FAIRFAX – Please make sure to wrap up conversations and turn off phones as lights in the BFA-Fairfax gym are about to be dimmed. The fall musical is taking the stage.
This weekend, middle and high school students will perform “Mean Girls Jr.” Shows start at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7-8. Two performances, at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. are set for Nov. 9.
Tickets cost $10 dollars for orchestra seeting and $8 for bleachers; they can be purchased at the door and online at bfafairfax.brownpapertickets.com.
“Mean Girls Jr.” is an adaptation of the Broadway musical “Mean Girls,” which in turn is an adaptation of the popular 2004 film written by comedian Tina Fey.
Co-director Emily Wills said the many hours students put in behind the scenes is astounding. The students really stepped it up this show, Wills said, as they also directed and blocked musical numbers.
“It is a lot of hours, but the amount of student leadership makes it really feel like a team,” she said. “There’s so much they can handle that I’m blown away, everytime.”
This year, the BFA Dramatic Arts Ensemble has a student-led production. It’s the first year the ensemble has had only students as stage managers.
The show is entirely student-led. Students were the choreographers and directors in making the show come to life.
“The thing I just want people to know is that what you’re seeing is authentically student-led vision,” Wills said. “And I’m really proud of that.”
Junior director and BFA senior Summer Boutin said the musical is full of crowd interactions, something the cast is excited about. Blake Von Sitas, an eighth-grader, added the crowd can look forward to watching all the students’ hard work coming to life during the musical.
“It’s a lot of fun to work and to be surrounded by friends and people who are so dedicated to the show,” junior director, choreographer and senior Ella Ferrone said.
The amount of time which goes into making a productive musical is on all of the students’ minds, choreographer Cora Ducharme said. As one of the people who has to think through each musical number with dances and blocking, she said it’s hard to realize how much outside time it requires.
“Working on choreography and then also working on directing it’s a whole different perspective,” Ferrone said. “When you’re actually kind of leading people, you have to be a role model to everyone on the show and I don’t think [it’s] necessarily just us as leaders who put so much effort in, because the whole cast is putting in so much effort.”
The students who are helping produce the show all had inspiration. Duchame said her sister helped create a love for the theater, as well as her love of music and dance, while Boutin said she came from a background in singing.
All of the student performers have some background in music, singing or dance, but most importantly, they all emphasized an interest in being able to be part of a larger production, bigger than themselves.
“Being a part of something that takes so much coordination and organization, makes you feel like you’re like, a part of something bigger, like a part of a big effort,” Ferrone said. “And I think having seen the show, having the show come together, it really pays off.”