Carmel High School Proudly Presents: THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME

April/May 2023

Come one, come all, to Carmel High School’s production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame May 11, 12 and 13! Based on the Victor Hugo novel and songs from the Disney animated film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame showcases the film’s Academy Award-nominated score, as well as new songs by Menken and Schwartz. The show embraces story theatre and highlights verbatim passages from Hugo’s gothic novel. Carmel’s version features a cast of 72, a full orchestra and dazzling sets and effects. You won’t want to miss this darker-yet-family-friendly re-telling of a timeless story of justice, punishment, persecution and love.

Back to Full-Scale Productions

Director Kyle Barker shared his thoughts on the upcoming musical as well as what it means to be able to perform a full-scale production back in the auditorium since before the pandemic and the renovations to the performing arts department began at Carmel High School.

“Just a week or so before spring break, we were able to move back into one our choir rooms,” Barker shared. “That has been awesome. We’re coming out on the other side of this renovation, and the fact that everybody’s together and healthy … that we were able to have Holiday Spectacular back in the auditorium and now we’re about to have our first full-scale musical back in it since ‘Bring it On’ in 2019, it’s super exciting. Overall, it’s been a really fun year, and the show choir was awesome. The kids were great and have been really fun to work with.”

When asked how the cast and crew were utilizing the technical upgrades in the auditorium, Baker replied, “I’m most excited about the new acoustic treatments. The sound is so much better, and the mics don’t cut out. It [auditorium] has been brought into the 21st century. They continue to make adjustments, so I’m excited to see how it will keep evolving. The lighting and the sound are the major improvements. The tech team has been running around like crazy getting everything ready to go.”

Barker continued, “We rented the set for this show, and there’s still a bunch of building and repainting that’s being done but this set is going to be awesome and gigantic — putting it mildly! I’m really excited for what people are going to see when the curtain opens.”

A Massive Cast and Crew

With an exceptional cast of 72, a full orchestra, volunteers and staff, this production is guaranteed to wow audiences who will likely feel like they are watching a Broadway-caliber musical — not atypical of a CHS spring musical production.

“We had so many people come out [audition] for this show, so we’re able to do it as it was written,” Barker explained. “There’s the cast that is telling the story on stage and a 48-member choir in the set’s 2-stories tall loft. And then we have what’s called the congregation, and they’re one of two ensembles. The style of the book is written in story theater, so the cast are also the narrators and they go in and out of character and they play multiple characters. It’s really awesome, and it’s going to be super special because of the scale in which we’re producing it.”

The cast and crew have been working on this production since last October, and Barker shared his immense pride for how committed each member is to ensure that this will be another phenomenal spring musical.

“They’re really digging into it, and these kids are phenomenal singers and great actors,” Baker elaborated. “This [production] is pushing them in different ways than they’ve been pushed before. We haven’t done a drama in terms of musical theater since ‘Phantom,’ and that was the year before I came here. It is a different style of storytelling with different demands. Being funny and comical is challenging in its own right, but these kids are digging into some deep stuff and having to empathize with things they may or may not have experienced themselves.”

In addition to Barker’s talent and directing expertise, this musical would not be possible without the artistry and direction of his fellow staff members: Anna DeBard, who is the music director; Andrew Okerson, who is the technical director; Tom Chen who is directing the orchestra; Sloan Bayer, who is the choreographer; and Bethany Brown, who is in charge of the magnificent costume designs.

There is limited reserved seating for these shows, so get your tickets now before they sell out! Visit carmeldrama.org for tickets and for address, dates and times. The musical performance will take place in the Auditorium at Carmel High School. Please enter at Door 1 (Main St), Door 13 (Freshmen Center), or Door 17 (Northside/Fieldhouse).

Please contact Natalie Cook for assistance with accessible seating: [email protected] or 317-846-7721 x7085.