On Dec. 9, the Carlsbad choir department put on its first production of the year, Carlsbad on Broadway. The show featured students of all grades and incorporated both dancing and singing into its numbers. 

Carlsbad on Broadway incorporated several pieces from select musicals, including scenes from the show, singing and dancing numbers. Since the show had so many numbers, performers had to practice for several hours each day. For senior Venezia Diaz, rehearsals were a way for the group to grow together. 

“We prepared by spending two hours on music during every class and going to rehearsals three hours a week,” Diaz said. “It was essentially a lot of helping each other out and learning how to work with one another.”

In addition to the weekly rehearsals, the cast also had to attend team bonding and prepare costumes. For sophomore Brielle McBarron, who had a solo in the show, a lot went into ensuring the cast was show-ready. 

“We prepared, firstly, by having weekly rehearsals, splitting into groups during class time to work on the music, and collaborating to figure out costumes, choreography, and other aspects of the show,” McBarron said. “We had a 3-day dance camp where we spent several hours learning the dances to all our songs. However, we also spend time getting to know each other, doing team bonding, that sort of thing.”

Since the cast was spending so much time together, the environment they were working in had to stay flexible. In Diaz’s opinion, an adaptable setting allowed the group to flourish together. 

“The environment is very fluid,” Diaz said. “We’re constantly adapting how we are learning and everything is continuously changing as we navigate how to best improve as a group.”

Even though the cast worked well together, they still faced some challenges. Over the summer Eloy Castaneda became the new choir teacher at CHS. This posed some difficulties for McBarron as the group had to navigate a new show under the guidance of a new director. 

“With a brand new teacher, some things definitely changed, such as not being able to have a holiday show this year, or choir camp being canceled at first,” McBarron said. “However, we were still all very excited for the new year, and camp got rescheduled, so it all turned out fine.”

Under the supervision of Castaneda, the first choir show of the year held importance to several performers. Since Carlsbad on Broadway marks the beginning of the choir season, McBarron felt there was a significance about the show. 

“This show was important because, for many people, it was their first show, whether just for choir or performing in general,” McBarron said. “In addition, it served as a sort of test run to see how the year would be with a new teacher and give us goals and ideas for the new year, such as what to improve upon and what we did well.”

As the show came to a close, the cast felt bittersweet, however, Carlsbad on Broadway marks the start of the choir department’s competition season. With the kickoff of her sophomore season, McBarron is excited for the rest of her high school career with the choir department, mainly because of how close everyone is. 

“My classmates are like a second family to me, I know I met many of my best friends through choir,” McBarron said. “Even our teacher, Mr. C, is incredibly uplifting and kind and we’re very grateful to have him.”