ELHS Theater Students Embrace Uniqueness in Upcoming ‘Mean Girls’ Musical

Next week, the East Lansing High School Performing Arts Department will put on its rendition of Mean Girls, a popular teen comedy.

The Mean Girls movie came out in 2004, with a broadway adaptation hitting the stage in 2018, and another movie musical releasing in 2024. The story follows a high schooler named Cady Heron, who must navigate her new school after moving from Africa.

ELHS theater and English teacher Sara Jane Thompson is the director of the school musical. She said students have embraced giving their own adaptation of Mean Girls, a movie many students watched growing up.

“We wanted something that the students would want to do, something that we could get a lot of involvement in,” Thompson said. “We definitely did, because this is the most students I’ve had audition for a show since I’ve been here.”

The musical, which will be performed March 12-15, embraces themes of uniqueness, anti-bullying and authenticity, Thompson said. She has witnessed her students form friendly connections each day they rehearse.

“I know a lot of students that haven’t done theater before that are in this production,” Thompson said. “They’re meeting lots of theater kids, and those theater kids are getting exposed to other people as well. It’s been fun to watch the mingling of groups.”

Along with the performers who spend weeks rehearsing, there’s a whole crew of high school students who have been working behind the scenes to put on the production, Thompson explained.

“We have a lighting operator who designed the lights, we have a sound designer who’s gonna be running the microphones, we have a sound tech that’s running the sound cues,” she said.

Beyond putting on a memorable performance, Thompson sees many benefits for students who participate in the theater program.

“Conquering some fears of public speaking, getting out in front of an audience, and trying something new – and again, the community building of leaning on others,” said Thompson.

The theater program is self-funded through ticket sales and fundraisers that students put on. It means a lot to students when they see community members at performances and fundraisers who are as passionate about theater as they are, Thompson said.

She recalls a local man who contributed to a recent fundraiser that dressed as the DeLorean time machine from Back to the Future, bringing along movie memorabilia and posters.

“He came and he was like ‘I just wanted to show up and show the kids my stuff and make them smile,’” Thompson said.

Mean Girls will hit the stage at the ELHS Center for Performing Arts on March 12-14 at 7 p.m., with a matinee performance on March 15 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $11 for general admission and can be purchased on GoFan.