West Side Story is the musical Alliance High School students are putting on this year. West Side Story is about two rival gangs, the Jets and Sharks fighting over a small piece of the road. One Jet and one Shark meet each other and fall instantly in love, going against the wills of the gangs leaders. An all out fight is planned and something goes terribly wrong. In order to find out what will happen you will just have to come watch.

The director of this year’s musical is Karina Soriano. Mrs. Soriano has been working and acting in theater since high school, and she chose the musical West Side Story because it was the first musical that she ever studied in high school and it has since been one of her favorites. “Besides having amazing music,” says Soriano, “it follows Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ story line. It is just a classic story, a beautifully written, and romantic one.” One aspect that Mrs. Soriano loves about West Side Story is that even though it is very romantic, the war between the gangs can really draw the audience in, even though they may not be interested in romance.

Mrs. Soriano has high hopes and dreams for all cast, crew, and musical helpers. One of her biggest hopes is that all of the students are enjoying themselves, and she hopes that a love of theater and the arts will always be a part of their future. Lastly, she hopes that our community is so excited to see the show and that we have a full house for each of the three nights that we perform. “I feel like the play is coming along great!,” quotes Mrs. Soriano. Everyone has put a tremendous amount of time in rehearsals and preparation at home. She feels like we are progressing well and that we are right where we should be, the few weeks before opening night. She is thankful for the students and volunteers that are working overtime to prepare a wonderful show for our community.

“I would like for the students participating in the play to feel proud of their show. I hope that they will have a strong sense of accomplishment. That goes not only for the actors, but for the light, sound, and stage crew and all of the talented musicians involved,” Soriano explains.

From all of the cast, crew, and Mrs. Soriano, we wish that you come and pack all of our shows. West Side Story’s opening night is Thursday, April 24. The following days for the show are Friday, April 25, and Saturday, April 26, all three days at 7pm. For all viewers, West Side Story does contain violence and foul language. We hope you come and enjoy the show!