A 'High School Musical' Renaissance with Diversity and Identity at the Forefront
It feels as if we are in the midst of a High School Musical renaissance.
Photos of Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron in front of East High. Tik Toks featuring “Stick To The Status Quo” promoting Ashley Tisdale’s new wellness line Frenshe. And all the while, Corbin Bleu is stepping back into the spotlight as a cast member on the popular Disney+ spinoff, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.
HSMTMTS’ third season brings a new energy to the series fans have come to know and love.
Despite the undeniably fun nostalgia brought forth by the OGs, what is different in 2022 is High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and its expanded efforts to explore topics of identity and diversity with tangible representations of the franchise’s evolution.
“Watching young people really step into their power,” is what showrunner Tim Federle says season three is all about.
Stepping away from its home base of East High, this season sends our beloved Wildcats to the wilderness, diving “into the unknown” as the gang tackles the challenges of putting on the first-ever student production of Frozen: The Musical.
This season introduces us to a handful of new characters and places the spotlight on stars Sofia Wylie and Dara Reneé as they take on lead roles as Anna and Elsa, serving audiences a dynamic duo oozing with Black Girl Magic.
With a fresh perspective and a new environment, the series, as a whole, grounds itself in storylines pertinent to its Gen-Z viewers through episodes that traverse topics of identity, sexuality, and true coming of age.
For characters like Ashlyn and Carlos, portrayed by Julia Lester and Frankie Rodriguez, half of that journey comes in trying to figure out who they are when the ones they love aren’t there to give them the spotlight. Or for Joshua Bassett’s character, Ricky Bowen, his journey tracks coping with the aftermath of his parents divorce, emerging from an (unsurprisingly) toxic relationship with North High’s infamous Lily, portrayed by Olivia Rose Keegan, and opening himself up for a summer of fun possibilities.
However, for Reneé and Wylie, season three brought a special opportunity to redefine their characters with a renewed sense of joy, sensitivity, optimism and pride in the young women they are becoming.
“I feel like I've grown so much as an individual and I've learned so much from my cast members and from the crew and from our showrunner and from the writers,” Reneé said. “Everyone has just taught me just how to be okay with myself and to be sure of myself.”
A major element of that growth came in placing an emphasis on hair.
“I was always trying to morph into what I thought was beautiful.”
In February of 2021, Wylie posted a Tik Tok on set sporting waist-length braids. The video drove a rush of excitement among fans, signaling a meaningful shift for the character they had begged to see embrace a wider variety of traditionally Black hairstyles.
Reflecting on 'High School Musical' actress Monique Coleman's negative experience with hairstyling in the original films, both actresses noted the change was one they pushed for heavily ahead of filming for the third season.
Wylie, detailed her hair journey as one of growing up “surrounded by people who didn't look like [her]” she said. “For a long time, I never knew how to take care of my hair or how to really embrace what I looked like, because I was always trying to morph into what I thought was beautiful.”
Reneé, who has been featured in several Disney projects amplifying the importance of Black storytelling and visibility on screen, shared, “Especially growing up and being told that I can't wear my hair to school because it's not professional or because it's going to be a distraction and you can't dye your hair this color. You can't do braids. You can't do an afro you can't do a mohawk,” said Reneé. “I'm like, why are there so many rules on my hair that grows out of my head?”
For show runner Tim Federle, bringing one or more diverse identities to the forefront was not a good enough goal for this show’s overarching message. There are no “token” roles or characters.
“We have an all female director lineup this season and we've got so many queer storytellers who work on this series,” said Federle. “Really trying to walk the walk and not just talk the talk as a boss oftentimes means actually trying to be the quietest person in the room and step back and say who else can step forward.”
Guest stars on the show’s third season also aid in this effort, bringing several prominent LGBTQ+ actors to the scene. Recent Tony Award winner Jesse Tyler Ferguson joins the cast as we meet Nini’s (Olivia Rodrigo) biological father Marvin, continuing the exploration of her family dynamic and road to self-discovery. Jojo Siwa, whose character has yet to be revealed, shares a dance and potential romance with Maddox (Saylor Curda) in an episode featuring the 70s themed Camp Shallow Lake Dance.
Corbin Bleu noted that the need for these diverse stories expand far beyond just having a character represent a community or group of people.
“It doesn't always have to be about the struggle so many times we just we also want to see the joys that come with it,”
he said in an interview with GEN-ZiNE and HSMTMTS costar and Disney alum Jason Earles.
In discussing what fans can look forward to this season, Federle detailed that this season brings all the feel good energy and drama of “that summer” that every teenager remembers. Falling in love, finding balance between adulthood and adolescence, speaking their truth and letting go of the past is all wrapped up in a season full of high energy songs and star power that fans have indulged in since the show’s premiere in 2019.
“We've got now so many characters whose journeys we care about that I think what we're mostly tracking now is the way your life changes when you're young and one new person can change everything,” Federle said.
New episodes of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series premiere every Wednesday on Disney+. And watch more interviews with the cast here.
