They're All in This Together

A live orchestra, inventive choreography, and hits like 'Look at Me, I'm Nancy B' had audiences laughing and cheering throughout this year's performances of the Fourth Year Show.

“[The Class of 2026] was phenomenal! What an incredible show and superb talent. The storyline was brilliant!” said Ninani Kombo, MD, associate professor of ophthalmology and visual science.

The Yale School of Medicine (YSM) student-run production was inspired by the 2006 film High School Musical. Co-writer and co-director Morgan Brinker ’27 described the creative process behind the choice.

“We wanted to subvert expectations of the Fourth Year Show. We as directors and writers thought intentionally about how to tie High School Musical to YSM, and we started at the basics: at its core, High School Musical is about being forced to choose between two seemingly different paths only to find that balance is the true answer. After spending four years here, I cannot think of another way to describe the Yale System: wellness and competency go hand in hand.”

The story follows two groups of students as they navigate their four years at YSM. The gunners, led by Gabriella Sterling (Julia Fu), focus on studying, attending lectures, and developing Anki decks, while the wild bratz, led by Troy Harkness (Caroline Borden), use the flexibility of the Yale System to travel, party, and spend time with friends.

For this year’s show, the writers chose an unusual villain. "I thought it was a pretty cool idea to have a misinterpretation of the Yale System as a villain as opposed to a faculty member," said Brinker.

As the students tackle exams, failures, and floods, an unlikely friendship begins to form between the two stars. Gabriella realizes there might be more to medical school than studying, and Troy considers taking his education a little more seriously.

While the gunners and wild bratz are making their way through the Yale System, Dean Illuzzi (McKenzie Tuttle) is trying to find a new dean for YSM. She and her voluntold student representative, Kelsi (Elizabeth Woo), interview several faculty for the position, including Dean Talwalkar a.k.a. Dean of AI (Kevin Okifo) who proposes an AI-powered dean, and Dr. Camp a.k.a. Daddy Camp (Andrew Craver) who interviews just for the vibes.

A surprise appearance by Sarah Hull, MD, herself had audiences on their feet and cheering. Dr. Hull joked that if she were dean, every class would start with a fit check “because I know you see these heels I’m rocking.”

As graduation approaches, the gunners and wild bratz realize that the Yale System is all about balance, and that studying hard and socializing are both important aspects of their education. By the end, Gabriella and Troy realize they are meant for each other and couples match into a residency program in Hawaii. In an unexpected twist, student representative Kelsi realizes her life goal is to become an administrator at a medical school and is appointed Dean of YSM.

“This show was really an enormous collaborative process by everyone in our 50+ person team and by support from staff like Deanna Calvert in Student Affairs and Eric Brown from AV,” said Tanvi Banota, producer. “For the production and creative team, it was the first time for all of us doing anything like this, and we really trusted each other every step of the way.”

"It's hard to put into words what the experience of putting on the Fourth Year Show was like," noted Julia Fu, who was also music director and co-songwriter. "Never have I worked on a project with so many people where we all worked insanely hard just for the sake of loving something."

The cast closed the show with a heartwarming rendition of “We’re All in This Together” from High School Musical. As they took their final bow to a standing ovation, it was clear that the show, like the Yale System, was all about balance – equal parts hard work, creativity, and joy!