While the Central Texas weather forecast oscillates from hot to cold to mild with wind, rain and sun making appearances, the conditions on the Chaparral High School auditorium stage are quickly cooling down.
Bobcat Drama is preparing for an enchanted ice forest, a talking snowman and a 100 percent chance of magic.
The high-achieving Chaparral theater department is staging Frozen, the full-length musical at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5 and Friday, Nov. 6 and at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7 at the Chaparral High School auditorium.
For many cast members, including freshman Audre Nelson playing young Elsa and senior Alexandra Madera playing grown Anna, the school production is opportunity to live out (and sing and dance out) a childhood classic.
“It is so cool,” said Nelson. “I love playing young Elsa because this character is exploring herself and finding boundaries and I feel like that myself.”
Her first community theater experience was Frozen Jr., so coming back to the popular musical in her first year of high school is a special experience.
The musical provides opportunity for Chaparral’s award-winning drama and choir students to showcase an impressive legacy for the five-year-old school’s accomplished fine arts departments.
Impressive set pieces and costumes and a certain carrot-nosed puppet all add to the show’s obvious full-scale song and dance delights.
For Madera, a senior now in her fifth major production at the school, Frozen means living out the scenes she and her younger sister have rehearsed informally for years.
“It’s incredible,” she said. “I used to watch Frozen all the time. To actually get to live it is amazing. I’m very familiar with it. The summer before it was announced (last spring) my sister and I were singing songs from the show. The memorization comes naturally.”
Though steeped in magic and fantasy, the show’s characters offer realistic looks at teenagers growing up, experiencing friendship and complex relationships and of course, the battle of good versus evil.
Madera called her famous younger sister character quirky and “cringy at moments.”
Anna’s silliness draws laughter with her over-the-top energy trying to get the attention of her more serious sister bearing the weight of a kingdom and her mounting powers, both political and magical.
Nelson said getting into the serious sister role was a good challenge for her. “The challenge for me was to not be emotional for a lot of this,” she said. “That was really fun.”
“This show makes me so happy…Frozen means reaching out to other people. You can hold back, but that shouldn’t hold yourself back from other people,” she said. “I love seeing all the happiness.”
“People will enjoy all the hard work we put in,” Madera said, listing many of the show’s big songs.
“Everyone knows what Frozen is. There is a lot to look forward to. If you’ve seen it on TV or the movie, now you get to see it in real life.”
Tickets are available at https://chaparralhighschoolbobcatdrama.ludus.com/
Rehearsal photos are loaded at www.killeenisd.org/photos
Check this space next week for a preview of the upcoming Ellison High School theater production of Matilda