On February 26, 2026, the Sierra Vista High School theatre opened its highly anticipated spring musical, Hairspray. The tony-award winning show highlighted a diverse cast of talented performers from the SVHS theatre and told a heart-warming story of integration, inclusion, and acceptance. Hairspray ran for four performances, closing on February 28, 2026 with a 6pm show that featured a short senior dedication ceremony.
Hairspray, set in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1962 during the civil rights movement, tells the story of an optimistic, plus-sized, and determined teenager, Tracy Turnblad, who dreams of becoming a dancer on the Corny Collins Show. The Corny Collins show features thin, white dancers and only allows black dancers during their once-a-month segment, “Negro Day.” Tracy disagrees with the show’s segregation and uses her success to fight for racial inequality while simultaneously falling for teen heartthrob, Link Larkin. In her pursuit of change, Tracy challenges authority figures by fighting back against social pressure, body shaming, and stereotypes. The musical’s message celebrates diversity, unity, and the acceptance of all people regardless of race, size, or background. The story focuses on the pursuit of love, confidence, self-acceptance, and body positivity.
The show featured an overwhelmingly connected and diverse cast of all classes, races, sizes, and backgrounds, a fitting production for the third most diverse high school in Nevada. The story reached staff, students, and parents alike, exploring the intense emotions associated with the fight for equality that so many across the world feel in today’s controversial world. The stunning performance from the SVHS theatre likely resulted not only from their incredible talent, but also because most of the cast found ways to relate to their characters. Mia Villacis (10), who played Little Inez, the aspiring dancer and younger sister of Seaweed J. Stubbs, shares that she loved her character, “because she is so full of energy and so determined regardless of her size, race, or limitations.” Similarly, Aaris Oliver (9), who played one of the three dynamites, Shayna, shares, “Something I loved about my character was how powerful her message was in one of the biggest numbers in the musical, ‘Welcome to the 60s.” The song was about welcoming a new era of confidence for Tracy’s mom and being proud of who you are.” Many cast members shared that performing gave them confidence and promoted feelings of self-pride that allowed them to bring their characters to life.
John Travolta, who played the role of Tracy’s mom in the latest film version, Edna, set a precedent for the female character’s traditional performance by a male. For the SVHS theatre, Senior Gabriel Longoria undertook this initiative and portrayed Edna, the insecure, plus-sized housewife and laundry worker turned confident seamstress. Longoria comments, “Entering into the role of Edna was very tough at first. I didn’t know what it was like to play a woman, and I didn’t know what everyone wanted from Edna. But, as the year went on, I started to become more comfortable in the role, and it all finally came together when I wore my costume. In the end, it was a blast to play Edna, helped by the amazing Wilbur by my side.” Longoria furthered that he loved playing into the unexpected with the role, sharing, “I could slip into a man’s voice for The Big Dollhouse, and because I was playing a woman, it would be so humorous. I loved breaking others’ expectations of what I would do.”
Breaking expectations and trying new things defined the four stunning performances. With standing ovations every night, audiences reported that Hairspray might just take home the title for best musical performance in Sierra Vista history. The show pushed the cast to have fun and form lifelong friendships both on and off the stage. Logan Janssen (11), who portrayed the Wiener Stand Man, comments, “My favorite memory of this play is meeting people who are now my best friends ever, and talking to everyone during rehearsals and backstage. I think theater is a lot more than just being on stage and performing. I met so many cool people, and I joined a community of people who make me feel safe and happy.” Logan Sarver (11), who portrayed the male lead, Link Larkin, shares that, for his first-ever musical performance, the Hairspray cast welcomed him with open arms and warm enthusiasm. “One of my favorite parts of rehearsals had to do with the way the group would interact. Everybody involved had a very engaging energy that was fun to work with, keeping the moods up during the rehearsals and always uplifting each other.”
For many of the SVHS performers, Hairspray became more than just the spring musical as they developed deeper passions for theatre. Piper Watson (10), who portrayed Tracy Turnblad’s best friend, Penny Lou Pingleton, took to the stage for her third time at Sierra Vista, sharing, “Theatre is basically my life. The feeling I get when performing is unlike any other.” Maile De Jesus (10), who played TV show host Corny Collins, shares a similar sentiment, “Theatre, to me, means community. It means getting away from school and my day-to-day life to work together with so many talented people my age to make something incredible. Yes, it can be exhausting, but the reward is to die for. There’s nothing quite like musical theatre.”
Hairspray’s success resulted not only from the hard work and dedication of the cast but also from the excellent behind-the-scenes work of the technical team and backstage crew. For set and prop crew member Sam Card (11), “Theatre means home.” Card shares, “Theatre is an incredible place to be learning about something I’m very interested in. Theatre is also family to me. I’ve gotten to meet so many people who are incredibly uplifting and accepting of me being there, and I couldn’t be more grateful for that and the opportunities I’ve gotten to do incredible things like this.”
As Hairspray came to a close on Saturday night, director Rebekah Whittenberger recognized senior performers and crew members with flowers and words of positive reflection over their time spent in her program. The senior night dedication became particularly emotional when long-time seniors took the microphone to praise and thank Whittenberger for her support over their past 4 years at Sierra Vista. SVHS Student Body President Hannah Reed, who portrayed the female lead, Tracy Turnblad, reflected, “Hairspray was such an amazing experience, and I made memories that I would not trade for the world. Playing Tracy Turnblad was so exhausting, but so rewarding. Growing up as a bigger girl, I struggled with self-confidence, and theatre became a safe place for me from a very young age. The art of playing different characters and telling other people’s stories truly teaches you fundamental empathy skills. While playing Tracy, I wanted to make sure that I did the role justice, showing everyone that the beauty of humankind is the fact that we all come in different shapes, sizes, and colors.” Reed continued, “It definitely helped having such a kind cast of loving and compassionate people to take on this story. I am so incredibly grateful for this opportunity, and I am so thankful to Mrs. Whitt for providing us with an environment where we could be creative and form lifelong friendships. The first friends I made in high school were the people I met in this program, and it breaks my heart knowing this was our last show together. I am so proud of myself and everyone in the cast for putting on such an amazing production, and I am so excited to watch my SVHS theatre family continue to thrive, even if I have to watch from afar.”
