by Meg Rohr

Next fall at STA, the school musical cast will have a smaller cast compared to past years, scaring some new auditioners and experienced upperclassmen that are auditioning.

The musical next year will be “Into the Woods”. There will be no lead role because the musical is an ensemble. According to the musical director, Shana Prentiss, the musical will be accepting 14 STA girls and six to eight boys from Rockhurst.

“It’s kind of really cool music.. it’s operatic, fast pace and exciting.” Hayley Burgess said, “It’s a dark show and the music is eerie. It’s about fairy tale characters going into the woods and it’s different than other shows we have done before.”

This past year, in “Urinetown”, there was about 32 people in the cast. The year before that, in “Little Shop of Horrors”, there was 30 cast members. In “Curtains”, there was 30 or 40 people, all according to Prentiss.

“This is a show I’ve wanted to do for a long time. It’s incredibly difficult so I’ve been scared to do it. Mrs. Monsma convinced me.” Prentiss said, “I like doing smaller shows sometimes because it gives the opportunity to highlight individual students.”

Prentiss claimed that the cast is normally around 25 cast members because the performing space is small.

“I’m so freaking horrified.” Burgess said, “I’m just really nervous because I know the amount of talent at STA is crazy and the theater department itself is so high quality and that’s why it’s so scary auditioning because you know that you’re with the best of the best.”

In the 2013-2014 musical, “Urinetown”, when asked if the smaller cast made auditioners feel different about trying out for the show, responses were similar.

“Yeah I’m nervous because there’s a bunch of talent at STA,” freshman Molly Muehlbach said, “And there’s a bunch of individual characters and no ensemble but all of the characters are extremely important.”

Muehlbach will be auditioning for the musical for the first time next year, following in her older sister, Audrey Muehlbach’s, footsteps. Although the cast will be smaller, some students claim that the musical will be worth-while.

According to Burgess, “Every show will be awesome, regardless of how many people are involved.”