The young stars of High School Musical might not have made it to Broadway yet, but there's one member of the cast who's been there and done that.  Veteran actress Alyson Reed, who plays the brazen Ms. Darbus on the movies, has already garnered enough credits spanning film, television, and of course, theatre.  Earning even more success with the Disney franchise, she recently sat down for an interview about her part in the phenomenon. 

The moment Alyson Reed began working with the High School Musical crew, she knew that the film was going to transcend expectations. “I talked to Kenny Ortega (the director) and said that this would be the next generation's "Grease." I could just feel it,” she admitted. 

Regarding the development of her character, drama teacher Ms. Darbus, Reed said: “I didn't expect to be in "HSM2" because the setting was during summer vacation, so I was surprised that my character was even in the script.  In "HSM3," I do the same thing that I did in the first "HSM," but in this one, I have a lovely scene with Zac (Efron) where I encourage him to choose his future role in life.” 

A natural performer, Alyson Reed has appeared in six Broadway productions and over 50 films and TV shows to date.  She was even nominated for both a Tony and a Drama Desk Award due to her performances.  Despite her obvious skill, she didn't get the chance to demonstrate her singing talents in the High School Musical films.

“I do not sing in any of the movies.  However, I was going to sing a song with the kids in "HSM3" -- I believe it was called "Stay in the Moment" -- where I was teaching them theater improv.  But it was very "iffy."  Kenny wasn't sure it was going to happen.  We took it out of the script a few days before filming.” 

This hasn't stopped Alyson Reed from pursuing other projects though.  Her interest in theater never wavered one bit.  “Performing on Broadway was my goal in my whole life.  I never had the desire to do TV or film.  Performing on Broadway was a life's dream.  I took theater classes in junior high and I would have rehearsal every night.  I worked very hard to get there.”

With years of theatre know-how backing her up, Reed advises aspiring actors to keep working at it, without forgetting to treasure the experience.  “Just get some training and enjoy it.  These days, too many kids just want to become stars.  That was not our goal back then.  Our goal was to do good work and to learn our craft.  There is a big difference between learning and knowing who you are, then becoming a star.”


-Maria Gonzalez, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: IMDB,
(Image Courtesy of Disney)