By Melanie Lekocevic
Capital Region Independent Media
RAVENA-COEYMANS-SELKIRK — More than 60 RCS students sang, danced, built props and scenery, and poured their hearts into this year’s musical theater production of “Mean Girls: The High School Version.” Then they put it all out there this weekend for the community to enjoy.
About 33 on-stage performers and 30 behind-the-scenes stage crew worked on this year’s musical beginning in November, and then all that work culminated in a series of performances over the weekend.
This year’s show was “Mean Girls: The High School Version.”
“It is based on the movie and the script follows relatively close in the sense of the story, but of course there are big musical numbers and fun times,” said Drama Club Co-Director Michelle McLoughlin. “We are really enjoying the script.”
Every year the Drama Club works on a different production, and in recent years has looked to more modern musicals so the students can explore different genres.
“We try to vary. Our goal is that within the four years that we have them, we try to do four different kinds of shows — different music styles, different time periods, different costumes and themes,” McLoughlin said.
McLoughlin and co-director Peyton VanDerheyden take a number of factors into account when determining what the year’s production will be.
“We look at so many things when we pick a show,” McLoughlin said. “We look at the kind of cast we roughly think we will have, we look at varying the style of music and the stories, we look at the difficulty — can we execute all of the technical demands, things like that. This show is so much fun. It’s very different from the family-friendly ‘Mary Poppins’ that we did last year.”
Based on the Hollywood film, the show also imparts messages McLoughlin believes are important for teens, and indeed society, to grapple with.
“It has wonderful messages that everyone might not get right away when they think of the story and the movie,” she said. “There are great messages about women power and working together and being your true self and not worrying about what other people say about you. It’s been fun to talk about that stuff along with the music and the funny lines.”
VanDerheyden is an alumna of RCS, graduating with the Class of 2020. She now works as a co-advisor to the Drama Club.
“I started helping out as a choreographer way back when we did ‘Newsies,’” VanDerheyden said. “I am very passionate about the work we do with the students. I think it is really important to express ourselves through art and storytelling, and I love the work that I do.”
She also spoke of the messages the show conveys about being true to yourself and standing up against bullying and social media negativity.
“I think that is really important,” VanDerheyden said.
RCS senior Victoria O’Brien first got her start in theater back in fifth grade and then took a break, returning to Drama Club as a sophomore. She played the part of Mrs. George, the mother of the head “mean girl.”
One of the most challenging aspects of the role was portraying a character who is very different from herself.
“I had to be more loud — to project more and not be afraid of my actions,” she said. “My character is a very outgoing person and I am not personally, so it’s hard to embody that.”
Senior Kofi Opoku-Aning, who plays Damian, one of the male leads in the show, also started in drama back in fifth grade and then took a break, returning as a sophomore after he rekindled his love of music.
“I had encouragement from Ms. McLoughlin and Peyton [VanDerheyden] helped me find joy in music,” Opoku-Aning said.
Learning some of the dance numbers was one of the most challenging aspects of this year’s show for him.
“The most challenging part was learning a bit of tap dancing, and personally, I had to learn trust,” he said. “I have to lift somebody and that was tough to learn. Also, I had to get out of my shell and become more of a leader and a role model for the underclassmen.”
“Mean Girls: The High School Version” was performed at RCS on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Here are more images from this weekend’s show, courtesy of the RCS Central School District.
