In the fall, a group of middle school students eagerly came to music teacher Katherine Vidoni and drama coach Elizabeth Hanz requesting to perform Hairspray for the middle school musical. Their idea was warmly received, although it did involve taking some dramatic risks.

Hairspray is an energetic and engaging show with historical significance. It is about civil rights and integration in the 1960s. While the show is often performed at the high school level, Hairspray’s themes make it less commonly performed in middle school.

The main theme is acceptance, regardless of race, gender or physical appearance. In a letter to parents the producers wrote, “While this is a valuable message, we want to be sensitive to the kids who will be performing and we want to affirm the identities of all our students, as well as the audience and our community’s values. We truly feel that Hairspraywill celebrate the diversity of our students and families.”

From the beginning, the producers made open communication about the themes of the show a part of the process. In January they showed the film version of the musical and discussed the show’s themes and story line. Students were then encouraged to choose the characters they wanted to portray and whether they felt comfortable crossing racial and gender lines.

Greene Street Friends School has a very diverse student body. The School’s mission strongly supports equity, stating:  “It is our hope that through their own experiences the children will discover and affirm themselves and others as they come to know and value differences in ability, language, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, family structure, or family income.” In the Greene Street production, girls played male roles, a boy played the mother of Tracy Turnblad (the female lead role), and several students of one race portrayed characters of another race. Through catchy song and dance numbers, students learned more about race relations and more about a turbulent time in the nation’s history. As the title of one number aptly puts it, “Welcome to the ’60s!”

Music teacher Katherine Vidoni was extremely pleased with all three performances. "I told the cast after our closing show on Saturday night that I was so proud of the energy and heart they had put into their performances. This play portrays such an important time in our country's history and it was a valuable story to bring to our community. In many ways, our community here at Greene Street is a reflection of the success of the civil rights era, and it is so moving to see our students bring the essence of that story to our small stage. I am so proud of the hard work and dedication they showed in bringing Hairspray to life."