Coronado High School students will take the stage in "Grease" starting Thursday, Oct. 15, when the Coronado School of the Arts Musical Theatre and Drama conservatory opens its fall production.

The show runs through Sunday, Oct. 18, at the Coronado High School theater, 650 D Ave. Tickets are available online or at the box office window 45 minutes before curtain.

The production, first reported by the Islander Times, features students across grade levels tackling the 1950s musical written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey.

Among them is Alfonso Sanchez, a junior who transferred to CHS from Chula Vista after being homeschooled. "Grease" is his first musical. Sanchez said his mother, a fan of the "Grease" movie, encouraged him and his sister to audition.

He spent a month preparing before tryouts, which included learning a lengthy dance routine with no prior dance experience. Callbacks came the next day, leaving little time to prepare. Sanchez told the Islander Times in a Sept. 2 article that he squeezes homework into lunch periods and class downtime so he can practice lines and music at home.

"Working on how to get the music right at home and practicing independently for music and lines is for sure a challenge," Sanchez said.

Still, he said the CoSA community has been welcoming. He described the audition as fun despite the nerves, noting he was surprised how quickly the cast picked up songs and dialogue during callbacks.

Senior Julia Davidson plays Rizzo. She described the audition process as stressful but said she found her footing by easing into it. "If you simply let the flow go then you'll be fine and end up having a lot of fun," Davidson told the Islander Times.

Senior Addy Munsterman is using CoSA to build toward a college career in musical theater. She said she is working with a college coach and credits the program with helping her prepare.

CoSA, a state-approved career-technical program at CHS, staged "Chicago" with 30 cast and crew members in October 2021. That was the program's first live-audience show after a pandemic pause that began in February 2020.

For ticket questions, families can contact box office manager Erin Everett at 619-522-6202.