Much-loved High School Musical is a vibrant celebration of friendship

“Firhouse Educate Together Secondary School is a developing new school; we’re in our eighth year, and this is our first full-scale musical,” explains Mr John Dinneen.

Firhouse Educate Together Secondary School proudly presents ‘High School Musical’, a vibrant celebration of friendship, individuality, and finding your voice. Bursting with energy, this much-loved show follows students as they navigate friendships, expectations, and dreams through catchy songs and dynamic choreography.

The talented cast and crew bring fresh enthusiasm, humour, and heart to the stage, showcasing teamwork and creativity at its best.

From memorable characters to iconic musical numbers, this production promises fun for all ages.

Join them at the Civic Theatre for an evening of entertainment, school spirit, and joy, as Firhouse ETSS lights up the stage with this unforgettable musical experience.

The core team consists of music teacher and musical director Ms Eimear Mac Court, who is co-producing with Mr Dinneen, and Ms Zoe Cullen, an Irish dancer and geography teacher who serves as choreographer.

Ms Lisa Worthington and Ms Aine Heary are co-directing, and Student Support Assistant Ms Fiona Power is a member of the production team as well as running the fundraising.

According to Mr Dinneen, the team considered various musicals and decided on ‘High School Musical’ due to its co-educational nature and the opportunity for different roles for both boys and girls.

Out of 380 students, about 60-70 auditioned, and 40 signed up for backstage roles; the cast was announced towards the end of October and began organising logistics.

The secondary school does not have a permanent building; despite this, they made do with their music room for rehearsals and held rehearsals for three weekends in the school hall of Firhouse Educate Together National School.

Rehearsals have been held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays after school, with some weeks requiring the whole cast and others join the main characters.

The school allowed the use of their hall for three weekend rehearsals, with students committing to full Saturday afternoon to evening rehearsals.

Fundraising efforts included a bingo night organised by Ms Power, which raised nearly 3000 euros.

The team had to pay rights to Disney, rent the Civic, hire sound and lighting engineers, and rent costumes, making the production expensive.

Local businesses took out ads in the programme, and a raffle was held with big-ticket items like a Mondello race track voucher and a thermomix kitchen gadget.

An online raffle was run, and a live auction has been planned for the second night of the performance.

The school community, including teachers, parents, and local businesses, have supported the production through various means.

According to Mr Dinneen, the biggest challenge was maintaining student commitment due to the time-consuming nature of the production.

Open and honest conversations with students and their parents helped ensure attendance.

The community spirit was evident in the buzz around the school during auditions and the support for the bingo fundraiser.

“We’re All in This Together”, the famous song from the musical, encapsulates the feeling of “community and collaboration”.

Mr Dinneen would like to thank the core team of teachers, other teachers who helped out, the principal Ms Claire Matthews, the deputy principal Mr Andrew Maloney and the chairperson of the board of management, Mr Conor Harrison.

He also expresses his gratitude to the parents and guardians who ensured students attended rehearsals and the wider community who supported the production by buying tickets.

He acknowledges and recognises the hard work of Lisa Fitzgerald and the SCA (School Community Association.)

Last but not least, he would like to thank Firhouse Educate Together National School for allowing the use of their hall for rehearsals and local businesses and friends and family who have supported the production.

‘High School Musical’ performs in the Civic Theatre in 2 performances from March 23 to 24 at 7pm; check the Civic website for more details and to book your tickets.