Also available on Netflix as a movie, The Prom was the last musical of the 2024-2025 year put on by the SDHS Drama department.
The main characters, Emma and Alyssa, were played by Soft Washburn (12) and Emily N (8). A lot of previous alumni and middle school drama department members made their appearance in the casting. With the amount of cast members available to them, the SDHS Drama department did a great job!
Set in Indiana, this show was a story of a lesbian couple that seemed to be constantly torn apart by the world’s expectations and by Emma’s attempt at bringing Alyssa to the prom instead of a boy.
A group of Broadway performers hear about this ordeal, and through their own struggles with being accused of narcissism, decide helping Emma take Alyssa to the prom would be the perfect philanthropic action to mend their reputations. Dee Dee Allen, the main narcissistic Broadway actress was played by Isabella Nazaryan (12) and Abigail Lawrence (10).
Typically, performers think of what they most have in common with the character that they are playing to be able to step into the highest potential of their role. Contrary to this, Abigail Lawrence who played Dee Dee Allen said she “absolutely hated everything about Dee Dee Allen’s character” and could not find anything in common with her.
“Instead of thinking about what I have in common with Dee Dee, which is nothing, I thought about everything I hated about her to be able to make her character even worse than how she was written,” expresses Lawrence.
When it comes to taking her acting and performing skills to the future professionally, Lawrence also expressed that she used to want to be an actor as a living, but recently, she decided she really wanted to help people that need help and has recently changed her main career aspirations to wanting to become a social worker with gratitude towards her family for always supporting her creative aspirations.
Isabella Nazaryan got more involved with drama this year, as a senior.
“I was just in choir and band and decided that my singing skills would probably let me contribute to our Drama squad and it ended up being really fun! I recommend anyone that wants to express themselves creatively to join Drama because you meet the best people and can meet more of yourself through playing characters.”
Trent Oliver, a Juilliard School graduate down on his career luck, played by Rudy A (10), was also a memorable character. When met with the excuse of the “Bible” from Emma and Alyssa’s classmates, he confronts them about how they and their families hypocritically break the word of the Bible every day. Breaking into song, he encourages the importance of theatre arts and how it important it is for them to follow “love thy neighbor.”
There was a clever usage of the audience seats in the show with some cast members appearing with protest boards like “Pray the gay away,” being argued with boards saying things like “It’s our duty to be fruity.” A lot of the show actually takes place in the aisles around, which greatly contributes to the engaged experience of any audience.
Emma, who was played by Soft Washburn (12), a performer that has greatly contributed to the excellence of San Dimas’ Drama squad was extremely enjoyable to play by Washburn, clearly seen in her ecstatic dancing during the bows of the happily ever after. It was a lot of hard work, but it felt natural to step into this role for Soft due to her also being part of the community.
In fact, this was a character Washburn was destined to play since The Prom was her favorite musical since middle school. From all the shows she’s been in, The Prom is ranked 2nd after Avenue Q. Hearing closing song and solo , It’s Time to Dance, during middle school choir led Soft to be set on one day performing in this musical herself.
“I remember sitting in the back of that choir room in middle school and it just felt good and so I remember on opening night it was that music starting and I think wait this is real, I’m doing it,” is felt by Soft.
After high school theater, Soft’s future theater plans include taking break for a year before trying community theater.
Angie Dickinson, played by Rhiannon Lallathin (12) was easily done so by her since their personalities and style were so similar that Lallathin got to do improv.
Lallathin expresses, “I did connect personally to Angie. She’s very similar to me in her personality and all her girlyness, and I really enjoyed playing out her pure intentions and how she helps the main character, Emma. I was on stage with people that were very funny and easy to play off of so it was fun to just riff off little bits.”
She also agrees that there can be a lot of division when it comes to social issues not just at SDHS, but in San Dimas. It’s a good risk that Mrs. Kocalis brought awareness to the subject of homophobia in the way she knows best: through theatre.
Behind the scenes of this show include fun backstage memories that come with any show. Backstage moments for The Prom include seniors being read parting speeches and being supportive before stage time.
Rhiannon Lallathin expresses, “It was very sentimental and made us both cry a lot right before we had to go on stage, so that was an unforgettable moment.”
“Every night before the show, in the wings, Steve who’s one of our director’s made us all stand in a huddle as if we were a sports team and say something nice about someone else and then we put our hands in the middle and said ‘Team Gay,'” Soft recalls.
Being supportive and being willing to meet everyone where they’re at is highly valued in anything theater related and it’s what makes every moment special.
There are adorable charms and goodies available for purchase at every musical production put on by the SDHS drama department. Exclusive ones for this show included disco ball keychains, pocket mirrors, and rainbow crotchet hearts.
Within the comedic musical, this show still reflects a lot of real issues that go on in this current world. As part of Gen- Z in a society where people’s differences, such as being gay, are still not fully accepted as “normal,” in certain places, and where the encouragement towards the arts still are not fully taken seriously, the struggles can be relatable to see on stage.
As usual, the SDHS Drama Department put a lot of work and soul into this production. More people should come to watch their productions and support the arts, theater kid or not. Even as an audience member, seeing the stories of diverse characters can create greater understanding and epiphanies of inner personality without being attached to other’s projections.
