DAA is The School of Rock!

Jenna Daudpota Arts & Entertainment, The Pawprint

Students may remember the assembly during MEA the other day in which a preview for the school’s musical was performed. What they may not know, is what that musical is about. 

The School of Rock is a musical about a substitute teacher named Ned Schneebly—or in the DAA production, Teddy Schneebly—who works as a substitute fifth grade teacher at the prestigious Horace Green School. However, Teddy Schneebly has a secret. She is really Dewey Finn, a jobless singer and guitarist, and an aspiring rock star. When she finds out that the children can play instruments, she forms a band with them to participate in the Battle of the Bands. 

The School of Rock has been everywhere—from Jack Black’s movie portrayal to a Nickelodeon TV show. However, no version captures the essence of the story as much as the musical, as the music is a key part.

Here at DAA, there have been four productions. The first two were on Sunday (November 21, 2019) and the second two on Monday (November 22, 2019). On both days, there was a 3:30 PM production and a 7:00 PM production. 

The main character, Dewey Finn was played by Celina Norrman or Sofia Sahdala Abad, depending on the showing. Carlos Rangel Outeda and Hayden Swartz took on four roles: Ned Schneebly, Jeff, Stanley and Mr. Spencer. 

The production has a combination of middle school and high school students in it. 

All students are played by middle schoolers, like Freddy Hamilton being played by Faiz Siddigui and Tarek Abou Karam. Some other important characters include Tomika Spencer, played by Loza Lemma and Ella Ozsoy, and Summer Hathaway, played by Sofia Loper Marques and Natalie Melikyan. 

The actors worked very hard on the play with rehearsals all throughout the week with only two days’ rest—Thursday and Friday. However, the cast were not the only ones to work tirelessly on this play. Assistant Director Donna AbouNasr said: “Although the actors are who you see, the crew, including backstage, prop, set design, hair and makeup, costumes, microphones, lighting and audio and the band are what makes the show what it is. Without everyone involved, the show would not be successful.”

So, to honor these people, it is worth mentioning how Yiyue Chen, Yagiz Bahadiroglu, Pedro Santos and Nurettin Gunduz are all a part of the incredibly talented band. The managers were Donna AbouNasr (Stage Manager & Assistant Director), Maya Al Kozbari (Backstage Manager) and Maya Zidan (Properties Manager). Aditya Borkar worked on media and sound effects. Yassin Issa and Ali Abbar worked on lighting, while Farah Lahiani and Antonio Coelho worked on mics. Jeanne Collomp, Carmen Ragheb Sakla and Matylda Ploska made the costumes.