Book now – Heathers: The Musical
Trinity College’s Heathers, directed by second year residential student Sam Prins will show 8, 9, 10 May.
Come along and follow Veronica Sawyer’s journey at Westerberg High and her navigation of the toxic, popular girls, The Heathers…
Written by the award-winning authors Kevin Murphy and Laurence O’Keefe, this musical tells the story of teenage misfit Veronica Sawyer, who attempts to navigate the twisted halls of Westerberg High, and more importantly… The Heathers.
When Veronica becomes entwined with their toxic culture, she soon becomes drawn to rebellious outsider J.D. Together, they embark on a twisted journey of revenge that leads to unexpected and fatal consequences. Will they escape unscathed, or become victims to their own vendetta?
Heathers will be performed at Union House Theatre at 7pm on 8, 9 and 10 May 2024. Tickets $35 adults, $25 children.
Below, Grace Koczkar and Tallulah Thorrowgood speak to members of the cast and executive team about what their positions in the musical involve, as well as the ups and downs of putting a stage production together.
Sam Prins
DIRECTOR
Tell us about your role
I’m the director of Heathers, so I’m the overseer, it’s my little baby. My job is to piece the whole show together, whether it's making sure the scenes are up to scratch, or ensuring that the musical director and choreographer have a helping hand.
It’s so rewarding to see my vision come to life and construct the show how I’ve envisioned it. There’s a lot of collaboration but what is being presented is my interpretation and how I see Heathers in my mind.
What has your greatest challenge been?
My greatest challenge would be motivation. Ensuring that not only I stay motivated myself, but that everyone else stays motivated too. As a director, you’re the leader of the production, so ensuring that motivation levels are high, that energy levels are high, making sure that everyone’s having a good time, and making sure that this is an experience to remember for everyone, I think that’s where the challenge comes in.
What has been the most enjoyable aspect?
The most enjoyable aspect would be watching it all come together. Watching the cast perform, watching the stage hands transition between scenes, seeing the props and costumes being made, it’s such a special moment. When the dances are right, when the singing sounds good, when the scenes just mesh, when everything works in harmony. We’re starting to see the performance come to light now and it’s so exciting, it’s a feeling like no other.
Charlie Morris
MUSICAL DIRECTOR
Tell us about your role
I am the musical director for Heathers, which means I’m in charge of all the singing that goes on in the show. From the opening number to the finale, I’ve worked with the talented leads and ensemble members to make this show sound as good as it does!
What has your greatest challenge been?
It definitely has to be learning to conduct and teach music. I’ve never done anything like this before, so plunging into the unknown of teaching our cast the music was certainly a challenge. However, thanks to the talent and support of the ensemble and my fellow executive team members, my feelings of nervousness have been replaced with feelings of excitement to be teaching music.
What has been the most enjoyable aspect?
The most enjoyable aspect for me has been working with our cast, more so than seeing all the music come together. Everyone is just so much fun to be around and talk to, meaning that even if a rehearsal hasn’t been as productive as we wanted, we can always find something to laugh about at the time or afterwards. It’s been a privilege and an honour to work with this group, and I’m so excited to finally see their opening night!
Francis Heath
CO-PRODUCER/ARTS REPRESENTATIVE
Tell us about your role
As co-producer, I generally oversee all aspects of production from day-to-day management to when the show is on stage. My co-producer Grace and I help manage the financial aspects, communication with Union House Theatre, organising rehearsal spaces, as well as making sure everything is running smoothly. I also had the pleasure of selecting the musical and obtaining the right to it!
What has your greatest challenge been?
The greatest challenge has been having to cut back on ideas and creative direction because of budget and time constraints. Naturally, when you go into any sort of production, you have very big ideas and want to achieve so much within the show. However, I have had to be realistic regarding what is within our scope, and this is a normal part of any production process.
What has been the most enjoyable aspect?
I have loved meeting and working with everyone involved in the production, especially the executive team. I think that being able to work with such a small group creatively is a special thing because you get to know everyone whilst simultaneously experimenting and developing ideas. It is then so exciting to see these ideas become reality, and the transformation from an idea into a physical product on stage has been the most enjoyable aspect for me.
