On December 17th, I traveled with cast members of Shaker High School’s production of Mamma Mia to the Big Apple. Exempt from school and saved from our Yondr pouches, we boarded a Skidmore College charter bus at 7 in the morning. Funded from our hard work from the collection of our advertisements, we were extremely lucky to enjoy an all-included, completely paid for trip. After a couple of naps and a brief rest stop, we reached the city on time. We enjoyed visiting sites such as Rockefeller Center to gaze at the grand Christmas Tree and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, beautifully decorated for the upcoming Christmas celebration. After extensive photo shoots, Instagram posts, and an attempt to visit Jimmy Fallon, we gathered at Applebee’s to enjoy our lunch.

In true Shaker Theatre spirit, performance opportunities arise when least expected. Members of Resolving Suspenders sang an impromptu “Happy Birthday” not once but twice, radiating joy throughout the entire restaurant. We finished off our meal and walked to the Winter Garden Theater, bursting to relive our production vicariously one last time. Seated all together, excitement grew as the Mamma Mia overture started, generating instant flashbacks to our production from last spring.

Resisting the urge to sing and dance along, excitement rose with each hit ABBA song. There truly is nothing like live theater and the quality of Broadway. Each number is completed with perfection and fluidity. At intermission, chatter grew as we debriefed the similarities and differences to our production while reminiscing. The great opportunity to enjoy a Broadway production with all your best friends is one that we are immensely grateful for, creating and reliving old memories with a simple “Here I go again!”

After the show and some brief encounters with Shaker alumni, we boarded our bus and departed from the massive city. Some napped, some played games, and some got Chick-fil-A, appreciating the trip and the much-needed getaway from the busyness of December testing and concerts.

Thank you to our chaperones, Mrs. Kimbler, Miss Baldwin, and Mrs. Justesen, for all the memories made throughout the wonderful day.

​Starting this January, many of these students have begun rehearsing for Shaker Theatre’s newest production of Footloose: The Musical. We will rehearse with enthusiasm all the way until our production on March 27 and 28. Stay tuned for information on ticket sales to support your peers and all of our hard work. Thank you for the music, Mamma Mia.