Get in, everybody; we’re going to the theatre, and it’s gonna be so fetch!

Consider this your personal invitation from Queen Bee Regina George, the Broadway Players and the music department of Fairfield High School to attend “Mean Girls High School Version” in the FHS auditorium. Performances will be Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, April 28 at 2 p.m. General Admission is $10 or $8 with an FCSD activity card.

Advanced tickets are available for purchase now in the FHS Main Office during school hours. The Box Office will open 45 minutes prior to performance, and the house opens 30 minutes prior to showtime.

Adapted from the hit Paramount Pictures 2004 film of the same name, the Broadway run of Mean Girls was nominated for 12 Tony Awards. The fiercely hilarious musical is from book writer Tina Fey (30 Rock), lyricist Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde) and composer Jeff Richmond (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt). The plot explores how easy it is for teens to lose sight of their personal identity and morals when faced with bullying, peer pressure, and a desperate need to fit in.

Cady Heron (played by Allison Hunger), homeschooled on an African savanna, is a naive newcomer to suburban Chicago. Damian (Connor Hawkins) and Janis (Ella Holderbaum) befriend and mentor Cady, helping her to survive the wild society of her bewildering new home.

North Shore High School is dominated by The Plastics, a trio of predatory frenemies, led by the charming but ruthless Regina George (Evie Messer). Gretchen Wieners (Nicole Hunger) and Karen Smith (Manon Kermott) are her devoted minions. The first song of the show describes Cady’s story as a “cautionary tale” because Cady makes a series of poor decisions while under the influence of her peers, and soon learns that you can’t cross a Queen Bee without getting stung.

Cady’s crush, who happens to be Regina’s ex, Aaron Samuels is played by R. Brock Curtis. The rest of the supporting cast is rounded out by actors often playing multiple characters, and everyone sings and dances in the teen ensemble. Marcus Trent is Principal Duvall, Glenn Cocco, and Lil Bibbly Lee. Bailey Belzer portrays Ms. Norbury, Taylor Wedell, and is a featured dancer. David Creer is Kevin G, Mady Smithburg plays Mrs. George, French Teacher, Grace A; and Tristen Garretson portrays Coach Carr, Shane Oman, and the MaryMount Captain.

Additional members of the cast include Aurora Anderson (Rachel Hamilton), Paige Bisgard, Josua Carlson (Mr. Heron, Tyler K), Alexis Eisenbraun (Mrs Heron; Mathlete Moderator), Mia Gates (Caitlyn Caussin), Jay Hames (Dawn Sweitzer, teary girl), Valerie Hernandez (Lizzie Therman; Caroline K), Ethan Hsia (Jason W; Martin J), Meara Malloy (Sonja Acquino), Kam/Kyra Mellott (Mr. Buck, MaryMount 3), and Marleigh Waugh (Sophie K),.

Sets, costumes, sound, lights, and props are coming to life with the work of student crew members: Ronan Daniels, Aja Dorothy, Colton Jennings, Olivia Kensel, Rorey Krause, Stormy Lint, Charlie McKerley, Kam/Kyra Mellott, S Poletti, Tristyn Sheehan, Moon Sutherland, Faye Tonelli, Cameron Rose-McBride, and Pearl Winheim.

The show is accompanied by a live pit orchestra composed of FHS students and community members Jim DePriest, Jim Edgeton, Leanne Edgeton, Teague Hannes, Fred Hucke, Betty Mayer, Mindy Phomvisay, Zach Reiter, Christian Rasmussen, and Jim Wotherspoon.

Noel Wotherspoon was in charge of directing and choreography for Mean Girls High School Version. The Union caught up with her to talk about this weekend’s musical.

Union: Can you tell us about the student cast and the characters they play? Who are the major roles, and what have they performed in before?

Noel Wotherspoon: There are six roles that I would consider lead roles, then several strong supporting roles, then a number of smaller speaking roles rounding out the ensemble. Many of the actors are playing multiple roles, and everyone in the cast who auditioned for a speaking role has at least one.

The leads and supporting characters are pretty direct adaptations of their movie counterparts. Cady Heron is the naive and wide eyed protagonist and central character. Regina George is Queen Bee villain and master manipulator. Janis and Damian befriend Cady as she struggles on her first day of high school, but use her for their own vengeful plot. Gretchen is neurotic and desperate for validation, while Karen is ditsy and blissfully ignorant.

All of the seniors in these roles are seasoned performers and have been heavily involved in the drama department since their freshman year. Most of their acting careers go back to middle school. They were all involved in the fall show this year, Imagination Mythic. Their roles in our last musical, Once Upon A Mattress, are as follows: Allison H. (Lady Larken), Connor H. (Prince Dauntless), Evie M. (Jester), David C. (Minstrel), Marcus T. (King Sextimus), and R. Brock Curtis (Sir Studley).

Ella, Nicole, and Manon have all been in several shows and on Speech Team so far in their high school careers. Madalyn appeared in the fall show and was involved in FMS drama. Bailey is a newcomer to the theatre scene.

