New experiences and memories await as students and teachers eagerly anticipate the upcoming musical production of Bye-bye-Birdie, brought to us by the Sage Creek Drama Department. Students preparing for auditions lay out their confidence and mental preparations for the production which will be hosted at the Carlsbad Cultural Arts Center on February 23-25

“I’m trying to do the best I can and be prepared for the auditions,” senior Mike Spettigue says. “Getting rejected is a big part of life, so there isn’t any reason to worry about not getting a part. Just try your best to muster your confidence.”

The Sage Creek Drama Department has their students honing their mental and physical attributes for how they will try to differentiate themselves from the rest of their peers in order to captivate the audience with their talent. “I love acting and I have been involved in every drama production that our school has done as well as productions before high school,” senior Kara Kirkpatrick says. “I practice singing regularly to keep my voice vibrant and fluent for the plays.”

Students are going to be immersing themselves in the characters of the story in order to stand out. New English teacher, Mrs. Hunter will be our musical director this year. When deciding to musically direct the production, Hunter stated “I think about myself when I was in the arts in high school and that’s what I remembered the most. It’s a really magical thing for students to get involved in.”  

The plot of the production is about a story inspired from Elvis Presley’s draft notice into the Army in 1957. The rockstar character, Conrad Birdie, is wordplay on the name Conway Twitty, one of Presley’s rock ‘n’ roll rivals. The musical goes into the youth culture affected by Birdie’s draft and “the typical musical, art, and cultural fashions that go with the production,” as described by theatre teacher and director Ms. Porter.

One of the biggest hopes for the show is a good turn out. The Sage Creek Drama Department has received very positive feedback among the community so it would not be uncanny for the musical to be well-acknowledged by locals. “I think for any musical it’s important to get support from not only the school community, but also the Carlsbad community,” Hunter says. “I really wish for the students involved to take away memories, friendships, and everlasting experiences with them.”

Vocal auditions begin on October 31 while dance auditions will take place November 2. Students wanting to take the leap should follow this link to vocal auditions.