Ah, February. Black History Month, love and….zombies? Opening night for the play “Zombie Prom” is on Feb. 9 and continues until Feb. 11 in the Dale E. Graham Auditorium. Tickets are already on sale for $10. Tickets can be bought online at ccs.tix.com or at the school bookstore. Show times

for “Zombie Prom” are Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 10 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 11 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

According to theatre director Maggie Cassidy, “Zombie Prom” is a cheesy romantic comedy that takes place in the 1950s, where young do-gooder Toffee meets and falls in love with bad boy Jonny (spelled without an ‘H’ to show his rebelliousness).

Like many teenage romances, drama arrives soon afterwards. Toffee’s principal, Miss Strict, and both of her parents disapprove of the relationship, so Toffee does what any girl in that time period would do: she breaks up with Jonny. In response, Jonny does the most logical thing any guy would do in this situation: he jumps into a nuclear power plant, causing him to turn into a zombie.

“It’s your classic love story, but with a weird fun subplot,” Cassidy said.

“Zombie Prom” takes place in the 1950s when society greatly focused on nuclear power because of the nuclear age. This is where Jonny jumping into a nuclear plant comes into play.

“‘Zombie Prom’ represents the 50s because a lot of the play pokes fun and centers around nuclear power since it was such a big thing back then. Also, we’re working hard on the costumes and the sets so that all the technical elements represent the 50s well,” Cassidy said.

While “Zombie Prom” does not take place until February, there are many preparations that must be completed before then. Rehearsals have already started and take place every day after school except Friday. According to Cassidy, there is no typical rehearsal day. Some days they will work on the music or choreography, and others they will focus on just the script.

Cassidy said, “A lot is going into this play. The actors have to learn their lines, learn how to develop their characters while learning music and choreography. Then there are the sets and costumes that we have to do a lot of research on since it takes place in the 1950s, and we want to make it as accurate as possible.”

“Zombie Prom” consists of a cast of 22 various characters, including sophomore Eric Stockholm who plays Eddie Flagrante, a character who adds an unexpected twist to the plot of “Zombie Prom”.

“I was very excited (for ‘Zombie Prom’) because I love singing and acting and to be cast my sophomore year I felt honored,” Stockholm said. “I have been preparing for ‘Zombie Prom’ by listening to the original cast recording to learn what the original Eddie sounded like and kind of base my character off that. I have also used ‘Mad Men,’ which is a show that takes place in the 60s. I use it because, even though it takes place in a different time, the styles of life are still somewhat the same. ‘Zombie Prom’ is just a fun play because it’s so funny, and it’s a good escape from reality.”

“I play Toffee and she’s kind of the usual 50s good girl. I love playing her because it’s fun to just be over the top in a kind of weird way,” sophomore Laura Ellsworth said.
The difference between “Zombie Prom” and other plays that the school has put on is that it is very over- the-top and fun, according to Cassidy.

Ellsworth said, “I think students will like Zombie Prom because it’s catchy, funny and wordy and just kind of in-your-face. I definitely think students should come because people have worked really hard on it and just to support fellow students. I’m looking forward to opening night because I want to see what people think of it because it’ll be something different.”

Stockholm said he also agrees that people should come out to see the show, and that he will be trying to get people to come see “Zombie Prom,” not just for a manageable ticket price, but also because he believes it is a great play that people will like.

Cassidy said, “I decided to do ‘Zombie Prom’ because I wanted to do a comedy and thought it would be a fun play that everyone would enjoy, especially teenagers. I think students will enjoy it a lot more since it’s geared towards teens. I think it’s hilarious, because it’s all very cheesy, but it’s fun. Plus, the music is really enjoyable.”