‘Mean Girls Jr.’ will be performed on stage at West Hartford’s Sedgwick Middle School on April 4-6, 2025.

Submitted by Julia Hathorn (8th Grade, Sedgwick Middle School)

This spring, Sedgwick Middle School students will proudly present the musical “Mean Girls Jr.”The show follows the life of 16-year-old Cady Heron after moving from the African savanna where she grew up to her new home in suburban Illinois. At first, Cady is the naïve new girl, until she is swept up by outsiders Janis and Damian, who see her as a way to gain access to “The Plastics” – a trio of ruthless frenemies who are led by the appealing but pitiless Regina George. To get revenge on Regina for a past rivalry, Janis sends unknowing Cady undercover as a “Plastic.” As Cady gets closer to Regina and her friends, the line between what surrounds her and who she is begins to blur, and she must find her way back to herself while navigating the ups and downs of high school and friendships.

The message about staying true to yourself and not subsiding to peer pressure remains important, regardless of age.

Besides the character and charm of the musical itself, the people who will be performing it are dedicated and talented. The cast of 93 students rehearses from 3 to 5 p.m. for four out of five school days every week, and they must practice their dances and memorize their lines outside of school. Everyone there is truly remarkable, and their answers to questions about their musical prove that.

To start, the cast members were asked about some of their favorite moments from the show.

Upon being asked: “What’s your favorite song from the show and why?”

Sally Chapman, who plays Karen Smith, responded with: “Probably ‘Meet the Plastics’ because it’s when ‘The Plastics’ first come in, and they’re just really cool.”

Upon being asked: “What’s your favorite part about the musical Mean Girls Jr.?”

Lucy Guerrero, who plays Cady Heron, answered: “This show is so filled with joy and fun, but it also shows deeper meaning in people’s thoughts about being in high school, (the) struggle with friends, but it also has a very good message to send, and I think that’s really important when it comes to a musical, especially in middle school.”

Besides all the fun and comical moments, the show has a deep, underlying message of self-discovery and independence.

When asked about the message that Mean Girls Jr. teaches, Zara Galletti, who plays Principal Duvall in the show, responded with: “I think the show teaches the audience that everyone matters and that you can change even if you were mean before.

Although the cast of the show is spectacular, in every musical there are people working behind the scenes relentlessly to make the show a success, and the Sedgwick Drama club has no shortage of excellent support in that area.

Keira James is an eighth grader at Sedgwick Middle School who also works as a Director’s Assistant and Backstage Manager. When asked what she thinks makes the cast and crew of Mean Girls Jr. so special, she said: “I think that the cast is very special in their own ways, but I think mainly because in the main cast everyone is friends, especially the ensemble, but at the end of the day we all become friends and that’s just really special to us as we head towards the end of the show.”

The director and acting coach of the show, Eva Pandiscia, also spoke about her experiences directing the show.

“What made you pick Mean Girls Jr. as the musical this year?” she was asked.

“We were actually considering doing Mean Girls Jr. last year, but there was another theater group in the community that was doing it, so we decided to do Mary Poppins Jr. instead. But I think we just really loved the message of the show, and we felt like our school really needed it. We just want to let people know that they are perfect the way they are, and they shouldn’t let other people and society deter them from being who they were born to be.”

“What has been the most challenging part of directing this show so far?”

“So, we had about 97 students come out to audition this year. This has been our biggest turnout yet, and we decided not to cut anyone; we think theater is a safe space, and we want this to be a place where anyone is welcome, so we offered roles to all 97 people. About 93 students took us up on the offer, so it has been challenging balancing all of the students and making sure they have a place, but it’s also been a joy as well. Staging is a little tricky with the size of our stage because the stage was built in 1931.”

Lastly, she was asked: “How do you think this show is more impactful with a younger cast than it would be with an adult cast?”

“I know for me middle school was the most difficult time of my life, and I wish I had this message presented to me in a really fun way. Our hope is that the students who are part of the show will take the message of owning who they are, respecting people, and not being mean and carry that message with them for the rest of their lives and bring good into our world.”

To conclude the interviews, cast members were asked why they think people should come and see the show.

Georgia Mancini responded: “Because we worked really hard on it, and we want to show off all that we’ve done.”

In total, the cast and crew of Sedgwick Middle School’s Mean Girls Jr. are prepared and excited to welcome you into the world of “The Plastics” and hope you’ll come and enjoy the show.

Performances are on April 4 and 5 at 7 p.m. and on April 6 at 1 p.m. Tickets are on sale at: https://sedgwickdrama.ludus.com.

We hope to see you at the show!

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