With another year in the books, the drama department closed its 2025 season with The Prom, a Broadway musical about a high school girl who just wants to take her girlfriend to the prom. Based on real-life events, the musical offered a fun and rewarding challenge to all involved, especially graduating seniors, according to cast and crew.
“We produced it like it was occurring right now,” said Adam Sheaffer, drama director. “A senior girl wanted to attend the prom with another girl, and the local PTA at the school is very upset, so they cancel the prom. There’s a group of Broadway actors that are kind of past their time and are trying to be relevant again. They decide to become celebrity activists and go to this town in Indiana where the school is located to try and gain publicity. There’s a lot of stuff that happens that’s silly, and sweet, and sad. In the end, she gets her inclusive prom and ends up with the girl.”
According to Sheaffer, the musical’s relevance and message of equity resonated especially with students.
“We chose [The Prom] before the election, so at an obviously pressing time, but it’s always relevant,” Sheaffer said. “There’s always gonna be folks who want to turn back the clock and take things away that are already very difficult to fight for. So, unfortunately, stories like this are always relevant.”
The Prom brought a contemporary flair back to the SHS stage after a period of several productions originally from the mid-1900s.
“I think the students gravitate towards whatever we do and they enjoy it, [but] it was very meaningful because it was a ‘now’ story,” Sheaffer said. “I really, genuinely love every show, and feed off of the great energy from all of the kids.”
Lucy Kuhnen-Grooms, senior, played Emma Nolan, the protagonist intent on taking her girlfriend to prom, with the plot heavily centered around her self-discovery and struggles as an out queer girl in rural Indiana.
“It was my first lead role, so it was pretty exciting,” Kuhnen-Grooms said. “It was definitely a good role to have for the last show, but, most of all, I loved getting to hang out with my friends.”
Nathan Sibila, senior, played Barry Glickman, a Broadway actor who aids Emma in her journey. Despite never having played such an expressive role, he found the experience fulfilling.
“When I first got him, I was kind of like, ‘I don’t know if I’m going to like this role or play him well,’ but I ended up really enjoying it,” Sibila said. “It was really fun to go full-out.”
Andrew Sibila, senior, played Trent Oliver who, like Barry, was another broadway type. Trent came with really fun dances and musical numbers, even one that included walking on his hands.
“I loved playing Trent because he’s just so goofy and fun; he has a couple of really fun songs that are crowd-pleasers,” Sibila said. “It definitely felt good to get the crowd engaged. I really loved doing ‘Love Thy Neighbor.’ It was so physically demanding for me because I had to belt high notes, walk on my hands, and just jump around the stage for five minutes straight.”
Andrew Sibila, like Sheaffer, resonates with the show’s message and emphasizes that the role of actors is to shed light on hard or uncomfortable topics to spread awareness.
“I think our director chose a couple of our shows this year that were activist-based or exposing real life problems,” Sibila said. “Alice By Heart was about war, and The Prom was about discrimination and homophobia, so I think that was a big factor that went into our choice, like, as actors, we have the power to change minds and expose new ideas.”
The three of them speak highly of the other cast members, especially the underclassmen, who put their all into every single number. Due to the effort put in by every member, the group put out an outstanding production.
“I feel like this has been one of the best shows I’ve been in, cast dynamic-wise,” Nathan Sibila said. “It felt like basically everyone put in the work and really cared about the show, especially the middle schoolers, who really, really put in the work.”
For the past four years, Sheaffer has allowed seventh- and eighth-graders to audition for the spring musical to promote interest in theatre and allow younger students to obtain experience. Despite the wide age range, it was a beneficial choice for both parties, according to Andrew Sibila.
“When we were giving our sappy speeches for our final show, everyone was crying, even the middle schoolers, which I think says a lot about our community and how close we are and how close our dynamic is, from seventh graders to seniors,” Sibila said.
Given the strong sense of community, many production members found the musical to be a rewarding experience. However, the cast also faced a few setbacks and challenges along the way. Due to AP testing, the rehearsal period was cut short by two weeks, creating some time constraints.
“We had a shorter rehearsal period, but luckily the choreography wasn’t too overly involved,” Sheaffer said. “It was very energetic but it wasn’t anything we couldn’t handle.”
Overall, many cast members found the production to be the perfect way to end the year and, for some members, their careers in Shorewood Drama.
“I felt really positive energy all around,” Kuhnen-Grooms said. “When people don’t put in the work, it’s frustrating and off-balance, but it was clear we were all putting in effort and that’s why it turned out so well.”