WCC asks age-old question: ‘Is There Life After High School?’

By Lacey Korevec

Nearly impossible feat. But sophomore Russell Fischer has been able to use his rough experiences as motivation for a character he portrays in the musical Is There Life After High School?, which will be performed in the Westminster Playhouse on Thursday, Dec. 1 through Saturday, Dec. 3, at 8 p.m.

“In high school I was always teased for being different, for doing theater, going against the grain and doing my own thing,” said Fischer. “I can relate to the issue of being different and being persecuted for it.”

As a result of their shared experiences, Fischer and his character, Joel, a man who was made fun of in school because of his weight, were connected from the production’s start. The empathy Fischer felt is exactly what Is There Life After High School? aims to evoke from viewers.

“I think everyone can relate to a lot of the characters in the show,” he said. “There’s a particular link between what happens to us in high school and what happens to us in the real world. [This show is] kind of bridging the gap between our beginning and what’s going to happen for us when we don’t have that blanket anymore — that comfort of school.”

Directed by Fine Arts Professor Miriam Mills, the show poses the question in its title, and explores the answer through songs and monologues.

“What it is is people’s memories of what their high school years were like and for most of us, when we look back, there are some memories that really stick out and profoundly affect us,” she said. “For the characters in this musical, it is a walk down memory lane. Some of it is very funny and some of it is very touching.”

Made of an ensemble cast, the production allows each actor to take on several unrelated character roles. Freshman Christopher Christiana plays five.

“This show actually stands out as reality stricken,” he said. “There are a lot of characters, and audience members will be able to relate to it and say, ‘I know a person who is exactly like that.’”

“Every character tells a story of what happened in high school and, in Act Two, we go to a reunion and find out that people really don’t change,” he said. “Basically the show takes people through the defining years of their lives.”

Lapsing back into high school mode was not all that difficult for the cast. This is because each actor has a “vivid memory” of what those years were like for them, according to Fischer.

“We’re college students. For us, taking a retrospective look back on our high school career, is not such a hard thing because we all experienced it and it’s still fresh for us,” he said.

Though the show was on Broadway for a short time, Mills said it is not a typical Broadway musical.

“It’s more of a musical review,” she said. “Because I had limited resources, a limited amount of time and limited familiarity with the students, I felt that [Is There Life After High School?] would be an appropriate choice. It is a clever show and they have worked very hard.”

This has been Mills’ first experience directing at Westminster with students studying musical theater.

“Their growth as actors has been extraordinary,” she said. “They have made some real, true progress. Their musical ability makes doing musical shows with them very easy.”

Under Mills’ direction, the cast has had some hard times but only to its own benefit, according to Christiana.

“The first thing she said was, ‘I’m not here to be your friend — I’m here to be your director,’ and I really respected her for that,” he explained. “As time lapsed, we learned a lot from her and gained from her experience.”

Playing the parts of a cheerleader, a nerd and a brutally honest cynic is junior Carly Voigt, who agreed with Mills that the show is atypical.

“It’s not glitz and glam at all but instead very real and raw,” she said. “It’s just a bunch of real people in real outfits singing real songs about a very real time that every person has been through.”

Christiana said he can connect, to an extent, with each character and expects many viewers will feel the same.

“I was very happy with my high school experience,” he said. “I can relate to pretty much all [the characters], but it’s difficult to pinpoint one.”

Voigt described the show’s music as a cross between the songs from Grease and the music of The Beach Boys. As for the dancing, it uses elements of hip hop mixed with popular moves from the ’80s.

“Everything has this young energy,” she said.

Beneath its entertainment value, Is There Life After High School? does carry a valuable message, according to Christiana.

“You kind of learn how to not take things for granted and appreciate what you had and what you didn’t have,” he said. “And if you didn’t appreciate what you had in high school, you’re told that you’re not alone.”