Lose your blues with Footloose

It’s time to kick off your Sunday shoes with the GHS Drama Club, set to perform the classic eighties musical Footloose this spring! 

The cast of 23 students will be taking to the stage Thursday, March 31st, at 7:00pm, Friday, April 1st, at 7:00pm, and Saturday, April 2nd, at 1:00pm & 7:00pm, in the GHS auditorium. 

The show follows teenager Ren McCormack (senior Nate Oaks) as he and his mother, Ethel (senior Emily Corrao) move to a rural farm town called Bomont, from Chicago. Bomont is run by the town preacher, Reverend Shaw (junior Seamus Buckley), and due to a tragic incident, the town has banned dancing. The show follows Ren as he fights against the status quo and his own demons, and falls for the preacher’s daughter, Ariel (senior Haley Weed).

“It’s really nice to perform again without masks, we haven’t been able to since Mamma Mia,” Nate Oaks, who will be playing Ren, said. “It’s been great, being able to be with all my friends, and seeing how happy performing makes them.”

Now that the COVID-19 pandemic has calmed, the drama club has been able to resume most of its old traditions.

“Honestly, I’m surprised at how quickly we have gotten back into it,” sophomore Finn Wall, who will be playing Principal Clark, said, “It’s almost like Covid never happened. I think it’s because of how talented everyone is. We have such a great cast this year. I’m super proud of what everyone in the cast has done, I think we will have an amazing show.”

The program is largely student run, with cast and crew taking on the majority of set building, lighting and sound design, choreography, and marketing. 

“It’s a lot of work, but it’s nice to be so involved,” Ais Cook, the set designer and co-stage manager said. “We get to see people get better at the dance and songs, and that helps us have a strong idea of where everything is in the show, which also helps us with the set and sound.” 

“Ais and I are both tech crew,” Michael Merchant, the sound designer and co-stage manager, said. “So we’re usually only involved once a week [during set builds] until tech, but being stage managers means we get to see the whole play come together.” 

Tickets will be available to purchase at the door for $10 for students and $15 dollars for general admission, and are available for pre-order on the GHS Drama website for $8 for students and $13 for general admission.