High School Spring Musicals 2025

This spring, Santa Barbara and Goleta high school drama students will present three musicals that weave tales of loyalty and passion and display a wide variety of musical styles, from traditional musical theater to jazz/folk fusion to disco-pop. Each of these musicals carries a mythic quality, whether it be the “you can fight city hall” call to glory of Urinetown (produced by San Marcos High School); the jubilance of Mamma Mia’s island goddess reuniting with former lovers at a transitional point in her life (produced by Dos Pueblos High School); or the journey to hell and back to reclaim lost love in Hadestown (produced by Santa Barbara High School — this one actually based on Greek mythology).

Hadestown (by Anaïs Mitchell) is a relatively new musical, still running on Broadway after Tony wins in 2019. The importance of giving performers the opportunity to perform truly contemporary work is that they can feel its resonance with current culture, and director Gioia Marchese says Hadestown’s themes couldn’t be more relevant. “The Greek myths of Orpheus and Eurydice and Hades and Persephone unfold a story of two worlds: the upper world and Hadestown. The upper world suffers with more extreme weather while Persephone is down below in Hadestown, and Hadestown workers have been lulled into a sense of wellbeing; Hades has them build a wall to keep out the poor, and anyone else who might want what they have,” she says.

Margo Carmean, who plays Orpheus, comments on familiarity between his life and the journey of the mythic characters: “With Hadestown’s references to capitalism, climate change, and class struggle, the environment of the show feels very similar to the world I live in now…. I’m inspired by [Orpheus’s] constant work ethic … his constant efforts to do good in a world that feels so dark is something I can relate to.”

Hadestown offers unique and beautiful musical moments that allow students to show off their talents, including Carmean playing the guitar, an all-student band, and a cappella stylings by the unpredictable Fates. Hadestown runs at Santa Barbara High School from April 25 through May 3. See sbhstheatre.com.

San Marcos High School is also tackling a show with pertinent social themes: Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis’s Urinetown. In Urinetown, toilets are “pay to play,” another example of social systems set up to extort the most vulnerable populations. “In Urinetown,” says Madison Weber, who plays Little Becky Two Shoes, “the poor have to fight for their right to pee.” Weber calls Urinetown a show that explores greed and corruption within social hierarchies, and how a poisonous lust for power can affect an entire community.

In the show, Ms. Pennywise (Naomi Jane Voigt) runs the public amenities, while Bobby Strong (Beckett Arthurs) fights for the people’s right to pee for free. Arthurs describes Bobby as strong, kind, and rebellious, the one who ultimately starts the revolution in Urinetown against the corrupt government. Arthurs likens the character’s struggle to local events, namely the recent push to eliminate the arts from Santa Barbara schools. “The recent budget cuts that threaten the … future of performing arts in Santa Barbara schools is related to my character,” says Arthurs, “because Bobby is fighting for a cause that he believes in, and so am I with my classmates.”

“This show gives the actors the chance to show what they can do vocally,” says director Shannon Saleh. “Students are learning the subtle art of communicating about the frailties of the human heart while singing and acting at full volume.” Urinetown runs at San Marcos High School May 1-17. See smhstheaterdept.com/tickets.

Finally, Dos Pueblos High School ends the season with a shimmering showstopper: Mamma Mia. This 40-person cast of triple threats brings the legend of whimsical Donna Sheridan, single mom to a soon-to-be bride, to the stage. When all three potential fathers of the bride arrive at Sheridan’s picturesque Greek island home for her daughter’s ceremony, this jukebox musical of ABBA hits plunges audiences into a feel-good extravaganza.

A massive show like this certainly has its challenges, both on- and offstage. Stage manager Asher Tucknott notes that faulty mic packs are a frequent, urgent issue backstage. “The most challenging part of stage management is fixing everything that goes wrong in a short amount of time so that nothing looks like it went wrong…. I get the message that a mic isn’t working, find the person, diagnose the issue, and then fix it before they need to be back on stage.”

“This show is a beast,” says director Emily Libera. “I chose this musical because I love a show with a huge ensemble and a lot of big dance numbers…. It is one high-energy dance number after another!” See Mamma Mia May 8-17 at Dos Pueblos High School. See dphstheatrecompany.org/shows.