Starkville High School Theatre performs Anastasia the Musical
The award-winning Starkville High School Theatre program opened the spring production of Anastasia the Musical on Thursday evening for a four-show run at the SHS Auditorium. The musical, directed by SHS Theatre instructor, Trisha Jordan, depicts the story of the fabled lost princess of the Romanov ruling family of Russia with a cast, crew and orchestra of 72 students, the largest ever for the Starkville High program. The show will also be presented on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
From the halls of a St. Petersburg palace and the streets of newly named Leningrad to the cafes and ballet boxes of Paris, Starkville High thespians bring the Bolshevik Revolution to life with period costumes, song and dance. The dramatic presentation is a melding of the historic account of the early years after the fall of the Czars and the revolution's impact on the Russian people with the fictional tale of a young orphan girl with amnesia who discovers she is the only living child of the Romanov ruling family. An unlikely duo of con men plot to present "Anya" to the Romanov Dowager Empress in Paris as the real Anastasia in an effort to gain a promised reward. True memories and love emerge as they attempt to train the girl to present herself to the Empress.
With equal moments of intrigue, humor and homesickness, the story told in two acts is one of finding love and family in a time of political and social upheaval. The 1920s come to life on stage with a vibrant set created by SHS Theatre students who constructed and painted elaborate pieces to be used in the production. In addition, students gave input on costume selection and full set design, and student crew members manage lighting, sound and stage direction during the productions.
Jordan says the ensemble cast is the largest one that has ever been used in a Starkville High production, and it has allowed the company to create a number of vibrant choreographed dances during the show including a nod to Russian ballet and folk dancing.
Students participating in Starkville High's advanced Dramatic Criticism course are tasked each year with conducting research into the setting of each of the program's productions. They spend time studying the cultural context of a show they are rehearsing, and this classwork finds its way into the makeup, costumes, set and acting of the performance.
This year, Starkville High School Theatre earned a record-breaking 21 Superior awards for "Thespy" submissions at the 2026 Mississippi Thespian Conference in February. The awards were presented for student technical work, dance pieces and individual, duet and group musical and acting performances. This year's results mark a record number of Superiors received in a single year since the Starkville High Thespian Troupe 1180 was chartered in 1977. Nearly all of the students who participated in the Thespian's competitive season are a part of this weekend's production.
Anastasia the Musical will run this weekend at the Starkville High Auditorium on Friday and Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Because of the depiction of the Bolshevik Revolution in the opening scene, the show is recommended for audiences 10 and up. Tickets for the show are $10 for adults and $7 for children. Tickets may be purchased online only at https://cur8.com/20493/project/138768.
