Mamma Mia Breaks Box Office Records
Sanford’s 2023 musical, Mamma Mia, from Presidents’ Day weekend, had record-breaking attendees. The musical is one of Sanford’s most anticipated events of the year and is the biggest for the school’s performing arts department.
“We sold out of two of the four performances, and for the other two, we were just a couple of tickets away from selling out,” said Performing Arts Chair Jennifer Kowalski.
Although it was one of the school’s most well-received musicals, it did not come easy initially. Before this year, the Performing Arts Department attempted to get its hands on the musical but could not obtain its rights.
“We applied for Mamma Mia a couple of years ago, and we got denied because there were so many other schools in the area also doing Mamma Mia ,” said Kowalski.
Kowalski states her appreciation for that rejection from years back, knowing it would be utterly different if done a few years ago.
“It was the biggest blessing in disguise because seeing this cast and crew work on it, we had the perfect group,” said Kowalski
The musical takes a lot of preparation, and finding time to fit in everything can be difficult. In addition, the cast and crew are on a tight schedule and need to be flexible with each other for the final product to go smoothly.
“We rehearse in the band room from November to tech week (in February), one week before the show opens,” said Kowalski. Tech week is when they convert everything they’ve practiced to the stage’s layout.
The musical has 12 kids in the main cast and 23 more in the ensemble. Most students that participate are from Sanford’s high school; depending on the year, there are a few middle schoolers too.
“I think the most fun part is having all the friends and the community you have within the cast. We have a lot of fun during the show and then after the show as well,” said Cat Shapiro, a member of the ensemble and dance captain.
Even with Sanford’s 2023 musical at a close, there is still more the Performing Arts Center has to offer. The one-act plays were recently performed, which is one of many theater opportunities that Sanford offers.
