A musical that has been in the works for years finally comes to fruition at North Atlanta High School as Warriors prepare to present Chicago in March. With the long, grueling process of rehearsals taking place across a multi-month span, these Warriors are nearly ready for showtime, hoping to put on the best show North Atlanta has to offer. The whole theater community at North Atlanta has made an effort to have Chicago be an amazing experience for all students to watch and enjoy.

Auditions for the musical took place in November, and the extensive process was a week long. Students from North Atlanta took a chance and displayed their skills to the show directors. Roles were filled, and rehearsals began later that month. “Rehearsals go from November up until March,” said junior Camille Evans, “It’s a long process that takes time and dedication from everyone involved like the cast, crew, and teachers.”

During rehearsals, the actors work on the music, acting, blocking, and dance numbers. Each day of the week they will work on one specific thing. What they work on that week changes depending on what the actors and actresses need to rehearse the most. “Right now we have a guest choreographer,” said senior and lead in Chicago McKenna Weinbaum. “They are teaching us the complex dances that take time, and we even have to practice at home to completely understand the choreography.”

During the last school year, there was no musical that took place. The year before that, North Atlanta put on a production of Footloose, making this year’s musical being the school’s first since Footloose in 2020. “It’s so different from Footloose because we lost a whole grade to the pandemic that would have been in the musical,” said junior Juliet Joyce. “There’s a lot of new people who have never been in a musical before, but there are also a lot of familiar faces which is comforting.”

Senior McKenna Weinbaum worked hard to earn the lead in the musical this year. She has envisioned being the lead in a play since her freshman year. “I remember leading the cast list and running downstairs to tell my mom I got the lead,” said Weinbaum. “It still feels surreal even though I worked and proved myself by getting the role.”

Chicago will be presented to North Atlanta in March. The work the students put in to make this an enjoyable experience and something their peers will remember is astonishing. Students have taken over production of the musical, with the actors, dancers, and the members of Tech putting in a lot of work to make this a reality. Make sure to come out in March to support North Atlanta’s theater program!