Lodi High School’s staging of Mean Girls was a performance that showed the life of Cady Heron as she entered a new school. She was played by Arianna Sanchez, who was the main character. Cady experienced much anxiety because she was a new student at North Shore High, which is a socially ruthless environment. However, she gains two friends who help her power through, and fit in with other “outsiders”- Damian (Nova Boehm), and Janis (Maricela Gomez). Over time, she learns of the different social groups, like the Plastics, a popular group of cruel teenagers. Cary eventually falls in love with her classroom peer, Aaron Samuels (Brandon Saldaña). Aaron is the ex-boyfriend of Regina George, the leader of the Plastics, and most popular individual of North Shore High (Lisbeth Aquino). This ultimately leads to conflict between the two.
Supporting Regina are her devoted but insecure best friends: Jenna North as the eager-to-please Gretchen Wieners and Naomi Veloz as the hilariously clueless Karen Smith. As Cady becomes entangled in the world of the Plastics, she begins to lose herself in the very power struggle she once found ridiculous. Cady receives advice from her teacher, Ms. Norbury (Taylor Lora), and she argues on behalf of the importance of academics and its relevance over popularity and drama.
Mean Girls had many moments of comedy and drama that made the play much more entertaining. For example, Anthony Buttacavole had humorous moments through multiple roles such as Coach Carr, and Shane Oman, which left the audience in consistent laughter. Moreover, Kevin G’s role (played by Angel Takata) was presented as a confident rapper and math student, filling the crowd with charm and energy.
The Mean Girls was heavily successful because of the prioritization of an entertaining production and well-mannered direction by Mr. Bernice. Additionally, Mr. Porter took on the role of North Shore’s very own Principal Duvall, while also taking part as the director of the band group to add intrigue through music. The idea of fascination through music was also shown through Mr. McCann’s piano to add depth to the production. Finally, Ms. White played a huge role in designing many of the costumes to help each character fit their respective roles and personalities.
Before the show began, and between scenes, the individuals in the production worked their hardest to have calm transitions by regulating lighting and changes in the environment itself. Emma Pontier, the stage manager, and Ella Warren, the assistant stage manager, guided their stage crew members Daniela Morales, Tianna Ramirez, Sasha Gonzalez, Liwia Szot, Issac Takata, and Oliver Torres to work their very best, which led to an extremely successful show.
Each actor’s (in Lodi High School’s Mean Girls) accomplishments are important to note because they are who made the show possible. Regardless if a member of the Drama Club was directly in the show or not, or played a main or side character, each individual is just as important because they all worked tirelessly to ensure a successful experience for the audience. Thus, their work allowed for the audience to be left in amusement and their expectations were exceptionally met.
Overall, the diligent cast, remembers, and remarkable guidance from the musical advisors, Mean Girls had a strong sense of entertainment, humor and energy, leaving the audience satisfied.
