A&E Musical Announcement

Written by Anika Ajgaonkar

October 2023

At the October 10th Arts and Entertainment (A&E) meeting, club members held their breaths as Biotech’s 2023-2024 musical was being announced. People had been passing by the Musical Countdown poster in the hallway next to Room 104, where an image of one of many possible musicals, such as Cinderella, Chicago, and Little Women, was removed daily in the days leading up to the announcement.

After a drumroll, the audience was momentarily stunned when the musical was first announced to be Cats. However, experienced members of A&E knew this was part of the yearly tradition to trick unsuspecting underclassmen. Before long, the real poster was unveiled underneath Cats: that of Anastasia! 

This historical musical adapts the legend of the Russian Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, who was rumored to have survived the Russian Revolution’s execution of the royal family. The main character, orphan Anya in 1920s St. Petersburg, yearns to find her lost family, and encounters two men along the way: ex-aristocrat Vlad and conman Dmitri. They convince her she just might be Anastasia, and they flee to Paris, hoping to present Anya to the exiled Dowager Empress, Anastasia’s grandmother, who is offering a reward to anyone who can find her lost granddaughter.

// The musical announcement this year was met with a round of cheers and applause.

Drama Chair Amisha Rastogi, who will be directing the musical this year, says, “I’m really excited for Anastasia this year! I think it has a great story and the costumes will be super cool.” The historical and royal elements of Anastasia will definitely make for some impressive costumes, and the costume design team is more than up for the challenge.

Although audition sign-ups are over, be sure to reach out to Amisha at amrastogi@ctemc.org if you are interested in being involved with this year’s production in any way! ❧