Every year, members of the Boulder High community eagerly await the exhibition of the theater program’s spring musical, and every year, from the sets to the actors and all the amazing work behind the scenes, Troupe 60 delivers a compelling and spectacular performance.
The complicated and lengthy process of choosing and directing Boulder High musicals is headed by a group of seven directors – with over 100 years of combined experience. The first step in preparing for a musical, said Mrs. Carmichael, a director and sponsor of Boulder High musicals for three years, is to select the show. According to her, “It takes months to pick a show…Months of talking and figuring it out.” Mrs. Carmichael emphasized that, unlike with many musical productions, the directors select musicals that showcase the talents of the students auditioning; she explained, “What we do is we look at our leaders, our juniors, and our seniors, and we say, what are their strengths?” This year, the directors felt that the students eligible for lead roles were strong actors, so they wanted to find a show focused on character personalities, different from last year’s production of Mary Poppins, in which the leaders’ strengths were singing and dancing. Another thing the directors considered when choosing the 2024 musical was the strengths of students working backstage, which included operating lights for the performance.
Given the extensive criteria to fulfill and consider – including the cost and tone of the show – it is a detailed and intensive process to select a production. Because of this, the directors chose Big Fish, a musical based on a novel by Danielle Wallac and its cinematic adaptation directed by Tim Burton, to be this year’s production. Broadway critics consider Big Fish to be a beautiful and emotional show, and the students in the theater program were excited to be a part of bringing the show to Boulder High.
In Big Fish, a dying father and his son try to connect before it is too late. The story follows the son and father as they embark on a journey of discovery, during which the son learns about his father’s supposed adventures and seemingly tall tales – which have driven a wedge in their relationship – and the incredible and intriguing people he met along the way. Big Fish is both a father-son piece and a romance story,” said Ila Parkin ‘24, a senior who played Josephine, the son’s wife. Ila explained, “It is also completely centered around the main character dying, which I think is very unique.”
It was no small feat to be a student actor in Big Fish; rehearsals ranged from three to six days a week from 4-6 pm and were longer during the weeks before the show. As a result, the Boulder High theater program put together a very cohesive show. Finn Bone ‘27, an ensemble member, loved the musical number in Big Fish called Show-Down, which was “a really fast, fun number.”
In addition, despite not being as visible to the public, various backstage crews were crucial in making the 2024 musical a reality. Hani Strauss ‘26, a member of set construction who worked every day of the week to create a backdrop for the stage, explained, “We [tried] to make [Big Fish sets] extra detail-oriented, and that’s what we [thought would] make the story come to life.”
The dedication to this year’s musical, Big Fish, by everyone involved, was evident and led to an experience that transported the audience to another world.