High School Spring Musicals 2024

This season of high school musicals spotlights well-known classics, giving students a chance to audition for a chorus line, sing in the rain, and remember that in musicals, anything goes!

Santa Barbara High School presents A Chorus Line (directed by Gioia Marchese), a musical about the audition process. A director (played by David Benavidez) auditions a group of dancers vying for a place in the chorus line. In this unlikely casting process, each dancer gets to tell their story — characters like Val (played by Malia Hubbard), whose song “Dance: Ten; Looks: Three” bemoans the fact that it takes more than talent to make it in showbiz. “Val is the epitome of a brave, beautiful, confident woman,” says Hubbard. “She’s working hard to get a job. Unfortunately, looks are a very large factor in musical theater, so that’s a real-life obstacle that blocks many talented people from progressing.”

A Chorus Line premiered half a century ago, but the anxieties of auditioning haven’t changed. “I am playing a director responsible for casting dancers,” says Benavidez. “A few months ago, I was one of those dancers walking into the audition room hoping to impress the directors! … High school is full of young adults who come from so many different backgrounds (like those in the chorus line) and having a play that is so inclusive and raw … can spark so many needed emotions that are hard to find in everyday life.”

A Chorus Line runs from April 26 to May 4 at Santa Barbara High School. Click here for info.

San Marcos High School presents Singin’ in the Rain (directed by Shannon Saleh), adapted from the 1950s film of the same name. This show takes place in the early 20th century as movie studios move from silent pictures to “talkies.” It’s a big change for actor Don Lockwood (played by Milo Bustany), but a challenge he’s equipped to face. Not so for his leading lady, Lina Lamont (played by Elise Tsoukalas), whose absurd personality and obnoxious voice put her career in jeopardy.

“Older musicals love to pop dance breaks in wherever they can,” says Tsoukalas, “and Singin’ in the Rain is no exception! In the title number, we’re going to have it rain on stage!” The show’s upbeat score and energetic choreography will keep heart rates up from curtain to curtain. “I haven’t really had to memorize this many dances before,” says Bustany. “It’s been really fun for me to step out of my comfort zone and expand as a performer” — fitting for a show about growth and flexibility within an art form. “Things are going to advance and move forward, and that can be scary,” he says, “but if we take a step back and allow ourselves the grace to move with the changes, we can learn to take full advantage of our positions in life.”

Singin’ in the Rain runs May 2-11 at San Marcos High School. Click here for info.

Dos Pueblos High School presents Anything Goes (directed by Emily Libera), a Broadway hit from the 1930s. With gangsters, a holy-roller nightclub singer, and love triangles on the high sea, this toe-tapper encourages people to follow their hearts. Audiences can look forward to the revival of certain vintage musical stylings, including tap dancing and music by Cole Porter.

Some classic Broadway shows do not age well in terms of relatability, but the Dos Pueblos student actors say that the message of Anything Goes has remained relevant 100 years later. “No one should let any preconceived notion they have stand in the way of their happiness,” says Biz Fletcher, who plays lovestruck socialite Hope Harcourt, whose family pressures her to marry for money. “Celebrating joy and our authentic selves is something we work toward during high school as we develop into young adults,” says Mary Bailey, who plays crooning preacher Reno Sweeney. In this show, “we see characters grow to embrace what makes them happy over satisfying societal norms.”

Anything Goes runs May 9-18 at Dos Pueblos High School. Click here for info.