Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! a musical Students to perform ABBA-filled “Mamma Mia” show Emerson Elledge
T
elledeme000@hsestudents.org
he Fishers Theatre Department’s goal with their musical “Mamma Mia,” as well as with this entire school year, is to focus on the theme of self-discovery for their actors and productions. Last year’s play, the “Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon,” was unexpectedly forced to record their only performance with a week’s notice. “Addams Family” was shut down early into production during the 2019-20 school year due to COVID-19. This year, the theatre department aims to reinstate their previous legacy by doing “Mamma Mia.” “I chose it because I think it’s a show that everybody likes,” theatre teacher Anna Nickell said. “The music’s really fun and upbeat, and I think that, for the times we’re in, doing a show that is easily recognizable and that is as fun as ‘Mamma Mia’ is a really important part of why I chose it.” Nickell’s goal for this year is to make sure everyone has lots of fun. Junior Jamie Droz, the assistant student director, shares that goal. “We get a lot of choir kids coming in and they tend to, at least in early rehearsals, sound like they’re not having any fun at all,” Droz said. “Especially with a show like ‘Mamma Mia,’ I just want to be having fun and for everyone to look like they’re
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having fun. And that’s the biggest thing, I want [the show] to just be enjoyable to come see.” The cast also aims for an exhilarating experience. Junior Trey Weger is going to play Harry in the show. According to Weger, the show is a great fit for the department because of the size of the show and the production quality it will have. “This show will stand out from years past because of how iconic ‘Mamma Mia’ is,” Weger said. “I haven’t seen any really popular productions come out of Theatre Fishers in the past, so this is definitely going to be different and an eye-catcher.” Weger added that the cast is already close and inspires each other. Weger views junior Patrick Britting and sophomore Micah Derrer, two of his castmates, as two of his biggest acting role models, along with the rest of the cast. “In our program, Kylee Booher is a huge inspiration to me. I understudy for her, and she has already taught me so much about theatre,” sophomore Morgan Puccinelli said. Senior Kylee Booher is the drama club president and plays Tanya in Mamma Mia. In previous years, a few of her roles were the understudy of Skyler in “Bring It On” in 2018, Miss Gibbs in “Our Town” in 2019, and the understudy of Morticia in
“Addams Family” in 2020. “During auditions, I realized that Tanya is a character that is super poised and humorous,” Booher said. “Whenever I said her lines, they came naturally, and I’m so thankful I get to bring her to life.” Although the musical is still in the early stages of rehearsal, expectations are already high. “I’m very excited to do Mamma Mia as our musical,” Puccinelli said. “It gives ourselves a high standard, with it being a favorite of many, but that just makes us more motivated to give an amazing performance.”
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2 1. Junior Patrick Britting gestures while performing a readthrough of Scene 1.3 onstage for his fellow castmates and his directors in a characterization-focused rehearsal for the show in late August. Photo by Emerson Elledge. 2. Senior Kylie Booher and juniors Teeny King and Grace Mandel rehearse changes to their performances, lines and characterizations while receiving feedback, tips and constructive criticism from the directors onstage. Photo by Emerson Elledge. 3. Graphics courtesy of Canva.
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