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At the end of In The Heights, Usnavi utters two of the most simple, but arguably most important, words in the show: “I’m home”. His words describe perfectly how we feel here in the musical theatre program at KCP.

Before finding the musical theatre program, a lot of us did not have people we felt like truly understood us, or feel that we could truly express ourselves, be ourselves. A lot of time, people only get to see one version of us in school, and it isn’t a version where they expect you to sing, or dance, or be loud, or be funny, or show emotion – it can make you feel a little trapped. Being on stage allows us to express who we really are, and we are excited for people we know and love to see a different version of us.

But we could never have been ready to show an audience who we can be, the joy this brings us, without the connections and community we have built here over the last 4 months. This cast is an at-school family for us, it’s a place for positivity, meeting new and lasting friends, try new things and creating community. The musical has provided us with not only a place, but people to support us as we step out of our comfort zone, take risks, break out of my shell, do what you want without fear of criticism.

That being said, putting on a production like this is definitely not all fun and games - it truly takes hard work and dedication. When we signed our contract accepting our role, we are committing to give 110% to this cast, to this show, to this team, so we can put our differences aside, lock in and create something amazing. 

As seniors, this experience, being part of this team – this family – is one that we are so grateful to have had before stepping into the next chapter of our lives. We could not be prouder to present In The Heights, a show that perfectly encapsulates the feeling of family and community that we have built here in our musical theater program. Even though we are headed our separate ways for college – where some of us plan to study theatre – we are confident all of our beloved underclassmen are ready to continue a theatre program at KCP that offers students a home away from home, a place where they belong, a place where they can thrive and shine. 

~Willie, Jamaal, Sebastian, Zerahia, Jalen, Jerraun, and Lamore