Two Madison Country Day School siblings turned their mother’s overseas trip into a full-length musical — and then handed it to a cast of third- and fourth-graders to bring to life on stage in March.
“Colors, the Musical!”, an original production written by high school students and siblings Jae ’26 and Sophia ’28, focuses on a message of belonging.
“Ultimately, we wanted to convey the message that everyone has a place,” Sophia said. “Listeners need to understand that no matter what they or others might say, there will always be a place for everyone, and each person is enough just as they are.”
The teamwork and musicianship began with their mother’s trip to Romania.
“She wrote a 5-minute skit for a Romanian orphanage in which Mr. Grey took over and made every color grey,” Jae said. “It ended with Mr. Grey being banished for his actions. My mom asked me and my sister, Sophia, if we wanted to lengthen it and turn it into a full musical.”
From September through December of 2026, the sisters worked to develop the show. They expanded the script, drafted lyrics and then turned them into songs.
“Typically, we’d work for anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours on weekends, and usually 30 minutes to an hour on school nights.” Jae recounted. “Part of the reason we said ‘yes’ was to give Mr. Grey his own ending.”
Jae and Sophia pitched the musical to Head of Lower School Kristina Luedtke.
“I was initially very impressed,” Luedtke said. “They had written a whole musical, complete with music!” “When I read the musical, I discovered it was well-written and contained a great lesson.”
With “Colors the Musical” officially in place, rehearsals began, led by director Rebecca Lemar, Lower School Math Specialist at MCDS, assistant director Samuel Dean, a Kindergarten Associate Teacher, and volunteer choreographer Kate Corby. “This dynamic trio was a blessing!” Lemar said.
As director, Lemar took on the jobs of interpreting the script, organizing auditions and scheduling each rehearsal.
“My main role was to empower the children and to provide a fun, safe experience for everyone,” she said.
Lemar said she encouraged the actors to take risks and build confidence while embracing their characters in the show, all in service of the theme of belonging.
“That feeling of belongingness can elevate an experience, so it was important to me that the children felt connected to their work and the outcomes,” Lemar said.
Rehearsals were a mix of acting and feedback. “It was important to me that these young actors and actresses felt truly confident in their abilities,” Dean said, “especially since, for some, it was their very first time performing on stage.”
The actors worked individually to understand their characters – the different colors – and how they fit in with the rest of the group.
“If the color orange were a person, what would they act like? Would they be energetic? It was fun to see how they conceptualized it,” Maddie ’29, one of the musical’s high school assistants, said.
Rehearsals ended with another group meeting for the staff and cast to touch base before heading home. “We ended practices by putting our hands in and shouting: ‘Colors!’ on three!” Lemar said.
Rosie ’34 played the lead role of the Artist. “Performing? It was kind of scary, but really fun,” she said.
The cast was able to show off all of their hard work as an ensemble, as well as each actor’s perspective on their color and what it meant to them.
“It was surreal to watch something that’s been in your head for the past six months be performed,” Jae said.
