'It's going to be fetch': Yellowknife high school students put on Mean Girls musical
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It's something some students at École St. Patrick High School have been waiting to perform for years: Mean Girls, the musical.
About 40 high school students will hit the stage tonight to debut their version of the 2004 classic movie-turned Broadway musical.
Grade 12 student and cast member Angela Greening said she and several other students have been asking their theatre teacher, Emma Smith, to let them perform the musical since they were in Grade 8.
Veronica Leornadis (left) and Steven Mackay are one of 40 members of the cast. (Francis Tessier-Burns )
"All of us wanted to do Mean Girls so we've basically been begging Smith," she said.
For Smith, who directed the production, it's been a long time coming.
"They were fired up. They were in it to win it. They cheered pretty hard when I said, 'Yes, we'll do Mean Girls,'" Smith said.
Mean Girls follows the story of Cady Heron, a teenager who moves from Kenya with her zoologist parents to the suburbs of Illinois and is quickly faced with the reality of stereotypical high school cliques.
The leader of the most popular clique, Regina George, is played by Grade 12 student Hannah Janes.
"Being able to just be completely awful on stage has been so much fun," Janes said.
Even though the musical is based in a setting all of the cast is familiar with — a high school — Janes said it's harder than it seems.
Students from the cast of École St. Patrick High School rehearse for Mean Girls, the musical. (Francis Tessier-Burns/CBC )
"You would think playing a high school student would be insanely easy, but you have to convey these important life lessons that this show is trying to teach you," Janes said.
Cassidy Comeau, who plays Gretchen Wieners, said despite the challenges of performing on stage, the story is still something everyone can relate to.
"It talks about how high school actually is," she said.
Smith said she thinks even almost 20 years on, the movie is still relevant.
"Having characters, having scenarios they can relate to is important," Smith said.
The show starts tonight and runs until Saturday at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre.
"Come see Mean Girls, it's going to be fetch," Smith said.
