
Everything Is Changing
[PROLOGUE — THE PASSAGE OF TIME] [The stage is nearly dark. A single clock ticks. Calendar pages drift from the ceiling: October… November… December… January… February… March.] ENSEMBLE (whispered): September… October… November… Where did the days go? (Soft piano begins.) ⸻ [PART I — MAYA] MAYA Yesterday… The future felt so far away. Now every hallway Feels a little smaller. Every classroom Feels a little quieter. How did tomorrow… Become today? ⸻ [PART II — JORDAN] JORDAN I kept saying… “Maybe later.” Thought I had forever To figure it all out. Then I looked around… And suddenly… The countdown had already begun. ⸻ [PART III — AVA] AVA I spent so much time Trying to be perfect… I almost forgot To enjoy Being here. ⸻ [PART IV — ELIJAH] ELIJAH Everyone kept telling me Who I was supposed to become. Maybe… The hardest dance Is learning To choose for yourself. ⸻ [PART V — RILEY] (Holding a camera.) RILEY I thought Pictures could stop time. But every photograph Only reminds me… How quickly Moments become memories. ⸻ [ENSEMBLE BUILD] (The orchestra grows.) ENSEMBLE The seasons changed… Without asking us. The days kept moving… Without waiting. ⸻ [FIRST CHORUS] FULL COMPANY 🎶 Everything is changing… Right before our eyes. Dreams are growing, Hearts are hoping, Time keeps passing by. 🎶 We thought We had forever… Now forever Feels too near. Everything is changing… And we’re still standing here. 🎶 ⸻ [REPRISE MONTAGE] (Different parts of the stage come alive simultaneously.) ENSEMBLE A (softly) 🎶 We have time… ⸻ ENSEMBLE B 🎶 This is our year… ⸻ ENSEMBLE C 🎶 Not yet… ⸻ (The melodies weave together.) ⸻ [MAYA] Maybe… Growing up Was never about Having all the answers. ⸻ [AVA] Maybe… It’s learning To ask Better questions. ⸻ [ELIJAH] Maybe… The future Doesn’t begin After graduation. ⸻ [RILEY] Maybe… It’s already here. ⸻ [THE BUILD] (The orchestra accelerates. Students rush across the stage.) Acceptance letters. Dance auditions. Choir rehearsals. Prom invitations. Yearbooks. Caps and gowns being measured. Teachers hugging students. Parents applauding from the audience. The year races forward. ⸻ [SECOND CHORUS — BIGGER] FULL COMPANY 🎶 Everything is changing! Nothing stays the same! Every dream We’ve dared to dream Is calling out our names! 🎶 Every goodbye Begins with one hello. Every ending Helps another story grow. 🎶 Everything is changing… Can you feel it too? Maybe… We’re becoming Who we were always meant to be. 🎶 ⸻ [THE QUIET BEFORE THE CLIMAX] (The music suddenly disappears.) [Only Maya remains center stage.] [She looks around the empty school.] [She gently runs her hand across a locker.] ⸻ MAYA Do you remember… The first day? When we thought Senior year Would last forever? ⸻ [Silence.] ⸻ [One by one…] [The cast returns.] [Standing exactly where they stood] [During the opening number.] ⸻ [FINAL REPRISE] (The opening melody returns, slow and tender.) FULL COMPANY (softly) 🎶 One last first day… One more chance To find our way. We didn’t know How fast we’d grow… Or how much This place Would shape our hearts. 🎶 ⸻ (The orchestra begins to swell.) ⸻ 🎶 We have laughed… We have cried… We have dreamed… Side by side… And though tomorrow Calls our names… We’ll never be The same. 🎶 ⸻ [FINAL CLIMAX] (Full orchestra. The entire company joins together.) FULL COMPANY 🎶 EVERYTHING IS CHANGING! AND SO ARE WE! THE FUTURE’S WAITING— CAN’T YOU SEE? 🎶 WE’LL CARRY EVERY SONG, EVERY MEMORY, EVERY FRIENDSHIP, EVERY DREAM! 🎶 NO MATTER WHERE THE ROAD MAY LEAD… THIS PLACE WILL ALWAYS LIVE INSIDE OF ME! 🎶 ⸻ [ENDING] (The orchestra drops away. A single piano remains.) [The school bell rings.] [One final time.] [The cast looks toward the audience.] [Not smiling.] [Not crying.] [Just taking in the moment.] [Together.] [They whisper:] FULL COMPANY “Everything… is changing.” (Blackout.)

