High School Musical - Plot

Plot

On New Year's Eve, Troy Bolton and Gabriella meet at a New Year's Eve party while both teenagers are at a ski lodge during winter break. At the party, the two are called upon to sing karaoke together (Start of Something New). They seem to be attracted to each other, and exchange numbers before parting.

After Christmas break, Troy sees Gabriella in his homeroom, and she explains that she just moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico and transferred to a fictional East High School over break. Troy shows Gabriella around the school, and they pause in front of the sign-up sheet for the winter musical auditions. This alarms Drama Club president Sharpay Evans, who assumes that Gabriella is interested in auditioning. Wanting to eliminate competition, Sharpay investigates the new girl and arranges for the scholastic decathlon captain, Taylor McKessie, to find out about Gabriella's past academic achievements.

During basketball practice, Troy has trouble focusing because his thoughts are on Gabriella and the idea that he might enjoy singing more (Get'cha Head In the Game). Gabriella and Troy both go to the musical auditions where Sharpay and her twin brother Ryan perform (What I've Been Looking For) but both are too shy to audition. When Gabriella finally summons the courage to step forward, Troy offers to sing with her, but Ms. Darbus tells them that they are too late. After Ms. Darbus apparently leaves, Kelsi Nielson, the composer of the musical, trips and drops her things. Troy and Gabriella rush to help her, and they sing together as Kelsi plays piano (What I've Been Looking For (Reprise)). Ms. Darbus overhears them and gives them a callback audition.

When the callback list is posted, Sharpay is furious to learn that she has competition for the lead in the musical, and the rest of the Wildcats are shocked that Troy and Gabriella have auditioned for a musical. Other students confess their own secret passions and talents (Stick To The Status Quo), alarming both Taylor and Troy's friend Chad Danforth. Since Gabriella has agreed to join the scholastic decathlon team, both Taylor and Chad want their teammates to focus on their upcoming competitions rather than the musical. To help Troy and Gabriella return to normal, Chad and the basketball team trick Troy into saying that Gabriella is not important while she watches through a wi-fi link that the scholastic decathlon team has set up. Gabriella is hurt (When There Was Me And You), she refuses to talk to Troy and decides not to audition for the musical. Chad and Taylor feel guilty for ruining Troy and Gabriella's relationship, and decide to tell them the truth. After Chad and the basketball team tell Troy what they did and offer to support him in callbacks, Troy goes to Gabriella's house and they make up.

Intimidated after overhearing Gabriella and Troy practicing, Sharpay convinces Ms. Darbus to change the callback time to coincide with both the basketball championship and the scholastic decathlon, so that Gabriella and Troy cannot participate. Kelsi overhears the conversation and the basketball team and the decathlon team work together to come up with a plan. On the day of the competitions, Taylor and Gabriella use the school's computers to cause a series of mishaps that delay the big game and the decathlon. With both competitions delayed, Troy and Gabriella rush to the auditorium, and Sharpay and Ryan finish performing their song (Bop To The Top), confident that their plan worked. Troy and Gabriella then audition (Breaking Free) and Ms. Darbus gives Troy and Gabriella the lead roles, making Sharpay and Ryan understudies. Troy and Gabriella both win their respective competitions,(Hoping to kiss to celebrate it but were interrupted) and the film ends when the entire school gathers in the gym to celebrate (We're All In This Together).

A short scene after the credits show Zeke pacing alone in the gym as Sharpay comes running in declaring the cookies she rejected from him earlier "genius!". She then hugs him and he says he'll make her a creme brulee.