Etowah’s annual musical is just around the corner, and the cast and crew have been rehearsing non-stop to put on a show. This year’s musical, Big Fish, will debut March 23rd, 24th, and 25th at 7 o’clock in Etowah’s auditorium.

Big Fish is a musical about a relationship between a father and son. The father is known for telling tall tales, and the son does not believe one word of it. The father becomes very sick, and the son goes through the stories trying to figure out what is real and what is not.

“It’s about the importance of family,” Charlotte Forrest, head of the drama department, said.

Auditions were held in November with over 50 people trying out for the nineteen roles with almost just as many applying to be part of the backstage crew. The cast and crew rehearse four times a week from 3:30 to 6 o’clock.

“The show is coming along wonderfully and is unlike any other show Etowah Fine Arts has ever put on,” Jaden Jackson, junior and stage manager, said.

Forrest starts her rehearsals with warm-ups then goes straight into what she feels needs work whether it be the musical numbers, staging, or choreography. Chorus teacher, Mr. Hall, assists her, coaching students in the musical numbers with their singing.

The play’s lead characters are Will Bloom, played by MJ Smith, Edward Bloom, played by Brandon Cali, and Sandra Bloom, played by Sydney Wakeford.

“With Big Fish, you’ll be seeing some new modern choreography, an exciting set, extravagant costumes, and some familiar faces on stage,” Jaden Jackson said.

The play is not just put on by the cast, but the crew is a plays an important role in the production, as well. The crew helps by building and painting the sets, gathering and designing costumes, and making props.

“It’s just grown so much and… there is so much potential for this to grow into quite the performance,” Forrest said.