PHS’s Spectacle Theatre brought a classic comedy to life this year with “Groundhog Day: The Musical” from March 13–15 in the Performing Arts Center. Based on the 1993 film of the same name, the musical follows Phil Connors, a weatherman who finds himself reliving Groundhog Day over and over again in the small town of Punxsutawney. Directed by drama teacher Julianna Krawiecki, the show highlighted the talents of the students involved through acting, music, dancing, and stage management.

“Last year, after we did “Beauty and the Beast,” I sat down and thought about what is a great contrast to this musical ... how do we make sure we give them a very different experience but do something that’s new and challenging and exciting, and “Groundhog Day” [is] very different from anything we’ve done,” said Krawiecki.

Bringing “Groundhog Day” to the stage required months of dedication from the cast, orchestra, and crew. With its fast-paced musical numbers, and intricate technical elements, the show posed unique challenges for everyone involved. From vocal rehearsals with PHS Choir Director
Vincent Metallo to going through scenes under the direction of Krawiecki, students in the cast and PHS Orchestra gave their all to perfect their performances while the tech crew spent hours building the set.

“Basically, as soon as the fall play was over ... we started
building the [set for the] musical because we knew that
it was going to be a huge undertaking. We’ve never done
a turntable before, so there was a lot that we wanted to
get figured out early. So we’ve been working on this [for]
eight to 10, 12, [or]14 weeks at this point,” said Jeffrey Van
Velsor, Set Designer and Technical Director for the show.

Being a member of the musical required dedication and
time management skills, as students spent a lot of time
after school rehearsing.

“The most challenging part [for me was] the amount of
time it [took]. Rehearsals [started] at 5:30 p.m. but they
often [went] past 8 p.m., and while it [was] a lot of fun, it
[could] be really time-consuming,” said cast member Ivy
Cordle ’27.

Music was a key element of the musical, with the orchestra
playing a central role. The PHS Orchestra rehearsed alongside the cast members, ensuring a seamless integration
of live music and performance that brought energy and
excitement to the show.

“Groundhog Day is a contemporary show. The genre
of the music is very upbeat pop [and] rock pop, so it’s [a]
very unique style, and that contemporary musical, more
modern musical, [brought] new challenges,” said Metallo.

PHS Orchestra, which provided a live soundtrack for the
show, faced the challenge of coordinating with the action
on stage as they were playing.

“There’s a lot of effort required ... to keep track of the
actors’ movements and lines. It’s hard to focus on just the
music when there are so many other things to consider,”
said Emily Leng ’27, a flautist in PHS Orchestra.

With months of hard work behind them, the cast, crew,
and orchestra delivered a performance that captivated
audiences over the three-night run. From the high-energy
musical numbers to the emotional character moments,
Groundhog Day was a testament to the dedication and
talent of PHS’s theater community.

Photo: Katherine Chen

Maxime DeVico ’27, Julia Scibienski ’27, Noa Zacks ’25, Sebastian Bongiovi ’25, Milania Kapoor ’27, Elena Barreto ’27, Judy Pwee ’27, Sanya Bhatt ’28, Sophie Mueller ’28, Daniel Spitkovsky ’27, Tara Venkatesh ’28, Sylven Waldman ’25, Ash Nieman ’26, and Anna Kaufman ’26 perform the number “Day One — Punxsutawney Phil” in “Groundhog Day.”

Cast, crew, and orchestra shine in “Groundhog Day” musical

PHS French teacher Sova Fisher’s journey
to PHS spans multiple continents, cultures,
and careers. Fisher spent her childhood
in England, France, Taiwan, along with
several short periods in Cambodia. After
Cambodia’s collapse to the
Khmer Rouge, Fisher’s family,
who were stranded in Taiwan,
decided to move to the United
States.


Fisher’s relationship with
language and culture has been
important throughout her
journey. She spent much of her
education in French international schools,
though she also spoke English and a bit of
Mandarin.


“I went to French schools until 8th grade,
then to an American high school, and then
to [Dartmouth]. [Though] my parents …
wanted to keep the [Cambodian] culture
and the tradition alive in the house, we
weren’t living in Cambodia most of the
time, so it was very difficult,” said Fisher.


At Dartmouth, Fisher enrolled as a premed student but later switched to a double
major in biology and French. After a brief
stint in sports publishing, she decided to
pursue a PhD in French at her husband’s
recommendation. Fisher was accepted into
a PhD program at Princeton University,
where she worked as a precept for
undergraduate French classes in addition
to her research.


“I was a little intellectually demanding,
[which] was sort of a challenge, and I
learned [after] one of the comments from
an undergrad to try [and] sort ease into the
discussion, rather than [start] with a big
question,” said Fisher.


However, after a while,
Fisher realized that she wasn’t
very excited about the job
prospects in academia if she
were to complete her PhD.


“I wrote one chapter of my
dissertation, and I thought,
‘you know what, I want to
stay here. I don’t really want to, you know,
go teach in Arkansas or Alabama.’ At a
university level, you have to go where the
job is, because there are not that many
posts,” said Fisher.


Fisher decided to apply as a French teacher
to the local Princeton Charter School, where
one of her daughters attended.
“I got hired at the Charter School …
and from the Charter School, I came to
[PHS],” said Fisher. “This is what I think is
my calling: with all this other stuff that I’ve
done in my life, it just never really sort of felt
like I made a difference or that I have the
passion for it, whereas with teaching French
… I love it. I love the culture, the language.
I love teaching it, and I love the students.”


In the classroom, Fisher strives to create
an environment where students feel engaged
with each other and with the language.


“Whenever we do presentations, she
gives us different partners and switches it
up every time, so I know everyone in that
class, and I have a really close bond with
them all,” said Penelope Cardona-Fox ’26,
a student in Fisher’s AP French class.


Fisher’s passion for language and teaching
has been noticed by students and colleagues
alike.


“In her classroom, students are expected
to participate actively. There is a lot of group
work, and the expectation is that everyone
stays in the language throughout the class,”
said Priscilla Russel, PHS’s world language
supervisor. “[Fisher] is a very passionate
teacher, and her enthusiasm is contagious.
She loves teaching French, and this comes
through in her classes.”

Photo: Charley Hu

Sova Fischer analyzes the text of “Le Géant de Zéralda,” a French children’s story,
with her 8th period French IV A class.

The Tower

Sanya Bhatt's Work

The Tower