The theatre department put on an exciting performance of the musical Mamma Mia last month.

The musical featured a multitude of songs by ABBA like; “Dancing Queen,” “Take A Chance On Me” and of course the titular “Mamma Mia.” Director Racey Ballard said that the show was a huge party, and it was loved by students and adults alike.

As the first high school theatre in the district to put on Mamma Mia, the cast and crew were determined to set the bar high.

Throughout the production, various members of the audience could be seen bobbing their heads and mouthing the words to songs. This year’s show was purposefully chosen to incite joyful emotions in the audience.

“We wanted to do something fun and lighthearted because last year’s show was dark and gloomy,” Ballard said.

Mamma Mia tells a coming-of-age story about a girl named Sophie, played by junior Laura Bernius. As she awaits to be married, she goes on a journey to find her father. At the same time, her mother Donna, played by senior Lillian Melcer, is working hard to help make her daughter’s wedding great.

“This show is all about growing up and figuring out who you are,” Ballard said.

The musical was full of fun characters who kept the audience laughing the whole way through. The show, however, was not fun for just the audience, but for the people involved in the production as well.

“At the end of it all, we’re basically like a family,” Johnson said.

Of course, the actors were not the only ones working to make this musical great. There was also a great deal of work done backstage in order to make the show possible.

Junior Zainah Elsaid operates backstage and with lighting to maximize the quality of production. She said that even though they are not interacting with the audience as the actors are, the work the crew members do is nothing to be scoffed at.

“I don’t think the audience realizes how much the light and music cues affect how they feel about the show,” Elsaid said.

The crew have been working just as long as the cast to get the perfect outcome. The set was well organized and scenes changed efficiently. They were proud of the beautiful set and highly energetic performance that they put on and were highly successful in setting a precedent.

“We’ve been working on this show for months,” junior Lilly Johnson, who plays Tanya, said. “I think that our hard work definitely paid off.”

Although times have been stressful, the cast and crew persevered to create a fantastic final product. The production portrayed the triple threat of singing, acting and dancing.

“While previous incarnations of the show were kept in mind while rehearsing, we ultimately wanted to make this show our own,” Elsaid said.