It’s hard to believe the school year is almost over. So many amazing things have happened this school year.
There were many changes this school year for many different groups. A new building, a new environment, that’s a big change. Students and teachers alike had to learn how to operate in this new space.
There were some challenges, but overall people persevered. One group that really took on the challenge of the new space, not backing down, was the theatre department.
The new auditorium truly is beautiful and huge. However, appearances can be deceiving. There is not as much backstage space in this new building as at the old high school, and while the stage is wider, it has less depth than the old stage. For Dance Theatre, for example, a stage extender was put on in front of the stage. This stage extender was essentially a large platform that expanded the stage forward. This allowed for more room on stage and made the show easier to do.
Due to some flaws with the new theatre some shows were performed at the old high school. This year Dance Theatre and Senior Revue, as well as the show choir’s concerts and Waltham’s show choir competition (ESCF) were held at the new high school. On the other hand this year’s musical and play, Mamma Mia and Museum were held at the old theatre.
This year Waltham High School’s Theatre department pumped out another batch of amazing shows. And now with them all over it’s time to reflect on the 2024-2025 year.
Mamma Mia
Starting the year off strong this year’s musical was Mamma Mia, a jukebox musical featuring the music of Swedish pop group: ABBA. Mamma Mia tells the story of a mother and daughter, Donna and Sophie Sheridan, in Greece. The Sheridans are preparing for Sophie’s upcoming wedding. In the preparations Sophie invites three men from her mother’s past who might potentially be her real father, in hopes of him being there for her big day.
Mamma Mia is full of love, comedy, drama, and most importantly: music.
The cast spent about seven weeks rehearsing. There were group rehearsals and dance rehearsals with the ensemble. There were also more consolidated rehearsals with the leads and rehearsals for the solos. After all this rehearsing the cast went into tech week where the stage crew joined, adding lighting and sounds. The beautiful set was used to its full potential during this time and the show finally came together.
The show first took the stage on Wednesday, November 20th, with a matinee. Then on Thursday and Friday, November 21st and 22nd, there were evening performances.
“For Mamma Mia we had almost three sold out houses at the old high school, and that’s a huge audience. I was shocked,” said director Jesse Bastarache. “I think a lot of people came in and saw the sign board and just loved that show and came in from the street. We also had the elementary kids involved, so that brought in a big audience. So it was awesome.”
The show went marvelously and the audience loved it. Many thought it was one of the best shows from Waltham High School in years.
“I loved it, I really had so much fun. I really really just enjoyed the entire group and the cast. Everyone was so well suited for their roles, whether that be a lead or a dancing part, or a little solo moment or whatever. I also think our crew was amazing. Our technical director, Lori Baruch, did an incredible job with the scenery. I just think the whole thing was so great,” said Bastarache. “Plus, then there was the addition of the little kids from the dance workshop that we did and I was just shocked that we got so many kids. Last time we did something similar we got twenty kids. This time we had sixty and I had to shut the form off because we couldn’t take anymore. It was just so fun to watch their faces and see them performing.”
Mamma Mia went amazingly overall and we can’t wait to learn what the show will be next year.
Dance Theatre
Dance Theatre (DT) returned this year, a staple of Waltham High School. The program was started in 1985 by former WHS educator, Deb Finnell, this being the 40th anniversary. Finnell retired last year, and the program was taken over by WHS teacher, Jesse Bastarache, who directs many other shows at Waltham High School.
So what is DT?
The show consists of dance numbers performed by amazing students from WHS across grades 9-12. This year’s show consisted of 90 students and 19 songs, some being mashups and mixes, along with a video package played during the show with pictures from rehearsals and a special message to all who came and were involved.
Auditions took place in December. After auditions rehearsals started, and each student learned the dances they were a part of. These rehearsals sometimes focused on specific dances, while other times went through a couple dances during a rehearsal, eventually putting all the dances together. These rehearsals prepared the students for a great show. Bastarache and the choreographers were impressed with the students work ethic and their willingness to work with the sometimes grueling rehearsals.
“I enjoyed watching the students really step up and take on the challenge. Honestly there were so few complaints about timing, and how much time we were spending, and how many rehearsals we were doing,” Bastarche said. “Everybody was just so ready to work and ready to be here and really because they were having so much fun I think that really elevated their performance so much.”
