As the clock ticks down to Springtime, UHS students are hearing more and more about our Spring Musical. Auditions were held a few weeks ago, and among the many students auditioning was UHS dancer Ashley Scott.

Even while juggling a crazy schedule; with IB classes, work, and dance, Scott still wanted to squeeze in time to take a step out of her comfort zone and audition. When Ms. Jones (dance teacher/musical choreographer) learned about Scotts interest in auditioning; she was “very excited for a Dance Company member to participate in the audition!”

Ms. Jones previously stated her excitement for the musical to Dance Company members and her other dance classes, and everyone agreed that Ashley would be perfect for the musical. “She’s always talked about doing something like this and she has the perfect energy for it.” said Dance Company member Abbie McGough (11th).

When asked what made her want to audition, Scott exclaimed, “I had a chance to try something new, since I’ve always wanted to act in a school play.” This opened up new opportunities for her to expand on and showcase her performance abilities.

During the audition process, Ashley learned “It’s not an easy process, but it’s fun”. Her biggest takeaway was something that Mr. Ward (Director) told them. “Always keep a smile and a good attitude even when you’re completely confused.” Scott realized during the process that the judges aren’t just looking at if you can sing or dance…they want to know if you can make someone believe that you can. Scott was also able to learn “how serious all these plays and musicals are taken, just as they would be on Broadway or a professional theater.”

Being a dancer for most of her life, Ashley also stated that “past dance experience helped me pick up the choreography quite quickly.” Since she had all these prior years of dancing, she was able to use it to her advantage in order to get a leg up during the dance portion of the audition.

Ashley ended up being cast in an ensemble role, but unfortunately, Ashley isn’t able to participate in the musical. She has everything under the sun on her plate right now, including being on UHSDC, SGA, and NHSDA. She is also a studio dancer at UDS, an IB student, AND she is working at Tropical Smoothie Cafe. I’m surprised she even had the time to fit in the audition!

Being able to balance all of these activities and extracurriculars and being completely involved in all of them shows Ashley’s dedication and drive to work hard for what she wants. Making the decision to not go through with the musical wasn’t an easy one, but she knows it will be best for her. “I knew if I did it I would have to juggle around even more things, which means I could end up falling behind on my other work.” Ashley said.

While she won’t be in “13 the Musical”, Ashley is so glad she went to the audition. She was able to learn how the process worked, spend time on the stage, and use her dance abilities to her advantage. “I’m disappointed I can’t be in it this year, but hopefully things work out better next year and I’m able to participate. For now, I’m glad I can support my classmates and friends!”