High School Musical: The Musical: The Series

Cover

### First released

November 8, 2019 (Season 1)May 14, 2021 (Season 2)July 27, 2022 (Season 3)August 9, 2023 (Season 4)

## Plot

At a fictionalized version of East High School in Salt Lake City, Utah, where the *High School Musical* movies were filmed, a former background cast member, Miss Jenn, begins work as the new drama teacher. The teacher decides to stage a performance of *High School Musical: The Musical* for her first winter theater production to celebrate the school's affiliation with the original film. The students cast in the musical learn to navigate their interpersonal relationships and form bonds with each other, to overcome the challenges they face in their lives at school and home.

In the second season, the theater students of East High stage a production of *Beauty and the Beast* for the spring musical. Miss Jenn leads the cast in an attempt to win a prestigious local student theater competition while facing off against their rival school, North High.

## Cast

#### Main

* **Olivia Rodrigo** as **Nini Salazar-Roberts** (seasons 1–2, recurring season 3), a musical theater enthusiast. She is cast as Gabriella Montez in the first season and in chorus roles in the second season. In the third season, she embarks on a road trip to California to pursue her career in singing and songwriting.
* **Joshua Bassett** as **Ricky Bowen**, a guitarist and skateboarder who previously dated Nini. In the first season, he is cast as Troy Bolton despite his initial lack of interest in musicals. He is cast as the Beast in the second season and Kristoff in the third season. He plays Troy again in the fourth season.
* **Matt Cornett** as **E. J. Caswell** (seasons 1–3, recurring season 4), Ashlyn's cousin and a jock theater enthusiast Nini previously met at camp. He is cast as Chad Danforth and the understudy for Troy in the first season. He is cast as Gaston in the second season and Sven in the third season while also directing the camp's production of Frozen. After graduating, he returns to play Coach Bolton for the second act of the production in the fourth season.
* **Sofia Wylie** as **Gina Porter**, a transfer student with theater ambitions. She is cast as Taylor McKessie and the understudy for Gabriella in the first season, Babette the Featherduster in the second season, Anna in the third season, and Gabriella Montez in the fourth season. Additionally, she is cast as the lead in High School Musical 4: The Reunion.
* **Larry Saperstein** as **Big Red** (seasons 1–2, guest season 3, recurring season 4), Ricky's best friend, who fills in as stage manager for the production whenever Natalie is unavailable, despite his lack of knowledge about theater. He is later shown to have hidden talents in tap dancing and knowledge of electronics. He auditions for the spring musical in the second season and is cast as Le Fou.
* **Julia Lester** as **Ashlyn Caswell**, E. J.'s cousin and an aspiring songwriter, who is cast as Ms. Darbus in the first season, as Belle in the second season, in the ensemble in the third season, and as Kelsi Nielsen in the fourth season.
* **Dara Reneé** as **Kourtney Greene**, Nini's best friend and a self-proclaimed feminist, who works in the costuming department of the musical. She auditions for the musical in the second season and is cast in the role of Mrs. Potts, Elsa in the third season, and Sharpay Evans in the fourth season.
* **Frankie Rodriguez** as **Carlos Rodriguez**, the choreographer of the first two East High productions, who works alongside Miss Jenn and is cast as Lumière in the second season, Olaf in the third season, and Ryan Evans in the fourth season.
* **Mark St. Cyr** as **Benjamin Mazzara** (seasons 1–2, recurring season 4), East High's STEM teacher, who is initially against the school's support of performing arts. He portrays Coach Bolton in the first act of the fourth season's production.
* **Kate Reinders** as **Miss Jenn** (seasons 1–2 and 4, recurring season 3), East High's new drama teacher, who appeared in the original High School Musical film as a background dancer and directs the school's production. She portrays Ms. Darbus in the fourth season's production.
* **Joe Serafini** as **Seb Matthew-Smith** (season 2, recurring seasons 1 and 4, guest season 3), a student who is cast in the role of Sharpay Evans in the first season and as Chip in the second season
* **Saylor Bell Curda** as **Maddox** (season 3, recurring season 4), Jet's sister, a technology enthusiast and long-term camper who attends Camp Shallow Lake as a counselor-in-training, and is the stage manager for the productions in the third and fourth seasons.
* **Adrian Lyles** as **Jet** (season 3, recurring season 4), Maddox's brother, a reluctant new camper at Camp Shallow Lake who is cast as Hans in the camp's production. He is asked to play Chad Danforth in the fourth season.
* **Liamani Segura** as **Emmy** (season 4, recurring season 3), an eighth-grade camper who is a new participant in the musical and cast as Young Anna in the third season. She attends East High as a freshman in the fourth season and portrays Taylor McKessie.

