"Together, Together, Come On Let’s Have Some Fun!"
The International School of Minnesota's 2024 spring musical, Disney's High School Musical: On Stage, was selected by Ms. Ariel Wilberg, ISM’s Head of Performing Arts, with the intent to do a full production with lots of dancing and well-known songs. “We have a large senior class this year, all have been active in performing arts for many years and I wanted to send them off with a bang! This show has a large number of 'big roles’ that our current students fit perfectly,” says Ms. Wilberg. High School Musical is an excellent choice and will be sure to entertain our audiences of all ages!
Students and crew have been busy preparing as opening night quickly approaches. Ms. Wilberg explains, “There is a lot that goes into putting on a two-act musical. Students need to learn the music, their lines, blocking, and that’s before adding in costumes, mics, props, and staging. We start slowly, learning the music first, then we start adding in elements slowly until we have a full production!”
What’s special about ISM’s spring musical is that every year, students across grades one through grade 12 get to work together to bring each production to life. Ms. Wilberg adds, “It can be challenging to keep everyone engaged with such a large age range. Having dedicated older students who act as role models for the youngest students is incredibly important. It also helps to find something for the younger ones to be excited about. Our youngest students get to be cheerleaders and basketball players in this production. They even have their own cheer number!”
The production is full of great music and choreography that students can’t wait to perform! Ms. Wilberg is extremely proud of her cast and crew, sharing that several students are attending extra music and choreography rehearsals to get their part down, while the crew has been exceptionally helpful and professional.
Putting on a musical of this size is certainly a group effort. Ms. Wilberg says, “I have a number of parent volunteers who have been instrumental in this production. From costumes, makeup and hair, to the front of the house like box office and concessions. This show could not be put on without the support of our community at ISM.”
High School Musical is sure to bring entertainment for everyone. Whether you have watched any of the movies or not, everyone will enjoy watching a familiar story on stage about being proud of who you are.
If you haven’t yet, be sure to purchase your tickets and support ISM’s performing arts. The production runs April 4-7; showtimes and tickets are available to purchase online here. The Saturday evening show is a Pay What You Can Performance.
