An update on Frozen Jr

Almost a year since its ill fated opening night

By Branden Sandoval

Reporter

The Sanger High School Apache theatre musical “Frozen Jr'' is nearing a depressing milestone of one year without having its first performance. The production was shut down in the wake of the coronavirus in March 2020, leaving its cast and crew dumbstruck.

Martin was shocked that the play was canceled a year ago.

“I was extremely devastated,” said former Sanger High School alumni Rebecca Giannandrea.

“When I first found out Frozen was canceled I was in shock. I thought someone had to be playing a joke on all of us. It took me awhile to actually wrap my head around the fact that the show we had been working on for months wasn’t going to be able to see the light of the day,” said Sanger High School Senior Tavery Martin.

“When I first heard that the production was being canceled I had gotten really discouraged because everyone who had participated had worked very hard to get the show together and once we were really excited and ready it got canceled and closed our hopes of an opening night. The opening night that was my birthday as well, so that had also been on my mind all day that the day the show was canceled had to be on my birthday,” said Sanger High School sophomore Luis Lupercio.

With so much time and effort lost, the thought of what could have been still smolders on among the cast and crew.

“Emotion wise I cried for the first day and then once I heard school was going to be canceled I was kind of just numb,” said Giannandrea.

“At first I was sad, then I got mad, then I was just annoyed. I didn’t understand why we couldn’t perform just once, as it was canceled on opening night. After a while I kind of lost the hope of being able to do Frozen. It still sucks seeing videos and pictures from rehearsals pop up in my snapchat memories, just thinking about all the work we put into the show and then not being able to show anyone,” said Martin.

“I think I handled it well. Up until maybe a month or two I was pretty bummed out but after that I had started to worry more about corona and that had distracted me from the show greatly. From one bad thing to another and now my emotions to the show are not really shown. It’s been so long and while u was sad at the time it is what it is and in the end it was to keep others safe as well,” said Lupercio.

Before it's cancelation, the cast had grown to love the production and its characters on a deep and emotional level. So much so that the cast often reminisce on the things they miss most about the whole experience.

“I really miss doing the fixer-upper dance that was my favorite dance of all time although my solo is a close second,” said Giannandrea.

“One thing I miss about being in the ensemble is the friendships I made with the other people in the ensemble. We had inside jokes that we had created and it sucks that those are gone. Or dancing backstage to the songs we weren’t in with friends,” said Martin.

“I miss my goofy looking costume and wig that I had for my character as I was able to bring the audience and my crew mates a smile from time to time with the Weselton character. He was fun to play and I could make others happy at the time,” said Lupercio.

But now with a light at the end of the tunnel(i.e the Covid-19 vaccine), there's still hope for the production's triumphant debut.

“I hope that one day we can all get together again even if some of us have graduated,” said Giannandrea.

But not everyone is on the same page.

“Honestly I don’t. It’s basically been a year and with it being my senior year and how things still aren’t back to normal I’ve put the production in the past and I’m ready to move forward. I would give it a shot if we were given that chance but I just don’t see it happening,” said Martin.

“While I do hope that the cast will get back together as a reunion of some sorts to think about the fun times we had. My feelings toward the play have differed. While I think it would still be a good idea, I am not as excited as I once was about the Frozen play due to what had been going on. But if I were to be called back I would take back the role if no one else would be able to,” said Lupercio.

Regardless of whether the Frozen Jr production returns to SHS or not, there are special memories shared by the cast that will surely stand the test of time.

“Everybody would get together and just celebrate who everyone was before rehearsal or even after we were just a really great family,” said Giannandrea.

“Well I have 2, one would be trying on our costumes for the first time. Everyone came together laughing and just having a good time being thankful to be a part of the production. Second, would be a group of us waiting to go on stage, dancing to the song ‘Fixer Upper’. We would all copy the dance and quietly have a good time,” said Martin.

“My fondest memory from Frozen Jr. would be many from being with friends and being on stage but one that sticks out to me was when my dance partner was sick one day and while I was dancing upstage alone someone from the side was pretending to be my partner at the same time following my movements and that had made me really happy,” said Lupercio.