By Claire Lareau and Madison Lewis

During the week of Oct. 23-27, all around campus excitement was stirring for Collegiate School’s fall musical: Mean Girls. Based on the 2004 film and adapted to theaters in 2017, Mean Girls High School Version made its high school debut this year. During the Upper School Assembly on Monday, Oct. 23, the cast gave a preview of the show. The set was not completely finished, and the costumes were not worn, but students were undeniably left wanting more. There were three full performances in Oates Theater later that week, on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. 

Shepard Adamson (‘25), who played Karen Smith, shared a little bit about the musical with us that week as she worked on her homework in Sharp Academic Commons. Adamson auditioned for this role because she “loves Mean Girls, and the musical sounded fun.” She had participated in musicals in the past but had never played a lead role. Adamson felt that she resonates with Karen “in a way.” They are both free-spirited “and blonde,” she added. Her favorite song is “Meet the Plastics,” “because the music is really good.” Adamson hoped that the audience learned an important lesson from watching this year’s musical: “Have fun in high school and be kind.”

Tickets on sale in Sharp Academic Commons.

When asked how long the cast spent preparing for this musical, Adamson said, “Hours and hours and hours.” Many people would find performing in front of friends and family to be nerve-wracking, but Adamson did not: “I am not nervous at all.” She hopes that the musical will inspire more students to audition for future musicals. Her advice to those who are scared to audition is “full send.”

Mean Girls poster.

Gracie Etherington (’25) was part of the musical’s ensemble; she also had a few solos. Etherington was most excited for the songs “Where Do You Belong” and “Someone Gets Hurt.” Etherington agreed with Adamson’s comment about the large time commitment. She said, “Lately, we’ve probably spent 30-plus hours in the theater.”

The cast began preparing for the performance in late August. Etherington decided to participate in the musical because she “wanted something fun to do and wanted to get back into singing and dancing.” She hoped everyone would attend but acknowledged that the musical is tailored towards older teenagers: “There’s definitely references to high school-related topics.” Along with Adamson, Etherington hoped younger students were inspired to join theater at Collegiate. Her advice to students contemplating participating in a production is to “just do it.” She shared, “As long as you can sing and you can show some enthusiasm, you’ll be fine.”

All photos by Claire Lareau.