From The Director:
Who comes up with this stuff? Take Frankie and Annette, mix in a bit of the radioactive Sci-Fi movies from the 1950's (think "The Incredible Shrinking Man" or "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman", anything with Radioctive accidents,) throw in some of the best music from the history of musical theatre and you've got Zombie Prom; one of the most ridiculous and insane musicals I've ever seen in my life. I knew from the first time I listened to the cast album, it was a show I had to direct someday.
This is a musical that makes you forget about life for a couple of hours. You can't take this show seriously, seriously, you can't. The plot; Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy becomes, a Zombie? These aren't things that happen in our happy little lives (one would hope,) then add in a Principal who is determined to enforce her zealous interpretation of "rules" and add a sleazy reporter who wants to out the truth, and bring "Zombie rights to Zombies everywhere," and a group of High School students who just want their prom, and you get a hilarious musical comedy that you'll remember and want to see again and again.
I could not feel prouder to have worked with these amazing students. They are brave, curious, playful, fiercely talented and even more fiercely good people. They never flinched at the ridiculousness of these situations. They rose to the occasion time and time again when difficult harmonies and musical movement were thrown at them in combination with a book full of impossibly ridiculous situations. They poured their hearts and talents into this surprisingly difficult piece of musical theatre that would be intimidating for most high schools and triumphed. Yes, the idea is deliciously cheesy and corny in the most hilarious grade Z horror movie kind of way. Honestly, some people say I must be a mad scientist and clone the dna from the best and the brightest of my students from over the years and inject the new ones each year with this concoction. It makes me laugh, and of course can't be further from the truth. My students are amazing because they work hard, they are winners because of their determination to be the best. I find myself growing every year as a teacher and a person with them. Each and every year from the good times, and the bad, we persevere and become a stronger program, one that I'm more proud to lead each and every day.
I hope you enjoy the show.
Glen Carpenter
