Musicals have become ingrained into Graded’s cultural fabric. Every year, the actors exude an energy on stage so infectious, that we are immediately transported away from the mundane into the world they conjure with their voices, conviction, and passion. Remarkably, this year, the spectacle will be solely built by the hands of determined students.
The idea for Aladdin came from Manuela Bartz, a junior who took matters into her own hands by directing the show, continuing Graded’s longstanding tradition of musical theater, “I think what truly inspired me to start this project is the love I have for musical theater… Theater itself has definitely been one of the highlights of my experience at Graded.” After months of advocating for the rights to Aladdin, Manuela was able to secure the license for the musical. Ever since, the cast members have been hard at work, trying to make a performance that really feels like their own.
Watching them rehearse, although I was struck by the students’ deep dedication to the project, something beyond their commitment moved me more profoundly. On their first day together, as they gathered around the piano for the first verse of Arabian Nights, I could immediately see something shift from within them: there was this compelling magic in the room, and when they sang, their voices began to melt into a powerful chorus.
As more weeks pass, the casts’ connections continue to flourish. I found that these students are devoted to each other. They hold one another accountable, and this accountability has been a substantial, driving force for the production of the show.
I will admit, I was unsure of how a student-led musical would work. At first, I worried that without ‘traditional’ authority, the production would struggle to move forward. I worried that nobody would be on the same page, and that the vision would just fall apart. This could not have been farther from the truth. The cast has proved to me time and time again that their ambition to simply make it happen outweighs any form of skepticism.
Theater is instrumental to the lives of so many students at Graded. It gives them a close-knit community of people with the same ambitions; this can be hard to find anywhere else on campus. With Graded’s production of Aladdin, it’s no different.
Theater is driven by connection and community. It is about finding the right group of people that will propel each other forwards and are willing to build something far beyond themselves. The creation of a show is a process that requires collaboration and trust. It is an art that requires relationships built on trust and adoration, combining endless individual pieces into a moving collective. This is exactly what the actors and the production staff have strived to do, and it is exactly what they will deliver.
So, on the opening night of May 14th, get ready to be transported into the city of Agrabah, where talented individuals will command the stage with true passion, ready to show their dedication to musical theater. When students band together in such a way, there’s truly not much they can’t do: they’re ready to show the Graded community the beautiful spectacle they’ve built together.
