High School Musical is a well-known Disney Channel movie that came out in 2006. It has a common message of following your dreams and being yourself, despite the challenges. However, I believe we can all agree that the most memorable part of this movie is the colorful group of characters portrayed on screen. Coombe Wood School has chosen High School Musical as this year's musical performance. I was lucky enough to have an interview with some of the cast and their thoughts before the big performance. 

 

Troy Bolton is one of the stars of this performance. He fulfills the role of East High's captain of the basketball team who struggles to embrace his love of singing. He will be played by Dipro Majumdar, a good actor, and great basketball player. "To be honest, the main reason I like Troy is because he plays basketball and I love basketball! Before the performance, I try not to think and just, sort of, go with the flow."

 

Gabriella Montez is the other star of the play. The shy but incredible singer and new student of East High. The talented Misty-Rae Hacker will bring this role to life. "I like my character because of the fact I get to play someone who's kind of like me with her nervousness and singing. It is going to be a fun and interesting experience."

 

Next is the shy and overlooked Kelsi Nielson, brought to life by Sophie Gardener. "I like her character development from shy to gaining more confidence and her fashion sense. I'm always nervous before performing but once I'm out there, I absolutely love it!"

 

Martha Cox is being played by Mayeisha Pel-is. She is a brainiac with a hidden passion for dance. "I'm quite excited to see how it will turn out together, knowing we have more time to go through scenes and two teachers leading. I'm curious to see how they'll set up each scene. My character seems fun and something definitely out of my comfort zone, but it's good to try it out since that's definitely one part of acting."

 

Ripper is a cool 'skater dude', who secretly plays the cello. The character will be played by Thomas Dodson. Ripper does not have a big part, but this doesn't seem to affect Tom. "I don't mind being Ripper, he's a cool and, somewhat, laid-back character. Even though he barely has any speaking lines apart from his little solo with Mongo, I still enjoy it. The rehearsals are alright, not too bad. They help us warm up a little bit, so they can be enjoyable."

 

Ripper's best friend Mongo is also in the mix, played by Hafsa Siddique. Not very accepting of Ripper's passion at first, this changes throughout the play. "I like that my character has a good personality and it just adds some quirkiness to the show. I also like how me and Tom are best friends in the musical. Before we perform, I need to become my character and that confidence is key, even if my character is not in the show a lot; Since I have a small part, I might as well make the best of it, especially if I am ensemble for most of the show. Expressing confidence on stage is cool and it will boost my confidence in general."

 

Coach Bolton is a character important to Troy's character development. He will be played by Mylo Lamden. "Coach Bolton, as much as he is shaded in more of a negative light in the Jr version, I appreciate and understand his ambition of wanting Troy to win the championship game that he didn't win before. Being an adult is kind of dull, but I find the intro really fun and very teacher-like."

 

Ms. Darbus is a teacher fueled by Drama, with a very big passion for the art. Sara Coles will portray this character. "I'm anxious and worried, due to the stage fright. There are a lot of things that can go wrong. But at the same time, I'm excited to see the support we will gain from the audience. i'm also excited to see everyone laugh and clap."

 

If you are free around June, feel free to get a ticket to come to the show. The actors are putting in a lot of effort and it will turn out well! So please, come support the Coombe Wood School cast of High School Musical.