Setting the Stage

By Lindsay Champion

Part of the Cast vs. Crew series

Backstage chaos erupts as the crew clashes with the cast in a middle school musical.

3.6/5 Goodreads · 68 ratings

208 pages

$18.99Save 5%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Eighth grader Ella finally becomes stage manager for her school's musical, but chaos ensues when the cast and crew clash. With a rebellious crew and a prank-playing cast, Ella must navigate friendships and rivalries. Can she unite them before opening night, or will the drama offstage overshadow the performance? Dive into the backstage world where every role matters and tensions run high.

From the publisher

SERIES LAUNCH! The full story of a junior high musical production, told exclusively from the POV of the kids backstage. It’s High School Musical, from behind the scenes…without the high school. Every cast depends on its stage crew. But what happens when they hate each other? SETTING THE STAGE is the first act in a trilogy that tells the whole story! Eighth grader Ella Amani has been waiting her whole life to be the stage manager of the middle school musical, and this is her year! Somehow she’ll have to find jobs for Willow, who’s doing stage crew instead of detention, and Sebastian, a shy sixth grader whose sister is the star of the show. She’ll have to wrangle Kevin, the clumsy new kid who was homeschooled on a boat, and Levi, her best friend, who used to tell her everything. Still, Ella’s pretty sure she can handle the crew. The cast? That’s a different story. They’re ungrateful, they treat the crew like servants, and when Ella finally pushes back, they start playing pranks! Setting the Stage is a behind-the-scenes look at the drama of drama club from the crew’s point of view. A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

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