THS Drama’s ‘Disney’s High School Musical’ brings a play within a play to the TPAC stage
TEMPLETON — “Disney’s High School Musical” is fun for the whole family. Almost 40 students are involved in this production of high energy and upbeat musical numbers.
Sure, you know exactly what’s going to happen, but would you really want it to happen any other way? Audiences can enjoy the infectious energy of young people doing what they love.
Directed by Templeton theater arts instructor Catherine Kingsbury, the play will be performed Thursday and Friday, March 23 and 24, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, March 25, at 4 p.m.; Thursday, March 30, and Friday, March 31, at 7 p.m.; and Saturday, April 1, at 4 p.m. Tickets are available at templetondrama.org for $20 per person and $15 for seniors and students. Proceeds help support the Templeton High School Drama Program.
The show is filled with positive messages about friendship and being true to yourself. It’s also filled with great comedy and toe tappin’, hand clappin’ musical numbers. The stage show is different from the movie in that the characters are more believable, not so stereotypical, and have a lot more heart. A few new characters have been added, and there’s a lot more music and dance.
Based on the popular Disney Channel TV movie “High School Musical,” the play follows the story of Troy Bolton, East High basketball star, who is caught between his newfound passion for singing (and the new girl, Gabriella) and his duties toward his basketball team and his dad, the coach. Meanwhile, the shy and smart Gabriella Montez has fallen in with the “Brainiacs” who discourage her interest in a jock and her pursuit of such frivolous activities as musicals. Finally, the president of the Drama Club, the popular Sharpay, will do anything to maintain her queen bee status. Will Gabriella and Troy manage to withstand the pressures and stay true to themselves?
The movie’s screenwriter, Peter Barsocchini, wrote the show for his daughter Gabriella and named many of the characters after her friends. The stage book writer, David Simpatico, honored his own high school drama teacher by making Ms. Darbus more sympathetic.
The Templeton High School Drama Program fosters skills and knowledge of theatre arts and nurtures personal growth and creativity in students through educational theater. The program also entertains and educates its audiences with a wide variety of plays and performances from many eras and genres. THS Drama actively promotes community involvement in theatre arts as a life-long endeavor.
Kingsbury’s philosophy as a theater teacher and director stems from being a high school educator first. It’s important to her that the students learn skills and information that will help them at the next level of their education or career training — whatever that may be. If they want to pursue a career in theatre, then they will be well prepared. If they want to pursue a career in anything else, they will also be prepared with good communication skills and work ethics, especially working in a team environment.
