Spartans bring one of the longest running Broadway musicals to life, by mastering song, dance, costume design and professional stage makeup.

The Helm Fine Arts Center auditorium was crawling with felines recently as middle schoolers delivered a standout performance of the musical “Cats.”

“I have always known my favorite thing about theater is the buzzing energy backstage before the show starts,” said Addie Gunnin ’30, who mastered the leading role of Grizabella the Glamour Cat. “The feeling of joy knowing we are about to share what we love doing is truly a gift.” Gunnin said she is proud of what she and more than 40 cast and crew members were able to achieve in just two months.

The musical was directed by Middle School Theatre Instructor Jeremy Sweetlamb. In cat costumes and intricate makeup, Spartans transported audience members to the Jellicle Ball, where a tribe of cats called the Jellicles came together to decide which one was worthy enough to ascend into their version of heaven and be reborn into a new life.

The cast and crew worked diligently since August with Sweetlamb, Kassie Kelly, Middle School dance instructor and choreographer, and Musical Director Kimberly Sandoval. Kelly says the students were ready for the challenge and worked hard as a team.

“They thought about their character, their relationship to each other, and how to embody a cat,” said Kelly. “It was so cool to be nerdy about it with them. They were so open-minded and really went for it.”

While the cast was busy learning every note and dance move, a group of creative and artistic students who had never done costuming before harnessed the challenge drafting 25 different cat costumes. Another student artist who loves to paint created the face designs of each cat that coordinated with each costume. Once the looks were finalized, Sweetlamb employed a professional stage theatre makeup artist to host a two hour makeup workshop. She taught each cat how to do their own makeup, complete with shading and blending techniques that resembled realistic feline faces. The students practiced on their own time leading up to the show until it looked purrr-fect.

“The kids did such an amazing job,” said Sweetlamb. “Once, once we get everything set up, it kind of makes my job irrelevant — I'm just there watching the show, and even before the show, there's not really much for me to do, because I've got kids back there doing the makeup, and they're helping with the costumes. Everything is running without me. And that's the goal, is to get the kids to put on the show.”

Hats off to Technical Director Robert Whyburn and Carpenter Cam Allen who built the fixed set based on a set designer’s drawings. The set included a unique walkout ramp that stretched down the center of the seating in Helm, which helped connect audience members with the Jellicle world. Sweetlamb also enlisted the help of his Upper School tech theatre class to build several stage props.

Ironically, Sweetlamb — who is in his 13th year at St. Stephen’s — had never seen or read “Cats” the musical when he decided to take it on with his students, and says he was not a fan of the recent movie. But encouraged by friends and family who gave the show two thumbs up, he went for it.

“Sometimes you need to do something so weird and unexpected to shake you from the slumber of life’s long slog,” Sweetlamb wrote in the program to audience members. “I am so proud of [the students] bravery. They really stepped into the unknown with me.”

Mark your calendar for the next St. Stephen’s production in early December. The Upper School Theatre department is gearing up to perform “The Outsiders” December 5th, 6th, and 7th.

Learn more about the arts at St. Stephen’s.