Two Kilkenny schools to combine for much-anticipated production of High School Musical

Two city schools have teamed up to revive an old tradition which will see a large-scale school musical once again held in Kilkenny.

The musical will be a joint production between St Kieran’s College and Loreto Secondary School, and will involve the majority of the Transition Year students in both. In a city like Kilkenny, where the arts are so strong, it is unusual not to have a school musical.

The cast are already in rehearsals under the guidance of teachers Regina Mulcahy, Fergal Brennan and Lorraine Maher. Tickets will be on sale in the coming weeks.

The chosen production for the group is ‘High School Musical’, a 2006 drama/television film directed originally Kenny Ortega. Troy Bolton, the star athlete at a small-town high school, falls for nerdy beauty Gabriella Montez at a holiday karaoke party.

When they return to campus, Troy and Gabriella audition for the upcoming school musical, while the jealous Sharpay Evans conspires against them. The two must struggle to make it to auditions while meeting their obligations to the basketball team and the academic decathlon.

The cast of the production - from two local schools

School musicals were very common within St Kieran’s College through the mid-1990s, with the last musical coming in the form of ‘Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’ in 2000. Musicals began in the school in 1987 under the guidance of Fr Richard Scriven as musical director.

"We are delighted that this tradition has been reignited and look forward to an exciting few weeks in the lead up to this production," said Mr Brennan.

Local businesses will have the opportunity to place an advert in the musical programme. For more details, contact fbrennan@stkieranscollege.ie.

Cast:

Troy Bolton – Rian Edwards

Gabriella Montez – Sorcha Polak

Sharpay Evans – Christine Doheny

Chad Danforth – Darragh Hackett

Ryan Evans – Bill Kavanagh

Taylor McKessie – Claire Hennessy

Kelsi Nielsen – Elizabeth Keher

Martha Cox – Lucy Cleere

Ms Darbus – Katie Cullen

Coach Bolton – Luke O’Dwyer

Zeke Baylor – Darren Cuddihy

Jason Cross – David O’Sullivan

Jocks:

Theo Yordanov

Ger Coffey

Aidan McGree

Cian Kenny

Darragh Maher

David Delahunty

Niall Reid

Killian Rudkins

Kevin Burns

Brandon Ryan

Cheerleaders:

Olivia Mahony

Sinead Bass

Kate Blanchfield

Breana O’Dwyer

Roisin Moran,

Aine Shields

Lucy Thompson

Aoife Farrell

Skater Dudes:

Conor Brett

David Fogarty

Ronan Lavelle

Eoin Guilfoyle

Cathal Ryan Phelan

Oisin Egan

Eoin Morgan

Luke Campion

John Ring

Vincent Gornicki

Nobin Rebi

Leo Capasso

Brainiacs:

Ana O’Shea

Isabella Boyd

Issy Shine

Annie McEvoy

Aisling Newing

Sharpay’s girls:

Eve Ring

Neasa Ruane

Lainey Gilsenan

Rachel Walsh

Ann Marie Darcy

Lucy Buckley