Once you see, you can’t unsee. Among various lessons this year’s fall musical can teach us, one of the most prevalent, recurring themes is the failure to make a difference when you can, before you can’t. 

November 9th through 13th, students will have the opportunity to witness Hinsdale South Drama’s production of Carrie: the Musical. An adaptation of Stephen King’s heartbreaking 1974 novel, and the subsequent three film adaptations of the same name, the show remains prevalent today and highlights various “hard to watch” themes, as described by South English teacher and theater director Danny Yuska Jr., including: emotional and physical abuse at home, generational, religious, and sexual trauma, minimization of cruel behavior, deep-seated guilt, and the impact of both relentless bullying and the bystander effect. 

Especially considering its heavy subject matter, Yuska hopes “that our audience will see the true impact that bullying has, and that we can continue to discuss the conversation on bullying and, hopefully, putting an end to this issue”.

Similar to previous years, South students will be able to view a portion of the performance during their English classes on Wednesday, November 9th. However, due to both the potentially triggering material included in the show and the fine arts department’s effort to extend Carrie’s impact, this month’s South Pride lesson will be held during first period that day, detailing the impacts of bullying and the genuine importance of speaking up when you know something is wrong. Sophomore member of the Carrie cast and the South Pride Student Voice Committee, Quinn Isberg, believes that discussing these topics in a unique way ensures “people will be able to take what they learn and apply it to real life situations”. She also appreciates the direct implementation of the cast and crew in both the planning and execution of the lesson, including reflections on what characters could have done differently.

This year, the cast and crew of Carrie will be adjudicated for the Illinois Theatre Festival and, if selected, will revive the show in January of 2023. The future of Hinsdale South Drama will also extend further into the second semester with competition drama pieces (Short Film, Musical Theatre Revue, and Group Interpretation) in March, an Improv Show in April, and the annual Hinsdale South Variety Show in May. 

But first and foremost, the cast and crew of Carrie: The Musical invite all to come see the show ($10 for students and $20 for adults) and encourage everyone to look just a bit harder, both at the world around us and within ourselves.