Davidson’s student-run Dionysia Theatre Company brought fan favorite High School Musical: On Stage! to the Duke Family Performance Hall for four performances over the first weekend of November. Davidson students acted, sang, danced, directed, and even designed and constructed the set for this high-energy show. The audience laughed and sang along with the thespians throughout the performance.
Hannah Holmes ‘26 and Jake McGraw ‘25 took on the daunting responsibility of directing the musical. Holmes, who became involved with Dionysia in the fall of last year, explained how she saw another Davidson musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and knew that she wanted to be a part of this group. “I have to do this,” she emphasized when reflecting on her decision to join the company. Holmes performed in the musical The Prom and said it, “reignited her passion for theater.”
High School Musical: On Stage! is Holmes’s first directorial role with Dionysia. She emphasized how crucial each member of the High School Musical team is. “There is so much merit in student theater. Everyone was pitching in to help build sets and make costumes. Everyone had to be working 110%. […] It was so surreal watching it all come together,” she described.
McGraw joined Dionysia in 2022. “The president at the time reached out to me asking if I’d be treasurer. I’ve been acting in the shows and helping out in any way I can ever since,” he stated. As co-director, McGraw described the challenges of gathering resources to fund and operate the production. “Finding rehearsal spaces, making sure we have enough money for everything we need, and just generally having to find creative ways around problems that a larger company wouldn’t face have been the most difficult parts of the production.”
Some students, such as Sharpay actress Charlotte Frampton ‘27, made grand returns to the stage. Frampton had been involved in various roles for Dionysia, including Amy in Little Women and Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof. Her character Sharpay is known for her sass, and Frampton enthralled the crowd each time she took the stage. The musical’s show-stopping numbers “What I’ve Been Looking For” and “Bop to the Top” gave Frampton plenty of opportunity to show off her talent.
“I love performing on stage,” Frampton said. “In the words of Troy Bolton and Gabriela Montez, it feels like I’m ‘soaring’ and ‘flying.’ I find performing so freeing and fun. I can live a life I would have never gotten to live. Dancing and singing are my favorite [activities] and a great emotional release.”
Audience members had lots of positive feedback after the shows. Laura Aycock ‘28 adored the final performance, which was a mashup of all the show’s most popular musical acts. The mix contained snippets of songs such as “Start of Something New,” “We’re All in this together,” “Breaking Free,” and many more. “It stole the show […] I was singing those songs all night,” she said.
Audience member Kira McGinnis’s ‘28 favorite part of the show was “when there were three entirely different scenes going on ontsage: the scholastic decathlon, the basketball game, and the audition.” Her favorite song was “Stick to the Status Quo.”
The cast and crew reflected on their favorite moments from the production. “Getting to know the cast has been the best part of this process! They are all so wonderful and talented and it has been so fun blending our creative voices together into a single production,” McGraw stated. The show’s choreographer, Leigha Hofmann ‘25, described how some of the best moments happened behind the scenes. “We made tons of memes and had lots of inside jokes. I love working with such a close cast,” she said. Holmes explained that when the cast started learning the choreography of “We’re All In This Together,” everything fell into place. “There were so many moments I thought it couldn’t get better, and then it did,” she said.
It is easy to see how much hard work and dedication went into each part of this performance. From the set design to the musical composition, the collaborative efforts of every member of the cast, crew, and creative team were essential in order to bring this show to life. It is safe to say that the Davidson community can’t wait to see what the Dionysia Theatre Company will bring to us next.
Annie Goldstein ‘28 is an undecided major from Charleston, SC and can be reached for comment at [email protected].
