‘MEAN GIRLS, HIGH SCHOOL EDITION’ LEADS TO SCHOLARSHIPS

15 Students Land Grants For New York Conservatory

Rob Baumgartner, a scout from the New York Conservatory of Dramatic Arts in New York City, came to Key West to work directly with the students, to see the show and to offer scholarships for NYCDA programs. Baumgartner said he has been pushing hard at NYCDA to establish a relationship with Key West because of his personal connections in the local theater community. Prior to opening night, Baumgartner held a workshop with the student performers to help make their performances more specific and to provide guidance on vocal technique. He also assessed who was interested in pursuing theater as a career. Based on his findings, he offered 10 $1,000 scholarships to NYCDA’s summer program and five $15,000 Rising Star scholarships to NYCDA’S degree program.

At the closing night cast party, the scholarships were handed out by KWHS Drama Club sponsor Rebecca Bertucci to the surprised students. Amid smiles, laughter, tears and hugs, the students celebrated their success with a bright pink Burn Book cake and a touching farewell to the senior cast members.

This weekend of May 12 and 13 at Key West High School was so fetch.

The Key West High School Drama Club, a program of Williams Hall, performed “Mean Girls High School Edition” for over 1,500 attendees in their two-night run at the high school auditorium on May 12 and 13.

In a surprise moment that mirrored the feel-good crescendo in a coming-of-age film, 15 Key West High School student performers were awarded scholarships to the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts at the closing night cast party.

“Mean Girls High School Edition” is based on the 2004 modern classic teen comedy film, “Mean Girls.” The story centers on Cady Heron (played by Key West junior Ruby Stover Sickmen).

Cady moves to Evanston, Illinois from Kenya in her junior year of high school, where she is quickly thrust into the world of high school politics and social navigation. Her new friends Janis and Damian (junior Riley Canalejo and senior Jackson Moore, respectively) convince her to fake her way into the elite clique known as the Plastics, a dominant social trio composed of queen bee Regina George (senior Maddox Lowe), social know-it-all Gretchen Wieners (senior and Drama Club president Mia Cawvey), and pretty-and-dumb Karen Smith (senior Caira Johnson). The story follows the highs and lows of teenage social dynamics when Cady uninten- tionally transforms into a manipulative Plastic herself, but the poignant moral of the story is that being yourself is better than fitting in.

All of the students involved with this year’s spring musical deserve high praise, including the student production team who managed the stage, lights, sound and projections. Their three months of hard work putting this show together paid off tremendously as the cast and crew received standing ovations after each performance. Thanks to some goosebump-inducing vocal performances by the show leads, well-choreographed dance numbers, high-tech projections, and solid comedic timing, “Mean Girls High School Edition” transported audience members from Flagler Avenue to Broadway for two-and-a-half hours. And for some of the students, their work on the production paid off in ways beyond the well-earned pride this writer hopes they all feel.

Director Jeremy Zoma, affectionately known as Mr. Jeremy by the students, said, “It has been such an amazing experience getting to work with this cast and crew over the past few months. Their hard work and dedication truly paid off. They deserve all the recognition they can get and I could not be more proud of them.”

Kudos to the production team of Zoma (director/musical director), Emily Young (KWHS Drama Club program director at Williams Hall/“Mean Girls” producer), Rebecca Bertucci (technical director), Lauren Thompson (choreographer), Guy Hermelin (costume designer), Michael Marrero (lighting designer), and Max Sinclair (technical coordinator) for providing a professional theatrical container for Key West’s young performers to showcase their abilities. The Key West High School Drama Club is funded and produced by Williams Hall, a nonprofit community center and multi-denominational church on the corner of William and Fleming Streets.

To all of the Drama Club students, particularly Key West’s graduating seniors, “We see you there, we see you, you are all stars!”

$1,000 Summer Program Scholarships

Piper Acevedo (Mrs. George)

Lela Griffin (Mrs. Heron)

Luisfelipe Gutierrez Mitgans (Kevin G)

Carly Lefelar (Ensemble)

$15,000 Rising Star Scholarships

Riley Canalejo (Janis)

Mia Cawvey (Gretchen)

Caira Johnson (Karen)

Maddox Lowe (Regina)

Ruby Stover Sickmen (Cady)

Breana McKenney (Ms. Duvall)

Jackson Moore (Damian)

Jake Perez (Ensemble)

Emily Pucuharanga (Coach Carr)

Jennifer Santos (Ms. Norbury)

Sam Torna (Stage Manager)