Actors, singers, dancers oh my! NH follows the yellow brick road

   As the school year springs into action, so do North Harford’s best and brightest actors, singers, and dancers. These students come together in the fall of each year to begin auditioning and rehearsing for the school musical.

This year the drama department will feature, The Wizard of Oz, a classic which has most students jumping with excitement.

Junior Kayleigh Gallagher is very excited to perform Wizard of Oz for a multitude of different reasons. Gallagher says, “It was actually the first real musical I had ever done, so it’s cool ending high school with the same musical I started out with!” She adds that she hopes to get cast as Dorothy. Senior Elizabeth Ulmer says she is also excited. “It’s going to be a ton of fun, and there’s a dog in it so I get to meet a new dog which I always love doing,” said the 12th grader.   After this, she added that she auditioned for the roles of the Wicked Witch of the West or the Scarecrow because “they both seem like really fun parts.”

Gallagher said her favorite parts of the show are the “tornado scene, the jitterbug dance, and , when they finally meet the Wizard.” She adds that she is also excited to see how the tornado scene will be performed, and she imagines tech crew would be really cool to get involved in as well. Gallagher added she enjoys the overall themes of the novel. “The themes in the musical are also very profound and relatable, still to this day. The fact that many of the characters are trying to get something (a heart, brain, etc), while the whole time they are showing the very traits they believe they don’t have.”

Gallagher believes what was different about The Wizard of Oz compared to other musicals performed is that “it’s a good mix of the real world and the magical world. I love how the very first and last parts of the show take place in “real life” in Kansas, and the middle of the show is completely magical and imaginative,” said Gallaghe. She finishes by talking about one of her favorite parts, “when they finally meet the wizard; it’s a good mix of comedy and meaningfulness which makes it a great scene.”

No matter the musical, though, every student comes out of a show with smiles on their face – take it from past NH students themselves. Garrett Thomas, North Harford graduate of 2018,

was in the sound of music as Rolf, in Bye Bye Birdie as Conrad Birdie, and in South Pacific as Emile Debeque. Thomas says his favorite part about being in musicals is “impacting the audience.” He adds, “Nothing makes me happier than an audience member telling me that I made their day!” Thomas also says he believes the most rewarding thing about being in a musical is “to come together with such a friendly, accepting group of people and just simply be yourself and grow together as family.” He finishes by saying, “being in a production has taught me teamwork and self acceptance.”

When asking NH students about productions they all tend to give similar answers, new friendships or a “family”.  Ulmer says her favorite part about being in musicals “is the fun you have and the bonds you make with everyone in the cast”, and Gallagher says, “Because of doing the musicals and plays in high school, I’ve gotten so many new and close friends that I never would have met otherwise.” Clearly strong bonds are formed and new friendships made, making Musicals just another part of NH’s great community.