Mounting a musical about the afterlife might seem like an unusual way to celebrate a milestone, but the MICDS theatre community brought energy, humor, and heart to its spring production of Beetlejuice Jr., a show that also marked a major moment in school history.
The production celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Troubadours program, the long-standing theatre tradition at MICDS. To honor the centennial, the department invited alumni Troubadours to a special viewing of the final dress rehearsal. The evening created a full-circle moment as past and present performers gathered together in Orthwein Theatre.
The celebration also included a special welcome home for Emerita Theatre Director Carolyn Hood, whose years of leadership helped shape the program and generations of student performers.
On stage, students embraced the quirky, high-energy world of Beetlejuice Jr., bringing the beloved characters to life through spirited performances, inventive staging, and the collaborative work of actors, musicians, and technical crew members.
“I had an absolute field day with this role; Beetlejuice has such theatrical showmanship that I love to experiment with, because it provides so much room for making fun choices in the spirit of his zaniness,” said Jace Felder ’27, who played one of the two Beetlejuices in the production, sharing the role with Eli Meissner ’26. “When you have someone as out of his mind as Beetlejuice is, there are no ‘wrong choices’ or ‘too much.’ Because of that, I was able to infuse his eccentricities with my own to create a character that has me and my style written all over it. That is why Eli and I were able to take the same role and give two totally distinguishable performances, each with their own mannerisms and quirks.“
This photo gallery courtesy of Skyler Dastgah-Bradford ’29.
For Upper School Theatre Director Matthew R. Kerns, MFA, the production represented more than just another successful show.
“I am so proud of the way our theatre arts community came together from all directions to create this wonderful and fun-filled show,” Kerns said.
The celebration highlighted not only the creativity of the current cast and crew, but also the enduring spirit of the Troubadours program. One hundred years after it began, the program continues to inspire students and bring the MICDS community together through theatre.
Click here to read the official program for the MICDS Troubadours production of Beetlejuice Jr.