The theatre department put on the musical Cinderella this weekend. It was directed by Neal Gage, and was casted and crewed by theatre department students.

“I was not involved in the choice of the musical,” Gage said. “I’m new this year, but when I got here they asked ‘Hey, do you want to direct?’ and I was surprised, but of course I agreed.”

This is the first time Vandegrift has done Cinderella, and the actors couldn’t wait to show off their skills.

“It was all really fun to learn my character,” actor Alanna Anderson said. “I love musicals, it’s basically what I want to do with my life. The hardest part about this play was pushing the carriage.”

Not only were the actors excited, however. The production is not only cast, but also the technical crew.

“My job is basically managing props, blocking, and managing people,” assistant stage manager Malavika Ramaswamy said. “It’s pretty hectic helping Alaina [Galasso] make sure everything goes smoothly.”

While the final production showcased great quality, there were several struggles the cast and crew worked through before opening night.

“The biggest challenge is the fact that a musical is a lot of different parts,” Gage said. “Singing, dancing, and acting all together, and getting them all to work together is very difficult. Some musicals are strong in one part, but getting all of them to be strong is a challenge.”

Gage, being new to the school, has had limited time with the cast and crew, but has already built rapport with the students.

“My favorite part of making this show has been working with the students,” Gage said. “It’s so much fun to watch the kids figure out what works and what doesn’t.”

Gage worked in other shows before joining the faculty at Vandegrift, but this is his first show at this school.

“I hate to compare shows,” Gage said. “Each is so different, based on the resources each group has. However, compared to other schools we are very competitive. This show has really come together in the past few days.”