The electric rock musical “Mean Girls,” based off of the 2004 movie by Mark Waters and written by Tina Fey and Jeff Richmond, debuted at Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) on March 22, 2025 in Spirito Hall.
Jennifer Kindred, Foothill Tech’s drama teacher, described the process of the show saying, “The kids really wanted to do ‘Mean Girls’ so that all came from them … In late December I ordered the rights and we had tryouts in January and we went from there.”
This production, held by the Foothill Tech Drama department, goes through the story of Cady Heron as the new girl at North Shore High School. Originally from Kenya, Africa, Cady is greeted by Janis and Damian who help her navigate her first days of public school and all the trials and tribulations that come with high school drama.
The opening number of the musical called, “A Cautionary Tale,” sung by characters Janis and Damian, played by Natalie Breehl ‘25 and Penelope Serrano ‘28, introduces the audience to the main plot of “Mean Girls.”
Cady, played by Samatha Hill ‘25, is greeted by the two “art freaks” Janis and Damian who take pity on her and decide to show her around the school. Soon after, during the lunch period, Cady encounters “The Plastics,” the popular girls at North Shore High School.
Scarlett Palmieri ‘27 who played Gretchen said, “What I liked most was the fact that it was a bigger show and even though we don’t have an auditorium, we still pulled it off and I think it turned out really well … the show would not be what it is without every single person involved in the cast.”
The audience is introduced to “The Plastics:” Karen, played by Grace Kopp ‘28, Gretchen, played by Juilett Lawson ‘28 and Regina George played by Emily Turner ‘26. During the song, Cady is asked to sit with the group and eventually hang out with them after school.
This new opportunity for Cady makes way for Janis and Damian to destroy Regina because of lingering tension in Janis and Regina’s past. But before she can agree Cady meets Aaron Regina’s ex-boyfriend, played by Josiah Rodriguez ‘27 in her calculus class leading her to develop her first high school crush. Cady then makes the mistake and tells Gretchen about her crush which makes its way to Regina.
At a Halloween party, Cady sees Regina kissing Aaron, which encourages Cady to agree to Janis’s plan of taking down Regina. Cady tricks Regina into eating “Kälteen Bars” which makes her gain weight on top of having her boyfriend break up with her, tricking Gretchen to turn against her and embarrassing Regina at the talent show.
Cady, Janis and Damian’s master plan ends successfully banishing Regina from the lunch table. The act ends with “Fearless,” showcasing how Cady and others are now fearless as Regina ends her reign.
After the brief intermission that lasted around 15 minutes, act two opened with Damian and Janis announcing the Spring Fling nominees. To everyone’s shock, Cady has also been selected other than the typical round of nominees, giving her a newfound confidence.
As the act continues, Janis invites Cady to her art show, but Cady declines and decides to throw a house party with Gretchen and Karen instead.
The party becomes chaotic as a small group of people turn into a large crowd that Cady has a hard time getting a handle on. Eventually, Cady ends up in her bedroom with Aaron and after an intimate moment, Aaron leaves after seeing what Cady has turned into. Cady runs after him, but encounters Janis and Damien who feel betrayed after catching Cady in a lie.
Samantha Hill ’25, who played Cady, said, “I liked the community, everyone is so accepting and supportive of everyone.” She also added, “I wish we had a bigger stage, a lot of other schools get the opportunity to have a bigger stage and a bigger audience but we just don’t have that but I really love it I think it was the best opportunity I’ve ever had.”
In the mood for revenge, the show shifts to Regina, where she is showing the principal the “Burn Book”, a book “The Plastics” used to make fun of all the girls at North Shore High School. Releasing the pages into the hallways, all the students see the pages made about them and end up going feral. The principal suddenly ushers all the girls into the gym, saying he won’t let the girls go until they all get along. The scene ends with Regina and Cady running out of the gym and arguing on the street, when Regina suddenly gets hit by a bus, killing her for 15 seconds.
Cady, racked with guilt, turns herself in for the “Burn Book,” getting her suspended and banned from Spring Fling. When Cady returns, she has to join the Mathletes, a team of students who participate in math competitions to earn her spot to Spring Fling back and restore her reputation.
During the Spring Fling, Cady wins the Spring Fling queen and decides to apologize to everyone. She symbolically breaks the crown, sharing it between herself and others. The final song sees Cady and the rest of the cast singing “I See Stars” as all the characters enjoy themselves at the dance, finally at peace with one another.
