Music Department Expands with Introduction of Musical Theater Course in Hellgate
Hellgate High School, known for its strong theater and choir programs, has taken a step further this year by introducing a new Musical Theater class. This innovative course, open to students who have taken or are currently enrolled in Theater 2, aims to provide students with a unique opportunity to delve into the world of musical theater.
The Musical Theater class is taught by a dynamic duo of educators: theater teacher Laramie Dean and choir teacher Ellen McKenzie. These experienced instructors, who recently brought productions like Mean Girls and Hadestown to life, found the experience with Hadestown last spring particularly rewarding, leading to the introduction of the Musical Theater class this year.
Rachel Schellhardt, another teacher at Hellgate High School, is responsible alongside Laramie Dean for the new class. One of the students eagerly embracing this new opportunity is senior Olive Kreta, who is not only one of the presidents of the Thespian Board but also played Hermes in the production of Hadestown last year. Kreta found playing Hermes to be vocally and emotionally demanding, but she appreciates the chance to explore musical theater in a year without a spring musical.
Kreta believes that theater has made her more confident in herself, and she plans to study musical theater in college next year. She hopes that the Musical Theater class will make many students in upcoming years enjoy musical theater as much as she has. Ellen McKenzie shares this sentiment, believing that this class will help facilitate what she calls "the merge," where students cross over from choir to theater when the school puts on a spring musical.
The Musical Theater class aims to teach students the fundamental skills of putting a musical production together. With over 40 students enrolled, it seems that the interest in this new class is strong. This year, without a spring musical, the class sets up many younger students for success when it comes time to put together a musical next year.
The theater program at Hellgate High School alternates doing a musical production in the spring every year. With the introduction of the Musical Theater class, students now have the opportunity to take two different classes, instead of the standard two years of Advanced Theater. This change promises to enrich the theater experience for students and continue Hellgate High School's tradition of excellence in the performing arts.
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