The Oak Park theater department "Swung" to new heights with this year's production of Disney's Tarzan the Musical. The production brought an exciting jungle set, unique costumes, and lots of laughs to those who attended. I was able to sit down and talk with a few actors to understand what this production took and how some seniors felt about their last show at Oak Park.

Production started with auditions the last week of August, and practice began the first week of September. With four months' time for this to come together, all the students involved put in long hours, sweat, and hard work to make this show truly spectacular. Some students, like Senior Julia Schliesman, took on extra roles outside their characters to help the production. She balanced playing Kala, Tarzan's mom, with being a dance captain. When asked how hard it was to manage both, Schliesman said, "I would say it was hard balancing it because it was such a big role, but once we got a grasp of what we were doing, it was easy to catch on and teach it while knowing my stuff." Students who took this extra leadership role made the difference in this being a good show and a great show.

Not only were Oak Park students in the show, but many numbers needed younger kids to tell the story in a beautiful way. Pulling young kids from Oak Park's feeder schools, Schliesman had this to say about how her role as Kala helped her connect with the younger kids: "I connected with Kala's character because as a senior, I kind of had to look over the younger kids and teach them and take on a mother role(That's so involed in kala's character.)"

The role of Tarzan was played by senior Drew Chamberlin. This was Chamberlin's fourth and final musical with Oak Park, and he was very happy that this got to be his last show. Chamberlin truly understood what it took for this role and made the show spectacular. From swinging on a zipline to emotional moments like Kerchak's death, he really brought the role to life, helping this production be something truly special.

For freshman Tyus Glover, joining Tarzan was a dream come true. "When I auditioned, it was just for fun — I never thought I'd get the role," Glover said. "It was unreal." They admitted it was scary at first performing with older students, but that quickly changed. "Everyone was so nice, and now they're some of my best friends," Glover said. "I met so many new people and can't wait to do more shows."

As Tarzan's Production is over, emotions ran high for the cast — especially the seniors taking their final bow. "It's very sad, but it was a really good last musical to end it off on," Schliesman said. Chamberlin shared a similar feeling. "I've grown so much through theater, and this show reminded me why I love performing."

For all the cast members, Tarzan was more than just a production — it was a family. And though the jungle has gone quiet, the memories and friendships made on that stage will echo long after the curtain falls.