Camas High Schools’ annual spring musical Anastasia has officially come to an end as of Saturday, March 25. After two weekends of production, this has been Camas High School Theaters’ most successful production yet. 

Anastasia, originally a Disney movie, is a story based on a princess who suffers from amnesia after losing her family during the Russian Revolution. Anastasia then finds a man who will take her to Paris to find her grandmother, where she then remembers her past.

The lead role, Anastasia was played by senior Charlise Haagenson. “I’ve been in the theater program for four years and been in a lot of the shows, and I think this one was by far my favorite,” said Haagenson. 

Both the cast and crew share that there were many obstacles during the production of the show. From snow days pushing back production dates to losing whole sets, the team had to overcome several bumps, yet the theater group shares that ultimately it all paid off. 

“We had three major bumps,” said Haagenson.

“We had two weeks to organize, program, and make about 300 video files,” said theater director Sean Kelly.

“I think there were a lot of things we had to overcome… At points, it was a nightmare, but a nightmare that we were all in together… But that’s the nature of theater, the show must go on,” said senior Aiden Shaffuziman.

Despite all the obstacles the cast had to overcome, they agree that it did help boost morale and strengthen the relationships the members have with each other.

“I think we had a really good community throughout the show. Everyone was really welcoming and I think we all bonded and got really close,” said Shaffuziman.

“I think ultimately in theater, adversity helps us bond,” said Kelly.

“They were incredibly good working together as a team,” said an audience member.

While the cast faced many obstacles along the way, the production managed to go smoothly by the time of performance.

Anastasia is now Camas High School Theater’s most successful production to this day.

“We sold more tickets and made more revenue than we have ever done. Just about every performance had a consistent full house, so it was really impressive,” said Kelly.

“The show was simply brilliant,” said Kelly.

“I am so upset that it is over, it was quite a show… It is very bittersweet because we all enjoyed it,” said Haagenson.