The theater department will be doing “Ranked” the musical, to start off the upcoming semester. Auditions were held on November 14th and 15th and later on held callbacks on the 16th.

The musical has been produced and developed at the UC Davis Department of Theatre and Dance Catalyst: A Theater Think Tanks, with the collaboration of Kyle Homes and David Taylor Gnomes. Since then, the musical has been performed by high schools all over the country and even got their very own HBO documentary; “My So-Called High School Rank.” 

The dystopian-like story takes place at a high school and follows the journey of Lily, who is “above the average, barely.” A scandal suddenly takes place, and for a singular day, everyone will be able to view not only their own class ranks, but everybody else’s. The musical, taking inspiration from the writer’s very own students, is found to be very significant to other students within the theater department. “To describe the musical in one word is motivating,” says Jasmine Arias, who participated in the auditions, “The message the musical brings is also a big motivator.”

The protagonist, Lily, watches as everybody makes a mess of themselves and does whatever it takes to reach to the top of the rank; while she is also struggling to figure out her own place. While there are of course obviously fictional elements to the show, it is very clear how relatable the plot can be. “It’s something we deal with the pressure of being the best with grades or having our grades on top and not being outcast if we don’t have this perfect score,” Arias expresses. 

With the cast list now out rehearsals will begin this week; with the help of Mr. Polutnik and Mr. Sigal, who are directing the musical. Performances will occur next year from February 7-10 2024.