Popular filmmakers have always had a love affair with those four
tumultuous years of high school, but it is far more rare to find a
musical that directly addresses our contemporary mental
associations with high school. Craig Carniela and Jeffrey Kindley,
in their musical "Is there Life After High School?" have done
exactly that. The show, which had its Broadway premiere in 1982,
opens this weekend in the Arena Theater. The Basement Arts
production is a humorous and fast-paced investigation of high
school as a uniquely American institution.

Allison Sorrano, a senior in the theater department, chose to
direct this show for its universal relevance. "The subject matter
in the musical is extremely graspable for college-age students. I
constantly focus the actors to the concept of 'psychological
scars,'" said Sorrano. "Whether you are two years or 20 years out
of high school, the memories haunt your daily life."

The show has a nine-member cast that plays a variety of
characters in the series of songs and monologues that compose the
lively, wistful and poignant production. "This light-hearted
musical takes a journey through the hallways of your mind. It
awakens the kid inside," Sorrano comments, "And explores the
scarring experiences of high school." As Man 5 sings in "Things I
Learned in High School," "The things I learned in high school
cannot be wished away. They made me who I am today."

The first act shows the character's memories of high school, and
the second act is the reunion. Every character has a chance to
reflect on how that time made them into who they are today, and how
adolescent choices come to define us in our adult lives.
Ultimately, it is everyone's difficult relationship to their past
that comes to the surface.