BY ISABEL BIERWIRTH AND MICHAELA CAVATAIO

Staff Writers

As a freshman with a minor role in the school musical Shrek two years ago, Jaycee Revo didn’t think any of the upperclassmen with major roles had taken much notice of her. But one day Grant Weaver, who had the title role, asked her out.
“Two years later, here we are,” said Revo, a junior, of her continuing relationship with Weaver.
While not everyone ends up in such long-term relationships, the many hours that the cast, crew, and pit orchestra spend together preparing for the musical each year often have a big impact on their lives. In addition to longer romances, brief relationships — dubbed “showmances” — come and go. And much more frequently, many long-lasting friendships form.
Freshman Sarah Doran was a part of Baldwin’s musical productions even before she was a student at the high school.
“When I was in second grade, I was a munchkin in The Wizard of Oz,” Doran said. “Everyone was really nice and they all just seemed like a family. I couldn’t wait until I was in high school.”
Doran, along with many other freshmen, quickly became comfortable with the rest of the cast.
“Everyone is really nice and they make us feel like part of the family,” Doran said. “We all have our little groups, but in the end we all come together.”
Sophomore Robbie Miller attended a private school for elementary and middle school, and he was nervous about joining the musical program his freshman year.
“It was really nerve-wracking at first because I hadn’t been in the middle school plays with everyone else,” Miller said.
Through his participation in the fall plays and spring musical productions, Miller has made more friends than he ever thought he would.
In addition to the cast members, the stage crew and pit orchestra spend countless hours building sets and preparing music for the performance.
Junior Jake Mysliwczyk has been a member of stage crew since joining his freshman year, after participating in stage crew throughout middle school.
Through stage crew, Mysliwczyk has made a multitude of friends and met his girlfriend, senior Amanda Breisinger.
“I wouldn’t have met her without stage crew,” Mysliwczyk said.
Romantic or not, the relationships fostered in musical are a key part of students’ memories of the musical experience.