Fresh off last year's successful showing of Heathers: Teen Edition, the Whistler Secondary School (WSS) musical theatre department is getting ready for its next act.
Carrie: The Musical is based on the 1974 Stephen King horror novel of the same name and focuses on a lonely high-schooler named Carrie White. Relentlessly abused by bullies and her fanatical religious mother, Carrie ultimately decides to fight back after discovering she has telekinesis.
The original musical released in 1988 to disastrous results, becoming one of the costliest failures in Broadway history with just five performances. A 2012 off-Broadway revival met with more success, and the story has since become fairly popular with adolescent viewers.
"It deals with themes like bullying, being an outcast, all the usual high-school types of drama that resonate more with students," remarks WSS theatre teacher Conor Niwinski. "I was a little lukewarm to [the play], being as dark as it was, but at its core I still feel like there's a good message to be had. Heathers was also a little bit on the edgier side, so I think that helps with the hesitations a bit. I hope the cast can, once again, take the best messages and try to convey that to the audience."
Shows with meaning
Key actors include a trio of seniors: Kiara Felice as the titular character, Solomon Denessen as Carrie's friend and love interest Tommy Ross, and Deanne Santos as fellow student Freida.
Felice opines: "I think both shows have a very deep message. For instance, Heathers was about drug addiction and mental health, and Carrie's the same way with the aspect of school bullying. From playing the mean girl Heather Duke last year to being the girl who gets picked on a lot, being in only one or two group numbers … I'm trying to step up my acting, really show that people can be vulnerable and I can do more than just play the mean girl."
"I'm excited to bring another show that has meaning to it," Denessen adds. "There are a lot of great musicals out there, but a lot of them don't have a lot of depth. I'm just honoured to be a part of another show that has so much depth."
For Santos, who did not perform last year, the journey is even more personal.
"I wanted to pay tribute to my late friend that passed a while back … and experience Grade 12 to the absolute fullest," she explains. "My friend did a lot of theatre during high school. He got the main role for almost everything and he has shared very valuable messages with me, especially when it comes to singing and just being yourself. In a way I feel like this will contribute back to him by putting all those lessons into work and showcasing what I have learned through him."
'I think they do a phenomenal job'
WSS theatre students have a tall task ahead of them. The department graduated seven 12th-graders last year, including 2024's leads Tia Horn and John Paguia—all of whom Niwinski describes as role models who created a positive experience for their peers. Luckily the current upperclassmen are filling voids, whether that's Felice staging and choreographing a number or Denessen pushing himself in a new type of role.
"This is a much more difficult role for me personally," he says. "Last year it was kind of easy to rest comfortably in the comedic aspects of my character, whereas this year it's much more serious. I'm enjoying exploring that more and dealing with the more serious subjects.
"In full honesty, it's been hard without the same cast we had last year because there was magic in a bottle. I'm just trying to step up the professionalism, trying to step up the singing and the level of vocals that we're doing. We have amazing cast members this year as well."
Santos agrees, revealing she has been warmly welcomed into the cast. She feels like the experience is akin to "being adopted into another family."
"I think they do a phenomenal job," Niwinski says about his pupils. "There's been a lot of good moments where people have stepped up into different things. Musicals, unlike straight plays, I feel [can] bring a larger community in the school closer together because there's a lot more going on. Coming together as a singing chorus, which is typical at the end of every musical, has the ability to create a really good vibe for everyone. There's more for stage crew to do … so even if you can't sing or can't dance or whatever, there might be other ways you can contribute."
For tickets and showtimes to WSS' rendition of Carrie: The Musical, which runs May 7 to 10, visit sd48whistlersecondary.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1166407&type=d&pREC_ID=1394313.
