The musical, based on the 2006 hit movie of the same name, centres on the blossoming relationship between Troy, a high school jock, and Gabriella, the new smart girl at school.

After meeting and becoming attracted to each other on holiday, Troy and Gabriella are surprised to rediscover each other at school. Their relationship, and surprise decision to audition together for the school show, are thwarted by various people – including the couple’s well-meaning friends.

Exploring contemporary issues of friendship, first love and acceptance, the couple finally find a way to be themselves and are rewarded with the lead roles in the school show.

An estimated 400 people enjoyed watching Troy and Gabriella’s journey over a three-night run of Withernsea High School’s amateur production, with cast and crew being praised for their professionalism which powered them through their second major production in just under a year.      

With last July’s musical, ‘School of Rock’, still fresh in everyone’s minds – the audition and rehearsal process for this year’s show began at the start of the academic year. The purpose of this relatively tight turnaround was to bring the production forward, ahead of the impending start of the busy examination season which will see the school’s hall, and main performance space, taken out of use to facilitate this summer’s exams. 

Mark Crofts, Headteacher of Withernsea High School, was in attendance on the show’s final night. “For three nights last week, friends, families and students were treated to a fantastic performance of High School Musical. The hard work of the preceding months was evident in slick and confident performances from a cast including many who were new to acting and performance here in our High School. 

I joined one of the largest audiences we have had at a school performance for some time on Thursday, showing our appetite for Creative Arts. The desire to perform was abundantly clear and the energy of the cast was infectious - leaving students and audience already looking forward to the next performance.

I was delighted to see so many of our students in the audience and I hope they were inspired by the talent, commitment and dedication of their peers. It would be fantastic to see some new faces joining the growing team of actors, musicians, dancers and technicians who know what enjoyment and satisfaction can come from putting on a show. My thanks and congratulations go to all involved.”

Show Director and Assistant Headteacher, Richard Mabbott, added: “This year we saw a big emphasis on the amount of student leadership involved, with direction of the show being aided by the support of two Year 11 students – Chloe Wicks and Abi Little.

One measure for the success of any school production is the willingness of students to be involved year after year. One notable highlight of our cast this year was that it included many students who had smaller roles in our performances of ‘We Will Rock You’ and ‘School of Rock’, who stepped up into the larger main roles or, in the case of Chloe and Abi, helped to direct the production as part of the creative team.

We are proud of the cast and crew for their great camaraderie, with older students supporting younger cast members and others stepping up to take on roles at short notice. We are delighted to see a trend of increasing numbers, both on stage and off, who are helping to take our performances to the next level.”  

In February 2020, Withernsea High School staged its first full-scale school production in a decade with a two-date performance of smash-hit Queen musical ‘We Will Rock You’.

Not only did the production continue to build upon the strong creative foundations laid by the school’s Music department, and an established culture of Dance, it also paved the way for the reintroduction of Drama to the main school curriculum after an absence of five years. 

In 2021, Dance, Music, Drama and Art were reunited as part of a new Creative Arts faculty.

Individually, these subjects had been split across different faculties – with Art having been part of Design Technology, and Music and Dance being aligned with Sport and PE. Thanks to the strategic driving force of Mrs Hughes, Head of Creative Arts, these subjects were pulled back together - subsequently leading to an increasing number of opportunities for students. 

The school’s annual Dance shows have remained a constant success, while Music students have enjoyed continuing links with the Manchester Camerata orchestra alongside a range of other performance opportunities both in and out of school.

Meanwhile, Drama students have continued to build confidence in lessons and the school’s budding young Artists have continued to flourish, with their work being displayed around school and shown publicly at local art shows. 

After a break from live performances due to the pandemic, March 2022 saw the successful
return of the Dance show. This was followed in July 2022 by a three-night run of ‘School of Rock’ – the school’s second full-scale musical production.

Following auditions held last September, the rehearsal process for this year’s production – 'High School Musical - On Stage!' – began in October.

With so many opportunities continuing to be created, Creative Arts remain vital in helping to build students’ confidence by bringing them out of their shells and helping to teach them valuable life skills that can be transferred to other experiences, both in and out of school.

Jamie Hughes, Head of Creative Arts at Withernsea High School, said: “The cast of High School Musical made an exceptional team. School productions are so powerful to our young people, as they create an ethos of working with others across a range of ages from Year 7 to Year 11. 

The Creative Arts faculty has embedded all aspects of creativity to create wonderful performers in acting, singing, dancing and musical performance. Bringing these performers together to work on a long-term project in this way, creates independent young people with resilience, commitment and collaborative skills.

For me, High School Musical has really demonstrated all these things for so many of our young people. In particular, our Year 11s have this year flourished as excellent role models in all of these areas, providing inspiration to our younger students.”

ABOVE: All in this together! The cast and band in action on the show's opening night, Tuesday 21st March. [Photo Credit: Jamie Hughes]

ABOVE: The show enjoyed a three-night run in front packed audiences throughout the week.  [Photo Credit: Jamie Hughes]

ABOVE: The main cast. [Photo Credit: Terry Bearpark]

ABOVE: The show's dancers [Photo Credit: Terry Bearpark]

ABOVE: The band! [Photo Credit: Terry Bearpark]