From Thursday, Feb. 12, to Sunday, Feb. 15, State High Thespians put on 2026’s musical production: Legally Blonde.
From lights and sets to hair and makeup to acting, singing, dancing, and live dogs, Thespians told the story of Elle Woods, a sorority girl turned lawyer after a messy breakup. Elle (Hannah Smith) follows her ex-boyfriend, Warner Huntington the Third (Tim Letwin), to Harvard Law, where she overcomes stereotypes, discovers her passion for law, and wins a murder trial, proving that intelligence and femininity were made to coexist.
The musical also features 18 original songs, including fan favorites like “Omigod You Guys,” “Bend and Snap,” and “Find My Way/Finale,” as well as multiple dance numbers.
“Throughout the winter, we typically have rehearsal from 4 to 6 [p.m.] every day … a lot of the time, it can be split up between choreography and music learning, and after you’re done with that, you stay for scenes [acting],” sophomore Claire Campbell, who played Paulette, said. “Later on comes tech week, and then you’re here until 10 [p.m.]. It’s very fun, very tiring, but very rewarding.”
Senior Tim Letwin, who played Warner, added to the significance of the infamous tech week. “The last week [before the performance] is tech week, where all the lights, all the costumes, all the makeup and hair, and actually doing it in the space with the set, that all gets introduced,” Letwin said.
The technical aspects of the play did not go unnoticed: “Legally Blonde” featured several moving sets, quick changes, light movement, as well as two live dogs belonging to friends of the directorial board.
Sophomore Sara Rotthoff, assistant stage manager, described the effort that goes into that. “We put in a lot of time– every Saturday we’re here for a full day and then every day after school,” Rotthoff said.
As assistant stage manager, Rotthoff said she “communicates between actors and the technical side of things, like the rehearsal schedule, and making sure … everyone has the information they need.”
For the actors, much of the rehearsal is rigorous music practice, as “Legally Blonde” is known for its vocally challenging tracks.
“The singing is definitely [difficult], since it was a lot of higher stuff–I usually sing bass, but it was a lot of higher tenor notes, and a different style from what I usually sing, because most of my singing is in choir, so just adjusting to the different range took some work,” Letwin said. “Lots of practice [in school] and at home, seeing how to position my mouth to have the best sound I could produce.”
“Warm-ups are so important, especially because [Paulette] is such a belty character. She has a lot of really high notes that require a lot of breath support and a lot of preparation,” Campbell said. The character of Paulette sings the powerful yet difficult solo “Ireland” during the first act that calls for a sustained belt.
“For playing her as a character, it’s really important to remember that yes, she’s comedic relief, but she also has such a big heart, and she has so many emotions, and I feel like a lot of people resonate with her, so I really just want to bring that out,” Campbell said.
The musical had a run time of 2 hours and 20 minutes, with a 15-minute intermission. It was directed by advisor Lily Wasser, with Dean Christian as producer and technical director, and Andrew Wheeler as music director. Additional standout student performers include Roman Cienfuegos as Emmett, Elizabeth Marcovitch as Vivian, and Anna Christopher as Serena. For more highlight moments from “Legally Blonde,” view the photo gallery below by Isabella Zeman.
