Middle school musical “Schoolhouse” rocks the stage in February

Middle school musical Schoolhouse rocks the stage in February

Willow Bowen, Reporter

The Corry Area Middle School has chosen to perform “Schoolhouse Rock!” for their 2021-2022 musical. “Schoolhouse Rock!” has been around for decades, airing on January 6, 1973, until March 31, 2009. This popular musical has managed to stay relevant to this day. Some people may ask: what is “Schoolhouse Rock!”? Well, it’s a series of cartoons with songs that help you remember educational things like government, grammar, and even science. The most popular song that is still frequently played among English teachers today is “Conjunction Junction,” which is a song that shows students how to use conjunctions.

The reason why Mrs. Smrcka and Ms. Britten chose to do this musical is because they wanted to do a play that didn’t have specific genders and roles. Also, they were concerned about how many people would participate because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mrs. Smrcka said, “We wanted something neutral and that the strongest singers got the shine because it was a great role for them and not their gender.”

This year is definitely opening up more opportunities not based on gender but more on personality and talent. Some of the leads that we will see performing on stage are Ava Wetherbee, Clara Harrington, Chloe Jaworski, and Haylee Mumau. Since the ninth graders missed out on the musical last year, they will even get the opportunity to be involved. 

The preparations for the musical aren’t exactly short. First, Mrs. Smrcka and Ms. Britten have to go through auditions to find out which singer is best for each character. One interesting thing that Mrs. Smrcka mentioned is having a lot of personality, and that is definitely something entertaining you want to bring on stage. Rehearsals of all the scenes in the play take about eight weeks for the play to be ready.

With Thanksgiving and Christmas break, it gives lots of time for the cast members to memorize their lines or songs they will be performing. The play will be ready to watch during the first week of February. One thing you should know if you’re thinking about going is it is a fun show to sing along with if you already know the songs. If you are unfamiliar, it’s a good way to introduce you to songs that can help with educational facts you may want to know.