Tag Archives: Footloose

“Cut loose, footloose, kick off your Sunday shoes ….” (this weekend)!

6 Mar

The curtain’s about to go up on the Spry Drama Club’s spring musical, Footloose!, which will fill the Spry Middle School Cafetorium with music and dance in three shows this coming Friday and Saturday.

You surely remember the 1984 Oscar-nominated movie musical starring Kevin Bacon. The story follows a city teenager who moves to a small town where rock music and dancing have been deemed illegal. The new kid and his rebellious spirit shake up the town as he tries to bring music back into their drab lives … and win the girl at the same time. There’s lots of great music (including that very infectious title song), plus some new songs developed for the stage musical.

As you can see from the photos I’ve included here, I had the chance to pop by one of the dress rehearsals the other day, and was very impressed by how hard these young actors, actresses and stage crew have been working to put together a great show. And the talent I saw in these middle school-aged performers kinda of blew me away. There are some incredibly beautiful voices in the ensemble which I’m certain we’ll be hearing again in future productions at Webster Schroeder High School and beyond.

I highly recommend you see this show. It’ll be a delightful and inexpensive night out.

Spry Drama Club will present Footloose! this coming Friday March 10 at 7 p.m. and Saturday March 11 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Reserve tickets are $8 each and can be purchased online here. Spry Middle School is located at 119 South Ave., in the Village of Webster.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram.

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(posted 3/6/2023)

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Middle schools announce theatrical performances

23 Jan

You know that spring can’t be far behind when Webster’s middle schools announce their late-winter performances, which are always the first on the schedule every year.

Willink Middle School kicks everything off in just a few weeks when they present Disney’s Newsies, Jr. in three shows on Feb. 3 and 4.

Featuring a cast and crew of 100 sixth, seventh and eighth graders, the show is based on the real-life newsboy strike of 1899. It tells the story of Jack Kelly (Nicole Eggleton), a rebellious newsboy who dreams of a life as an artist away from the big city. After publishing giant, Joseph Pulitzer (Jeremiah Fischer), raises newspaper prices at the newsboys’ expense, Kelly and his fellow newsies take action. With help from reporter Katherine Plumber (Evie Aiezza), the newsies learn that they are stronger united and create a movement to fight for what’s right.

The show is packed with high-energy songs which have become well known to theater-goers and non theater-goers alike, including “Carrying the Banner,” “Seize the Day,” and “Santa Fe.”

Shows are Friday, Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, February 4 at 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at Willink Middle School, 900 Publishers Parkway, Webster. Tickets go on sale the week of January 30 on the Drama Club website. Cost is $10 for adults and $6 for students and seniors. Children 3 and younger are free.

Looking ahead to March, the Spry Middle School Drama Club is putting the final touches on their production of Footloose, scheduled for March 10 and 11.

Footloose tells the story of a young man who transfers to a high school in a small Midwestern town where rock music and dancing have been made illegal. As he struggles to fit in, he faces an uphill battle to change things.

The cast is led by 8th graders Rowan Murphy as Ren and Lilah Kastrinos as Ariel, supported by Rory Goodwin as Rev Shaw and Sarah Lowe as Vi. Ani Boller, Savannah Lane, Emily Berry, Grace Clayton, Abby Bielemeier and Evan Burdick round out the strong ensemble cast.

The performance features 80’s classics including “Footloose,” “Holding Out for a Hero,” “Almost Paradise” and “Let’s Hear it for the Boys.”

Footloose will take the Spry Cafetorium stage on Friday March 10 at 7 p.m., and Saturday March 11 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. More details to come about tickets.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram.

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 1/23/2023)

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