One audition changes East High forever when Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez take a chance to join the winter musical. In the aftermath, the students are reeling with how to handle the change in the status quo. Throughout the trilogy, Troy balances basketball with singing and his hopes for the future. But Troy isn't the only one thinking of what comes next. Possibilities of after high school is always a contributing thought and factor to each character in the trilogy. Regardless of if their hope is for a career or college, everyone is making strides to reach a goal.
But, it makes sense that they would make mistakes. Not every choice they made was the right one, and any character in the trilogy had a chance to do something wrong.
Ms. Darbus: Changed Callbacks
In High School Musical, it is clear that Ms. Darbus takes the school musical and theatre in general very seriously. She observes auditions thoughtfully and follows strict rules as to when solo and pairs auditions are held. But, after hearing Troy and Gabriella sing Kelsi's original song, Ms. Darbus decides to give them a callback. The initial callback date allowed Troy and Gabriella to participate in the scholastic decathlon and do the callbacks. But, Sharpay and Ryan are convincing, and in the end, Ms. Darbus changes the date so that Troy and Gabriella would have problems making it. While it is odd that Ms. Darbus would change the time at all, Ms. Darbus would likely have known that Troy and Gabriella already had commitments for that day.
Coach Bolton: Not Supportive
The Wildcats rely on each other to win games, and part of the team is their coach, Jack Bolton. Coach Bolton believes he knows what Troy wants for his future. But, as Jack seemed oblivious to Troy wishing to try new things, Jack remained ignorant of Troy's love of singing for quite some time. However, once he does find out, Jack is not supportive. Instead, he tells his son that Troy is a basketball player and not a singer.
Even in High School Musical 3: Senior Year, when Troy appears interested in colleges other than the University of Albuquerque, Jack is upset.
Kelsi: Spring Musical
When Sharpay recommends a one-woman show for the spring musical, Kelsi springs to action by adding everyone's names to the sign-up sheet. Kelsi's last-minute decision sends everyone else into a craze when Ms. Darbus reveals that nearly everybody has signed up for the musical. Kelsi may have had her reasons, but she forced her friends to do a play they didn't believe they had the time for as final exams were approaching. Luckily, everyone agrees to do the show.
Taylor: The Video
Gabriella and Troy's love of singing puts a snag into the status quo at East High and Taylor allies with Chad to get things back on track. Gabriella's interest in the musical could negatively impact the scholastic decathlon, so Taylor and Chad decide to ruin Troy and Gabriella's friendship and interest in the musical. Their plans succeeded, but at a cost. After seeing how miserable Gabriella has become, Taylor admits the truth to Gabriella about her role in hurting Gabriella's friendship with Troy.
Ryan: Helped Sharpay's Schemes
In High School Musical 2, Ryan refers to himself as having been Sharpay's lapdog. While his new friendships with Chad, Gabriella, and the Wildcats may have broken that pattern, Ryan still did a lot to help Sharpay manipulate her way to victory.
Ryan supported Sharpay in changing the callbacks, spied on Kelsi's new music, and participated in other parts of Sharpay's wishes.
Chad: Set Up Troy
Taylor's worst action couldn't have happened without Chad, who was just as responsible. Chad and the Wildcats baited Troy into saying things that would hurt Gabriella. Troy didn't notice he was being recorded and was not aware that Gabriella knew what he was saying. Chad's action maybe even more emotionally painful than Taylor's betrayal, given that Troy and Chad had been best friends since they were children. Still, years of history did not give Chad time to stop and think about his best friend's feelings. Instead, it took Chad to see the aftermath of his actions to realize how much he had messed up.
Sharpay: Manipulation
When Sharpay knows what she wants, she goes for it. Unfortunately, Sharpay doesn't think about the feelings of others as she executes her plans. Although Sharpay may get what she wants, it is at the expense of nearly everyone else's feelings.
Sharpay's desire for the lead in a musical has her infiltrating Gabriella's private affairs and knows how to use the information to get Gabriella out of the way. Sharpay is at the helm of Troy's success at the country club during High School Musical 2 because she wants to sing with Troy.
Gabriella: Ignored Troy
In High School Musical, Gabriella is hurt to hear Troy's feelings about her and their auditions for the winter musical. Deciding that the easiest way to handle the situation is to cut him out entirely, Gabriella tells Troy she is no longer interested. But, Gabriella doesn't stop there. She continually ignores Troy without telling him why Gabriella has stopped interacting with him. Those actions leave Troy upset and confused about what happened that made Gabriella not want to talk to him anymore.
Troy: Abandoned His Friends
In High School Musical 2, Troy got all of his friends a job at the country club, only to ignore them all later. Sharpay's influence allows Troy to rise in status while the rest remain dishwashers and waiters. Troy takes advantage of the Red Hawk's interest in him, joining the college guys for scrimmages at their gym without inviting Chad, Zeke, and Jason. However, Troy also abandons Gabriella. Troy's interest in gaining a scholarship has him spending plenty of time with Sharpay, her family, and the college guys, leaving him with no time to spend with Gabriella. Troy's interest in a scholarship may have been genuine, but the way he went about it caused those closest to him pain.