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LEHI — Each year, Disney gives one high school in each state the rights to put on "Frozen: The Broadway Musical." For the first time in Utah, Skyridge High School took the stage after winning a competition.
John Brown, director and theater teacher, said the application process was hard, and there was a lot of competition.
Behind Skyridge's "Frozen" performance, he believes when you pull back the curtain, there's a touching story of students working together to make it happen.
"It's not just one element that goes into making a program," Brown said. "It's that sort of environment, it's that sort of culture that the entire community breeds that enables us to do something like this."
Brown said it goes way beyond the kids on stage and behind the scenes. Support for this production goes as high up as the Lehi mayor, the city and community leaders who made it all possible.
And the turnout on opening night was huge.
"Yeah it looks like we're going to sell as many, if not more, tickets than we've ever sold before," Brown said.
"I think our department has earned this with a community of loving each other and helping each other out," said Caleb Southwick, who plays Hans.
His cast mates feel the same kind of community connection, and to their characters. Mia Shoebinger, who plays Anna, Ellie Sabin, who plays Elsa, and Carson Long, who plays Olaf, made similar comments.
"We had an opportunity to really change the hearts of people," Long said.
"It means so much to me. I've loved 'Frozen' ever since I was a kid, and I've always resonated with Anna. Just her spunk and her attitude and her love for others," Shoebinger said.
"I couldn't do it without the cast, the ensemble. They're amazing," Sabin said. "Literally, the amount of times that I'm running backstage that it's them that's carrying me."
Likewise, the romance with Anna and Kristoff, played by Ethan Etringer, even has a deeper meaning to him.
"Not really knowing what love means to him, and then finally meeting Anna and getting to know what love truly is and what it means to him personally, itt's just amazing. It's beautiful," Etringer said.
And love is something that the villain in this play can understand, or at least if you ask him backstage.
"It's a type of love that everyone deserves and needs in their life." Southwick said.
The cast proved the love they have for each other and their community is the element that makes a great show, and a once in a high school opportunity a reality.
Frozen runs through Nov. 20th at Skyridge High School. Tickets can be found here.
