Next year’s spring musical has been announced! While striking the set of “SIX: Teen Edition,” the cast and crew of the show gathered around to hear what the 2026 musical would be. Siouxsie Easter, FWCD theater teacher and director, announced that this year would be a little different. Instead of students being able to audition and perform as per usual, the musical, which was announced as “Wicked,” will comprise of an entirely faculty cast.
The faculty caught wind of this and started preparing their auditions right away. Because of the high excitement, Easter decided to hold auditions early.
Faculty and staff were sent the audition form and filled it out immediately. They figured out what cut they were going to sing for the audition and began to practice the sides (dialect cuts) that the audition would require them to read.
The competition and stakes were extremely high. Catherine Collins-Vecino and Jennifer Giroir both wanted the role of Glinda, while Stephen Dickey and Dr. Bryce Beschorner were willing to battle it out for the role of Fiyero. Meanwhile, there was no competition against Sara Teegarden for the role of Elphaba, who everyone decided was perfect for the role.
Other teachers began competing, too, like English teacher Jon Shipley and math wiz David Hoppe, who had a dance off for the role of Dr. Dillamond, the studious goat teacher. It was agreed that the loser wouldn’t audition for the show. The competition started, and they were both going strong, singing and dancing their hearts out to the song “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan. Students gathered around and cheered on their favorite teacher. In a stroke of bad luck, Hoppe got distracted mid-dance because he thought of a senior superlative to put on the back of an AP Statistics test, so Shipley won.
Audition day came, and teachers filed into the Martin Campus Center. The noise of lip trills and sirens rang out as everyone worked to keep their voices warm. Each auditionee went into the theater individually and sang their very best in front of the audition panel. This panel included Easter, Fine Arts Director Lindy Heath, choreographer and dance teacher Natalie Bracken ’05, and a selection of students from past productions.
After everyone sang the group was called back in to read sides. Joe Breedlove ’78, longtime basketball coach, stood out after giving a robust and confident performance as the wizard, and Katie Walker had a strong connection to the character Nessarose, the kind-hearted sister of Elphaba.
Auditions ended, and the auditionees were promised the cast list by that Friday, giving the casting panel only three days to decide who they were going to cast.
Friday finally came around, and at 4:00 pm exactly, the cast list came out. At the same time, members of the casting panel were switching off their phones and speeding out of campus so they didn’t have to deal with questions or complaints until the next week.
Here’s a complete cast list, as well as the explanation Easter gave regarding the cast’s roles and audition:
Glinda – Catherine Collins-Vecino: She had strong vocals and the outgoing personality to support the difficult character that is Glinda. Her past experience as a high school drill team captain also gave her a leg up in the competition. She always has a smile on her face and is always pretty in pink, which will make the character work easier as we begin the rehearsal process.
Elphaba – Sara Teegarden: Her belting was incredible, as was her range. Elphaba has incredibly difficult vocals, and Teegarden matched up perfectly. Her personality, similarly to Collins-Vecino, matches the green witch perfectly. She is a strong advocate for what she believes in and is not afraid to get her hands dirty to do the right thing.
Fiyero – Dr. Bryce Beschorner: Beschorner, although he has never danced before, will be great in this role. We are slightly worried about him learning the music because he only listens to history podcasts, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.
Dr. Dillamond – Jon Shipley: The obvious choice. He was the only one who auditioned for the role, and even if he wasn’t the only one, he is perfect for it. His knowledge and natural ability to lecture and deal with rowdy students are apparent and will translate well on stage. He has also asked to use his extensive chair collection as props for the classroom scene, which we are happy to comply with.
Madame Morrible – Jennifer Giroir: Giroir is the perfect fit for this role. She herself is a leader and mother-like figure in the school, and her APUSH class is always a hot topic, just like Madame Morrible’s Sorcery class is in “Wicked.”
Boq – Stephen Dickey: Boq is such a fun, exciting, and talkative character, which Dickey resembles perfectly. From his affinity for rambling to his tendency to spontaneously break out in song and dance during class, Dickey is perfect for the role.
Nessarose – Katie Walker: Walker is the obvious choice for Nessarose. She is kind-hearted, sweet, and caring towards everyone, but she is also a strong advocate for herself and what she believes in. This, along with her light vocals, translates great into the character of Nessarose.
The Wizard of Oz – Joe Breedlove ’78: Breedlove is a staple of FWCD life, and everyone who has ever been to a pep rally has heard him sing “Let’s Fire it Up!”, so his talent is evident. He witnessed a part of “SIX: Teen Edition” rehearsals and wanted to join in the fun. His stage presence and ability to project also mean that we probably won’t be giving him a microphone.
The Flying Monkeys – Myrna Sam, Mel Hurst, and Christy Lennox: This trio of ladies will light up the stage together. Their fun and exciting energy will bring so much life to the bubbly characters that are the flying monkeys. For costumes for the three of them, I’m envisioning lots of sparkles and glam. Hurst has also said that she is happy to provide any and all flowers and candy needed.
