The Formula for Phenomenal

How High School Musical Redefined Disney Channel Original Movies

When BYU Theatre was deciding on a show to end the 2024-2025 season, we wanted to pick a show to honor the irony of the fact we are performing in a former high school. The well-beloved High School Musical was a perfect choice. As an assistant dramaturg for this piece (and a child who grew up watching the movies), I'm eager to showcase the way HSM changed the young-adult movie musical world and the Disney Channel Original Movie.

DCOM’s (Disney Channel Original Movies) started back in 1983 and were originally called “Disney Premiere Films.” These films were Disney's main source of movies targeted at young adults. When they first started, they were released one every month but slowly were spread out between the year. These movies were branded as DCOM in 1997. High School Musical marked a major turning point beginning the DCOMM (Disney Channel Original Movie Musical) Era.

High School Musical premiered in 2006 and became an instant phenomenon. It broke rating records for Disney Channel and showed the success of original musicals. HSM created the formula for original movie musicals in the future: catchy songs, teen drama, and aspirational themes.

The success of High School Musical shifted Disney Channel's focus to create more musicals. Some of these movies include Camp Rock, Lemonade Mouth, Teen Beach Movie, Descendants, and Zombies. Through this, music and performance became a central theme in not only movies but also Disney television shows. Movie musicals also created a new brand of star actors who could sing, dance, and act. Great examples of this include Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens.

Included in the phenomenon was a new wave of merchandise including soundtracks, clothing, toys, school supplies and live tours. This paved the way for all DCOMs to be multimedia franchises. HSM and other DCOMM’s helped to demonstrate the commercial power of music-driven content for young audiences.

So from its first airing in 2006 to the latest popular shows today, the High School Musical formula transformed the DCOM and created a new teen movie musical blueprint that influences Disney and beyond.

Tags

overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection= overrideCardHideByline= overrideCardHideDescription= overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=

data-content-type="article"

by Janine Sobeck, dramaturg Tech week is one of the most exciting moments in any show. It's the time when we get to leave our rehearsal room, move onto stage, and add all of the production elements. To help the actors adapt to all the changes we usually make a gradual transition. Pre-tech: While still in the rehearsal room, actors are given certain rehearsal props and costumes to help them in the creation of their characters. In the case of Princess Academy, all the girls were given rehearsal skirts and all the characters were given rehearsal books and and other items (such as the miri flower). We also added all of the instruments used in the show. Tech day 1: The first day of tech included adding the set and sound. One of the biggest changes for our actors is the ramps on our stage. They finally had the opportunity to climb the mountain! Tech day 2: It's time to add the props! In order to support Director Megan Sanborn Jones' vision of the show, prop designer Scott Jackson made all of the props out of paper, letters, and books. Tech days 3-4: This is what we call an "All Tech." The final elements of the show (lights, costumes, and make-up) are added into the mix. Day 3 is spent working through all the cues in act 1 and day 4 is spent working through act 2. Tech days 5-7: The time has come to run the show! These are our dress rehearsals, where the goal is to do the show exactly as if it was a real performance. This means starting at our normal curtain time and trying to never stop. The director, playwright, dramaturgs, and designers sit in the audience making notes about what is working and what still needs to change. At the end of the nights, the actors and designers are given feedback and we rehearse any moments that need some extra attention. Tech day 8: Which is today! Tonight is the time when we finally get to add the final element of the show: the audience! Our final day of tech is known as the "preview performance." Friends, families, and students are invited to see the show before we officially open. While we always reserve the right to stop the show if necessary (it is, after all, still a rehearsal), we hope that everything will go smoothly!

The Formula for Phenomenal

How High School Musical Redefined Disney Channel Original Movies

Related Articles

Merry Widow – Online Program

On Doing Cool Things Just to be Cool

Tech Week!