By: Ricky LaDuke
“I want it to be as close to the Broadway version as possible,” says Denise Beauchamp, who has big plans with her first musical at Plainwell High School. This year PHS will be performing Footloose. The biggest change is that it is open to all students at PHS. Not just choir students like previous years.
“I feel that with musical being an extracurricular activity, making it just for choir students doesn’t really make it extracurricular. There are lots of talented kids in this school that perhaps couldn’t fit choir in their schedule. Or, there are people who like participating in musical but not choir. Those students deserve to try out for musical,” Beauchamp says.
“It’s going to be different doing musical with students who are not in choir. I’m curious to see what talent is outside the choir class,” says Jake Almeda ‘15. who has been in the past two musicals. Musicals were always looked at as a choir event. Beauchamp is really pushing to make musicals turn into an all school event. “It will be a great opportunity to becomes friends with a lot of people you most likely didn’t know before,” continued Almeda.
Matias Amaro ‘15, is a student who was in choir the past two years as well as the past two musicals. This year he decided to not take choir to get some more useful classes in his schedule. But, now he will be able to be involved with choir with out the dent in his schedule. “I’m glad she opened it up to the whole school. It gives me the opportunity to still do musical with all my friends and not have choir take up all of my schedule. Since most of my friends are in choir, and are likely going to try out for musical anyways,” said Amaro.
There will be meetings next Monday and Tuesday, Nov. third and fourth, after school. Students are not required to attend both meetings. Students who cannot make either of the meetings need to talk to Beauchamp and make further arrangements. Reminder: these meetings are NOT auditions. Information about auditions and everything else will be addressed at the meetings.
