kids enrolled in Theatre I-IV and Stagecraft I-III, 50 inducted thespians, and over 100 kids participating after school in our musical. We are an award-winning theatre program with lots of accolades to our name.” As a resident and future mom of high-schoolers, I am extremely proud to call this “our” high school.
Additionally, Ms. Chase recently wrote and produced an original one-act play called Helter Skelter with the LNHS thespians. Originally, it opened last fall as a fundraiser for the Zebra Coalition. It raised $1,100, and an anonymous donor matched their donation, making it $2,200! The play was one of only four that was invited to be performed at the prestigious Orlando Fringe Festival, May 21, 2016. It is a huge honor to be invited to the Orlando Fringe Festival, the longest-running fringe festival in the United States, and there is a lottery for performances to be considered. According to Ms. Chase, Helter Skelter is a “theatre for social change” piece that deals with bullying, LGBT issues, and school violence. Ms. Chase’s push for acceptance in her theatre department is spreading, and more audiences will get to hear her message.
Ms. Chase has created a theatre department focused on inclusion. She has created a welcoming environment where students are learning about more than theatre. The modern high-school student is either bullied or sees bullying occur. According to www.stopbullying.gov, nationwide 28% of students in grades 6-12 experience bullying and a whopping 70% of young people say they have seen bullying in their schools. Ms. Chase knows the importance and impact she has on her students, saying, “The show Hairspray! The Musical is high energy and funny, but it also has a very important message of equality and shattering the glass ceiling. This is a message that is still very important today, and the students involved are really connecting to the material. Some of them are 18 and will be voting for the first time, and these themes are especially resonating with them.”
Along with teaching acceptance and social issues, Ms. Chase gives multiple students the opportunity to take the stage by double casting most of the lead roles. Ariana Arzon said, “Without the opportunity to grow, you don’t know your limit.” The opportunity to grow is also offered to community members and parents who help bring it all together. Ms. Chase said, “We are always delighted and honored to have parents and community members volunteer to help us! To name a few of our awesome parents- Laura Tracht on costumes, Frieda Lamberg on sewing, Vicki Foley on front of house. Additionally, we have community members Tami Uhrig on choreography and Cristal Texidor on hair/wigs. We are so blessed!”
Using theatre and positive reinforcement, Ms. Chase has created a safe place for students where they feel loved and know they are not alone. I highly recommend you see Hairspray! The Musical. It will open April 21 and end its run on April 24. Tickets may be purchased at the box office or at http://lakenonahs.seatyourself.biz. Tickets are $10 for general seating and $15 for preferred seating.
