We Go Together! CBEast High School Students Perform at Disney

Doylestown, PA—Just as a new batch of seniors at Central Bucks High School East are readying to graduate, the school’s musical theater group entitled the Patriot Players traveled to Orlando, Florida this weekend for a once in a lifetime opportunity to perform on the Waterside Stage at Disney. The group expertly offered the sun-soaked audience several of the crowd-pleasing songs from the original musical Grease to include Summer Nights, You’re the One that I Want and Hopelessly Devoted to You. The half hour show was offered to the Disney Springs patrons as a free performance and by the start of the second song, there was not a vacant seat in the stands as the audience swelled and swayed along to the tunes.

Danny Zuko was played by senior Blake Aspinwall and Keira Corcoran, a junior, played Australian transfer student Sandy Olsson. Keira stated “I really focused on trying to capture the innocence of Sandy, which was hard, in this very complicated world we live in now.” And Danny chimed in, “I love all the people that are here in this Grease musical and everyone in Patriot Players, they are a second family to me!” Both performers are delightful to talk to and were big Grease fans before the chance to audition for the role came about. Blake even dressed up as Danny Zuko for Halloween when he was younger.

The costumes were simple but effective as the ladies wore pink t-shirts and jeans, with several featured cast members wearing “Pink Ladies” jackets and the guys wore black t-shirts and jeans with “T-Birds” written on the back of their shirts.

Central Bucks East, recently named one of the top ten high schools in Pennsylvania, was represented with pride by this talented group of performers as each student adapted seamlessly to the new stage. Alicia Sehn, Producer and Dance Choreographer for the Patriot Players stated, “The students have been rehearsing for this Disney performance once a week since mid-January. Dance rehearsals are hard, yet so much fun! The kids really seemed to have a blast dancing to the upbeat and fun music of Grease.”

The familiar narrative energy of Grease lies in its high-school setting, that last cocoon of our youth and the epitome of what many of us wish we experienced at our own high schools. The characters think they are adults but are secretly afraid of what future lies ahead. Many students feel like high school is their final chance to decide who they want to be and what their life will look like, and the musical storytelling in Grease gives us the vision of what we all would like it to be. High school sometimes appears easier in our memories than it was in reality. With Grease, we can go back and relive the joy and perhaps some of the angst of our high school days and be grateful for our growth.

Dr. Chad M. Watters, Principal of Central Bucks East stated, “The incredible talent and dedication of these students is a representation of the community in which we reside. It is an honor for me to learn alongside the amazing students and staff of Central Bucks High School East and to have joined them on this educational and memory-filled trip!”

Sasha Eisenberg, Director of the Patriot Players told me, "The Grease medley was a fun way to bring cast & crew members together to dance, sing, and work toward a common goal. As much as we love to perform for our CB community, having the opportunity to entertain an international audience in Disney is truly magical! The students enjoyed the rehearsals together and were thrilled to perform in Disney Springs, proving, as Walt Disney said, Teamwork makes the dream work!"

As part of this travel opportunity, the performers spent time with Disney professionals in a workshop at Hollywood Studios. Alicia stated, “This trip is a great way for the kids to experience performing outside of their community and to work with other professionals in the field. Not only will they perform on the Disney Springs stage, but they will also attend a Disney workshop that relates to some aspect of theatre- it is different every time! As always, our preparation for the trip enforces the concepts of dedication to their chosen craft and to their team. They all worked together to ensure a high-quality performance!” Practice does make perfect!

In addition to the Patriot Players, Central Bucks East’s choir and orchestra also traveled to Disney and performed on the Waterside Stage. Carly Byrne, one of the choir performers expressed that this was, “A once in life time experience that I am so thankful I got to go on. I bonded with my friends in a new way, we became way closer!”

Congratulations to all of the student performers, instructors, support staff and chaperones who indeed made this journey an unforgettable one for all who participated.