High School Musical: The Musical: The Seriesseason 3 has a release date and another season renewal. Fans can watch the students of East High return to screens on Jul 23, 2025, following the Wildcats to Camp Shallow Lake as they put on the first-ever camp production ofFrozen(at least according to Corbin Bleu’s announcement). The first two seasons starred Olivia Rodrigo (Nini) and Joshua Bassett (Ricky). However, Rodrigo is only returning as a guest star this season due to her music career and first headlining tour. That leaves the floor open for new main characters or current main characters to have a larger role in the upcoming season.
With the first look and confirmation thatthe new seasonis hitting screens soon, there can finally be more informed speculation on what could happen at Camp Shallow Lake and what we want to see. Grab your blanket and get settled by the fire as we discuss what we hope to see whenHigh School Musical: The Musical: The Seriesreturns this summer.
Summer Camp Activities
With a brand-new setting,the young casthas a chance to partake in a whole new set of activities. The school year sets the stage for dances, difficult class assignments, and extracurriculars, but that’s all gone in the summer months. Camp opens up the opportunity for campfire singing, smores roasting, and friendship bracelet making, in addition to putting on a production. This gives the audience a chance to see the cast doing things we don’t normally see them do, creating the perfect avenue to dive deeper into the characters.
Related:High School Musical: The Musical Season 3: Everything We Know So Far
As (assumedly) a performing arts camp, there will be workshops or classes to encourage the campers to hone their craft. While some, like Gina (Sofia Wylie), are very clear talents, others, like Big Red (Larry Saperstein), are still growing into their place in the theater world. Will there be acting intensives, like Improv 101, or classes to better their singing skills? Workshops for those that aren’t on stage would be fun to see, like tech theater, prop creation, set design, etc. After all, there’s more to putting on a musical than acting and singing.
BIPOC Elsa
There are several characters of color in the show, most notably Gina, Carlos, Kourtney, and the leading lady herself, Nini, to name a few. With Olivia Rodrigo only returning as a guest star in season 3, that leaves the floor open for anyone to play Elsa. Last season, Ashlyn was Belle in East High’sBeauty and the Beastproduction, setting the precedent that the leading female role rotates among the cast. That means it’s time for Gina or Kourtney to have their moment in the spotlight.
Casting Elsa as a person of color at Camp Shallow Lake provides the opportunity for more representation in the world of Disney princesses. Sure, Elsa has previously been depicted as a white character in the animated films and the Broadway show, but that doesn’t mean the camp’s production has to follow that narrative.
Based on how Gina and Kourtney’s arches ended in season 2, playingFrozen’squeen of the Arendellecould bring something important to both young women. While the camp’s cast list hasn’t been revealed, we hope to see one of these ladies playing Elsa.
A ‘Wouldn’t Change a Thing’ Moment
With the confirmation that songs from anotherDisney Channel Original Movie series,Camp Rock, will be included in the season, fans can hope for the recreation of an iconic moment from the second film. InCamp Rock 2: The Final Jam, Mitchie Torres (Demi Lovato) and Shane Gray (Joe Jonas) sing an emotional duet as they try to grapple with the status of their relationship. “Wouldn’t Change a Thing” is arguably one of the best songs of the franchise, and it would be to the show’s benefit to include it.
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There are two couples that could benefit from singing the iconic duet. When season 2 ended, Ricky and Nini had broken up, but it was clearly a hard decision for both of them. While they were still friends, summer can change everything, as they know. The song feels like it could be repetitive for the two, considering their journey so far, but it may still create an important and emotional moment between the two. Maybe their time apart, presumably because Nini is working on her music instead of attending camp, made them realize what they really needed.
The other couple that audiences could see singing the song is Gina and E. J.. While it’s implied that they are together at the end of the last season, E. J. is about to head off to college. Like Mitchie and Shane, who were apart between summers, Gina and E. J. may have some complicated feelings to work through when deciding where their relationship is headed. With new camp counselor-in-training and college student Val (Meg Donnelly) present, could she drive a wedge between the two as the basketball player is shown what’s on the horizon at college?
What do you want to see in the upcoming season? Is thereaCamp Rocksongon your must list for the series? Find out if it made the cut starting August 01, 2025.