Union: Why did you choose this musical?

Noel Wotherspoon: I put a lot of thought and care into every show selection I make. Year to year, show to show, I want to continue to choose different types of scripts in many styles and genres in order to give my students a variety of experiences and broaden their theatre education. When it came to picking this year’s musical, some factors I considered were:

What would provide the best opportunity to feature the most talent? Are the overall themes, messages, and take away something I could get behind? Is the music good? Is it a show that would spark student interest and increase involvement as well as spark audience interest and attendance?

For me, Mean Girls The High School Version was the best choice to fulfill my criteria.

It has five dynamic, multi-dimensional female leads, which is pretty much unheard of in musical theatre scripts. Like most high school theatre departments, we typically have a larger number of girls participating than boys, so I am always looking for projects with worthwhile female roles. But, this script has great male roles as well. The fact that we could feature so much of the talent we have in roles that are smart, funny, and iconic was very exciting to me. This show provided so many roles to challenge and highlight our strongest performers.

Once a script selection is made, that show becomes my life for the next three to four months. I invest a lot of myself into the process because I want to provide my students with the best experience possible. It’s not in me to live and breathe a story this intensely if it doesn’t have themes and ideas I can support and/or see the educational value in.

The situations presented in Mean Girls are real and relevant to the experience of every modern teenager. Often in the educational setting young actors are playing adults in situations that are outside of their current life experience, so another huge appeal of this show was providing the opportunity to play characters their own age experiencing things they can relate to. The morals in this show include: not compromising your morals and personality to get people to like you; even bullies and the people you don’t like are still human and deserve to be treated as such; choosing kindness can be the more difficult choice, but we as people are stronger when we are kind and support each other.

This is also a really new show. The Covid-19 pandemic ended its Broadway run, so the amateur performance rights became available faster than they might have under different circumstances. I cannot recall a time when FHS has put on a musical that is this new. While old classics and standards are great, and have their value, being able to do a show that is fresh for performers and audiences alike was really appealing.

Union: Were you a fan of the 2004 film?

Noel Wotherspoon: Yes. I was in high school when the film came out and got to be part of the cultural phenomenon it became. I’ve always seen it as the most iconic teen film of that era, and a modern classic. This year being the 20th anniversary of the film and the release of the new movie musical version are great tie ins.

Union: Were the students aware of the 2004 film and were they excited when you chose this one?

Noel Wotherspoon: I’m sure they had an awareness of the movie, but I’m not sure how many of them had actually seen it. I do know that many of them were already familiar with the musical and its soundtrack. When we made the formal announcement, there was lots of screaming and crying and hugging. So, yes, they were very excited.

Union: How long have you and the students been rehearsing for this musical?

Noel Wotherspoon: We auditioned and began rehearsals in mid-February.

Union: Can you talk about the PG-13 nature of the show, and some of the edits that were made to the original musical? Is that something that you or earlier drama directors have had to do before?

Noel Wotherspoon: While the film and the stage version have both been given PG-13 ratings, some of the content in the musical is edgier. Films are tightly regulated by the MPAA, and stage shows don’t have those same restrictions, so stylistically modern shows often push boundaries.

In an effort to make the show more accessible, the writers provide approved changes that a director can pick and choose from to best suit their community. These changes were based on information provided by educators on what would be most challenging for some schools. FHS will be implementing all of the approved changes.

Even with the changes, we are still recommending audiences consider this a PG-13 show due to depictions of teen bullying and some alcohol, drug, and sexual references.

The way in which these elements are presented and serve the plot is very important to consider. None of these elements are being promoted or glorified. They are shown to be problematic and dangerous. Much of the show is in the style of satire, and certain situations are intentionally portrayed in an over the top and humorous way to help point out to the audience what is ridiculous and unacceptable about them.

I see the presence of challenging material as an educational tool. Reading through the script with the full cast, we went through all the changes and discussed why they might be concerning and therefore removed or altered. But, also, the purpose of certain words and references, and why they would be chosen originally. I have witnessed first-hand that teenages are capable of learning about and understanding complex issues. Nothing in this show is out of the scope of experience for modern teens. I personally feel that it is better to equip young people with information so they can make smart and informed decisions. I also feel that presenting such topics the way this show does provides the opportunity to educate the audience as well.

Union: Do you have any assistant coaches or other adults helping in this year's production?

Noel Wotherspoon: Yes, I do have adult production staff.

Mr. Zach Reiter is the Music Director teaching the music to the cast and continuing to guide them musically. He is also providing technical support concerning sound.

Mr. Meshari Alnouri is the Technical Director overseeing set, props, and lighting crews.

Mrs. Betsie Wotherspoon is Costume Mistress overseeing the costume crew and working tirelessly to put the 23-member cast in multiple costumes.

Mr. Tyler Nunziato is the Orchestra Conductor. He sourced high school students and community members to play in the live pit orchestra.

Mean Girls High School Version is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com