As CA students walked into their first day of school, a question on many minds was, “Are we still doing a musical this year?” The Collegedale Academy musical, a huge theatrical production occurring every other year, is typically advertised at registration and preparations begin within the first month of school. Previous musicals have included The Music Man, Fiddler on the Roof, and most recently, Hello Dolly. But although it has been two years since the last musical, no posters boasting a new musical appear in the halls, and Ms. Bishop has not made a single announcement about the topic during chapel.

Mr. Baldwin said, “We love the musicals, but the problem is the three

months where you’re there every single night from seven to ten, and it’s hurting students in academics.” He went on to say that the administration was trying to find a way to do a musical without having to invest so much time and stress into it and instead use class time to practice and prepare.

When asked what the plan was for the next musical, Ms. Bishop said that the music department had decided that the next musical would take a more spiritual approach, and they were currently searching for a quality Christian musical. Ms. Bishop said, “We [the music department] all decided on it… we liked the idea. Mr. Lindquist brought it up, and we all agreed on it.”  While Bishop would not comment on whether or not she would miss the secular musicals, she did say that she would “miss seeing our students shine on stage.”

Jamie Henderson, a member of the CA class of 2018 who starred as the main role in the most recent musical, Hello Dolly, expressed concern at the fact that the next musical would be spiritual rather than secular, asserting that the secular musicals are a major part of what draws the community to Collegedale Academy. She said, “It [the musical] doesn’t have to be spiritual to be a spiritual experience.” Henderson claimed that Hello Dolly was an act of God because she didn’t fail classes and finished her honors projects on top of all the practice and time that went into the musical.

When asked how she felt about the lack of a musical this year, senior Eunice Cha said she was kind of disappointed because she wanted to audition for a big role this year. Cha said she had nothing against the next musical being Christian, replying, “If it has the same effect as regular musicals, what is the difference? Maybe we could learn something from it.

Senior Erick Hicks expressed major disappointment for the lack of a musical. “I am very upset. I did one my sophomore year and played my saxophone in the orchestra, and it was great. I was really looking forward to one this year so I could have that experience again.”

While there will be no musical this school year, the next one is scheduled for Christmas of 2019.