#### Recurring

* **Alexis Nelis** as **Natalie Bagley** (seasons 1–2, guest season 4), the stage manager for the production
* **Nicole Sullivan** as **Carol** (season 1, guest season 3), one of Nini's mothers
* **Michelle Noh** as **Dana** (season 1, guest season 3), one of Nini's mothers
* **Jeanne Sakata** as **Malou** (season 1), Nini's grandmother
* **Alex Quijano** as **Mike Bowen** (seasons 1–2 and 4), Ricky's father, whose wife is estranged and currently living in Chicago
* **Valente Rodriguez** as **Principal Gutierrez** (seasons 1 and 4), the principal of East High
* **Beth Lacke** as **Lynne Bowen** (season 1, guest seasons 2 and 4), Mike's ex-wife and Ricky's mother who returns to announce she and Mike are getting divorced
* **Napiera Groves Boykin** as **Terri Porter** (season 4, guest season 1), Gina's mother, who works for FEMA
* **Derek Hough** as **Zack** (season 2), Miss Jenn's ex-boyfriend, who teaches drama at North High and is an actor
* **Olivia Rose Keegan** as **Lily** (season 2, guest season 3), a competitive and pretentious new student at East High who misses out on a role in the musical and later transfers to North High. She is cast as Belle in their production
* **Roman Banks** as **Howie** (season 2), a student who works at Big Red's family pizzeria. He is cast as the Beast in North High's production
* **Andrew Barth Feldman** as **Antoine** (season 2, guest season 4), a method actor who poses as a French foreign exchange student at North High. He is cast as Lumière in their production.
* **Kimberly Brooks** as **Michelle Greene** (seasons 2–4), Kourtney's mother
* **Jason Earles** as **Dewey Wood** (season 3, guest season 4), the camp director of Camp Shallow Lake
* **Corbin Bleu** as himself (season 3, guest season 4), appearing at Camp Shallow Lake as the host of the documentary. Bleu played Chad Danforth in the original film series.
* **Ben Stillwell** as **Channing** (season 3), a camera operator who films a documentary series about the camp production of Frozen
* **Meg Donnelly** as **Val** (season 3), a college student who returns to the camp as a Counselor-in-Training and is the choreographer of the camp musical
* **Aria Brooks** as **Alex** (season 3), an eighth-grader and newcomer to the camp, who is cast as Young Elsa in the musical
* **Matthew Sato** as **Mack Alana** (season 4), a sitcom actor who is cast as Gina's love interest in High School Musical 4: The Reunion
* **Kylie Cantrall** as **Dani** (season 4), a popular social media personality who is hired to make her acting debut in High School Musical 4: The Reunion, but is fired soon after. She later portrays Tiara Gold in the school's production of High School Musical 3: Senior Year.
* **Caitlin Reilly** as **Quinn Robbins** (season 4), the film director of High School Musical 4: The Reunion

#### Guest

* **Kaycee Stroh** as herself (seasons 1 and 4), a member of the school board. Stroh played Martha Cox in the original film series.
* **Lucas Grabeel** as himself (seasons 1 and 4). Grabeel played Ryan Evans in the original film series.
* **Asher Angel** as **Jack** (season 2), a boy from Denver whom Gina befriends at the airport
* **Jordan Fisher** as **Jamie Porter** (season 2), Gina's older brother who is a music producer
* **Jesse Tyler Ferguson** as **Marvin** (season 3), a friend and former colleague of Nini's mothers whom she meets again while in California, and discovers is her biological father
* **JoJo Siwa** as **Madison** (season 3), a former Camp Shallow Lake attendee who was previously in a relationship with Maddox
* **Monique Coleman** as herself (season 4). Coleman played Taylor McKessie in the original film series.
* **Bart Johnson** as himself (season 4). Johnson played Coach Bolton in the original film series.
* **Alyson Reed** as herself (season 4). Reed played Ms. Darbus in the original film series.
* **Vasthy Mompoint** as **Krystal** (season 4), the stand-offish choreographer of High School Musical 4: The Reunion

## References

1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High\_School\_Musical:\_The\_Musical:\_The\_Series#Premise