A Canceled Show. A Devastated Cast. And the Parent Who Refused to Let It End There.

Students from Del Sol Academy go through a rehearsal for their performance of “Mean Girls”. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

by Chris Peterson, OnStage Blog Founder

When Del Sol Academy of the Performing Arts pulled the plug on their spring production of Mean Girls, it wasn’t just a show getting canceled. It was students’ hope, motivation, and, for some, their reason for showing up at all.

For two months, students had been pouring themselves into rehearsals. And then, without warning, it was gone. On March 3, school administrators called the students into a room, handed them a letter, and told them the show was canceled. Most of them cried on the spot. The official reason? A scheduling conflict.

"This season, we had an overlap in the casts and crew of our major productions," the letter read. "This overlap has significantly reduced the available rehearsal time. We have made the difficult decision to cancel our planned production of Mean Girls."

But ask the students and you’ll hear something else entirely. Some were told it was about scheduling. Others heard there was a burst pipe in the theater. Some whispered about rights issues.

Another major blow? The sudden sidelining of their beloved theater director, Ernest Curcio. He’s still employed at the school, but for reasons unknown to students, he was removed from the production entirely. And they felt it.

"Before I came here, I was shy and closed off," said student Kaydance Greer. "Mr. Curcio helped me come out of my shell."

For seniors like Sevyn Schwurack, the cancellation wasn’t just disappointing. It was shattering. "This was my last show. How am I supposed to recover from that?" she said.

One parent, though, wasn’t about to let the curtain close that easily.

Selma Greer, who is Kaydance’s mother, fought hard to keep the production alive. She emailed administrators, scheduled meetings, even started a petition. Nothing worked. So she took matters into her own hands. She bought the rights to Mean Girls for $5,000, found a new venue, and started rehearsals from scratch.

"It was breaking my heart," Selma said. "So I just said, ‘OK, I’m doing it.’ And then everyone came together. It takes a village."

That village included Positively Arts, where students began rehearsing three times a week. Founder Pilita Simpson donated her studio space, tech support, and equipment at a steep discount. Ken Henderson offered his venue, Notoriety, also at a reduced rate. Selma started a GoFundMe to help cover costs.

By the week of the show, students were back in full force, strutting across the rehearsal room, belting out “Meet the Plastics,” and reclaiming the joy they thought had been taken from them.

And this time, it wasn’t about revenge or proving anything. It was about love.

The show opened its performances on May 16th and closed on Sunday, the 18th.

Del Sol Academy should be asking itself hard questions right now. Not just about why this happened, but why students and families had to pick up the pieces alone. Why one mother had to become a producer. Why a show meant everything to so many students and was taken from them so casually.

The show must go on. Thankfully, these students—and Selma Greer—refused to let it be otherwise.