Spring is bringing a new energy to the North Penn stage. This year’s Spring musical, Mean Girls, based on Tina Fey’s 2004 film with the same name, follows a new student navigating the complicated social world of high school in the 21st century. With face-paced scenes, a mix of musical styles, and a story centered on identity and belonging, the production offers a sharp contrast to the Fall’s more traditional show. 

For theater director Aaron Dake, the decision to stage Mean Girls was intentional. 

“I wanted to find something that was really different from what came before. It is kind of the opposite of The Crucible, in a way where The Crucible was very familiar and has been done here before,” Dake said. “Talking with a lot of students, I think they wanted something that was a bit more modern for them, like more upbeat.”

That shift brings in a new challenge, not only in tone, but also pacing. 

“For me, it was a good challenge because I’ve directed musicals, but nothing as fast and as funny as Mean Girls,” Dake explained. “I had to kind of rewire my brain. I think musicals are supposed to be in some ways like Mean Girls, where it is just full of joy and entertainment. That’s what our job is, to entertain. Nothing against the million other shows that have been here, but I do think, as a new director, it’s important to put my stamp on it, and this is something that is unique to my first year.”

While the show leans heavily into humor, Dake emphasized that its message still connects with today’s students. 

“The story is not all that different from a basic new girl in a new school, trying to fit in and make new friends,” Dake said. “I think what resonates with modern audiences and why it’s perfect for high school is it’s what students are seeing a lot. They’re seeing the idea of so many new people coming into the school, and finding where they belong, which is a number in the show, which is like, ‘where do you belong?’ Where do you go? How do you fit in?”

“On the flip side, it is struggling with fitting in, but also trying not to be, for lack of a better word, ‘mean,’” Dake continued. “Like, how do I keep the goodness in me while adjusting? And so, that’s really the core story is, how do you fight back against when everyone wants to be mean, everyone wants to be nasty and cruel?”

The musical format allows the story to unfold in a variety of ways, blending different performance styles into a high school setting. 

“There’s a tap dance number, there’s a rap number, there’s a big Broadway belt number,” Dake said. 

The cast has embraced the variety from the start. 

“The cast was so ready. They’ll do whatever. They’ll jump on stage and do anything,” Dake said.

That “anything” includes the large ensemble scenes, quick transitions, and moments like a staged house party scene, which brings its own challenges. 

“Staging a house party on stage sounds fun, but it does come with its own challenges, like how do we make sure people are safe? How do you make sure people are respecting the stage and performing it?” Dake explained. 

“The challenge as a director is really just treating it like a big puzzle, and where do all the pieces fit and who fits where. A musical can feel kind of all over the place in a good way, but for the cast, they don’t see it that way. They see it kind of like ‘I have this scene, I have this song,’” Dake said further. 

Behind the scenes, the puzzle extends to a significantly expanded crew. 

“We’re basically double the amount of people that we had in the Fall,” Dake said. “Which is just by necessity. We have double the cast, so therefore double the crew.”

The shift to a modern setting has also allowed for more creativity, particularly in the costume department. 

“A lot of the costume crew is bringing their own ideas forward, and what they have been doing is working with the cast to get their ideas, their inspirations, about like Damian and Janice who are very distinctive characters visually,” Dake said. 

“And so there is a lot of working with Ella Robinson, who plays Janice, to see what kind of ideas she has about what she wants to wear. And that goes for everybody for the most part. And in this musical, we have tons of costume changes. Every character in the show has at least three different costumes. Whereas The Crucible, they’re in one thing the whole time pretty much. So it’s an awesome challenge that the crew is just tackling head on,” Dake continued. 

The set itself reflects that same scale, featuring a full high school environment with multiple levels. 

“We are building a high school hallway, stairs, and a 2nd floor. So we need people to be able to construct that safely and construct that in a way that casts can go up and down without worrying about tripping and falling,” Dake said. “A musical is always in motion, so the crew also has to be in motion. And they’re coming on and off, and doing all of these things.”

Casting the show required a different mindset as well, with an emphasis on bold character choices and strong group dynamics. 

“What’s nice about this type of show is that these characters are larger than life in a lot of ways,” Dake said. “So that’s kind of what we look for initially is who can make big decisions, who can stand out when singing? Can they act and sing? During auditions, we saw tons and tons of people. And I wish we could have time for everybody. And then, we have a callback period where we kind of shrink that and we focus on calling people back for specific roles, which we didn’t do for The Crucible.”

Some roles, like Regina George, require a special type of confidence. 

“For Regina, if you’re afraid to be mean, it’s probably not the role for you,” Dake said. “So that’s what we look for in Regina, is how grating can you be? How vile? Are you unafraid to just be as mean as possible?” 

Other roles, like Cady Heron, require more range. 

“For Cady, we have to see the vulnerability. We have to see the innocence and willingness to be new and awkward. But, what’s awesome about Cady, throughout the show and the movie, she becomes Regina in a way. And so that person has to be that way too,” Dake explained. 

Chemistry between cast members also played a major role in the selection process. 

“I think we just wanted to see how people work together, too. Like, the plastics, Gretchen and Karen and Regina, we have to feel like they can really be mean and piss people off, basically. So that’s part of it too, is seeing what three pairs of people can do,” Dake said. 

“Another is seeing what three pairs of people can do and trios, and working with people, and there are times where I like these two people together, but this one person might fit better somewhere else. And so, rotating things and casting for a musical is hard because there are only so many main roles. We have eight main characters. So it’s hard. 

But what’s really cool is that the ensemble is a lot. They’re in every other scene too. So we do rely on our main characters to tell the story and drive the show, but a lot of the energy and the life of the show is brought out through all of the ensemble scenes.”

Leading the cast is Olivia Corlett as Cady Heron, stepping into a new role after working as a student director in the fall. Jessie Oosthuizen takes on Regina George, alongside Ainsley Bell as Karen and Kayla Mastricolo as Gretchen. Ella Robinson plays Janice, Brendan Leary appears as Damien, and Gavin Hindes takes on Aaron Samuels. 

Dake said he’s already seen the cast grow into their roles.  

“I think the cast is starting to really get used to that and try different things,” Dake said. “I love working with them and I’m just really excited to kind of see what this next month brings.”

With its fast pace, bold characters, and exciting musical numbers, Mean Girls offers a different kind of experience for North Penn audiences.

For more information about dates of the show, visit North Penn theater’s site at this link.