Starting off Thanksgiving break with a bang, theater instructor Stan Swartz posted the winter musical cast list on Nov. 26 promptly at noon. The cast then convened Dec. 2 for an informational meeting to kick off the production.

Seniors and four-year musical veterans Graham Rebhun and Caroline Shank were both excited for the cast list and the upcoming production.

“I think we have a lot of really good people in the cast and a lot of really strong actors that can develop into strong characters in the show,” Shank said. Cast as Gertrude McFuzz, the love interest, Shank acknowledged the similarities between her role in last year’s musical, Oklahoma!. However, she concluded that she connects more with Gertrude’s eager adoration than with Ado Annie’s ditzy audacity.

“[Gertrude] is an awkward little bird who is in love with Horton, but he doesn’t know it,” Shank said. Rebhun, who will be performing as the previously mentioned Horton, is equally excited for his role.

“Essentially if you’ve read Horton Hears A Who, Horton hears a yell from a dust speck [but] nobody believes him that there’s anybody on this speck. It’s just a mesh of stories because then Horton meets Mayzie [La Bird] and falls in love with Gertrude,” Rebhun said. As for the cast in general, Rebhun is enthusiastic about Swartz’s decisions.

“The one thing I’ve learned over the years is to trust Mr. Swartz, and so I think every decision he made was fantastic,” Rebhun said.

Both Shank and Rebhun are looking forward to the spectacle of the production, but in different ways.

“I think the big dance numbers [with the whole cast] where everyone’s singing and dancing can be the most fun,” Shank said. “They’re also the hardest and can be really tedious but when it comes all together it can be really magical.” On the other hand, Rebhun anticipates the visual effect of the show.

“[The part I’m most excited for] by far [is] the set and the costumes. They’re going to be fantastic, just because of all the color. We have so much room to do whatever we want with this show and Swartz has the ability to just go all out, so I’m super excited,” Rebhun said. He decided that his favorite part of musical in general is the cast itself.

“You get to meet freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors and you get to spend a lot of fun time with really cool people you wouldn’t meet otherwise,” Rebhun said.

The concept that this is her last show is not lost on Shank, however, and she plans to make it worth it.

“It’s just a fun show overall and especially because it’s my senior year, I just want to make everything as fun as I can and enjoy all the little moments,” Shank said.