In keeping with the tradition of Sophomore classes of years past, the Renewed class performed “Camp Rock The Musical” for their Sophomore Musical. Based on Disney Channel’s original movie, the show is the story of Mitchie and her friends as they try to save their camp from shutting down due to Camp Star, a rival music camp across the lake. With upbeat songs and delightful characters, the show was a fun way to start the semester at Asbury.
The main goal of SoMu is to bring the class together through the creation of a musical. Picking the show was a hard decision for Director Ibby Showalter, who said, “I really wanted something that was very energetic because the Renewed class as a whole is very energetic.”
The show had a lot of moments that stood out. Reagan Labutis, who played Mitchie, said her favorite song in the show was “Wouldn’t Change a Thing,” a duet between the two main leads working through their differences and ultimately reconciling. The audience was immersed in the story through the choreography and funny dialogue.
Each song had its difficulties in the rehearsal process. Showalter said, “We had the duet between the two leads, and we really needed them to like to go for it, and they just weren’t quite there yet. Being apart for months, there were some things working against them, but we were sitting in the audience, and CJ [assistant director] and I just started yelling at them to get them to be dramatic. And then all the cast joins in and we’re all yelling at them. That was a breakthrough moment.”
Putting on a show is no small feat, especially for those working behind the scenes to make everything run smoothly. “My general duties are to make sure that actors go on and off stage with the blackout, and I run the props,” said Kirsten Ellis, the assistant stage manager.
The biggest challenge was their lack of time in the theater. “Because of 40 Acres and other big productions that were happening in the fall, we could not build the stage until the week before.” said Skylar Proffitt, the stage manager. The students were able to move back to school a week early and have as much time as they wanted to perfect the show.
The show was also a great opportunity to meet new people outside of their major or normal friend group. “A lot of those girls I’ve known or I’ve recognized, but I’ve never gotten a chance to talk to. It was fun to get to know people,” said Gabrielle Stockton, who played Dana.
The production team had similar sentiments. “It’s been cool to see people who have not really known each other coming into SoMu and then seeing them hanging out together outside of rehearsals,” said assistant director CJ Oaks.
There are many emotions that come with the end of the show. “One of our actors said last night, ‘Okay four more shows to go,’ and it kind of hit me. I’ve been watching them do this every week for months and I’m only going to see it four more times ever,” said Showalter.
While the show ended on Saturday, the relationships built throughout will not. “I’ll see these people and even if I won’t have a class with them, I can still stop and have a chat,” said Stockton. As the year progresses, the students will have memories to last a lifetime.
Photo courtesy of Alanna May.
