South Haven News

By Claire Minor

On Apr. 11-12, 2025, there was a musical titled “Guys & Dolls” that was performed here at South Haven Schools! This was one of the first musicals/plays that have been performed here at South Haven Schools in a very long time, so naturally, many students were eager to sign up.

Some of the students that signed up only did it as a joke, later to find themselves practicing for two hours every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday night for three months. Luckily, all of that hard work led to a fantastic show.

Sophomore Emelia Cabral played the lead female role, Sarah Brown, in the musical. Cabral thought that the outcome of the musical was great and that it went really well. Cabral thought that the most challenging part of the musical was getting over the fear of being in front of an audience and putting herself out there. Cabral’s favorite part of the musical was messing around with her friends, overall just having a lot of fun. From this experience, Cabral made new friends that she didn’t think she would’ve made without it and also being able to feel less anxious when talking to new people. Cabral thought that the environment was usually a really fun and encouraging atmosphere, minus some small occurrences.

K-12 Music Educator, Keeley Coon put on the musical with Mr. Tory Wilson. Coon thought the outcome of this show was good since they were able to expose live theatre to many students who had never done it before. Coon said that theatre is storytelling, something that everyone should have the privilege to experience. So she thought that being able to provide theatrical opportunities and spark an interest in the arts among students was the biggest outcome.

Coon thought that the most challenging part of the entire process was trusting all of the hard work the cast and crew had done. Coon said, “It is very easy to only focus on all of the work that needs done, rather than the improvement and progress of the show. There were moments leading up to our performances where I was nervous as to whether or not the show would come together. By our first performance, seeing special moments on stage made all of the hardships worth it.”

Coon’s favorite part was seeing all of the students enjoy theatre and getting what they call, “bit by the theatre bug.” From this experience, Coon had more faith in her teaching abilities along with creating amazing memories with her cast and crew. Coon thought that the environment was chaotic and fun, saying that there was never a dull moment.

And, of course, there is no show without its flaws. One flaw in particular had the crowd trying to hold in their laughter. During Saturday’s performance, Mr. Sky Masterson was pushed a little too hard by Sarah Brown, leading to him tipping over a bench and falling over. Since there were so many opinions, I had to ask my interviewees.

Cabral said, “I had to try so hard not to laugh. It was in the middle of my solo, and I just looked back because I heard a crash, and he was just there, on the ground.” Coon said, “At first, I was nervous that he hurt himself, but after he played it off and got right up, I couldn’t stop laughing.”

Even through the mistakes, the “Guys & Dolls” musical had a great outcome, leaving many proud. Hopefully South Haven schools can expect to put on more shows very soon!