Edgemont Among the First High Schools to Stage ‘Mean Girls’

Where will Cady fit in at her new high school?

Having just moved from Africa to the suburbs of Chicago, will she make it with the alpha clique, the Plastics? The answer is in the play Mean Girls, the Edgemont Junior Senior High School spring musical which was presented March 24 and 25.

“We have a really strong cast with immense talent,” said senior Zoe Schuldenfrei, who plays the top mean girl, “Queen Bee” Regina George, and serves as student producer.

The rights only recently became available to perform the high school version of the hit musical created by Tina Fey of Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock fame. That puts Edgemont in the first wave of schools to stage the production.

Director Suzie Hepker said the subject matter, so close to the students’ lives, eases how they slip into the roles.

“It’s very much their world,” Hepker said. She’s with KJK Productions, the Yorktown-based school theater company producing the show.

The school’s plays are supported by the Arts and Culture Enrichment (ACE) Committee of the PTSA, which offers strong support via ticket sales, publicity, and more. Among the musical instruments the organization has contributed to the school is the Yamaha synthesizer that will be used in the show.

Students said they appreciated Mean Girls’ message of learning to be yourself and resisting the pressure to fit in. Schuldenfrei said the play depicts students’ lives in a way that will be relatable to any high school, including hers.

“Obviously, we’re not singing in the hallways,” she said. “But this show really accurately portrays what it’s like to be a high schooler.”

Schuldenfrei had fun portraying someone so unlike herself. Others enjoyed their roles as well. Senior Amanda Scherer has wanted to be in Mean Girls since seeing it on Broadway.

“I loved it,” she said. “Janis has been a dream role of mine. She’s really edgy and fun.”

Sophomore Colin Yung played his largest role to date as Damian. “His character and Janis are the catalyst of the show,” he said. “They really make things happen.”