Setting the Stage

Eighth grader Ella Amani has dreamed of being stage manager for the middle school musical for as long as she can remember, and this year the job is finally hers. The catch is that a stage manager is only as good as her crew, and hers is a mixed bunch. Willow is there to avoid detention. Sebastian is a shy sixth grader whose sister happens to be the star of the show. Kevin is the clumsy new kid who was homeschooled on a boat. And Levi, her best friend, used to tell her everything.

Ella is confident she can keep the crew in line. The cast is another matter. The actors are ungrateful and treat the crew like servants. When Ella finally stands up to them, the cast answers with pranks, and the friction between the two groups starts to escalate.

Told entirely from the point of view of the kids working backstage, this is the story of a junior high musical as seen from the wings, with all the drama that goes on behind the drama club. Think of it as High School Musical from behind the scenes, only without the high school.

Setting the Stage by Lindsay Champion opens the Cast vs. Crew trilogy, with the full story unfolding across the three books.