![Wayland Historical Society Executive Director Scarlett Hoey explains the history of the Cochituate Gatehouse.
"The exterior is still a nice monument to remember buildings [involved in] water history," Hoey said. "We all drink lots of water, and it's such an important resource that we kind of take for granted nowadays."](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IMG_2024-1200x800.jpg)
On Thursday, Nov. 20, the stage lit up at WHS’s auditorium, opening the audience into the world of “Head Over Heels,” the Wayland High School Theater Ensemble’s (WHSTE) fall musical.
The show was directed by drama teacher Aiden O’Hara and featured an all student cast, including a range of upper and lower classmen. The cast put on three shows from Thursday, Nov. 20 to Saturday, Nov. 22.
“Head Over Heels” is a musical featuring songs by the 1980s all female group The Go-Gos, a band fronted by Belinda Carlisle, whose solo songs were also included in the show. Some songs that were played in the musical were “We Got The Beat,” “Head Over Heels” and “Heaven is a Place on Earth.”
“I had never done [a jukebox show] before,” junior Wyeth Heilman said. “All the music is not necessarily unique to the show.”
The show ran for five years on Broadway before shutting down during the COVID-19 pandemic. The musical takes place in the fantasy world of Arcadia, exploring concepts of love, sexism and sexuality, while celebrating music and the arts.
The musical took place in the renaissance era, which contributed to both the language and the customs between the characters, such as marriage values.
“I think what makes it unique is that the story takes place as if it were like royal times and the Elizabethan Renaissance, so everyone’s dressed as if it’s like a Shakespeare play,” O’Hara said.
The musical follows a royal family: King Basilius, played by senior Marley Eggers, Queen Gynecia, played by junior Maereg Million, Princess Pamela, played by senior Syl Haley and Princess Philoclea, played by junior Lexi Greeley. In the beginning, the audience sees snippets into each family member’s lives. Philoclea loves shepherd Musidorus, played by Heilman, which is not approved by the family, while her sister Pamela doesn’t feel any attraction toward her male suitors. Their mother, Gynecia, is looked down upon by her husband, Basilius.
Then, Basilius receives an oracle from Pythio, played by senior Jules Eggers, on how he will be replaced as king. After hearing the oracle, Basilus takes the family on a fake journey to find a Golden Stag, but in reality, he is trying to kill the future king.
One of the themes that the musical explores is the power of men versus women. For most of the play, Basilius looks down upon his wife Gynecia. However, it is evident throughout the play that Gynecia obtains the same, if not more, power than Basilius. Her power is then revealed to Basilius when he steps down to make Gynecia the new leader of Arcadia.
“My favorite part about playing Gynecia was getting to explore her strength and confidence,” Million said. “She has such a powerful presence, and it was really fun to lean into that.”
Another main idea in the musical was the exploration of sexuality and genders. We see that Musidorus discovers that he likes both male and female traits, and everyone in Arcadia is very accepting of him. Gynecia also discovers she is in love with her handmaiden, played by junior Maggie Agyeman, which is shocking for the family, as they originally assumed she liked guys. But again, the characters are very accepting towards her love interests.
“Head Over Heels” is a humorous musical designed to be crazy and quirky. With the loud music, catch lines and funny plot turns, the audience is supposed to leave with a sense of astonishment from the craziness. The dancing, lighting effects and jokes added to the sensation, enhancing the audience’s experience.
“I think it’s just meant to be colorful, bright, funny [and] it’s a little raunchy,” said O’Hara. “It’ll be just like a really entertaining show where people will be like, ‘Oh, wow, that was crazy.’”
Preparation for the fall musical can be extensive and costly. For “Head Over Heels,” the planning process began last spring, when O’Hara chose the show title and secured the rights necessary to put on the show. According to O’Hara, musical licenses for high school shows can cost anywhere from $3,000-5,000, depending on the show.
Beyond the price, picking the show can be a thoughtful and calculated process, with the end goal being that everyone in the cast will have an opportunity to shine. Factors, such as the number of upperclassmen, gender role breakdowns and music style all contribute to the thought process behind the fall musical.
“I think choosing a show is always super challenging,” O’Hara said. “’Head Over Heels’ seemed like a great fit, I think it really allowed for a lot of opportunities for the people participating on stage.”
Some cast members were surprised when they first heard the title, having a lack of familiarity with the show, but they gained a love for it through the audition and rehearsal process.
“Initially, there may have been some disappointment, just because I didn’t know what the show was, but as I learned about it, it became more interesting and exciting,” Heilman said.
The process of producing the musical started on the first day of school, when information meetings were held for interested individuals. Auditions were conducted for four days in Sept., and then after the cast list was announced, the musical was ready to start.
“We try to hit the ground running,” O’Hara said. “We have one last info meeting after the first day of school, and then we jump right into auditions.”
The cast practices for eight weeks before opening, with rehearsal time ramping up in the last few weeks. Within that extended time, the WHSTE community strives to create an environment where everyone feels accepted and comfortable.
“WHSTE is a super genuine and fun community that’s really judgment free,” Greeley said. “You can go in there having a bad day and literally everyone is cheering you up.”
