For the musical faithful, The Phantom of the Opera premiered at London's famed Her Majesty's Theatre just over 21 years ago, October 9th, 1986 to be exact. For Dragon faithful, Texas Toyota and Mullins & White Financial have partnered with Southlake Carroll’s Theatre Department to present The Phantom of the Opera.  This production will come to the stage at the high school auditorium just 18 weeks after receiving permission from R & H Theatricals to put on a pilot production of the Andrew Lloyd Weber classic.

The Carroll Theatre Department and Directors Roald and Stacie Martinsen had spent the better part of the summer narrowing down their list of potential shows for the 2007-08 school year.  They knew they had some very impressive talent and wanted to find just the right product to showcase it.  After placing The Phantom of the Opera at the top of the list in early June, the Martinsens went to work, full steam ahead. 

Finding and applying for the rights to put on such a famed and guarded script as The Phantom of the Opera was not exactly a stroll down Broadway.  In fact, just finding the company who actually had the rights took several days.  Then after a rapid fire letter and telephone campaign solicited by Stacie Martinsen, all she could do was wait.  Days turned into weeks as the back to school clock ticked ever so loudly.

On July 17th, Martinsen got the call from R & H Theatricals.  She, like many Southlakers in the summer, was on vacation with her family.  In Martinsen's mind, the moment was as exciting today as it was this past summer when she thought to herself "Well, kick me running naked!  This is great! It is great for the kids, great for the school, and for the community as a whole." As electrifying as that moment was, it was also proof to her that perseverance definitely pays off. 

Via a conference call with R & H Theatricals, Martinsen found out that Southlake was one of only six campuses in the nation selected to take part in an exclusive pilot program (4 high schools and 2 colleges).  She didn't hesitate to tell R & H how much she was looking forward to working with them.  She believed they had made a great decision as she knew that the very championship mentality which drew her and her family to Southlake would once again shine in the spotlight.

Even as part of the pilot program for R & H, the actual rights to perform The Phantom of the Opera may never be released to the amateur ranks.  According to Martinsen, "we are extremely grateful to be the guinea pigs for this particular experiment.  If this goes well, our production could eventually act as a blueprint for future schools."  R & H will be watching to see if Southlake and the other schools have the talent and the teamwork necessary to maintain the integrity of Broadway's longest running show.

The Talent:

Phantom - Preston Lee

The role of The Phantom will be played by the powerful vocals of Senior, Preston Lee.  Preston is considered by his director to be a superior talent who "can sing all four parts".  A male lead with versatility like Preston's is very rare; he is an All-State ranked first tenor while also performing as the Carroll Choir's base section leader. 

This time last year Preston was in preparation as the understudy for the lead role of "Sid Sorokin" in Carroll's very successful production of The Pajama Game.  Having studied under the lead role has prepared him with the understanding- playing the lead in any production is, as he puts it, "an exhausting process, which doesn't end once you get home."  He is referencing the fact that the entire cast rehearses together for two hours after class each weekday and then many of them go home to perfect their own roles by themselves.

Preston is confident in his abilities and that of his cast mates.  He's seen live productions of The Phantom of the Opera before and feels quite sure they can put together a similar showing especially for his favorite song "Music of the Night".

Christine Daae - Marie Sanders

Christine, a singer who becomes the obsession of the disfigured musical genius behind the mask will be played by Senior, Marie Sanders.  Marie will be performing in her first ever high school theatre production as the role of Christine lured her, at least for a while, from her All-State status with the Carroll Choir.

The entire cast works extremely hard, but no one could possibly put more time in than Marie.  Once she heard her favorite Broadway show was coming to Southlake she immediately began preparing for auditions.  Countless viewings

of Joel Schumacher's 2004 re-make on DVD helped her not just in pronunciation of the music but also in determining what she says, "is the mood of each song."  Now as the female lead, she puts in roughly 5 hours a day between cast rehearsals and private singing lessons.

Marie notes her biggest fan (besides her parents) to be Zamid Housein who is just full of energy and support.  Marie herself idolizes notable soprano and Grammy Award Winner Renee Fleming and has hopes to follow in her footsteps by

attending the JuilliardSchool for the Arts in New York City next fall. 

Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny - PJ Sook

Christine's childhood friend and true love will be played by sophomore, PJ Sook.  PJ is a budding theatre star and doubles as the JV football team's center.  Between both of his extra-curricular activities it's easy to see that PJ understands commitment to a job well done.

PJ enjoys the deep emotional nature of his character and looks forward to performing the final scene, his personal favorite, with Preston and Marie. For PJ that scene is "true acting”, as he and his cast mates "get to show such emotion and really be our characters."

To ensure his body is ready for his demanding role, PJ and the rest of the cast do their best to stay clear of soda, dairy and excess yelling. Quite a feat for any young man, especially a football player!

The Cast - Carroll High School Theatre and Choir departments

The remaining cast from The Phantom of the Opera is a stunning mix of acting, vocal and musical abilities.  Boasting 53 total cast members, 40 surround sound choir members and 35 members from the orchestra--each with their own

All-State level performers.

The Teamwork:

It takes a community to raise a child, likewise to raise the curtain for a show of such magnitude.  Countless teachers, parents, students and volunteers have teamed to put together a memorable debut for Southlake and surrounding cities.  From sewing to set construction, volunteers have really proven their love for all things Carroll by lending their hands for more than just hearty applause.  Even professional theatre vendors like Fly by Foy are working hand in hand with  Technical Director Roald Martinsen to ensure some very interesting special effects.  They are presently studying the 600 pound chandelier that has been virtually donated to the theatre department so that all the necessary technical rigging for proper staging of Phantom's fantastic flying fixture can happen in a safe manner.

All of the teamwork has helped Stacie Martinsen handle the near overwhelming tasks of producing what will be, along with the other pilot schools in the project, the first ever high school performance of a 7 time Tony Award winning production.  The most important result of all of the support may actually come after the Phantom's lights are turned off.

Through it all, the Carroll Theatre Department will continue on with the entirety of their 2007-2008 schedules, including the already completed Haunted House: The Phantom Ship and their always popular spring Dessert Cabaret. 

Martinsen relishes the challenges and appreciates all of the opportunities which the full schedule affords the entire casts, crews, musicians, singers and set designers who work tirelessly throughout the year.