Final rehearsals are underway for the HCHS spring production of Footloose the musical
Footloose is a rock musical which will be presented by the Habersham Central High School Drama Department. The show is directed by drama teacher Jeremy Bishop and is choreographed by local dance instructor Carrie Elrod. “The musical is a little less rough around the edges, a little more charming,” Bishop says of the stage show compared to its popular big screen predecessor. “It explores the idea of youth versus wisdom and trying to find a compromise between keeping your kids safe but letting them have enough freedom to still be themselves.”
Everybody cut Footloose
Footloose the musical is based on a 1984 American film directed by Herbert Ross. It spawned a chart-topping soundtrack with Kenny Loggins singing the title track.
Footloose tells the story of Ren McCormack, an upbeat Chicago teen who moves to a small town where dancing and rock music are banned. The story is loosely based on real-life events that took place in the small, rural community of Elmore City, Oklahoma in 1980. Dancing in Elmore was banned. Students wanted a prom and they took their request to the school board. They got their prom on a slim 3-2 vote margin. A remake of the movie was filmed in Georgia in 2010 and was released in theaters in 2011.
Fortunately for choreographer Carrie Elrod, Habersham County is no Elmore City. This Habersham County native grew up dancing. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance at the Boston Conservatory and performed professionally in New York before returning home to Habersham in 2011. Elrod is now a dance instructor and is active in community theater. She lends her talent to the HCHS production of Footloose and is keeping the cast on its toes…literally.
The cast has been rehearsing for months, putting in long hours after school learning their lines, songs and dance routines. The students and creative team at HCHS are now in the final stages of rehearsals and are eager to present this energetic production to the community. Audience members will be thrilled to see the explosive choreography and great musical numbers performed by this talented group of young, skillful performers.
Footloose debuts on stage at the Habersham Central High School Fine Arts Auditorium Thursday, April 30 at 7:30 p.m. Performances also are scheduled for Satuday, May 2 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 3 at 2 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased the day of the show at the HCHS auditorium. Tickets are $5 for Students and Seniors and $7 for Adults.
The cast of Footloose 2015
Habersham Central’s cast of Footloose includes the talents of Lawson Lewallen, Julianna Ward, Rachael Pastman, Stuart Hoag, Austin Elliott, Breckon Chastain, Coral Janowsky, Cameron Scofield, McCall Aycock, Joshua Brown, Trevor Daniel, Amber Brewster, Maggie Smagur, Aleyah Malone, Breana Viramontes, Charlotte Kloster, Meghan Kirkland, Dalton Rose, Ty Poulson, Alex Sommer, Rob Ferguson, Bonnie Bennett, Grant Williams, Dillon Xayavong, Dennis Garcia, Tyler Rattanaxay, Peyton Kinnarath, and Austin Elliott.
Townspeople and High School Students include Rebecca Ansley, Bonnie Bennett, Emily Brewster, Rebekah Culpepper, Raven Ferguson, Patsy Folds, Brooke Gabrels, Cheyenne Hayes, Savannah Hayes, Meredith Holcomb, Elizabeth Hughes, Coral Janowsky, Charlotte Kloster, Aleyah Malone, Hanna Manley, Laura Mark, Dillon Matias, Brie Needler, Rachael Pastman, Summer Price, Daniel Purcell, Morgen Schulte and Brittany Witcher.
Dancers include: Alyssa Greene, Cheyenne Hayes, Savannah Hayes, Meredith Holcomb, Karina Ruiz, Isabella Valadez and Ashton Welbor.
Dance Captains: Lawson Lewallen and Summer Price.
Footloose: From movie to musical
The popular 1984 movie starring Kevin Bacon as Ren, Lori Singer as Ariel, John Lithgow as Reverend Shawn Moore and Dianne West as Vi Moore was turned into a full length Broadway musical in October of 1999. The Richard Rodgers Theatre was home to the show until it closed in July of 2000. The 2011 remake of the film featured the Hollywood talents of Kenny Wormald, Jullianne Hough, Dennis Quaid and Andie MacDowell. The movie has inspired many and continues to thrill audiences through its stage musical makeover.
