Northwest Community Schools (NWCS) has put on a musical every year. This year, NWCS is proud to present Mamma Mia!. The production is a light-hearted comedy following the lives of a mother and daughter preparing for the daughter’s wedding day. The daughter, Sophie, invites three men from her mother’s past to discover who her father is. The show will be performed at the Jackson College Potter Center on March 13th, 14th, and 15th at 2:30 p.m. with the 15th having an additional show at 7:30 pm.
Deciding on what musical to perform each year is a tough decision. The musical director and choir teacher, Matthew Snell, decides on the show by considering the large cast members. He chose Mamma Mia! for the 2025 musical due to the show’s large cast and light-hearted nature in contrast to the 2024 production of Les Miserables, a heart-wrenching story about an ex-convict seeking redemption.
“This year I wanted a really upbeat musical, and Mamma Mia! is that. The music is really hard, but it’s so much fun that
everyone having fun doing it,” said Snell.
NWCS has been exceedingly successful in previous years with its musicals, with the Les Miserables show selling out both nights. This outcome would not be possible without the help of parent volunteers. Sally Benedict started as a parent volunteer, and for 30 years now she has been helping with the Northwest Musicals. Although she is not assisting with the audition process this year, in her experience, she has noticed every year they attempt to make it easy and welcoming for anyone who wants to audition for the musical.
“It’s a very nerve-wracking experience because not only are you trying to do good, but you’ve got fifty or seventy-five people standing there watching you,” said Benedict.
Auditions are nerve-wracking. However, after the nerves of tryouts, the students move forward with actual rehearsals. The students participating begin to spend more time at school, with rehearsal being twice a week and two hours a day.
Students have to adjust their schedules for the musical. Junior Brianna Teller knows this all too well, having been in 3 shows thus far. Between musical and her advanced placement classes, she found it difficult to cultivate time for herself. Yet, she formed a system to balance her activities while successfully creating time for herself.
“It’s kind of like merging the two (home life and musical), like bringing aspects of both into the other side of your life,” said Teller.
With the cast list being released, rehearsals are now in full swing. Excitement flows throughout the school as students become impatient waiting until March to experience the long-awaited Mamma Mia! musical. Good luck to all the participants and crew working on the show!
