Here we go.
After months of hemming and hawing, of emergency meetings and spectacular subterfuge, of endless google docs and hastily assembled excel spreadsheets, the march towards FYP’s 2016 production of Heathers: The Musical has officially begun.
Our retreat happened. Our art budget is funded. Our fall workshops are in full swing. And, most importantly, our show was finally chosen. But we got to this point under slightly more dramatic circumstances than usual (the fall semester is a relatively routine and banal time compared to the one that follows). Logistical snafus delayed the announcement of this year’s show, and, by extension, the marquee event of the fall: Show Reveal Dinner, the FYP equivalent to a sorority formal.
But show reveal did happen, a mutiny from the staff was avoided, and our 2016 musical was announced with great fanfare (and some great wigs). Heathers beat out some fantastic choices, among them perennial contenders Spring Awakening and Legally Blonde.
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| The FYP Executive Board celebrates show reveal dinner. |
Heathers: The Musical is based on the eponymous 1988 movie starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. It follows a clique of four high school girls (three of whom are named Heather, obviously), the majority of whom are cruel and superficial to the extreme. The exception is Veronica, played by Ryder, who loathes her “friends” and ends up falling for a mysterious, bad boy outsider named JD (played by Slater).
The emotional pressure-cooker that is the American high school pushes Veronica, JD and the Heathers to do some horrible things to their peers and one another, and the result is a bloody black comedy that would make the Coen Brothers proud.
Both the film and the stage adaptation are radical “coming-of-age” tales that examine the struggles faced by teens and young adults on a daily basis: bullying, mental health, loneliness, depression, suicide, and body image.
“Heathers is a satire,” says Co-Producer Collin Jacobs, “The over-the-top nature of the show makes the audience think, ‘do I really look like that? Do I treat mental illness like that? Am I part of the problem?’"
Not only does “Heathers” confront these issues in an unconventional way, it also offers a way for people to talk about them and help others who are struggling. Co-producer Lauren Green believes that the show gives this year’s FYP staff a unique opportunity, both on and off the stage.
“It contains real-life issues that are so prominent yet taboo on the public level. The musical shows how we as individuals have the power to help others going through these problems,” says Green.
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| Last years newbies, the Addams Family, attend their first show reveal. |
“But outside of the issues, Heathers is also just an unreal, powerhouse of a show in every sense. It is something that has never been to Broadway, and our first-years will be able to truly hone and perfect their craft without any boundaries.”
So the season is now in full gear. Plans are being made for next semester. Logos are being designed. Rehearsal spaces are being booked. T-Shirts are being ordered. The excitement is palpable.
Once again, FYP is poised to put on a great musical. But, more importantly, we are preparing to give away what was freely given to each of us at a formative moment in our lives.
When we enter the organization, we are strangers to one another - but when the show is over, the people in our “cast” are closer to us than people we’ve known our whole lives. That outcome is the result of a whole year’s worth of careful planning, of meticulous attention to detail, and of a commitment to unconditionally loving a group of people we have yet to meet.
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| FYP Staff members Stephanie Lane, Megan Wilcox, Kailey Smith, Chip Weber, Marissa Maggio and Erin Reimel pose for the camera on the 2015 staff retreat. |
The magic of FYP happens not only happen on the stage - it happens in the years that follow our last show. That’s why we do what we do. We received a gift when we first arrived on this campus that can only be repaid by continuing to give it away. It’s why we love this org, and why we love our newbies. We may not know their names, their faces, or where they’re from, but they’re already a huge part of our lives - and we can’t wait to show them that.
