Guys and Dolls Coming Soon

On November 15, 16 and 17 Southeast Polk High School will be putting on the annual fall musical. This year’s musical is Guys and Dolls. The musical’s director is Choir Teacher Jamie Logan.

“This Broadway musical tells the overlapping stories of high-roller Sky Masterson, who falls in love with uptight mission worker Sarah Brown, and the lovable rapscallion Nathan Detroit, engaged for 14 years to Miss Adelaide, a headliner at the Hot Box Club,” said Logan.

The cast started rehearsal September 3 and will practice for ten weeks, up until right before the first show. Senior Cael Newman plays Sky Masterson in the show.

“In the show Sky Masterson is kind of a playboy, at least at the beginning. I make a bet that I can get with any girl and the other character Nathan Detroit points to the main woman, Sarah Brown and I have to take her out,” said Newman.

Newman explains how after his character takes out Sarah, he ends up falling in love with her and by the end he changes his ways and softens out.

“Sky embraces how she sees the world a lot more and she also meets him at the same level and sees where Sky is coming from,” Newman said.

Newman decided to audition for the musical because he always has been involved in musical theater since junior high. Logan said that the audition process is pretty simple and encourages all students to try it out.

“Monday night [of audition week] we teach a brief chunk of choreography and students audition in small groups at the end of the clinic. Tuesday night students sing 30-45 seconds from any musical theater selection. Then, on Wednesday we have scene readings,” said Logan.

Newman said the audition went smoothly for him and he was even able to convince one of his friends to audition with him. Logan hopes that the musical and theater in general will instill life lessons into all the students that are involved.

“We hope that they’re learning to be responsible, self-motivated, and deep thinkers. In our musical and acting coachings we guide students to analyze their characters and make decisions about how they might act or behave in a given situation,” said Logan.

Newman says that being in theatre has taught him that he will always be able to find his place, no matter how hard it might seem at first. He encourages all students to get involved in theatre, because no matter what students will feel welcomed.

“If you’re really struggling with high school, which I think is very common for freshman especially, the entire musical community is very open, and we will always accept anyone,” said Newman.