The theater department is buzzing as students return from winter break for their final production of the year. “Matilda” is Kennedy’s end-of-year show, and will be performed April 21-23.

The musical is one of Kennedy’s larger shows with a cast of 37 students. Senior Sara Adams will be playing Matilda in her last high school performance.

“I’m so excited to perform the show,” Adams said. “It’s my last show at Kennedy and I can’t wait to see what the directors come up with. I know some parts will be hard but I feel like it’ll be worth it.”

The sizable cast combined with COVID-19-related absences will make learning the musical challenging. Various special effects and technical aspects involved in the production will require the cast work together to make the show happen.

“‘Matilda’ is a show that needs to have 12 distinct scene locations and instant transitions,” director Nick Hayes said. “That is a significant design challenge and a monumental task for the tech crew when the show hits the stage. ‘Matilda’ is more technically challenging than your typical musical.”

Hayes is ready for a full musical to be on Kennedy’s stage again after the COVID-induced absence. It has been almost two years since there was an independent Kennedy musical production.

“Matilda is a show with incredible music. The choreography, characters, and tech elements bring some fun and unique challenges. I haven’t been this excited for a musical in some time.”