It’s that time of year again! The Falcon Playhouse proudly presents “Footloose.” The performances will be held March 22-27 at 6 pm. There will also be middle school lead shows on the 26th at 6 pm and the 27th at 4:30. Make sure to get your tickets online or at the door when you arrive.

 This is the classic story of a Chicago teen named Ren (Sawyer Girgis) who moves to the small town of Bomont. Upon arrival he is shocked to find out that singing and dancing is illegal. While trying to fit in, Ren decides to challenge this law with the help of Ariel Moore (Jackie Rappold), a rebellious pastor’s daughter and Willard Hewitt (Joey Uzabel), a country boy who can’t dance. Will they succeed? Come see the show to find out.

The Gauntlet had the opportunity to speak with some of the cast and the director of the show to get the inside scoop and learn more about the preparation leading up to performances. 

Q:What is your favorite part of being in the musical?

A: (Cassidy Miller, 11th grade) “I’ve been in musicals here at Saint Stephen’s since the age of five and have gotten to make some incredible memories from each show I’ve done. I would say being in Footloose has channeled my inner love for 80’s music. It’s really fun getting to dance and sing along to the songs. I would also like to add that doing the musical has brought students closer together. The community feel of the cast is what drives the show.”

Q: How do you relate to your character?

A: (Cassidy Miller, 11th grade) “The fun part about playing a character is that it doesn’t have to be about the actor. My character, Wendy Jo, is friendly and funny like I am. But, she’s also a little boy crazy and flirty which I’m not. It’s fun for me to play characters that are a little different than who I am normally. It’s one of the things I love about theater.”  

Q:How do you get into character before rehearsal or performances? 

A: (Sawyer Girgis, 9th grade) “I get into character by diving into the script.” Girgis asks himself, “what are my character’s motivations? What are their insecurities? What do they ultimately want? I will also often study similar characters from movies and take notes on the nuances and details such as posture and tone.” 

Q:What are you looking forward to during this production?

A: (Mrs. Elisha) “I’m looking forward to opening night! There is an electricity in the room that is invigorating. Watching the students’ excitement to show off all their hard work is very rewarding not only as a director, but also as a teacher.”

Q: Is there anything else you would like to tell the SSES community about this show?

A: (Mrs. Elisha) “I think that theater is really important, it’s a fun and creative way to share a message with your viewers. One of the reasons why I want to encourage everybody to come see Footloose is because it is like this magical window of creativity and it gives the viewers a chance to be a part of something that’s living and breathing. Come see the show and bring a friend who may not be into musicals. There’s people out there who don’t know they like musical theater until they experience it. Shows like Footloose are a great way to get a small glimpse into what a beautiful thing theater can be.”