The Thomas Haney musical theatre class is bringing The Plastics to life on stage this spring, in a performance that’s bound to be, as Gretchen likes to say, “so fetch!”
Mean Girls (High School Version) is adapted from the 2004 hit film of the same name that follows 16-year-old Cady Heron as she takes on high school after being homeschooled in Africa her whole life. Cady meets “The Plastics,” a group of popular girls, who take her under their wing and bring her into their world of intimidation and back-stabbing.
Rhondalee Brema’s musical theatre class chose Mean Girls because it’s a fun, teen-focused show.
“The characters are funny and outrageous stereotypes of high school students, but are also very relatable,” Brema said, because they deal with the issues teenagers face in their own lives.
The show opens up meaningful dialogue about these topics, including healthy vs. unhealthy friendships and the impact of social media. These are conversations that have taken place during rehearsal and the production presents audience members the opportunity to do the same.
The musical theatre class has been working on their production of Mean Girls, directed by Grade 12 student Gavin Making, since the end of October.
“It’s an in-class endeavour with no other outside rehearsal time, other than one technical/dress rehearsal where the class teams up with volunteer stage crew,” said Brema.
Other volunteers also helped bring the show to life.
The posters for the production were created by marketing students and printed in the tech lab.
Thomas Haney alumna Emma Pabuaya, who graduated from Capilano University’s costuming program, was able to assist the cast with the more difficult costumes.
The show set was built by a team of volunteer parents/grandparents led by SD42 teacher teaching on call (TTOC) Matt Kennedy.
Mean Girls (High School Version) evening show times are 7 p.m. on May 28 to 31, 2024, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. An afternoon matinee will run on June 1 at 2 p.m., with doors opening at 1:30 p.m.
Tickets are $15 plus a web fee and can be purchased online here.
Content warning: Mean Girls contains adult themes, strong language and mature content that may not be appropriate for all audiences. The show is recommended for ages 11 and up.
