Guys and Dolls Jr. in Middle School

The Lower/Middle School teaching team for the musical—Keith Hudspeth (music and Arts Department Chair), Susan Mols (visual arts), Brooke Houghton (drama), and Felipe Oyarzún Moltedo (dance and theater tech)—began discussions about the fall musical four months prior to the start of the school year. They sought to take on a dated piece and intentionally present it through a modern lens. Planning took place fleetingly between their regular teaching responsibilities in hallway chats, recess, and after school. Aiming to alternate between historical and fantasy each year (Fiddler on the Roof in 2017 and Into the Woods Jr. in 2018), the team settled on Guys and Dolls Jr. This is their story told through song selections from the show.

Luck Be a Lady ♪

Gender stereotypes perpetuating male predominance are pervasive in the original show, but the teaching team determined that at least one of the lead characters, Nathan, could with a little “luck be a lady.” Rather than Adelaide lamenting her 14 year engagement to Nathan, our show flipped the script and depicted Alvin (Tyler ’25), a nightclub singer, pining for a preoccupied gambler named Natalie (Clio ’25). The Hot Box Nightclub dancers and the gamblers became mixed rather than single-gender groups. The bruiser Big Jule became Big Julie (Zoe ’26), played by one of our smaller actors. These non-traditional casting decisions, made in partnership with Marlo Thomas, GDS’s director of diversity, equity, and inclusion, created a show more reflective of current gender norms and introduced new dramatic tension not present in the original.

A Bushel and a Peck ♪

The fall musical is the biggest interdisciplinary collaboration in Middle School Arts. This year, 67 students participated as cast members, sets/props crew, or lights crew. Veterans of the Middle School musical from 8th grade collaborated with their younger peers, some of whom participated for the first time. Visual arts, music, drama, dance, and technical theater were all critical to the success of the show, offering important engagement for all interests.

I've Never Been In Love Before ♪

“I was never much interested in theater before,” said Aron ’26 (Angie the Ox and nightclub dancer), a new-to-GDS 6th grader. “But I fell in love with the musical. The journey to the show is long and hard, but the bridges we built with each other and the directors—and the way we reached out to people we never thought we would be friends with—made it such an important bonding process for everyone.” Aron recalled talking to his family each day after rehearsals about what he called “inspiring times at GDS.” 

If I Were A Bell ♪

At the end of Act I, Rachel ’24 (Sarah) sang If I Were a Bell...I’d Be Ringing. Like Aron, many students say the MS Musical is the place they really come alive, the place they find a fulfilling purpose. Student artist Avery ’24 (sets crew head) fell in love with theater through her involvement with the Middle School musical. Since her start in 7th grade, Avery has found that bringing sets to life brings her so much joy in return. “It’s a place where I felt happy, doing work I really enjoyed doing. From the first time I ever had a chance to do sets work, I felt like it was something I should do more, like I’d found my thing.” Art teacher Susan Mols, who led the visual arts team, noted that Avery’s talent might have gone untapped without this opportunity. This year, Avery participated in crew work during the performances for the first time. “I’m thinking of joining sets crew for at the High School to build bigger sets and continue to learn more about behind the scenes work.”

After the final performance, four 8th grade veterans of the musical spoke from a different script, sharing their gratitude for their peers, their teachers, their parents, and perhaps above all, for the life-changing experience of the musical itself. In turn, Sotiria, Hana, Avram, and Caroline said, “The musical has been a really wonderful experience for all of us. From meeting people from all different grades, to going to the little store [local deli] during athletics, to trying not to get stage crew too mad at us for standing in their way, we’ve had an amazing time. Together we’ve freaked out about the first performance, and we’ve also supported each other through all of our rehearsals and shows.” 

The meaningful community built with the Middle School musical—alongside the construction of beautiful sets and rehearsals of fantastic, full-cast dance numbers—matters deeply to these students. As the four veterans ended their pre-show speech, they alluded to that sense of community that carries on beyond the blackbox theater. They spoke directly to their younger cast and crew mates: “We also really hope that all the 7th and 6th graders here continue to do the musical in the years to come. You’ll have a lot of fun—and we’ll make sure to come to your performances!”