“Bring It on!” Musical comes to Norwin High School

Aylee Hornstrom, Writer|March 31, 2022

On March 17-20, the Norwin Theatre Company introduced their musical Bring it On! Tickets were $10 for general admission; $13 for reserved students and senior citizens; adults $15. 

Bring it On! musical is about Campbell Davis, a cheerleader who’s life is about as good as it gets. She has a picture perfect boyfriend, attends the upscale Truman High, an amazing cheerleading squad, and has the title of cheer captain. The picture perfect girl’s world suddenly gets turned upside down when she is mysteriously redistricted to Jackson High. Her new challenge is to fit in without a new cheerleading squad. She later befriends the girls from the dance crew. Campbell later turns the crew into a strong competition team for the National Cheerleading Championships. Campbell experiences a new school, new people, new relationships and experiences many emotions throughout her new life, like a typical teenager would. This musical is realistic in some ways, for example, having to figure out who your real friends are, knowing how to experience new situations in life, and most importantly learning growth and change in life. 

All kinds of students participated in this musical, students who have been participating in theatre for the course of their high school years, students who are new to participating theatre and even the Norwin High School cheerleaders participated in this musical!

“I definitely think it is a wonderful idea for students to join the musical,” said Chase Rigo (12) a member of the cast who played Randall, from Jackson High. “You have a bunch of people from different backgrounds and we all come together to make something really cool.”

Many of these students have been working together since elementary school in productions and classes.

“I started musical theatre when I was in second grade and have never stopped!” said junior Abrielle Brown, a student who plays the role of Bridget. “Bring it On is my 24th musical that I have been a part of. I really enjoy singing, dancing and acting and the incredible feeling of performing in front of a live audience. It’s a rush that is almost indescribable. Once you experience it, you’re hooked.” 

Bring it on! Is a contemporary musical, which means that its set in modern times. This musical is very unique and creates a lot of excitement for the audience! Each student participating in the musical worked very hard to have it come together, and all the hard work paid off. After every show the cast performed over the weekend a loud applause, whistling and smiling were given towards them. 

“It’s been really fulfilling to be a part of the musical because there’s constant support and encouragement in the environment,” said Ashley Bodnar (12) a member of the cast, who played Kylar. “My favorite memory of being a part of this musical was on the Sunday performance, right before the last number there were four of us that hugged backstage and explained how we wouldn’t want to perform with anyone else, also that we were grateful for being able to do this together.”

Bring it On! has brought a lot of happiness and excitement to the cast and crew members, the audience, and the community. This musical was big for all the cast, crew and directors because of the past two years of COVID-19 affecting the way the musical was having to be produced and shown. They could all finally come together and put on a breathtaking performance.

“Being in the musical impacted me by bringing me so much joy,” said Andrew Brown (10) a member of the cast, who played Stephen. “Performing the shows to a live audience and hearing the laughs is what keeps me going. The idea that what I do on stage could possibly bring some extra joy into someone’s life means the world to me.”

Two of the most important people who also played a huge role in this musical to make it all come together was Mr. Leighty, a technical director at Norwin High School and Mrs. Scheirer, director of the Norwin Theatre Company.

“The musical is and always has been a huge inspiration for me as an educator! Being able to guide students in such a creative capacity is a dream come true!” exclaimed Scheirer.

“I think it was a great learning experience for everyone involved,” agreed Todd Leighty. “The cast members had to step out of the normal musical theatre style and learn cheer technique and routines as well as choreographed hip hop routines. On the Stage Crew side of things most of the students were starting with little or no experience working with tools or construction knowledge. So it was great to see everyone learn new skills over the three month process and become comfortable with those skills to create a great production.”

Stage crew students also played a big role in making the musical come together! Without them the scene changes, light changes, and sound of the musical would not be present.

“I call all the cues for the show— lights, sound, spotlight, curtain, and hatch. When it’s not show time, I’m helping wherever I’m needed,” said stage manger Lacey.“We help the directors where and when it’s needed. We literally have to know the whole show, front to back, back to front. And we do!”

This musical was a great experience for everyone, It can also be a future experience for anyone else. If interested in being a cast member of the Norwin Theatre for the announcements, follow the Norwin Theatre company on social media or talk to those involved in theatre to get more information on sign ups and auditions!

Cast of 2022 Spring Musical “Bring It On”