After the great success of “Chicago,” the organizers came up with another brilliant idea. This time, they chose a totally different, in plot and message, musical – the unforgettable “West Side Story.” It is a modern adaptation of the classic romantic tragedy “Romeo and Juliette.”

The fighting families become two warring New York City gangs – the American Jets, and the Puertorican Sharks. As in a typical tragic story, Maria, the sister of the Sharks’ leader, falls in love with the best friend of the Jets’ head of the gang. This results in a rumble under the highway which leads to the dramatic ending of the musical.

The organizer – Eva Pillossof, perfectly realized that she was undertaking a risky, time-consuming, and demanding project. However, her devotion and ambition turned this into a marvelous masterpiece. And there it began…

Posters and flyers appeared all around the Skaptopara dorms. The euphoria came over all AUBG-ers. Over 80 students came to the auditions that were segmented in three parts during three days.First, there was the dancing audition, then, singing, and finally, acting. The jury needed 4 additional days in order to take a decision about the future participants in “West Side Story.” 40 people got the chance to be part of this spectacular project.

The first rehearsal took place on Sept. 29^th, 2008. Old and new cast members were easy to differentiate. The participants in “Chicago” behaved much more confidently, while the newcomers a bit confused and awkward. However, only two months later, there were no longer individuals among the cast. They had already realized that they were part of something larger than they had initially imagined earned to perceive the team as a family. A team-building trip and numerous nights out together created friendships that would last forever and be the foundation of a lifelong bond.

Seven months passed in a heartbeat. After hundreds of hours of rehearsals and dealing with sponsors, hall directors, and lightning equipment professionals, the moment everybody had been craving for finally came. The demand for tickets for the show was enormous. Many people wanted to witness “West Side Story.” Out of 1300 Visitors, 700 were AUBG-ers, 300 – friends and relatives, and 300 Blagoevgrad – locals.

The first performance took place on Apr. 10^th, 2009 in “Peyo Yavorov” City Hall.  The cast was totally devoted to the audience. They acted professionally, sang heartily, and danced passionately. During the intermissions, loud applause was filling the big hall. The good reports of the audience roused the cast to even more enthusiasm. The second and the third performances turned out to be even more successful.

And then everything was over. In the evening on Apr. 12^th a lot of sad and heavily made-up faces could be seen going out of the dressing room of “Peyo Yavorov” Hall. The cast said its last Goodbye to the “West Side Story” project. Despite the sorrow in their hearts, the young actors were secretly looking forward to the next year’s musical.