Press

Shasta High Celebrates 50 Years of Musicals with 'The Little Mermaid'
By Jon Lewis, Special to Record Searchlight
Published May 2019

With a 49-year legacy of shows looming over their young shoulders, Shasta High’s music students know full well what’s at stake as they prepare for Thursday’s opening of “The Little Mermaid” and the 50th anniversary of musicals at the Redding school.

Gavin Spencer, now in his 17th year as the director, makes sure of it. He wants Broadway-caliber performances and he knows he has the cast, crew and musicians to provide it.

“A lot of people have told me that Shasta High musicals seem to be a step above from other school shows and it’s because of the dedication, hard work and caring about the artistry of fine arts,” Spencer said. “The parent volunteers and the alumni who have helped create these things are part of the Shasta High musical community and we couldn’t do it without everybody.

“It really does take a village and it makes me really proud to be a part of something like this,” Spencer said. “I’m also grateful to Ken Putnam for his 33 years of putting on shows. I came in as a rookie, so to speak, and I had to learn what it’s like to work at a high level like he did.”

From “Music Man,” “Les Misérables” and “South Pacific” to “Oklahoma,” “My Fair Lady” and “Fiddler on the Roof,” Shasta High has cycled through the Broadway repertoire to bring music theater to life on the David Marr Theater stage.

“As a music teacher, it gives my students an opportunity to perform something at a professional level early in their lives. It also teaches a great deal of maturity for these kids. It teaches them what hard work and dedication to something can produce,” Spencer said.

Here are a few fun facts:

• With a production cost of $70,000, 2013’s “Phantom of the Opera” was Shasta High’s most expensive musical by far. “Surprisingly, it still made a profit. The community really supported it,” Spencer said.

• With an average of 100 performers, musicians and crew members involved in each musical, a minimum of 5,000 students have been a part of Shasta High’s musical tradition. Spencer said the actual number could be closer to 10,000 or even higher, given that it is not uncommon for students to be part of the musical for two, three and even all four of their years in school.