After rehearsals came run throughs and tech and then it was then time for the shows, which took place on January 29, 30, and 31st. The shows were amazing with so many people from the Waltham community coming to see family, friends, and classmates. To support their school, and to support their community, and some even just coming to see a wonderful show. An estimated 2,500 tickets were sold between the three nights.
“That was just kinda my favorite part, watching it come together at the end and seeing the complete and total joy onstage and backstage,” said Bastarache. “Just feeling that in the room, it made it really special.”
DT is bound to continue for many, many more years and it will only get better. So, after the lights go out on this year’s Dance Theatre, we are excited for the 41st show and seeing the show continue through the years. Until next year: Ahh DT!!
To Read More About DT ‘25 – Click HERE
Show Choir
This year was phenomenal for Waltham High Schools show choirs. The WHS show choir has two divisions: Music Unlimited (MU), our large mixed group, and Music Express (ME), our small mixed group. And both crushed this year’s competition season.
But what is show choir?
The show choir is a group of singers and dancers that compete at competitions against other show choirs.
“Show Choir is singing, dancing, and performing,” said director Alyssa Cincotta, who co-directs the show choir with her husband and fellow WHS educator, Thomas Cincotta, “its telling a story on stage, working as a team, and trying to make the most excellent show that gives a message.”
So what did the show choir do this year?
Starting with Music Unlimited the group was grand champs of both of the first two competitions of the year, Shepherd Hill Central Massachusetts Show Choir Festival and Tantasqua Show Choir Spectacular.
Then Music Unlimited was off to Indianapolis for another show choir festival: Franklin Central Hoosier Show Choir Classic.
Music Unlimited left on February 20th. They took a flight to Chicago where they stayed the day and night and got to see some of the city. The group got to check out the famous Cloud Gate (better known as “The Bean”) and also got to see a performance of the new show CLUE Live on Stage! at the CIBC Theatre.
The next day the group took a bus to Indianapolis and met up with North Central High School’s The Counterpoints and The Descants. Later that night the group went to Dave and Busters and had a great time playing games.
The third day Music Unlimited had their big day, their competition at Franklin Central Hoosier Show Choir Classic. Waltham was the 3rd runner up or fourth place, which was really good for a competition this scale. The group got to meet choirs they had never met before and connect with talents they wouldn’t normally connect with.
“It was so much fun. It’s so cool getting to see the other bands, crews, and choirs from outside of our region. It’s really helpful in trying to dream of what we want our program to be, even just how that festival runs or who the judges are, seeing things outside of what we are used to in New England. To have different ideas.” said Cincotta, “It’s also just really fun getting to know our students on such an intense trip and seeing what they are capable of on stage and what they are like off stage as well. It’s been a beautiful group of students to work with.
On the last day the group finally headed home, getting to relax on the way back, but not before singing their ballad on the plane before takeoff. Show Choir really is crazy.
After the trip the group was back to competing locally at Somerset Berkley New England Show Choir Classic before Music Express joined them for the last two comps, Bishop Hendricken Lil’ Rhody Rumble and Andover New England Show Choir Showdown.
Music Express did a great job at these competitions, placing third at Lil’ Rhody and second in Andover.
Lastly the groups hosted our very own show choir competition The Eastern Show Choir Festival, the first at this new building. There were many challenges to learning how to work with the new space but overall the day went very well, minus the fire alarm going off.
Hosting a competition is a whole different experience as the pressure is way off you as your group is not competing. It is so great and cool to see different groups use our space and get to welcome them here.
After ESCF the competition season was over for Music Unlimited and Music Express. On May 15th the choir had their pops concert where the two groups and the WHS chorus got to perform their sets one last time in addition to performing some new songs, dances, and solos.
“I just love seeing a lot of people working together towards a common goal, especially at Waltham High School where I feel like we have so many different types of people that we are all experiencing different things outside of the classroom.” said Cincotta, “So how do we get to our goal as a group, because we need each other and we need to work together to create a good show.”
So what can be expected from the show choir next year?
“You can expect a new set that is very different from what we have done in the past. It’s a very fun challenge.” said Cincotta, “Both groups and the show band have a lot of new students so it’s going to be a very fresh group. The crew will have a lot of returning members. So a fresh group of people, a fresh show and new challenges.”
Senior Revue
One of the hardest things at WHS is saying goodbye to the amazing seniors who have spent so much time at this school and in this community. However, as their stories at WHS come to a close, we get to see many of these seniors perform one last time.
