Behind the Scenes: Drama Club Prepares for Spring Musical Mamma Mia!

The MBHS Drama Club has been in the process of getting ready for their spring musical, Mamma Mia! A lot of students have been in preparation for the production prior to auditions for quite a while. 

The auditions took place on Jan. 28, when they performed a cut of any song in the show’s style to sing for directors Erin Davis, Casey Reichenthal, and Debbie Janzen. Everybody who auditioned later received a callback for certain roles that night, and they were hosted the day after.

 Senior and Drama Club co-president, Jocelyn Ocampo-Mateo, mentioned, “Trying out can be really tough, especially when you have to sing,” said Ocampo-Mateo. Singing is a big deal in Mamma Mia!, so a lot of students worked hard on that. Ocampo-Mato also said that many of the students had prepared for the auditions for a little over a month, while some were more laid-back about the process.

After students participated in auditions, they were then later called back for roles, which is where they sang more specific songs for each character, and acted in scenes for their characters they were called back for as well. At the callbacks, they also had to dance a bit, sing by themselves, and do some scenes with other people. 

The directors were mainly looking at the chemistry between people’s portrayal of roles, as they look for people who can become the characters they want to play. The directors have an idea of what they want the play to be like. Ocampo-Mateo also brought up how the directors have a vision, and they want to do it in the way they can with the talent showcased by the students at MBHS. The directors want to make sure the people they choose for the play can really bring the characters to life.

Drama Club’s other co-president, senior Emerson Jacquay, mentioned that ot of the students were still getting over being sick when it came to auditions and callbacks, but still powered through. Emerson”Singing while sick is difficult, so it went better than I thought,” said Jacquay.

Rehearsals for the students will officially start on Monday, Feb. 2. The students will have to rehearse the show from 3:30 to 6:30 every day for a month. Then, in March, the rehearsals for the show will go on until 7:00 p.m. As the show gets closer and closer, the schedule for the show is going to get really tough.

The roles cast for Mamma Mia! include:

Donna Sheridan: Jocelyn Ocampo-Mateo

Sophie Sheridan: Rocío Barajas Fernández

Rosie: Acacia Mayo

Tanya: Emerson Jacquay

Sky: Carlos Mercado Casillas

Sam Carmichael: Silas Miranda

Harry Bright: Charlie Moore

Bill Austin: Finnix Salmon

Ali: Dian Lewis

Lisa: Elizabeth Davis

Pepper: Azz Kelly

Eddie: William Knupp

Father Alexandrios: Norah Belsanti

With a motivated cast, dedicated directors, and lots of ABBA music, the Drama Club is excited to bring Mamma Mia! to the stage. The school community can look forward to an energetic and emotional performance come April.