Abby Casey will direct the play. She held auditions on Tuesday, Nov. 1, and Thursday, Nov. 3.

When asked why she picked “The Sound of Music,” she said, “For the past three years we have gotten a true Disney experience with shows like ‘The Little Mermaid,’ ‘Peter Pan,’ and ‘The Lion King.’ ‘The Sound of Music’ is not only a classic, traditional style of Broadway show, but it tells a story of perseverance, loyalty, and love in a dangerous period of history.”

Sixth-grader Bridget Donohue has performed at the Priscilla Beach Theater and Watertown Children’s Theater. Before auditions, she was hoping for a supporting role in “The Sound of Music.”

“I have performed in ‘Beauty and the Beast, ‘Annie,’ ‘Charlotte’s Web,’ and others,” she said.

Sixth-grader Shannon Fitzpatrick has performed in many musicals and plays, such as “Annie,” “Raining Cats and Dogs,” and many more. What was she most excited about? She stated, “For the fun of acting and I am also excited to meet new people.”

Don’t worry if you’re don’t like to be on stage! You can always help out backstage or with sets and costumes! Eighth-grader Ryan Leonard helped out last year in the WMS production of “The Lion King.”

“I liked working backstage and in the sound booth because you could really watch the play come together scene after scene and prop after prop,” he said.

Eighth-grader Christina Zouein was an actress in WMS’s previous production of “Peter Pan.”

She was asked, “What’s some advice you would give upcoming students to encourage them to audition for this year’s musical?”

Christina said, “It was an amazing experience to perform in front of my classmates and school,” she said. “I also would suggest auditioning because it was a great way to interact and meet new people, not only in your grade, but other grades as well.”

According to Mrs. Casey, the hardest part about putting a show together is “finding the magic combination of cast, crew, and show design.”

“We have a story to tell, and if certain parts of the show are unbalanced, the whole thing begins to crumble,” she said. “Every person involved with a show is important, whether it’s the star or the spotlight operator! But, every cast and crew member needs to do their share of the work, so we create a world that the audience believes.”

Cast and crew

2017 Watertown Middle School musical

“The Sound of Music”