The title for RB’s Spring Musical was officially announced as  “North Side Gal”, an original musical  based around the music of JD McPherson.This year is also special as the musical is being co-directed for the first time by English teachers Kathleen Harsy and Thomas Dignan.

RB has had several different types of musicals over the years.  According to Fine Arts teacher Diane Marelli, the school has almost always had musicals.

“RB has had a history of a really fine music department for years,” she said. Still, Marelli knows the department has changed in her years as a teacher here.

“It’s changed in many ways. When I started here the music department was really small and over the years it’s grown. The level of excellence has improved,” she said

But what is the actual history of the school musicals and or plays?  Many incoming students may not realize that RB also used to have a Fall Play along with the musical, but it was ultimately cut a couple of years ago due to the budget cuts that followed the failure of the last operating fund referendum.

“Well, I think it was pretty depressing for everybody,” Marelli said, “with the musical gone that year, there was a tradition of culture that was lost.”  The musical was later reinstated but the play was not.

Marelli also expressed the opinion that if people had spoken up more about the cuts, then the school board members might have changed their minds about cutting the play and musical.

“The school board told them and no one really did anything about it.  If more people had complained loudly enough, it wouldn’t have been cut. A few people expressed their disbelief and disappointment but didn’t do anything about it,” she said

In order to run this year’s musical, the school needed to acquire the rights to “Northside Gal” and find someone to direct it.

“We [advertised the director’s position] first internally to see if anyone’s interested and then externally to see if anyone’s interested,” Fine Arts Department Chair Julie Obradovic said.

She also explained that it’s the director who plays a large part in deciding what it’s going to be this year.

“The goal [was] to determine who’s in charge…and then that person decided what direction they want to take the musical,” she said.

 For all those interested who couldn’t attend the announcement meeting for the musical, auditions will be held the Tuesday and Wednesday after students return from Winter Break.