I’m delighted to share that my next directing project will be Mean Girls Jr. with Children’s Performing Arts of Miamisburg. Auditions are this Friday and Saturday for student actors ages 13-18.

Like many folks who were teenagers in the early aughts, the movie version was a BIG deal to young Kelsey. I’d tell you how many times I quote it in my everyday life, but…THE LIMIT DOES NOT EXIST.

[IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A still from the film version of Mean Girls, in which Lindsay Lohan is deep in thought as she says “The limit does not exist.” Not pictured: teenage Kelsey’s brain chemistry being altered by this movie in 2004.]

Mean Girls provides a story that is equal parts humorous, biting, and surprisingly empowering. As I prepare to start rehearsals, I’m asking myself why I find it funny. These characters do and say awful things to each other, so why do we laugh?

The answer, for me at least, is that this story feels authentic. For better or for worse, anyone who’s been a teenager will find something familiar in this story, and we laugh because we’re saying “I’ve been there, too.” I really appreciate how the musical version goes deeper, treating the events of the story as a cautionary tale that ultimately encourages its audience to act with kindness. The characters learn that “calling someone stupid won’t make you any smarter. And even the people you don’t like at all, are still people.”

The idea of bring that story and that message to life – with actual teenagers in those roles! – sounds like something I’m excited to do. Starting this weekend, it’s on.