BWW Blog: Ben Helzner - My High School Theater Reveal

Every year at Upper Dublin High School, the theatre program puts on a get-together where they reveal the three shows to be done throughout the school year. Before they're revealed, though, you can guess what they're going to be. Last year the theatre director gave hints in the form of colors for the shows: black, green, and blue. If you can't figure all of them out, don't worry, we only managed to get two: Wizard of Oz for green, and The Little Mermaid for blue. Black, then, was The Importance of Being Earnest. All three ended up being incredible to perform, and the contrast between the two musicals and The Importance of Being Earnest was a great dynamic.

This year, we didn't know what to expect. As we walked around, we saw a black table. Behind it, there were three words: Apple, Memory, Snow. I'll give you a second to see if you can get it, because we sure didn't. Got it? Yes? No? Well we tried these: Snow White, White Room of my Remembering, and many others. Here's a hint: It's a play adaptation of a well-known book. The Giver. No one expected it. There was some talk about what the other two shows could be, but The Giver was completely out of left field! Next, we made our way to a green showcase. This one most of us could get, and I doubt it'll give you more trouble: Kids, Fantasy, Ticking. Guesses for this included: Peter Pan...and that's about it. It ended up being... Peter Pan! Everyone saw that coming!

The final show was a toss up between two very different options. The prevalent guess was Annie, as the card showed the words "Christmas, Love, NYC", but there was one other show that fit that description too... Rent! It sure fit all of the requirements, but would the school allow it? Well, everyone was hopeful, but there was tension in the air. When Rent was revealed to be our Spring musical, everyone went crazy! People were yelling, screaming, I think I saw a parent faint! It's the 20th anniversary of the groundbreaking show, and now we get to put our spin on it! Now more than ever, I'm excited to get started on making this year even better than the last.