Eastmont High School musical-theatre actors perform a scene from "Footloose: The Musical." The students (front left to right) are Juliette Schmauder, Lexine Forsyth, Haley Taylor and Clara Lebow.
Eastmont High School musical-theatre actors perform a scene from "Footloose: The Musical." The students (front left to right) are Juliette Schmauder, Lexine Forsyth, Haley Taylor and Clara Lebow.
EAST WENATCHEE – In a theater production, even the final bows must be rehearsed. Eastmont High School (EHS) students worked for 45 minutes Feb. 23 to stage the final poses and bows for their upcoming production of “Footloose: The Musical.”
A group of 25 student performers plus a technical team have rehearsed during the hours of 3-5 p.m. every Monday-Friday since Jan. 3 to put the musical theater pieces together.
Performances are March 2-4 and 9-11 at 7 p.m. with tickets costing $10 for students and $15 for adults at the EHS auditorium, 955 3rd St. NE, East Wenatchee.
After their final group pose, the actors will move back into a large ‘V’ formation to receive a round of applause.
On stage, Feb. 23, the student dance captain gave careful instructions: “First group, come up, take your bow, step back, turn sideways, the other group comes through, and takes their bows.”
Just those standard movements in theater require focus, balance and congeniality to close out a performance.
The technical elements of a mega-mix soundtrack also had to be finessed by the director and technical team to fit the timing of the bows for a large cast size, that day.
“They’re not going to stop clapping,” director Lana Bromiley told the students, referring to their future audience.
Bromiley is also a Stage Kids leader and was invited to direct this musical by EHS theater manager Ken Sinko.
After the director’s notes, the second half of rehearsal was dedicated to a run-through of the first act of “Footloose,” based on the 1984 movie.
“Your energy is allowed to go down when the show is over,” Bromiley reminded the students.
And they delivered, even in rehearsal, with emotional acting and energetic choreography to hit songs.
Grant Chisholm, EHS sophomore, said in an email: “Theater is the most team sport out there. We all have one goal and that’s to put on a good show. It’s so much fun to build that group together with all of these amazing people so we can accomplish that goal. Theater has such a community aspect to it, and that’s why it’s so much fun.”
The song “Footloose” by Kenny Loggins starts the show about the town that made dancing illegal.
The lead, “Ren,” (played by Kevin Bacon in the movie) is played by Rowan Kappler in this musical. He’s the new guy in a small church-going town who sings, “I Can’t Stand Still.”
Ren’s love interest is the pastor’s daughter, “Ariel,” played by Lexine Forsyth, who is “Holding Out for a Hero” in one of her songs.
The whole company brings their dancing shoes and personalities to big numbers, such as “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” by Deniece Williams and “I’m Free” by Kenny Loggins. The supporting characters also really take their moments to cut loose.
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