Book by Kyle Holmes
Music & Lyrics by David Taylor Gomes

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Grants Pass High School Theatre Department Presents their Fall Musical: “Ranked, A Musical,” playing for two weekends, November 4-13, at the Grants Pass Performing Arts Center.

"Ranked, A Musical" follows three sets of siblings as they navigate an eerily familiar world where everyone's future is determined by their high school test scores, tracked on a giant and very public leaderboard. Fall "Below the Average," and say goodbye to friends and all hopes of college or a good career.

The first character we meet is protagonist Lily Larsen, played by Olivia Wainscott. She's an anxious freshman feeling the "drowning" weight of this high-stakes culture. Her older sister Alexis (played by Sarah Beckstead) is driven and determined to stay "Above the Average" and coaches Lily on how to follow in her footsteps.

The next set of siblings is Sydney & Ryan Summers (played by Avery Duewel and Shawn Jones), who are at the top of the academic leaderboard. Sydney takes her job of being #1 very seriously, spending most of her time studying to maintain her rank, and only socializing with the "elite" students, including her "mean girls"-like squad. Her charming brother Ryan takes a more carefree approach to being at the top, while navigating a relationship with girlfriend Alexis. 

The third set of siblings, Jordan and John Carter, are being played by real-life siblings, Zee and Seth Imel. Jordan and John are so far "Below the Average" that they've stopped caring about academics, but their low ranks mean they are social outcasts among their peers. John soon befriends Lily, and represents what her life could be like if she let all of the stress go.

All three families are hiding secrets, and all are struggling with the same questions: What are you worth? Who decides? And what do you do when it all comes crashing down? 

Rounding out the cast is a talented ensemble of students who help portray the all-too-relatable struggle of feeling like you're the only one drowning under a mountain of pressure.

"Ranked" is a unique new musical written in 2019 by Granite Bay High School's drama teacher Kyle Holmes and music director David Taylor Gomes, in collaboration with their students. "Students were encouraged to share personal experiences and submit monologues for Holmes & Gomes to consider as they shaped the story and the characters. As their contributions were reviewed, it became apparent that “Ranked” needed to validate teenagers’ experiences as the real, difficult, complicated, and painful experiences they are, rather than dismiss them as fleeting moments that would eventually pass." - RankedMusical.com

At Grants Pass High School, Theatre Teacher and "Ranked" Director Julia Cuppy posed a similar challenge to her students, encouraging them to bring their own stories and experiences forward, on and off-stage.

“The problems our characters face in "Ranked" are the same ones highschoolers face across the country and also in our own hometown. The cast and crew hopes this show will inspire many emotions, conversations and actions in our community. We will have a talk-back after the first Sunday matinee performance with the cast and crew to help cultivate a reflective conversation about the theatrical process and issues the characters face,” says Julia Cuppy. 

"Ranked" is Co-Directed and Choreographed by Jaese Lecuyer and Music Directed by Jamie Banister. Creative team members include Tianna Eddy as Co-Producer, Wayd Drake as Technical Director and Set Designer, Clyde Highbarger as Lighting Designer, Alayna Riley as Costume Designer, Kailyn Kortie as Assistant Director, and Amber Snell as Stage Manager. 

Performances will take place November 4-6 and 11-13, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:00 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM at the Grants Pass Performing Arts Center. There will be a facilitated talk-back after the November 6th matinee where audiences will be able to ask questions directly to the cast, crew and other campus representatives. 

Tickets are $15 Adult / $10 Students & Seniors, all general seating. Tickets can be purchased online at: www.GPHSTHEATRE.com. They will also be available in the lobby one hour prior to showtime.