Each January, BV’s all-school musical takes place. Over 50 students are a part of the cast, but junior Madeline Friesen earned the leading female role of “Marian”.

Friesen’s journey in theatre and music began when she was a child, and her love of it drove her to become a student at BVHS.

“I have always loved singing, acting, and dancing and grew up with a love for performing,” Friesen said. “I actually was supposed to go to Blue Valley West but transferred to Blue Valley for freshman year because of the choir and theatre departments.”

Since Friesen transferred to be a part of the music and theatre departments at Blue Valley, she said that she knew she would want to audition for the musical.

“I had seen the musicals at Blue Valley when I was in middle school and loved them, so I  immediately knew that I wanted to be a part of one when I was in high school,” Friesen said.

The audition process for Friesen’s third musical at BV began the same her previous experiences, however, she was called back for the role of Marian.

“A callback list is posted and if your name is listed you go to callbacks with our director, Tim Bair,” Friesen said. “He asks you to read lines from the script and sing songs for specific parts you’re up for.”

When the cast list was posted, Friesen said she was thrilled to see the role she had gotten.

“I was very excited when I found out I got the lead in the Music Man because it is one of my favorite musicals and one of my favorite roles,” Friesen said. “I got closer with a lot of the leads in the musical, and it was fun getting to sing the solos I had because they are beautiful songs to sing.”

However, they were some challenges and responsibilities Friesen had to take on in order play the role of Marian.

“There were also some challenges to being a lead because you are expected to have everything memorized quickly, including songs and lines, which can be stressful,” Friesen said. “But, it is all worth it in the end.”

Overall, Friesen noted that she learned many lessons while being a part of the musical and having such a large responsibility.

“I learned that professionalism is very important, which includes punctuality and preparedness,” Friesen said. “I also learned more about leadership as it was me and the other leads’ responsibility to create a positive environment and to demonstrate how leaders should act.”