After eight strenuous weeks of rehearsal and preparation, 65 cast and crew members performed the musical Hairspray on Thursday, March 27, Friday, March 28, and Saturday, March 29. With a total of four shows, the cast sent off their senior actors and crew members with a bittersweet goodbye before their last show during senior circle, where each senior stood and reminisced on their favorite theatre memories.

“Hairspray was the biggest show I’ve ever been a part of, and I got to meet so many new people. I loved making new friends and trying to help everyone feel like they belonged. We really did become a big family, and it was amazing knowing that we all worked together to make this wonderful show,” junior Hope Kutsche (Matron) said.

Seniors Jordan Hicks and Hope Hutchins performed for the last time as Link and Tracy in Hairspray, as well as seniors Jeremiah Franklin and Carly Davis as Seaweed and Penny. The two on-stage couples  worked together to elegantly portray the love story of two completely different individuals.

Juniors Isabella Keaton and Chloe Vernex-Loset performed as mother and daughter as Amber Von Tussle and Velma Von Tussle in Hairspray. As the antagonists of the show, the two fame-obsessed mother daughter duo worked together to portray the mean girls of the show.

“Every single person on the cast had a different approach to the show and their individual characters. I loved watching the show change and grow from just working in the old Black Box to moving to our new performing arts center and filling out a stage I never thought we would own. Although stressful, the show gave way to new friendships and a wild variety of new talent for our theater troupe,” Vernex-Loset said.

Each year, NC Standing Ovation participates in senior circle and allows each senior to stand and make a speech about their time in the theatre program. With 12 leaving seniors, they wrapped up their high school theatre experience with their last performance of Hairspray.

Performer since freshman year, Hicks ends his high school theatre career after participating in 12 shows. With aspirations of becoming a theatre director himself, Hicks will attend Kennesaw State University in the fall of 2018.

Stage manager senior Sara Brewer leaves with a blissful goodbye after participating in theatre for three years. Ever since her first show, The Addams Family, Brewer found her family within the NC Standing Ovation theatre program and will always remember the memories from her time on crew.

After the last performance of Hairspray, senior students took their last bow on the stage. Directors Holly Botella and Candice Corcoran ecstatically applauded their cast and crew for an amazing show and experience throughout Hairspray.

“Hairspray was a super crazy and fun experience for me. As a choreographer, there were a lot of challenging and stressful moments, especially when it came to show week, but I am beyond ecstatic that it came together and that the show turned out so well,” junior and Dance Captain Emily LaPierre said.