playbill vip

      Welcome to Colerain High School's production of Zombie Prom! This musical, set in the nuclear 1950s in Enrico Fermi High School, is the story of a good girl, Toffee, who falls in love with a bad boy, Jonny. When Toffee is pressured by her parents and her principal to break up with Jonny, the devasted teen hurls himself into the neighboring nuclear power plant. Brought back by the power of Toffee's love, Jonny transforms into a teenage nuclear zombie. All Jonny wants to do is to graduate high school and take his girl to the prom, but the principal, Miss Strict, stands staunchly in his way.  

      As a director, show selection is a fun but sometimes stressful process. I wanted to choose something that fit the comedic timing and character acting that many of my students possess. I wanted to highlight the talent that I knew I had while also picking a show that would draw in new faces to audition. I had never heard of Zombie Prom before last spring. I'm not sure where I came across it during my hunt for the perfect fall show. But from the first time I listened to the soundtrack, it stuck with me. I caught myself singing "Jonny Don't Go" while folding laundry. I was dancing to "That's the Beat For Me" while washing my dishes. I played the cast recording so many times, that even my four-year son started singing along. 

      This musical, which I had never heard of before, had now somehow become entrenched in my life. It's funny, catchy, upbeat, and campy all at the same time. It's the kind of feel-good show that just seems perfect to do right now. But there is also a deeper, and more important message to this show. Jonny, zombified and everything, isn't a bad kid. Beneath all the gangrene, he's good. All he wants to do is to graduate high school. He grew up an orphan, never fitting in and never feeling loved; yet, he perseveres in the face of adversity. This is also a story of acceptance. Jonny's classmates can see beneath the toxic waste to the kindhearted kid underneath.

       Directing this show has been such a fun experience. I am so proud of how far these kids have come throughout the rehearsal process. Many of the students in the cast are participating in their very first show. Throughout the process, they have developed in so many ways. They have grown tremendously as vocalists and dancers. This show is almost sung all the way through. There is a ton of music to learn and lots of choreography, but they have worked hard to master it. They have also grown stronger as actors, making strong and clear character choices. Our tech students have also grown. Many of the set design choices were ideas of the crew. The makeup and hair designs were all student-created. The costume crew created or altered many of the costumes in the show. The props crew helped create several of the props in the show.  All of these technical elements have come together nicely with the actors to tell the story. I sincerely hope you enjoy our production of Zombie Prom as much as we did creating it.