Tap-dancing sailors, fast-paced comedy, and shipboard romance took center stage in the Upper School’s production of “Anything Goes.” Behind the curtain, a team of actors, crew members, designers, and directors brought all of it to life.

While the show felt breezy and playful onstage, the work behind it was anything but effortless. The cast rehearsed for three hours each day since Nov. 12 and four hours per day in the weeks leading up to their performances.

“Sometimes we’ll have a dance rehearsal for three hours where we’ll be learning choreography,” said junior Stella Tate Ricciardi-Fitzpatrick, who played the lead of Reno Sweeney. “Other times, we’ll have a singing rehearsal, where we’re doing a bunch of different songs for three hours, or an acting rehearsal, where we’ll just be blocking stuff [planning actors’ positioning and movements].”

The actors’ demanding schedule revealed the production’s ambition, which Upper School theater teacher Frances Limoncelli initially underestimated. “I thought this was going to be a fairly easy, fun show,” she said.

But the scale quickly proved otherwise. “Each aspect of the show is way more ambitious and challenging than my naive self ever dreamed,” Ms. Limoncelli said. “So the fact that we’ve been meeting those challenges has been really hard for the whole team, but I’m really proud that we have met those challenges and that we have a giant show for Latin audiences.”

Gallery • 3 Photos

Edie Park

Upper School theater teacher Frank Schneider works on the set.

That level of ambition was just as evident to the cast. For example, junior Alex Stamos—who played Billy Crocker, one of the leads—struggled to master dance duets. “It’s not like you can mess up in the back like during the big group numbers—everyone is looking at you. You have to focus, and you have to do all the moves right, or else it’s gonna look horrible,” he said. “It’s a lot of pressure on my shoulders, but I think everyone that we’re working with, especially the principals and all the supporting cast, they’re just doing a fantastic job.”

The road to such a large-scale show began last school year, when the performing arts faculty were choosing from a list of musicals. “Anything Goes” was initially not one of the choices. “Finn Deeney [‘25] suggested it to me, and I couldn’t believe it wasn’t on my list, because this was my high school musical when I was a senior,” Ms. Limoncelli said.

She had played Reno Sweeney, the same role as Stella Tate, and her personal connection to the show shaped how she directed the cast. “I can relate to that experience of having so much to sing and so much to dance and just the stamina it takes to be able to accomplish it all,” Ms. Limoncelli said. “I remember feeling very overwhelmed.”

This empathy shaped how she responded to stumbles in rehearsals. “When mistakes are made, I can instantly remember mistakes I made in high school,” she said. “Where my tendency might be, ‘Darn it, why did that happen?’ I instantly go to the time I almost missed an entrance when I was playing Reno, so it helps me give the actors a little grace when they mess up.”

The same attention to growth and support extended to the show’s vocal rehearsals, which Upper School vocal music teacher Phillip Brownlee led beginning in November. Vocally, the musical differed greatly from past productions in the Upper School.

“Other shows that we’ve done in the past are a bit more like a modern style of singing, and this show incorporates elements of using your voice,” Mr. Brownlee said. “We specifically focus on using vibrato, which is singing with a very free sound. So the biggest thing that all of the actors on stage, in terms of their singing, are working on is singing with more of a traditional musical theater sound.”

As the cast adjusted their voices to fit the show’s vintage tone, they also had to learn to embody it physically. Middle School dance teacher Earlyn Sherry-Whitehead choreographed tap numbers, which some of the cast had never before performed. Beginning in December, she also listened to the music and improvised movements on her own to design the choreography, referencing past productions of “Anything Goes,” such as the 1988 Tony Awards and the 2011 Tony Awards.

Gallery • 2 Photos

Edie Park

Junior Alex Stamos gets ready in the green room on preview night.

Another major inspiration for the show’s choreography came from Black tap dancers. “With it being Black History Month, it’s really important to me to incorporate footwork from tap legends like Gregory Hines, Jeni Legon, Lois Bright,” Ms. Sherry-Whitehead said. “We’re trying to bring not only their names into the space, but also [make] sure that their legacy lives within the footwork that our Upper Schoolers are doing. That’s really important to me, that I’m continuing to carry that tradition.”

As the choreography took shape onstage, the world around the actors came together piece by piece over several months. Upper School performing arts teacher Frank Schneider, set designer for the show, began working at the end of last school year after receiving the script for “Anything Goes.”

He spent the summer researching 1930s steamships and sketching possible set designs before beginning to “meld the art with the mechanics” alongside Ms. Limoncelli. He then worked within budget and time constraints while guiding Stagecraft students, who, with additional help from cast members, constructed much of the set in the weeks leading up to the show.

Behind the scenes, Ms. Limoncelli balanced her creative vision with logistical realities, including securing rehearsal spaces, planning how to use rehearsal times, and coordinating the schedules of all 30 cast members, 15 crew members, and show faculty.

Although she had the most holistic view of the show, Ms. Limoncelli was far from working alone. “I have to be able to rely on all the other team members so that I can keep my focus on the stuff that’s directly my responsibility,” Ms. Limoncelli said. “A lot of us share an office, so we’re debriefing, strategizing, planning, and problem-solving a lot during the day, in between classes, at lunch. It’s a constant, ongoing conversation that goes on for months.”

The faculty’s behind-the-scenes teamwork contributed to a supportive environment where the cast could take risks onstage. “People have seen me sing [and] dance before, but I don’t think people have seen me act, and I’m really excited to show it off,” Alex said.

Gallery • 3 Photos

Frances Limoncelli plays Reno Sweeney during her senior year of high school.

The faculty supervising the production were able to watch performers including Alex step into unfamiliar roles and push themselves to sing and perform onstage for the first time. “What I found really rewarding is getting to work with students that I really haven’t ever worked with before, that maybe have not been in chorus or one of the shows in the past, so I’ve gotten to know a lot outside of just my initial group of students that I’ve worked with,” Mr. Brownlee said. “I get to help people find confidence in their voice—and there are quite a few people in our show who have not really sung before, or maybe they’ve always enjoyed singing, but they’ve never performed on stage.”

Ms. Limoncelli said those moments of growth were the most meaningful part of the show. “The real pleasure is in seeing the people who are just discovering themselves as performers—who maybe don’t have much experience performing, for whom it is way out of their comfort zone—and to see them push themselves and get uncomfortable and risk looking foolish, but doing it anyway,” she said. “Those are the triumphs that really make me feel like the whole project is worthwhile.”

Stella Tate felt this joy firsthand. “I am having the time of my life. This is the craziest show that I’ve ever done, but also probably the most fun,” they said. “Reno is one of my dream roles—it’s what I’ve always wanted to play. This ensemble, this cast, is amazing. I love them all with all of my heart.”

Mr. Brownlee echoed pride for the team’s hard work. “I’m proud of the way that this cast, specifically, has worked together. I think sometimes, as teachers, especially at Latin, we take that for granted. Once you have a good culture, it’s wonderful, and everything just feels easy and natural,” he said. “Our cast is very connected and very supportive of one another.”

Ms. Sherry-Whitehead added, “To witness that artistry, that commitment, and dedication is not only a gift to the performers, but it’s also a gift to the audience. Latin is really lucky to have an incredible performing arts program, so let’s keep supporting them.”