As the new year starts, the theatre department is preparing its fall musical, Mamma Mia! The production is expected to break records as one of the largest musicals performed at West. 

The musical is filled with notable songs from ABBA, lovable characters and compelling storylines that pull in audience members from left and right. Alisha Morris, theatre teacher and director, spoke about why she chose to bring this iconic musical to the stage. 

“We had a considerably large class of talented senior girls, and we wanted to be able to feature the talent that we had in our school,” Morris said.  

The theatre department is hoping to bring the musical to the Kansas Thespian Festival (KTF) this year, but it came with some convincing to try to achieve this goal. 

“We have some really cool stuff to offer and show the world, so I knew that it was going to be a lot of work. He [the lead lighting director, Art Winter] talked me into it,” Morris said. “He wants to take a show to the state because he thinks it’d be fun. And so he ultimately was the person who convinced me to do it.” 

Sophomore Aleena Coffman, assistant lighting designer, shared her thoughts on the lights crew. 

“Lights can be very difficult at times, especially whenever you’re trying to hang something off of the edge,” Coffman said. “That’s where most people tend to feel the most uncomfortable, but once you do feel comfortable being up in the grid and hanging up lights like that, it’s so freaking fun.”

West is going all in for the fall musical and is preparing to break records Morris talks about how this year’s musical is special to her and everyone who works on it. 

“And I honestly, like never thought in my career that I would do ‘Mamma Mia!’ but it just everything laid into place and it just happened,” Morris said.