On November 23, Sunnie Hikawa, music teacher and Department Co-Chair, and Leslie Holland–Pryor, Upper School Drama Teacher and Department Chair, made the announcement at Morning Ex that “Bring It On” will be this year’s high school spring musical. The show, with book by Jeff Whitty and music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, is adapted from the 2000 film with the same name.

Hikawa and Holland–Pryor were originally going to reveal the musical on an earlier date, but due to miscommunications involving the administration, the announcement was postponed last minute. At an earlier MX, they announced that the musical would be “Chicago,” but then recalled the statement and said they would make official announcement at a later date.

“We were looking for a musical that would do a few things:” Holland–Pryor said, “that would continue to build the excitement in the dance program, that dealt with relevant themes within the community and also addressed the ever-emerging diversity in our community.”

Miranda, is “the new voice of theater for young people,” according to Holland-Pryor. Miranda is also known for his work on the musicals “In The Heights” and “Hamilton.”

The story of “Bring It On” focuses on the competitive world of cheerleading and over-the-top team rivalries.

        The high school spring musical is an annual performance that has sparked discussion within the Parker community over the past few years regarding age-appropriateness.

        At the end of each school year, Hikawa and Holland–Pryor go through a long, tedious process to make sure they pick just the right musical for the high school students.

        “We are constantly on the lookout for shows that we think will be appropriate for our students…shows that we think are worth spending six weeks on,” Hikawa said. “There are so many factors that go into the choice of the musical.”

Some of these factors include a good message and a change from the previous year’s musical.

        Hikawa and Holland–Pryor eventually narrow it down to a few choices, keeping in mind the same criteria they used to assess all other musical possibilities. One of the most important aspects is making sure that the musical is suitable for the group of students that will bring the entire production to life.

        After explaining the process, both teachers shared their thoughts on the responses from the Parker community, specifically parent, who have previously disapproved some of the musicals excluding younger age groups.

        “If we find a show that meets all of our criteria that also happens to be all-ages appropriate, that would be wonderful,” Hikawa said. “Since older all-ages appropriate shows are mostly sexist, and since we evaluate show choices on a variety of issues, age-appropriateness becomes a less important priority when weighed against other criteria.”

“To assume that we can do a ‘one size fits the entire school’ two years in a row is a lot to presume,” Holland–Pryor said. “We just can’t seem to please everybody.”

        Productions such as the Middle School musical, which tend to be all-ages, have also allowed the high school to gear their show towards older audiences.

        Last spring, the high school performed “The Sound of Music,” a classic musical that Hikawa and Holland–Pryor hoped would draw in more lower school families. Shockingly, the show ended up drawing in one of the smallest audiences they have ever seen in their time at Parker.

        For that reason, age appropriateness was not the biggest concern for this year’s musical, but Hikawa said, “The show this year is basically all-ages appropriate.”

“‘Bring It On’ is very uplifting,” Holland–Pryor said. “It’s universal, and it’s a lot of fun.”

Parker students had a mix of reactions to the spring musical choice. “I don’t really love the musical choice, and I’m not a very good dancer,” one student said. “ I think it’ll be fun and hopefully work out in the end.”