Carle Place students are getting their heads in the game as they prepare for their upcoming student-run production of High School Musical.
The show, which originally premiered as a popular Disney movie in 2006, centers around a jock and geek who shake up the cliques at their school when they audition for the school musical. The play is filled with fun, upbeat dance numbers, and has a timeless message of staying true to yourself that can appeal to audience members of all ages.
And though a play about high school might seem like an obvious choice for a bunch of high school students, director Thomas Vestuto said that he was initially hesitant about doing the show, even though people have requested it for years.
“The play is different than the movie. There are added characters and songs. It’s the same storyline but a little more involved,” he said. “But we decided doing the show would be the best decision because it would get a lot of kids out and that’s what this is about, getting students participating and allowing them to have the opportunity to do something over the summer and make new friends.”
And even though people were familiar with the movie, it was a challenge getting them to break free of their preconceived notions and adjust to the additional music and scenes of the play.
“It’s actually an awesome show when you take all the materials into it, the biggest challenge is just getting everyone together,” Vestuto said. “People expect it to be the same way the movie is but it’s the way the play is. Some people expect the song to go a certain way, but it’s different.”
Co-producer Liam Lofgren said the play is a refreshing take on a popular script.
“I think it’s a nice middle ground, where a lot of it is straight from the movie but there are some slight variations,” Lofgren said. “In a show that so many people know, it’s nice that it’s not exactly what they’re expecting.”
The student-run production is led entirely by Carle Place students, who act as directors, producers, choreographers, costume designers and more. And while many adults would find it daunting to lead a cast and crew of 115 teenagers, Vestuto is able to direct his peers with an effective mixture of firmness and amiability. This is his second year directing a student-run production, which is complemented by years of experience acting in the plays and on crew. But he describes directing as a rewarding experience.
“It feels like an accomplishment. You know you did something right when everyone wants to come back and give up their whole summer again,” Vestuto said. “It means so much that you can not only gather a bunch of people at school over the summer but that everyone enjoys what they’re doing. That I can be the person that helps them enjoy it makes it mean so much more.”
Students dedicate weeks of their summer to practice and there’s a sense of pride and unity among the cast and crew.
“We made a platform on stage and Tom said we might need help painting it, and over 20 kids showed up to help,” Lofgren said. “They were already dedicating so much of their summer to be in the play, and then knowing they wanted to dedicate more time and help as much as they could was just really cool.”
For Vestuto and several others, this show marks their last time as part of a student-run production as they head into their senior year.
“This has been kind of a home for me the past couple of years. I’ve made a lot of new friends and it lets me meet so many people,” saidVestuto who described directing his last show as a bittersweet experience. “I do feel as though this will help me because I’ve learned so many skills, like the business side of how to manage funds and the social side of how to handle different types of people and make friends. It’s an experience I think everyone should be able to have.”
“Having this as my last show, I want to make it as best as I can,” said Lofgren, a fellow senior. “When we finally get the scenes we’ve been working on right, it makes it that much better.”
And rising up in their place is a new batch of young actors looking to make their mark on the Carle Place stage. Vestuto notes there were slightly more seventh graders who signed up for the show than in previous years. The rise in seventh graders presents a unique chance for the seniors to teach the younger students how much they can enjoy theater and how to do produce a show correctly, noted Lofgren.
Among those underclassmen is seventh grader Lillian Parise, who plays a brainiac in the show.
“Whenever I watch the plays I always think it’s really cool and fun,” she said. “It’s been a fun and good experience and I like watching the older students because they’ve been doing plays like this for a while.”
High School Musical lights up the Carle Place High School stage Sept. 11 and 12 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $7; $5 with a Carle Place Student ID.