Grace Koczkar
CO-PRODUCER/PUBLICITY MANAGER
Tell us about your role
I'm a co-producer with Francis, and I’m also the publicity manager for the musical. Producing involves helping out wherever I’m needed, attending rehearsals, overseeing the production process, working in administration, and attending meetings with Union House Theatre, to get everything ready so that the actors are ready for the show. As the publicity manager, I’m involved in promoting the show, creating Instagram posts and articles like this, and working towards selling out the performances. I’ve been so lucky to work with such an amazing executive team.
What has your greatest challenge been?
Honestly the greatest challenge would be sourcing creative ways to market the show. We’re trying to appeal to a range of audiences, not only Trinity students, so trying to get as many people as possible to come in and see the shows, see what the college can do and how amazing the arts are is definitely a challenge.
What has been the most enjoyable aspect?
The most enjoyable aspect has been seeing it all come together. I’ve been so lucky to be at the auditions, and be a part of the whole production process from start to finish. We’ve come a long way from deciding who to cast and what we wanted the show to look like to now. We’re also so lucky to have such a talented cast and crew and I’m really excited for everyone to be able to see what we’ve achieved.
Josh Roberts
CHOREOGRAPHER
Tell us about your role
I am the choreographer for the musical, so I choreograph all the big dancing and singing numbers for the show.
What has your greatest challenge been?
The greatest challenge has been everyone forgetting the dances after every rehearsal!
What has been the most enjoyable aspect?
The most enjoyable aspect has been seeing when everything finally comes together and producing an amazing finished product.
Charlotte McAdam
VERONICA SAWYER
Tell us about your role
I play Veronica Sawyer. She’s very intelligent, very witty, and very simplistic.
What has your greatest challenge been?
There have been lots of songs to learn, and I have a lot of lines. I think that’s been probably the biggest challenge. Also some of the intimate scenes, that has been challenging because I’ve never really done scenes like that before.
What has been the most enjoyable aspect?
Getting to know some of the first years has been fantastic. I have gotten quite close to some of them which is great. Also getting to know new people, because you spend a lot of time with them. It’s eight hours a week you’re spending with them, so that’s been probably my favourite part. Also this is a dream role of mine, so I feel so privileged to step into Veronica's character.
Ollie Jones
JASON DEAN
Tell us about your role
I play Jason Dean, who starts off as a bit of a charmer, and a lonely, outsider, mysterious sort of guy. We don’t really know much about him, and as the show goes on, through his love interest with Veronica, he starts to open up a bit and the audience discovers more about him. He turns out to be a bit of a psycho, or maybe even a sociopath. His mum passed away, which was quite a significant event for him, so this turned him against the world and he only really sees the evil in society. Jason ends up acting on that by going on a bit of a murderous rampage. However, all of this is fuelled by his passion for Veronica and how much he wants to protect her and do right by her, whilst also living out his vendetta against society.
What has your greatest challenge been?
Assuming a character has probably been the biggest challenge. It's easy enough to deliver lines, stand up and sing a song and do the dances, but trying to really assume that role and get into character is very challenging. Combining those elements with focusing on your voice and body language, whilst ensuring that these actions are aligned with what your character would do is the hardest part of my role. I aim to make sure that I don’t leave any part of myself in the character.
What has been the most enjoyable aspect?
I love playing a psycho…in the least scary way possible! I think it’s a really fun challenge because you can be so raw with it. You can just release, and it’s a really high-energy role. It’s quite a satisfying role to play because you can pour so much energy into it. It’s so fun because it’s not something you get to do all the time, it’s very different from normal life.
Mim Moran
HEATHER CHANDLER
Tell us about your role
I’m playing Heather Chandler, who is the main Heather. She’s ruthless and very hated, but more so feared. She definitely runs the school.
What has your greatest challenge been?
My greatest challenge has definitely been singing. I’m not a singer, so I’m grateful I don’t have a solo like the other Heathers, but some of the parts I have to do are challenging.
What has been the most enjoyable aspect?
The whole process has been so fun, and it’s been rewarding to see it all coming together. The cast is also incredible.
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