Each year, Winchester’s Leeds Center for the Arts works vigorously to put on shows that involve high school students and adults. This year, they decided to put on the show “9 to 5,” a show with music and lyrics written by the iconic Dolly Parton.
This show has brought together many, especially students from surrounding counties and some of our very own GRC students. Juniors McKinley Harper, Sylvie Coogle, Sophomores Natalee Disney, Evan Pasley, and Freshman Avery Dore are in the show, along with Junior Kaidyn Franklin stage managing the show.
The show will be performed at Leeds on Friday, March 6th to Sunday, March 15th. The musical follows three women navigating workplace discrimination and personal struggles during the 1970s. Violet, one of the lead characters, is a widowed mother fighting for a much needed promotion, Doralee, another lead character, faces constant objectification, and Judy is newly divorced and learning how to provide for herself. As the women are pushed to their wits end, they devise a plan of revenge on their sexist boss. Through dream sequences, they live out their imaginary revenge plans, and give their workplace the makeover they always dreamed of.
Combining high school students with adults and putting on an unforgettable show seems like it could be a challenge. However, this opportunity gives students the chance to learn and grow while being surrounded by experienced theatre folk.
“I love working with my peers, but you also learn a lot from adults involved in theatre,”Coogle said. “You learn vocal techniques, acting methods, and just get to watch the choices that experienced performers make. Along with learning about ways to improve performance, lots of opportunities open up from adults since most of them work with more than one theatre company throughout their lives.”
When putting on a musical performance, you must have at least one amazing grand number that the audience loves watching and the performers love doing. This show is filled with many of those numbers, but Disney has a specific favorite.
“‘One of the Boys’ is my favorite dance number,” Disney said. “It’s very jazzy, and I just like all the movements…especially the kick line. I love kick lines.”
While “9 to 5” has many fun musical moments that are entertaining for the audience, it also has an important story that will leave the members of the audience feeling inspired in a way that they have never felt before.
“‘9 to 5’ is an important story to be told because it shines a light on workplace inequality and the challenges women faced in the 1970s, many of which are still relevant today,” Pasley said. “It celebrates the power of standing up for yourself and the strength that comes from friendship and unity. By using humor, music, and dance, the musical tackles serious issues in a way that’s both engaging and empowering for the audience to watch on stage.”
