Mean Girls Cast Recalls Hard Work at Rehearsals

In the early months of the 2025 school year, Nutley’s musical theater group announced that they would perform Mean Girls the Musical as their yearly performance. 

Produced by Tina Fey, and first performed on October 31st, 2017, this musical is based on the cult classic film, Mean Girls. With songs like Meet the Plastics, Apex Predator, and World Burn the musical is highly renowned for its memorable tunes and light-hearted humor. 

The musical has cast members absolutely ecstatic. Ko Amiths, playing Janice Ian, explained that the group was really happy with the selection. “Mean Girls is probably one of my favorite musicals. So when I heard we were performing it, I almost lost it,” said Amiths. 

The show debuted on March 7. Prior to opening night, members ensured at each practice that their dances were on point and their voices were big and projected. “Janice has some really solid songs and lines on her, so I want to make sure that I play her perfectly before and during shows,” said Amiths. 

Members of the cast and crew worked meticulously to ensure the perfection of their performances. “I would say where we are right now is great,” said Samuel Guanzon, who claimed the role of Damian. “Everybody here, cast and crew, has worked ridiculously hard to sell this show.” 

Being in a theatre is a balance. To fully sell a show you need a set in addition to the actors. The theatre’s crew is responsible for the quick scene changes, lighting, and special effects on the stage of a musical. Kensington Irwin-Dudek, a sophomore who took part in costumes and makeup said, “We’ve been going crazy practicing taking care of what happens behind the scenes. We also play a big role in this, even if the audience can’t see it.” The crew had been meeting up for rehearsals at the same time as those performing in the front, their roles actively coinciding during the duration of it. 

“I think it can be equally as stressful being backstage,” said Irwin-Dudek, “we tend to worry about things like making sure the costumes are clean or seeing to it that makeup is on point. And if any of those things are off, it kind of dulls down the show.” 

Students began to hurdle the lingering excitement and anxiety surrounding days prior to the opening: “For me personally, I’m not that nervous, I’ve been doing theatre since 8th grade when we did Into the Woods so I can kind of expect what I’m getting into; of course, there's always butterflies before I perform. Like, am I gonna get my line right? Or what if I miss my cue? But overall I’m comfortable with performing for a crowd," said Guanzon. 

“I’m psyched to get this show out to a real audience!” said Amiths. “Everyone’s pulled their weight, and because of that I know the show’s going to be great.” 

With diligent practice over several weeks, the students were excited to finally perform this for a live audience of friends, family, and students alike, and the weekend of performances were well received by audiences that came close to selling out.