Berkley students head to ‘Prom’ for next musical

BERKLEY — Prom season is about to hit Berkley High School in more ways than one.

Berkley High School’s Be Drama club will host its production of “The Prom” at the end of this month, April 24-27, in the high school auditorium, 2325 Catalpa Drive.

“The Prom” tells the story of a teenage girl named Emma whose high school prom was canceled after she wanted to bring her girlfriend as her date and the resulting attention it brings from attention-seeking celebrities.

John Hopkins, the club’s drama coordinator and musical director, said the rehearsals have been going well and he’s proud of the team he has this year.

“The mindset of the combination of cast, crew, band is such a tight-knit group that all of the work has been top notch,” he said. “We’ve been — for the most part — ahead of schedule. It’s really a great place to be. I’ve been saying to a few people, anyone who would listen, that I might be stressed out because I can’t find anything to be stressed out about. It’s just everything is falling into place. We have what we need, it’s going the way it needs to go and the kids are just turning in some really top-notch work.”

Leading the musical is Grace Comstock, a 17-year-old senior from Berkley who plays Emma in the show.

Comstock has been taking part in musicals since middle school. This will be her first leading role, which she admitted brings a lot more work and responsibility.

“I have to portray so many emotions and get the audience to see the full picture of the story through how the main character feels, and I wouldn’t say it’s more challenging, as any role can be,” she said. “From other roles I’ve had, I haven’t really had the chance to express many complex emotions and a character arc, but having a whole story arc to follow, it’s a lot more rewarding.”

Hopkins has been pleased with his student’s work. As it is a show about high schools starring real high school students, he said he doesn’t know if it was easier to get the actors prepared for their roles, as high schoolers can be a little more shy about their own lives.

“If anything, probably one of the things that I’ve worked harder on is just getting (their performances) to be bigger, to be more energetic, more noticeable,” he said.

With the set and show coming together and the show ready to bow, Comstock stated she’s felt more connected to the story and character, which has helped her prepare for her role.

“You kind of feel like you’re in the shoes of the character, which is really, really helpful when you portray a story onstage,” she said. “I think everyone is really prepared and I think that everyone’s really dedicated, which helps a lot … as we get closer to the date. … It’s really inspiring seeing how many people are wanting to tell this story of a queer couple, which is really, really nice.”

The showtimes for “The Prom” are 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, April 24-26 and 3 p.m. Sunday, April 27.

Tickets for the show, which cost $15 for adults and $10 for staff, students and seniors, can be purchased at bedramatickets.com.