Clarke Central High School junior Christopher Johnson (middle) talks to his fellow drama classmates in the Black Box Theatre during after school rehearsals on April 18. Johnson believes there were many benefits after his casting switch to Troy Bolton, a bigger role in the production. “Honestly, (the cast adjustment has) been pretty great, because without Troy at the beginning, it was hard because there was nobody playing it, so with me, everyone kind of loved it because they know what type of guy I am,” Johnson said. “I’m a fun-loving guy who likes to be outgoing and whatnot.” Photo by Natalie Ripps
As the Clarke Central High School fine arts department prepares for the upcoming spring production of “High School Musical,” held in the Mell Auditorium from May 2-4, participants work to adjust to final changes in the cast before the showcase.
With the Clarke Central High School fine arts department production of “High School Musical” being showcased on May 2-4, student and teacher participants face last-minute adjustments to ensure readiness before the showcase.
According to CCHS fine arts department teacher Harriet Anderson, a primary role was missing upon initial preparation, resulting in a need for a cast alteration.
“When we auditioned, we did not have a man who was interested in the role of Troy (Bolton). I knew that Chris Johnson could play the role, but he didn’t want it because when you see him perform, you’ll understand that he is Chad (Danforth),” Anderson said. “But he said from the very beginning, ‘if you can’t find a Troy, I’ll do it, because I want the show to go up.’”
CCHS junior Christopher Johnson was initially set to take on a more minor role, but stepped up to fill in for the larger role of ‘Troy’ upon being informed of the absence of an actor in that role, leaving the actor playing Chad to be determined.
“I got the initial role as Chad, but throughout the play, we were looking for a Troy, someone who could stand out and be great. We couldn’t find one, unfortunately, so I offered to be Troy in order to make up for that lost time,” Johnson said.
CCHS junior Avery Sepesi will be playing the role of Sharpay Evans, and believes there are many benefits to Johnson taking this role on.
“The cast knows Chris, he’s been involved in drama for a while and is just hilarious. He’s such a great guy, too, and he’s been positive throughout all of this. The cast is just relieved,” Sepesi said. “We need someone that already knows everything, and we know he’s good at singing and he’s been through all of the rehearsals, so Chris has been really nice stepping into that role.”
Anderson believes that while the process of recasting can be difficult, it won’t have any major impact on the final production.
“It’s disconcerting when we’re missing a major cast member and we can’t move forward in certain ways,” Anderson said. “Now today, by the end of today, we will have a Chad. We’ll pull one of the guys up from that ensemble and he will become our Chad and it will be fine. As I say, disconcerting, but this is what it takes to put up a show.”
