It’s the second week of May, and the South High Drama Club is in full swing. Cast members have started to go “off-book”, meaning that their lines are fully memorized, and the stage crew is finalizing the designs of a multitude of props.
The chaos, extensive rehearsals, and absolute crunch time are all in preparation for the production of a musical called “Totally Awesome”, something that’s never been done before at South High. In past years, the Drama Club has put together plays and shows of varying kinds, but a musical is entirely new to everyone involved.
For the students in South High’s Drama Club, singing isn’t actually something familiar. Many members of the Drama Club are involved in music, but most definitely not the vocal kind. Despite the challenge of learning to sing to an audience, everyone in the cast shows great enthusiasm and passion for making the musical happen.
Megan Dunlevy, the past teacher in charge of the Drama Club, passed away in the fall of 2025. The space left by her absence was a great obstacle for the members of the Drama Club, which didn’t actually start up again until February of 2026. With Ms. Dunlevy in mind, the drive to get the musical has been even stronger by the day– it’s what she would have wanted. She would have wanted to see the children she cared about go for something big, even in the face of so much stress and adversity.
“Totally Awesome”, a musical written by Shrewsbury music educator Stephen Murray, has only had seven prior performances. South High’s rendition of the musical will be the eighth. This rendition is special in that it will feature students from Sullivan Middle School on top of those at South High who’ve participated in the Drama Club. The musical will be shown in South High’s very own auditorium on May 29th at 6 PM, and May 30th at 2 PM.
Being able to put on the musical for a real audience to see matters a lot to the students involved with the Drama Club. Student director Isabelle “Belle” Maxim states:
“We’ve spent countless hours bringing this production to life. The creativity, passion, and dedication behind it are truly inspiring. This is the first show I’ve ever directed, and it will always hold a very special place in my heart. Every person involved has poured so much into making this performance unforgettable, and I genuinely believe audiences will enjoy watching it just as much as we’ve loved bringing it to life on South’s stage.”
On top of her role as a student director, Belle also holds the role of a lead character: she plays Fiona, who switches places with superhero Annie Awesome to live a life of danger and adventure.
To garner more excitement and awareness of the musical, the Drama Club will be hosting a spirit week for the week of the show: Tuesday is “Anything But A Bag”, Wednesday is “Meme Day”, Thursday is “Dress For The Wrong Occasion”, and Friday is “Little White Lies”. Tickets for the musical will also be sold prior to the show for $5 in cash.
For any more information about the musical, spirit week, or buying tickets, don’t hesitate to email student directors Isabelle Maxim ([email protected]) and Julia Gould ([email protected]).
