NCHS Senior Makenzie Ostrander, daughter of Alexa Hartigan, will take the stage in the musical performance of “Newsies” as “Tommy Girl/Newsie” on April 10 through the 13th, with show times of 7 pm for Thursday through Saturday and 2pm on Sunday. Tickets will be available from cast members beginning February 17 and then in the school offices after that.
What musicals have you been in at NCHS, and what characters/roles did you play?
Newsies is my first-ever musical, and I play Tommy Gir,l who is a part of the Newsies!
What was your favorite musical and why?
My favorite musical is definitely Newsies! I know that sounds biased because it’s my first musical but genuinely my favorite one. The dialogue is my favorite part of the whole production. Yes, I love the dancing and singing. But the dialogue has so much humor and serious moments. And all of us in the cast of so much while we are running the scenes.
What scene in Newsies is your favorite and why? (This does not have to be a scene you are in)
This musical has so many amazing scenes, but I definitely have two scenes that I enjoy being in. My top one is our Seize The Day dance break. There is a part during our dance where we perform a dance routine from a beloved musical movie. The day we learned that we would be doing that choreography was so much fun! The audience will certainly love it like us cast members do.
My 2nd one is a scene that has a small moment with Jack, Issac Street. During this scene, we are starting to get hyped up by Jack to start a strike. At the same time, Issac is singing about it. He crouches down and sings towards me. While blocking the scene, I told him to hype me up, and when he did it the first time, I couldn’t stop laughing. Then we decided to add it permanently. It’s just a little moment that puts a smile on my face!
What are three things being in the musical have taught you? and how have you learned these?
One thing musical has taught me is that trying new things leads to unexpected passion. Before joining musical, I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I do now. From an audience perspective, I always loved watching them, but I never thought of doing them. But now that I am in it, I have gained such a passion for this activity,y and I hope to continue it as I go into college. Another thing that musical has taught me is dancing is a lot harder than it looks. Now, I have minimal dance experience, but I always thought doing leaps and pirouettes was easy. But that is because the dancer who performs them makes it look as such. And with this production, we have A LOT of dancing and leaping. It makes me have more respect towards actual professional dancers. And the last thing musical has taught me is to be yourself. Going into auditions, I was scared to mess up that I took away the ideals of who I am as a person. But after making it, the directors proved to me that being myself is the best way to go.
What are two pieces of advice you would give young people who want to start performing in musicals at NCHS?
My two pieces of advice I would give to young people is to try new things and don’t let other people hold you back from trying. Through high school, I have tried so many things and have learned from all of them. And now I am learning from musicals. Trying new things will come with positives and negatives. But you won’t know about those things until you try. DO IT!
And my biggest advice is don’t let people hold you back from doing musicals. Through the past three years, I would go to Mr.Finley’s office asking for a packet so I could audition. I would practice it and be re,ady but I would hold myself back because of certain people discouraging me. And I let them do that. But finally this year, with the help of another senior. I got up the courage to audition and got an amazing role that I never expected to get. So basically, just go out there and do it. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience that goes by fast.
What qualities do you see exemplified in the adults who help put on this show that you will take with you as you leave NCHS, and how do they demonstrate these qualities?
The adults who helped put on this show have demonstrated commitment and passion. Especially our directors. They are at practice 4 days a week and will be at the high school long past the time our cast mates leave. They put their blood, sweat, and tears into making our productions not only entertaining for the community but for us members as well. Many times, they are putting time away from being with their families to be there with us. It shows how much passion they have for our department. And along with the directors, we have the parents who take time out of their day to come to help sew costumes and put up our props.
What about Newsies is different from other musicals you have been in?
Though I haven’t been in any other musicals besides this one, I can say the choreography is very different from past productions. Everyone is doing something different. Many of us are doing cartwheels, spins, leaps, and somersaults. At the same time, others can be doing flips off another person. It does make the stage chaotic, but it’s fun seeing everyone being able to show off their little tricks.
What will you miss the most once the final curtain closes on your NCHS musical career?
When the final curtain closes, I will miss the people the most. Through these past months, I have gotten so close with all the cast members, especially with all the seniors. This cast of seniors is all so close together, and it makes these last moments so much more memorable. All of us were in marching band together for all four years so having this final bow with all of them again before we walk across the stage with our diplomas. Makes me so grateful for the opportunity I have been given. I know once I graduate I do have the option to continue with musical theatre which I plan on doing. But it will all be different without my NCHS family.
