For their joint show this year, Amador and Foothill put on a production of the musical comedy The Prom. The musical follows a group of Broadway stars as they try to revive their careers. They travel to a conservative Indiana town to help Emma Nolan, a lesbian high school student whose prom was cancelled after she was banned from going with her girlfriend.

“We’ve sort of been holding on to [The Prom] until we felt like it was a good time to do it, and this year we knew we had kids who would be really enthusiastic about it,” said Hannah Davies, director and AV Drama teacher.

The show opened on Friday, March 20th at 7:00 PM. In the opening cast, Emma June (‘27) plays Alyssa Greene, a cheerleader who is secretly dating Emma Nolan and lives in fear of her overbearing mother’s judgment.

“I love this show, and I think it has more weight than any other show I’ve done before because of its relevancy in our culture now and messages of love and acceptance,” said June.

Logan Jew-Fortner (‘27) also starred in the opening cast as Trent Oliver, a Broadway star who boasts about having attended Juilliard, referencing the institution often. He voiced similar thoughts to June about the show’s important message.

“The themes in this show, both positive and negative, are prevalent in the world we live in today and need to be examined, and I hope that the audience can feel how much we care about them through our performance,” said Jew-Fortner.

Actors’ Perspectives

Emma June’s feelings after opening night reflect the themes that shape the show’s storyline: togetherness and unity.

“After opening night, I feel really proud of everyone and the energy we brought. We’ve been working on this all together for a while now, and it’s satisfying to see it all come together with an audience,” said June.

The show’s characters tackle homophobia in both comedic and serious ways. In Trent Oliver’s solo number, “Love Thy Neighbor,” he addresses the hypocrisy of the local high school students by pointing out the biblical laws that they often break. The song shows that Christian faith can coexist with acceptance of diverse sexual orientations and identities.

“My favorite song is ‘Love Thy Neighbor’ because it allows me to truly bring Trent to life and show a side of him that cares about more than just Juilliard,” said Jew-Fortner.

Behind the Scenes

The tradition of the joint musical is important to Amador and Foothill’s drama programs because the uniquely cooperative nature of the project fosters a connection between the two schools’ students.

“It’s one of the only things that we do that is truly jointly Foothill and Amador in a way that is non-competitive—it is inherently collaborative. I think that our programs are stronger together than they are separately, and I think that this is a really special production because of that,” said Davies.

June explained that illness is an obstacle for the cast. Getting sick during the rehearsal process is both physically and mentally limiting. Members of the cast had to make decisions to miss rehearsals to preserve their health. This was challenging because it put some actors behind in the rehearsal and memorization process.

“Theater depends on you being healthy with your voice and body, and when everyone’s getting sick, it’s hard to stay healthy yourself for shows,” said June.

Davies expressed excitement about the show and hopes the audience walks away from the performance with more than just catchy songs stuck in their heads. The show closes this weekend at the Amador Theater with shows on March 27th and 28th at 7:00 PM, and on the 29th at 2:00 PM. Tickets are available online through MSB.

“I think the ultimate message of [the show] is that there are more things that connect us as people than that separates us,” said Davies.