Tuscarora High School Prepares for “Hairspray” the Musical

Drama Department will present Hairspray, the Musical beginning Thursday, May 3 at 7 pm. The show will also run on Friday, May 4 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, May 5 at 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Tickets are $7 for students and $10 for adults and are available at the door.

Theatre Arts Director Justin Daniel said that the students voted to do Hairspray last spring.

“It is something we have wanted to do for a long time, as it is a high energy and fun production,“ Daniel said.

The auditions were competitive as over 80 students competed with dancing, singing and acting.

“We could have cast this show twice with the amount of talent we have it this school," Daniel said. "They are very talented students."

There are 55 students in the cast, 16 in the pit band and 10 technical crew members.

A Big Hair Day contest was held on Wednesday, May 2, as a way to get the students involved and excited about the show. The categories were for Biggest Hair, Most Original 60’s hairstyle and Most Creative Hairstyle. The winners received free tickets to the performance.

Hairspray, the Musical is based on the New Line Cinema movie written and directed by John Waters. It takes place in the 1960's and tells the story of Tracy Turnblad, a large girl with big hair and a big heart who is passionate about dancing.

She wins a spot on a local TV dance program, and soon becomes a celebrity. She then sets out to defeat the show‘s princess, win the heart of Link Larkin, and racially integrate the television show.

The message is that “everyone is beautiful,” which is a really important message for the students to learn, Daniel said.