After more than a year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, High School Musical The Musical The Series returned this week to Disney+ for season 2. Boss Rush Entertainment is uploading our first episode review tomorrow on the site, but today I wanted to write a toast. I grew up as a theatre kid; more often than not, I was the audio engineer or the lighting director for every production my small high school produced. I believe there is magic in the arts that very few people in this world get to behold. This is my toast to all the theatre kids…

Here is to the kids who felt like they were cast out, to the ones told they weren’t athletic enough to make the team, and to the ones who were told it was weird to randomly sing show tunes. There is a place where you finally felt like you belonged, and that place is the theatre. Here is to the long hours spent rehearsing the same scene over and over to the point where you identified yourself more as the character than who you actually are. Here is to nerves that went into every audition and the anxiety you felt right before the cast list was unveiled. No one understands the rush of adrenaline quite like you do when it’s opening night, and your family just had to take the entire first row. Here is to the relief you felt after you finally nailed down the dance number you have struggled with for weeks, and to the long nights trying to memorize page after page of dialogue. You were always destined to be a star and in this place your dreams became reality. 

Here is to the stage managers, prop masters, wardrobe experts, makeup artists, and tech teams; without you, no one can shine. The long hours you spent perfecting details that make the scene spectacular speaks to the dedication you showed in every performance. Here is to the late nights trying to fix every little problem that comes your way, no one solves problems as you can. Everyone who has filled a role like yours knows it doesn’t come with glory but rather teaches you how to be humble in ways no one else will ever understand. The work and dedication the behind-the-scenes staff puts in will never be forgotten and you should be proud! 

Here is to the directors and teachers who inspired us every single day. In each rehearsal, you taught us to never give up and showed us new things about ourselves that we have taken into our adult years. No one understands how much work you put into each performance, and how you can see the potential in every student. Here is to the smile you showcased at the end of the first performance when you see how much you have truly taught us; a bouquet of flowers doesn’t justify how much you truly meant to us. 

Here is to the theatre kids, young and old. You may have grown up and moved on, but there is still a song in your heart. Here is to the dance moves you still remember from High School Musical, and harmonies you remember from Wicked. Time will move on, but as your days grow shorter you might just remember how great it was to feel like a star, and how for just a brief moment the world seemed like you could own it. Never forget the moments we shared together in a place called the theatre, and don’t forget to ask your mom if it’s okay if you join us at Denny’s after the show.