This year’s senior revue theme was: Era’s of WHS and it featured music from way back to now. Along the way were dance numbers, solos, skits written by the seniors which were all spectacular and truly were an amazing sendoff for these seniors. This show was also taken over by Jesse Bastarache this year.
“Senior revue is such a long standing Waltham tradition. My mom actually choreographed the very first senior revue. And so it was really nice to direct it with all of my ties to the show. I’ve been involved in senior revue so many times before and I’ve directed it before, but it was this year with the move to 554, with the schedule, with trying to figure out where things were going to be and making everything happen, it was quick,” said Bastarache. “But it was also just a fantastic group of people. They were so happy and so proud of themselves. And I was so proud of them too. So I think all, even though it was a freight train, it was awesome.”
The seniors rehearsed the show for about four weeks and then they had tech for the show. After tech it was time for performances. There was a matinee of Senior Revue on Wednesday March 26, and a show on the evening of Thursday March 27, and the evening of Friday March 28.
One of the coolest things about Senior Revue is that many of these seniors haven’t even done a show at WHS. Many wouldn’t normally fit into the theatre or dance community.
“I think my favorite part, but also the hardest part, is the combination of people who have done shows in theatre their whole life with people who have never set foot on a stage before. Seeing the kids who are so excited to do something that’s a senior activity, and seeing when they realize how hard theatre really is and that it’s not something that you can just jump up on stage and do. Just seeing like the process of people who have never done theater before learning how to be in a show with people encouraging them who have been done theatre forever,” said Bastarache.“Plus, I love the energy that you get from it. I think that there are years where Senior Revue can get a little out of control depending on who you have but this year, this group of students, they’ve really just rose to the occasion and I was just so proud of their professionalism the entire time. They were awesome.”
And so with the class of 2025 gone and graduated we are all eager to see the class of 2026 shine in next year’s Senior Revue.
Museum
Wrapping up the year for the arts department was this year’s play, Museum, directed by Waltham public schools drama teacher, Sheila Ponte. Museum is a play about a museum bustling with interesting, strange, and comedic characters.
“It’s an absurd look at modern art,” said director Sheila Ponte, “and how a variety of different characters look at it.”
The play had its first show on Wednesday April 30th, a matinee, but more of an open dress rehearsal for teachers to see. Then they had shows on Thursday May 1st and Friday May 2nd.
Before the show though the cast had to go through the rehearsal process. The cast rehearsed for eight weeks with rehearsals three or four times a week. The cast worked very hard and encountered challenges in the process.
The show had a lot of people coming in and out of scenes so it was tricky for the cast to figure out timing. It was also a very text heavy show so it took a while for the cast to memorize all their lines.
“We talked a lot in the rehearsal process about how it was kind of like music. It’s like somebody’s playing and somebody else comes in and then somebody else comes in and just because you are off for a minute you’re going to come back in so you kind of had to pay attention,” said Ponte. “It took us a while to find the rhythm of the play. I think once they found it and everyone knew their part it became a symphony.”
Once the cast found their “rhythm” they entered tech week and the technical aspects were added to the show. This included lighting and a series of different pieces of art as the set. And then it was time for the shows. The shows went very well with a good audience and great performances.
“I kind of felt like the audience really liked it. Sometimes plays are a little tricky because I know audiences like dances and spectacles and so plays are sometimes not peoples cup of tea,” said Ponte. “But I think that people really liked it and I think we found a way to make something that’s still a little deep and a little thought provoking into something entertaining as well. I think we found a really good balance.”
This show rounded off the plays for the seniors and Mrs. Ponte hopes that they leave with a wide variety of experiences.
“I always want to make sure that the seniors leave having a broad experience. This year I wanted to find something completely different from the last two plays: Our Town and Almost Maine,” said Ponte. “So this year I was like alright so we can’t do traditional, we can’t do partner scenes, and I wanted them to have a different experience, so I knew we needed an ensemble play.”
So what lies in store for plays at WHS?
“And actually I’m going to do the play again next year so next year and I’m trying to figure out what would the fourth thing be that they would need,” said Ponte. “I want them to go off to college and have enough experience if they want to be in theatre or if they want to talk about theatre with other people. I want them to have the knowledge of lots of different kinds of plays.”
Conclusion
And now with the school year coming to a close, another great year of WHS theatre is in the books. What’s in store for next year? We shall see. Until then: Go Hawks!!
